Marc Spitzer and NYRI

One of the interesting things about the net's tubes is that you never know what happens when you start to poke around.

Marc Spitzer is a newly minted FERC mandarin who's immediately managed to stick his foot in his mouth. According to State Senator Bonaic (R-New Hope) Commissioner Spitzer opened his yap about NYRI. The Daily Star quotes an interview Commissioner Spitzer gave the Arizona Daily Star thusly:

"There is a proposal to bring clean, cheap energy to New York City from Niagara Falls," Spitzer told the newspaper. "It’s a no-brainer, but there is opposition to the transmission line. New York City is on the cusp of a blackout as we speak."

Now I find it absolutely fascinating that just a few years ago, in his capacity as ACC chair, Marc Spitzer was absolutely livid over the notion that madarins in DC should overrule state agencies. For some reason, Markie Mark was put off by the notion that all an energy company needed to do to circumvent the locals was to: bamboozle the locals, lobby at a federal level, call the White House and of course pass a few bucks around. The result would be an easier process for energy companies to get their siting plans approved.

Like I told my local Town Supervisor - NYRI will happen because of Bush/Cheney energy policies and their legislative agenda. Remember Ken Lay vetting all of the energy appointments and Cheney's secret meetings so that the energy industry could write the bills.

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but, folks around here keep voting COMPLETELY against their own interests. My worry is that FERC will give NYRI the go-ahead - and you can blame the Republicans that lobby for NYRI and the ones that voted for the energy legislation that will enable FERC to bypass local and state regulators.

I guess it is a reminder of truth behind that old maxim: Homo homini lupus [man is a wolf to man].