Letters to the Editor

‘Times' confusing

To the Editor:

Thanks for your effort in "Power Plants and Pipelines" to clarify your newspaper's position about these projects proposed for White Pine County. However, now I'm more confused than ever.

While alluding to the inevitable depletion of an aquifer from massive groundwater pumping, you conclude that we should agree to cooperate in the pumping of our own aquifer so as to receive whatever "benefits" SNWA might toss our way if we're nice.

You urge "private citizens" to continue their complaints about the water grab, but conclude that our County government should have knuckled under to a "settlement." (You may recall that such an attitude by former commissioners led ultimately to a change in leadership.)

While referring to the necessity of eventually curtailing the use of fossil fuels, and to the negative environmental impacts of the proposed power plants, you conclude that we need one or two coal-fired power plants "in order to thrive, not just survive." Furthermore, the water earmarked for a power plant "is safe now."

You assign to "more robust economies elsewhere" the challenge and privilege of moving to clean energy, while White Pine settles for an "economic boost" in exchange for massive environmental damage to our own land, water, and skies.

I am often confused about the function of The Ely Times in White Pine County. Most of the content is useful and of service to our growing community and to our expanding and wonderful commercial sector. The Harpoons are terrific! But once in awhile I feel as if I'm reading a certain Las Vegas newspaper...

Thanks,

Jo Anne Garrett, Baker

What's wrong with pike?

To the Editor:

I'm from the Midwest and wanted to let you know that you have an awsome trophy pike lake in Ely. I don't know why pike has such a bad rep here in Nevada.

Where I come from, Comins Lake would be a top destination for trophy pike fishing. You have a GREAT fishing resource and don't seem to realize it. You can catch trout any where in Nevada but where can you catch trophy pike in this state?

I believe if you market Ely as a trophy pike fishing destination you would be shocked at how many people would travel a long way to catch this awsome fish. Do some research like Al Linder or other fishing experts and you will see what a great fish the pike is.

Frank Jablonski, Las Vegas

Congress should protect the western conservation system

To the Editor:

This being the 4th of July, I think it's worthwhile to take a moment and count our blessings. White Pine County is a wonderful place to live in good part because of the wild lands that surround us. Here in eastern Nevada, we live among more than a million acres of wilderness. These lands are part of a system that few people know exists.

Many of us know well the Schell Creek Range Wilderness Area, or perhaps the Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area 70 miles north of Reno, or the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas. But few people know that these places, designated for protected status in 2000, are part of the loosely affiliated network called the National Landscape Conservation System, managed by U.S. Interior's Bureau of Land Management.

Because they are not heavily visited like the Parks, they are truly among the last places to experience the history and wild beauty of the American West. Altogether the Conservation System includes 26 million acres of prized lands and waters with recreational opportunities as well as critical wildlife, scientific and cultural resources.

Many Conservation System units act as living history books of Native American culture, early migration routes of U.S. westward expansion, and ecosystems mostly unchanged by the pressures of the 21st century.

A bi-partisan effort in Congress, supported by the Bush administration, intends to make protection for these places permanent. (Right now there's no guarantee the System will be around in 5 years.) H.R. 2016 was introduced in April by House National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee Chair Raul Grijalva, and a companion bill has passed out of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. If the effort succeeds, this newest system of land protection will be part of the West's legacy.

As the West continues to boom, Black Rock, Schell Creek and others of the 100 protected areas in Nevada will be in high demand. With 11 of the 15 fastest growing states in the country in the West, the Conservation System is the West's new backyard for recreation. In some parts of the Conservation System, visitor use has tripled - or more - in the past five years alone.

Americans have demonstrated that they want these places protected, but only Congress can make it happen. Let's support Congressman Heller and our other congressional leaders to recognize this System of special places that belong to all of us.

Thank you,

Gene Kolkman

Kolkman is a retired BLM manager who makes his home in Ely.

SPR exec explains project

To the Editor:

As the developer of the Ely Energy Center, I am required to read a lot. But I have to say that one of my more enjoyable reading opportunities is the “Your Turn” section of The Ely Times - and especially the resulting “reader comments.” So, I decided it might be helpful to use this format to answer some of the most common questions I hear when I visit with folks about our project.

First of all, it seems to be common knowledge that many in the county have sought the development of a power plant in this area since the mid-80s. There is no question that such a project will enhance economic development and provide for a steady and significant tax base that will benefit everyone.

However, a company like Sierra Pacific Resources cannot make such decisions without the approval of regulators and without the intense involvement of many interveners. The outcome of that lengthy process was an “Integrated Resource Plan” approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada in November 2006.

This plan calls for replacing aging, less-efficient plants, tripling our renewable energy supplies, embracing 15 separate programs to reduce our customers demand for electricity, building a first-ever transmission inter-tie between the northern and southern parts of the state, and constructing a new coal-fueled power plant in White Pine County that would be roughly equal-distant from both Las Vegas and Reno.

The first phase of our project will include two, state-of-the-art, clean-burning 750-megawatt steam electric generating units. Phase 2 anticipates using an emerging “coal-gasification” technology for two additional 500-megawatt units. All considered, the 2,500-megawatt Ely Energy Center will be the state's second largest infrastructure project in its history - second only to the construction of the Hoover dam.

Now to some of the common questions I often hear:

Are you using the latest and best clean-coal technology?

We are. Here are some examples:

-- We will fuel the plant with some of the lowest sulfur coal in the nation;

-- We will use three separate state-of-the art control strategies to reduce nitrous oxides;

-- We will spend the extra money to enhance our fabric filter system with a wet scrubber system to provide cleaner stack emission than any other plant in the West. This system will remove 99.9% of the particulate, and our proposed sulfur dioxide emission rate will be significantly lower than another plant proposed in the county;

-- We will use about 50% less water than typical coal-fueled plants;

-- We will be designated as a “zero-discharge” facility, meaning that all plant waste streams will be recycled or disposed of in a lined landfill on-site; and

-- Our mercury emission will be at least 50% lower than the current EPA allowable rate.

Also, we anticipate using “Super Critical” or “Ultra-Super Critical” boiler technology at the plant, which basically means that our plant will run 5-10% more efficient than any other current power plant in the West. An improved efficiency factor may sound like technical mumbo jumbo, but it basically means that - for every kilowatt we generate - we will produce less overall air emissions.

Are you building this plant for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA)?

No. Our Ely Energy Center has no relationship with SNWA's needs or plans. Their Plan of Development indicates they'll need roughly 40 megawatts of power, but would recover 30 megawatts from hydro-turbines placed in their pipeline. For 10 megawatts of load (compared to our 2,500), it seems the likely source of any electricity would be from local providers.

Can't you build a renewable energy plant instead?

We'd love to if we could. We currently are involved in 22 renewable energy projects, and we wish we could do it all with renewable energy. However, the cost to customers would be astronomical if we tried, and the reliability of a coal-fueled generating station is vitally important for our system.

It is also important to note that the new transmission line associated with this project will enable new renewable energy development in White Pine and Lincoln Counties.

Currently, wind and solar projects for entrepreneurial energy companies is not an option in this area, as they would have a long and expensive distance to get their energy into our system.

However, the transmission line associated with this project opens that path, and we have reserved a significant portion of our new line to accommodate renewable energy transmission from this area to Las Vegas and Reno.

Will our city and county need to provide costly services before they receive any tax revenues?

No. In fact - from the perspective of a city or county - our project is considered ideal, as the residents will enjoy dramatic increases in sales and property taxes and the city and county infrastructure obligations will be relatively minimal. We will pay for our own roads, water lines, sewage, security, electrical connections, etc. We will even pay for safety modifications to the highway, as well as helping to upgrade the Northern Nevada Railway.

The city and county are already benefiting from sales taxes associated with our early development work. But more importantly, the Nevada Commission on Economic Development estimates that related sales, property and other taxes to White Pine County, Ely, McGill and other areas in the first decade will be well over $500 million.

We sometimes hear that your Ely Energy Center is competing with LS Power's Project and that you are three years behind. Is that true?

No. Concerning our project's timing, we're roughly six to twelve months behind LS Power on the permitting schedule. But, we're probably ahead of them in terms of purchasing key equipment for the project, which requires the longest lead time. So in general, our schedules are similar.

The question about competition is a tough one, as I really can't speak for LS Power. All I can say is that we need our project to meet our customers' needs. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada has already authorized us to spend $300 million to develop the project and to order the much-in-demand turbines and boiler equipment. As to LS Power, it is my understanding that they are still working on finding a customer or customers for their proposed facility, which they have said they will need before they go forward with their financing, equipment orders, etc.

Finally, I obviously can't address all of your questions in this letter, so feel free to visit with Charlie Basso in our Ely Office, or ask questions of others on our team. And, I'm in Ely and the surrounding area quite often and can be reached at 289-3900 in Ely or at (702) 633-8601.

Thanks.

David Sims, Director, Project Development, Ely Energy Center

The lies about coal

To the Editor:

Fossil fuel profits are subject to a peculiar process: The less fuel we believe there is, the more money they make - supply and demand, based upon perception. So, since the coal industry has been spending millions in the media, what propaganda should we expect?

The coal industry claims that America has a 250 year supply of coal. But the National Academy of Sciences says the supply is more like 100 years, at current rates of consumption. Of course, the coal industry isn't really interested in current rates of consumption.

They want to increase demand by 70% by building 150 more coal-fired power plants and by converting coal to liquid fuel (similar to gasoline). So, if the coal industry expects demand to rise, the only reason they would even bother with the 250 year (current consumption) number would be to use it as propaganda to increase our dependence on coal. With planned consumption far greater than present rates, their real-world projections for coal supply must be far less than 100 years-and reduced production might occur in half that time.

Maybe the coal industry doesn't want us to know that we could soon run out of coal. If we knew the truth, America might not want to commit to 50 years of coal-fired power plants. Conversely, the coal industry might actually be looking forward to running low.

Have you checked your gas prices lately? And does anyone remember how Enron contrived shortages and gouged power customers?

George W. Bush has promised to veto any energy price gouging bill that makes it to his desk. It looks like Bush's fossil fuel buddies can still legally price gouge. When the truth gets out-when the perceived coal supply starts to diminish; the price, and profits, are bound to rise. Apparently, the coal industry has been lying to us by inflating estimates of supply-and scheming to overcharge us by increasing demand.

This isn't inevitable. We do have options. Sunlight and wind are free. The power industry, however, tells us that the technology isn't ready. Of course, if they're willing to lie to us about how plentiful and “clean” coal is, can we trust them? Can we even trust the news pundits? These industries have enough money to influence the press.

As an example; the mass media has repeated that sustainable power is only available when the sun shines and the wind blows.

However, energy can be stored, either in flywheels or ultra capacitors-both of which are very efficient and already on the market.

The price of coal-fired power, to you and me, is far higher than it is to the coal industry (because of health costs and costs to the environment)-and the price will rise, maybe astronomically.

However, the price of solar and wind, though presently more expensive up front, will remain stable to get less expensive in time. One more thing, solar and wind energy will be plentiful for 100 years, 250 years, and as long as the sun shines and the wind blows.

The fossil fuel businesses want to manipulate us into becoming critically dependent upon their product, so that they can force us to pay whatever price they ask. They want to treat us like addicts. This should not be legal.

Yet it appears to be the coveted business model these days. Don't we have anti-trust laws for that? If not, we should.

Furthermore, the fossil fuel industry might not be the only one scheming to take public property and sell it back to us at over-inflated prices. The Southern Nevada Water Authority appears to be headed on that track. Something is wrong with their “quasi-municipality” picture. Too many politicians, bureaucrats, and most of the LV press appear to be in peculiar, almost unreasonable accord.

Fortune magazine has called water “the oil of the 21st century.” The multi-billion dollar “profit” temptation is there. Is it so hard to imagine some privatized part of (or subcontractor to) SNWA overcharging Nevadans for the delivery of our state's own water?

Why else would they not be interested in desalination? Like solar and wind to the coal industry, there is an ocean full of water out there.

They claim that the costs are too high. But isn't that about the same as saying that the profits aren't as high?

Thank you,

Rick Spilsbury, McGill