FYI, Nancy:
I posted your message to the "Energy Advocates" email list, and received
this reply today...
David Orr
Sierra Club
Angeles Chapter
Subject: RE: Letters needed for IRENEW & wind generation
Sent: 3/19/99 9:10 AM
From: [log in to unmask]
To: David Orr Jr, [log in to unmask]
Energy Advocates list, [log in to unmask]
In the interest of trying to help on this, I called a couple of my
contacts in state government. Because the Iowa Utilities Board has a
policy supporting net metering (which is still under appeal by
Mid-America to FERC), it is important for Greg Swecker (and interested
parties) to petition the IUB for an interim rate. Evidently such a
petition has not been made at this point and, furthermore, it is my
understanding that everyone else who has so petitioned has received an
interim rate. Obviously, this is also a case where it would be very
helpful for Greg Swecker to be in touch with Tom Starr for assistance.
On a different but very related topic, the Iowa House is in the throes
of dealing with restructuring and the state is pushing a good amendment
for a non-bypassable charge ($52 m), an RFP (7.5% by 2010; 10% by2015),
net metering (no limit) and interconnection, and consumer disclosure.
Will know much more about how these provisions fare by the end of next
week.
Also, am planning to send in a letter to the editor. Thanks for the
heads up.
Carol Werner
Executive Director
Environmental & Energy Study Institute
122 C St., NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 662-1881
(202) 628-1825 (fax)
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, March 15, 1999 2:02 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fwd: Letters needed for IRENEW & wind generation
--- be
gin forwarded text
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 12:21:41 -0600
To: [log in to unmask]
From: [log in to unmask] (Nancy Ewald)
March 12, 1999
To I-Renew members in Iowa and other colleagues:
YOUR HELP NEEDED-GET OUT YOUR PEN, PLEASE! We need your help in writing
letters to the editor on an important issue affecting one of our members
directly but also affecting all of us indirectly.
Perhaps you saw the article in last Saturday's Des Moines Register, March
6, on the front page of the Metro/Iowa section. Titled, "Fight Rages Over
Farm Windmill," it told the story of how Greg Swecker is being
stonewalled by his local utility-Midland Power Cooperative-as he tries to
hook up his newly installed 65 kW wind generator. Midland wants Greg to
sign a contract requiring him to pay very high costs for "co-generation"
which would completely wipe out any savings from his wind generator. Such
contracts, with fees that are not appropriate to the scale of the
proposed facility, excessive and unneeded liability insurance, and
unnecessary dual-metering equipment, are one way some utilities try to
discourage small-scale renewables systems.
In order to prevent such tactics aimed at discouraging renewables, the
federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) requires a host
utility to give all of its customers "fair interconnection."
Specifically, in section 292.305 the PURPA regulations require that rates
(i) "shall be just and reasonable and in the public interest, (ii) shall
not discriminate against any qualifying facility in comparison to rates
for sales to other customers served by the electric utility." In Greg's
case, Midland's contract would charge him $86/month service charge plus
$15.90/kW demand charge (a typical residential demand is 4-8 kW/month; a
farm's would be higher). But other customers with similar load
characteristics pay Midland a service charge of only $36/month, and NO
demand charge. This means Greg could be forced to pay an additional $200
or more per month to Midland. This is clearly discriminatory, and
violates the intent of PURPA and other laws designed to encourage
renewable energy.
Ironically, Midland is a co-op, which supposedly exists for the benefit
of its members. Yet it is doing everything possible to discourage Greg's
use of his abundant, non-polluting wind power. Even if other co-op
members followed his lead and installed wind generators, it should be
well within the co-op's mission to encourage what best benefits its
members (let alone the environment).
Greg, an I-Renew member from Grand Junction, needs our help now: Please
write a letter as soon as possible to the Register, citing the March 6
article, and expressing your outrage at what Midland is doing. Letters
should be sent to: The Des Moines Register, Box 957, Des Moines, IA
50304, or by E-mail to <[log in to unmask]>. (Please include your
complete name, address, and daytime phone number.) And while you're at
it, send a copy to Midland Power Cooperative, 1005 E. Lincolnway,
Jefferson, IA 50129.
* * *PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS* * *
AND WEBSITE!
IOWA RENEWABLE ENERGY ASSOCIATION (I-RENEW)
"Making Renewable Energy a Reality"
P O Box 466
North Liberty, IA 52317-0466
(319) 338-3200
[log in to unmask]
www.irenew.org
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