Say Goodbye To Cheap Electricity

On of the nice things about living in Springfield is it's relatively cheap electricity. That's about to come to an end, however. City Water Light & Power wants to raise rates sharply to pay for a new power plant:

In order to build a new power plant, Springfield's electric rates will rise by 33 percent over the next three years, with the first 9 percent increase taking effect in ovember, under a proposal announced Wednesday by City Water, Light and Power.

[snip]

CWLP's two Lakeside power stations, which generate about 75 megawatts of electricity, must be retired in 2010 due to their age, costs and environmental
considerations. The three units at the Dallman power station generate about 525 megawatts. CWLP's power needs grow by about 2 percent a year.

"In 2010, we are short on our ability to serve our customers on our own," said chief utilities engineer Jay Bartlett.

[snip]

When the three newest units at the Dallman power plant were built in 1968, 1972 and 1978, electric rates were increased by 53 percent, Bartlett said.

CWLP, which offers some of the lowest rates in the state, believes its prices will still be competitive with those offered by private power companies across Illinois even after the 33 percent increase.

Figures released by the utility show that its rates in three years would be higher than the current rates of downstate companies such as AmerenCILCO. But the other companies are likely to raise their rates also.

And even after the rate increases, the cost of CWLP electricity would be slightly lower than Commonwealth Edison, which serves the Chicago area.

Saying your rates will still be "slightly" lower than Commonwealth Edison's isn't saying much. Having been a ComEd customer for many years, I can say they ain't cheap.

This really sucks and I fear will further diminish Springfield's appeal to new business and residents.

What I don't understand is how CWLP was able to do things so cheaply relative to other utilities in the past but can't now. Don't other utilities need new or upgraded plants? If not, why do we? Shouldn't we continue to be proportionatley cheaper?

New Orleans - Before

I'm going to pull a JeromeProphet on you and cram a bunch of pictures into one post. I figured since New Orleans is the center of the news universe, I would post a few of the many good photos I (or Mrs. TEH) took while we there a few weeks ago. The pictures we took are kind of hard for me to look at now given what's happened to that city. But here goes...

Here's the Mississippi River posing no threat to anyone:


A typical building in the French Quarter:


Jackson Square at sunset:


Bourbon Street at night:


Bourbon Street during the day -not much difference. The party really never ends:


St. Louis Cemetery:


My son looking for a bird to chase on Jackson Square. I understand many of these trees are now down:


I won't bore you with anymore (home movies anyone?) but I hope this gives some sense of what is at stake above and beyond the human tragedy.

Of Hurricanes and Terrorism

Tom Tomorrow has an interesting take on our fear of terrorism in light of the tragedy unflolding in New Orleans and points east.

We've been told for four years that we're at war to preserve our freedom, our way of life, our very civilization.

Well, this is in no way meant to downplay the suffering along the Gulf Coast tonight, or the immensity of this tragedy--but this is what we've been afraid of for the past four years, this level of destruction.

This is bad, really bad, probably much worse than we know--but civilization itself is not at risk.

I'm not saying we should just roll over and let The Terrorists run willy nilly through the streets tossing dirty bombs every which way with gleeful abandon. I'm saying that even in a fairly worst-case scenario, another major terrorist attack which manages to inflict anything close to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina--even then, the the only real danger to our way of life, to democracy itself, comes from our own leaders deciding that a free society is just way too much damn trouble.

It's not the damage done to us, by whatever means--we can pick ourselves up and mourn our dead and rebuild. It's the damage we do to ourselves that may be irreparable.

I think that's right; civilization, as a whole, is not at risk from terrorism and we should not be acting like it is. To emphasize what Tom says, we need to be vigilant but not to the extreme. Turning fear into counter-productive aggression (Iraq) is not the right course and in itself degrades civilization. Terrorism is, at worst, spotty in reach. The United States, much less the free world, was not in any danger of collapsing on 9/11. Nor is it going to in the aftermath of Katrina. As a society we can get through these things without total capitulation to our most regressive primal states. Let's use our heads to work and live together.

Supplemental Beer Blogging: Disaster Edition

Since they can't make a good beer with it, why not.

WWL-TV [New Orleans] reported that the Miller Brewing Co. was sending
several truck loads of water to the region from its Albany, Ga., plant.

But how is Miller going to be able tell the difference between the water and Miller Lite?

UPDATE: From a Miller Brewing Co. press release:

(MILWAUKEE) -- Miller Brewing Company announced today it is sending six truckloads of emergency drinking water — more than 80,000 32-ounce bottles — to
help Hurricane Katrina victims in Louisiana and Mississippi. Miller is coordinating with relief workers, state agencies and its distributors and suppliers to provide drinking water bottled from its Albany, Ga., brewery to communities hardest hit by the hurricane.

The first truckloads of water left Albany last night for Baton Rouge, La., and Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss., where the water will be distributed to those most in need. The additional truckloads of water are expected to ship within days, as Miller and its area distributors are able to communicate and finalize arrangements with the affected communities.

Miller’s contribution was made possible with the support of donated services and supplies from Fleetmaster Express Inc., which donated the transportation; Owens-Illinois Glass, which donated the glass bottles; NorthStar Print Group, which donated the labels; and Inland Paperboard and Packaging, which donated the cardboard containers.

Well good on them all. It's Miller time.

Horrible

This from the web site of New Orleans' main newspaper, the Times-Picayune.

WWL-TV reporter Karen Swensen related a particularly sad tale from a region overflowing with sad tales. One New Orleans woman waded through the streets of the city, trying to get her husband to Charity Hospital. He had died earlier and she floated his body through the inundated streets on a door that dome off their
home.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has a latest breaking new site.

$4 Gas

Buried deep in this story is an ominous prediction:

Consumers can expect retail gas prices to rise to $4 a gallon in the near future, Ben Brockwell, director of pricing at the Oil Price Information Service, said Wednesday. "There's no question gas will hit $4 a gallon," he said. "The question is how high will it go and how long will it last?"

Suddenly, this week's $2.96 doesn't sound so outrageous.

UPDATE: Here's the full story.

UPDATE II: The gas station I use most often (the Shell at Washington and Veterans) had gas for $2.79/gallon this morning on my way to work. When I went to lunch it was up to $2.99. Returning from lunch it was $3.19. Fortunately I topped off the tank while it was still at the low, low price of $2.99.

When in Dome

This is weird. The New Orleans refugees inhabiting the Superdome are going to be moved -to another domed stadium:

HOUSTON – At least 25,000 of Hurricane Katrina's refugees, a majority of them at the New Orleans Superdome, will travel in a bus convoy to Houston starting Wednesday and will be sheltered at the 40-year-old Astrodome, whichhasn't been used for professional sporting events in years.

I hope they can actually get them out before it's too late. This story is getting more tragic by the hour.

It's Not About the Oil, Stupid!

Or maybe it is now.

History Are Hard

Our history challenged president is at it again. The headline reads:

Bush compares Iraq war to WWII

OK, name one way Iraq is like WWII. Oh, wait here's one from the President:

He said that as in the time of World War II, the United States now faces "a ruthless enemy" and "once again we will not rest until victory is America's and our freedom is secure."

Bush invoked the memory of ... an optimistic [Franklin] Roosevelt calling on Americans to defend liberty. He portrayed Roosevelt's vision as similar to his own -- a commitment to spreading freedom even when U.S. allies were not convinced it was the best course.

Umm, what WWII allies weren't into the freedom thing? Britain? France? Canada? India? Maybe the Belgians? I guess you could say the Soviet Union but they were only an "ally" of convenience. As I recall, the U.S. was one of the last nations to join in the war to "spread freedom" (OK, Brazil did join in later than we did).

And for that matter, what ally today is opposed to "spreading freedom"? Just because most governments are wise enough not to go about "spreading freedom" in a way that kills a lot of people and doesn't really bring much freedom anyway, is not an indication they oppose freedom or its spread. I'm constantly amazed at the childish level of oratory that emerges from this administration.

Homeland Security

So, it seems homeland security literally stops at the water's edge:

It appears that the money has been moved in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can’t be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us.

-- Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish,
Louisiana; New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 8, 2004.

Ask the refugees living in horrible conditions in the Superdome how secure they feel. Probably not as secure as the wealthy recipients of Bush's tax cuts. It's one thing to be giving away money when everything else is taken care of and quite another when you have lingering infrastructure problems and a never-ending war of choice to fight.

Hat tip to Atrios for the link.

Headlines

The Inside Dope gets it!

Tuesday Great Aunt Blogging: The Return of the Democratic Wars

I look a week off from Great Aunt blogging last week due to my recuperation from "minor" surgery. By the way, surgery is never "minor" when they cut you open, slice muscle and otherwise goof with yer inerds.

Anyway, items from the scrapbook of my 1950s wingnut Great Aunt who I never knew are back this week. This time we revisit the popular notion of Democrat Wars. That is, in the long and well-documented tradition of Republican non-sequitur smears that continue even today, the Democrats in the early 1950s were to blame by the opposition for WWI (Wilson), WWII (Roosevelt) and Korea (Truman). I previously posted another cartoon that was a little more blatant but this one also makes it clear the Dems love a good, and presumably unnecessary war. That in addition to their love of taxes.

If only those Dems of yesteryear knew what we know now; you can start a war and reduce taxes all at the same time! Just put it on the Deficit One credit card. The kids will pick up the tab, don't worry.

Gouging

I knew this would happen.

New Orleans Blog

For the latest updates on what is going on in New Orleans try this exellent blog. Hat tip to JeromeProphet for the link.

Here's one of the first pictures out of the hurricane ravaged city.

Pray for New Orleans

One month ago I was in New Orleans.

I had never been there before but instantly fell in love with it. Not since I first stopped in San Francisco when I was 18 have I been so taken by a city. Tonight New Orleans literally faces destruction. Check out this statement from the National Weather Service:

EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA

DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED.

I've never read such a graphic statement from the usually bland and understated National Weather Service.

And then there's this:

When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans on Monday, it could turn one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries.

Experts have warned for years that the levees and pumps that usually keep New Orleans dry have no chance against a direct hit by a Category 5 storm.

That's exactly what Katrina was as it churned toward the city. With top winds of 165 mph and the power to lift sea level by as much as 28 feet above normal, the storm threatened an environmental disaster of biblical proportions, one that could leave more than 1 million people homeless.

One MILLION homeless! From one city.

Lets hope the storm weakens or moves in a different direction or something. I just can't believe this is really going to happen.

On a personal note, before I left for my trip to New Orleans last month I checked the tropical forecast to make sure there was no chance of a hurricane or tropical storm ruining my vacation. Even while there, I checked being slightly nervous about it. I also would occasionally remember all the Gulf hurricanes over the years that eventually missed the city but before that was a certainty, warnings were relayed as to how devastating it would be if one did hit New Orleans directly. I thought about how lucky I was to be there before such a storm did hit some day. Little did I know then, that was about to happen. It's sickening to think that all I saw and experienced there could be gone or ruined by this time tomorrow.

UPDATE: 10:35 pm -- Aaron Brown on CNN has wall-to-wall coverage on what he is calling "The Storm of Our Lifetime". CNN even has a reporter standing on Bourbon Street where the party the never ends has apparently ended. He reports only one bar is open and they were getting ready to close. Now that's serious.

And in case you think this storm won't affect you, CNN is also reporting that oil imports, much of which come through Gulf ports, is being disrupted due to the storm. Guess what that means.

UPDATE II: Comic (I think) relief - Thank God Katrina STILL hasn't ruined Bush's summer vacation

UPDATE III: I keep hearing references and comparisons from "old timers" on the news about 1969's Hurricane Camille. I was nine years old at the time, living here in Springfield, and remember the news coverage of Camille. It's my oldest memory of a weather-related news event (but not my oldest memory of any news event since I recall the assassination of RFK in 1968 and the first moon landing in July 1969, a few weeks before Camille). The only reason I remember Camille is because it was so devastating. Hearing Camille's name being used again sends a shiver up my spine.

Lingering Questions

Jim over at AbeLog has posted an interesting question:

What will we call the 183rd Fighter Wing when it doesn't have fighters and it doesn't have wings anymore?

As one of his commenters says, the military will come up with something. But the larger point here is this: The 183rd is being dissolved. Once the planes, their pilots and support crews move to Indiana, the 183rd exists no more. The military routinely dissolves units to meet its operational needs. The 183rd will soon just be a part of Springfield history. The units that remain and are added to the bases at Capital Airport will have their own designations.

I do, however, have some questions of my own.

What about Air Rendezvous? Will not having the facilities for an active flying unit hinder the airport's ability to but on an air show that always includes military aircraft. Obviously, the 183rd's portion of the annual air show will be lost forever but what about the other (military) participants who used the 183rd's facilities?

How much does this hurt the airport? I assume the presence of the 183rd contributed greatly to the economic vitality of Capital Airport. Even with the 183rd, the airport has often teetered on, if not insolvency then irrelevancy due to lack of commercial use. Right now it seems to be doing alright with its commercial flights but it has not always been so and I just wonder if not having the 183rd the airport might not survive the next crisis.

Why have an engine repair facility here? How is it that it wasn't cost effective to have jets flying out of Springfield but it is cost effective to put in an engine repair facility that repairs engines from planes that aren't here? I don't know what kind of engines are going to be repaired but the are going to have to be trucked or flown in and out. It would seem more cost efficient to repair the engines where the planes are.

Will we ever have a flying unit here again? Sadly, I think the answer to that is almost certainly "no". The Air Force is getting rid of older aircraft to make room for newer models. The newer planes are more versatile and more expensive so the Air Force will be utilizing fewer planes overall and that has a trickle down effect on the Air National Guard units.

So Long...

The BRAC Commission voted tonight to recommend moving the planes of the 183rd to Ft. Wayne, IN. That means they almost certainly will be moved.

And thank you Bush Administration for proposing this in the first place! You've met all my expectations once again.

UPDATE: Jim over at AbeLog says Congressman Ray Lahood is mildly miffed but so what:

For the record, Congressman Ray LaHood says he's very displeased about the decision to give our jets to Indiana, especially given his unflagging support for the Bush administration's military decisions over the years, and he plans to clearly communicate his displeasure to the White House.

Yeah, a stern talking-to. That'll work. LaHood is learning that loyalty is a one-way street with this White House. They demand it, but only return it when it suits their purposes.

Mr. LaHood, you are no John Thune.

Ellsworth [Air Force Base] is a major base for B-1B bombers. The Pentagon's decision in May to recommend closing the base as part of a series of cost-cutting measures concerned Sen. John Thune, a freshman South Dakota Republican who unseated then-Sen. Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat, last year.

During his campaign, Thune repeatedly claimed he would have more success at keeping the base open, saying that as a fellow Republican he would have greater access to President Bush.

Thune and fellow members of the state's bipartisan congressional delegation launched an intense campaign to convince the very influential BRAC panel to overturn the recommendation.

Of course, the BRAC Commission voted Ellsworth should remain open.

BRAC Live 2

The BRAC Commission is about to reconvene. I'm starting a new thread here on the fate of the 183rd Fighter Wing which is in the hands of the BRAC.

6: 01pm -- C-SPAN2 has live coverage again. Commission members are gathering.

6:02 pm -- C-SPAN2 says it will be another 20 minutes before the commission is ready to start, they cut away to items recorded earlier today.

6:19 pm -- It has started.

6:21 pm -- It looks they are going over ground (and votes) they already covered today but in a different way. They appear to be starting from the beginning again on the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units. Perhaps they felt they weren't doing things correctly earlier.

6:35 pm -- The Commission is looking at all units that have the same type of aircraft as a group. That is, all units having F-16s be they Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard will be considered at once. Members can bring amendments for individual units, however, before the vote on the full package is taken. Right now they are considering the future of a number of KC-135 (in-flight fueling tanker) units.

6:40 pm -- They are now considering the A-10 (ground support) units.

6:50 pm -- They are now considering the F-15 (twin engine fighter) units. F-16s, like those in the 183rd, are next.

6:58 pm -- They are taking a ten-minute break. Things are going much more smoothly and more quickly this time. The commission is essentially now where they were when they broke earlier this afternoon. The F-16s are next.

7:00 pm -- C-SPAN2 is taking calls again -yawn.

7:08 pm -- A caller from Springfield!

7:09 pm -- The Commission is back.

7:14 pm -- Commission member (and Illinoisan) Sam Skinner wants a separate vote on the 183rd!!!!!!!!!! That is a VERY good sign!!!!

7:15 pm -- They completed the vote on the other F-16 bases. The 183rd and another unit are to be considered separately.

7:16 pm -- The other unit (a Texas unit) is up first.

7:24 pm -- The amendment on theTexas unit was defeated 7-2. Gulp.

7:25 pm -- The 183rd is up NOW!

7:26 pm -- Skinner discovers his motion would be "out of order" and calls it off!!!

7:28 pm -- THE COMMISSION VOTES IN FAVOR OF MOVING THE 183RD's PLANES TO FT. WAYNE, IN. THE VOTE IS 8-1 WITH SAM SKINNER THE ONLY 'NO' VOTE.

Well there you have it. Say goodbye to the 183rd, folks.

I'm just guessing here but it sounded like Skinner wanted to move the Ft. Wayne unit here rather than the other way around. But since moving Ft. Wayne's planes around wasn't on the table, it would have been considered "out of order". That's my summation of what just happened. If true, good lord Sam, I wish you had had your shit together.

UPDATE: Here's the SJR's first take online:

The independent Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted 8-1 Friday night to move the F-16 jets from Springfield's Air National Guard base to Fort Wayne, Ind., as recommended by the Pentagon.

The lone dissenting vote was from commissioner Samuel Skinner, an Illinois native who visited the 183rd Fighter Wing and other Illinois bases targeted for closure or realignment in June.

Skinner said before the vote that he wanted to make a motion to move Fort Wayne's fighter jets to Springfield instead, due to the Springfield base's higher military ranking, but was prevented by the BRAC requirements from doing so.

The decision will likely end up in court, as Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Gov. Rod Blagojevich have sued the Department of Defense to prevent the Springfield jets' transfer.

Blagojevich and Madigan, both Democrats, said the Pentagon violated federal law by recommending the transfer. They contend the governor must consent to any changes in Illinois' Air National Guard bases. The Pentagon says the federal law to which Blagojevich and Madigan refer does not apply to the BRAC process.

Dumbest Call

As you know, I spent a great deal of time monitoring C-SPAN2 today watching the BRAC Commission deliberations on military base closings. During breaks in the action C-SPAN2 took calls. I rarely listen to C-SPAN or C-SPAN2 call-in shows because, frankly, I get tired of the idiots who call. I can get that on talk radio anytime. And it is particularly annoying because the C-SPAN folks remain completely detached from the calls, essentially allowing anyone to spew any disinformation they like without correction. That is generally one of my criteria for listening to a talk show; the host/moderator must be able to step in and stop the bullshit before it hangs out their for all to believe. WMAY's Jim Leach is a good example of someone who tries to keep the callers honest (much to the annoyance of those who are only interested in scoring political points and not the facts).

Anyway, today, I left C-SPAN2 on even during the call segments and, as usual, the callers could say anything completely unchallenged, no matter how stupid. The big argument among callers was whether or not the residents of Clovis, New Mexico were nice to the servicemen stationed at nearby Cannon Air Force Base. Yeah, whatever. But the best call of the day (i.e. most stupid) was from a woman who was glad that Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota was allowed to remain open because it is only one of two bases that have B-1 bombers. Her fear was that if the bombers were all put on one base (as was the plan) "the terrorist" could easily blow up all the B-1s at once! This way, not ALL the B-1s could be wiped out in one terrorist attack! I was slapping myself on the forehead for 10 minutes after that.

Ruling to Save 183rd?

Here's more on that ruling today that might block the federal government from moving the 183rd out of Springfield:

PHILADELPHIA - In a blow to the Pentagon's plan to shake up National Guard units, a judge ruled Friday that the Defense Department does not have the authority to dissolve a Pennsylvania Air National Guard division without the governor's approval.

U.S. District Judge John R. Padova said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should have gotten consent from Gov. Ed Rendell before moving to deactivate the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. The judge said the Pentagon's recommendation to close the unit is "null and void."

Several other states have filed, or are considering, similar lawsuits.

The BRAC commission abruptly adjourned for a three-hour recess around 3:00 pm our time this afternoon but I'm not clear this ruling is the reason. I was all prepared for what amounted to a final decision on the 183rd this afternoon but even if the BRAC commission votes the 183rd away tonight, this ruling now leaves me with at least a little hope.