This is a page dedicated to Grand Notions that probably don't have a chance in hell of being taken seriously. Yet here they are.
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The Californian Energy and Space Admininstration (CESA) Ballot Initiative
(Originally Posted Over at Space.com) Anyway, this is the open letter
that I've already sent to Harvey Rosenfield and Douglas Heller who are writing the
California energy initiative. I have suggested that it be turned into a space and clean
industry initiative as well. If you support this idea email them both at
doug@consumerwatchdog.org Obviously, this is much more than
message board blather. This is something real that you can do to forward the cause of
space exploration. Please feel free to make
improvements and suggestions and answer some questions that I really haven't figured out
the answers to yet, such as: Who should the five board members of CESA be? What kind of
budget should the agency have? What kinds of proposals should it entertain? Does
California have the legal mechanism to allow voters to approve the annual budget by
ballot? Should this be a separate initiative from the energy referendum? And remember:
don't just post your messages here but tell Harvey and Douglas how you feel...That's why
I've included their email addresses... An Open Letter to the Foundation
for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights Dear Harvey Rosenfeld and Douglas
Heller: I
have taken a look at your proposal and I have added an amendment or two. I
think that you should focus that Californian anger and do a little bit more with it.
I’ve made several additions that I hope that you take very very seriously. Now, keep
in mind that I’m a Pennsylvanian and we don’t have as effective an initiative or
referendum process that you have there in California. For example, I’m not sure if
you set budget parameters for a referendum, or if you have to name a board for the public
institution that you conceive. I’m hoping that you get back to me on that. Here are some suggestions:
That public utility that you
mention should be called the California Energy and Space Administration or CESA. The
agency should have five board members who decide issues on a majority vote. Obviously, the
members should be pro space and pro renewable energy. I would suggest you or Danny as a
board member. Why space? Because California, which could enter the European Union as one
of their major economies, has the money to build its own space program. The other reason
is that solar energy works in space much better than it does on the ground and its
apparently very safe. Theoretically, if California was the first to establish Solar Power
Satellites, which have undreamt of power potentials, it could not only power the state,
but the entire Earth. Realistically, the technology may not be ready to do it cheaply.
That’s why the first task of CESA should be getting price proposals for SPS and
finding out whether its feasible. It may turn out that windmills and wave power generators
off the Californian coast would be cheaper, if so then that path should be taken.
Furthermore, the public should approve the budget for CESA annually by the ballot.
However, the state legislature should not be precluded from funding CESA even if the
public votes no. The following quote, from one of the websites that promotes SPS
technology, explains the concept a bit more: “If Solar Power from Space
works, it could literally save our planet. In fact, you could call this effort a
"Mission to Save Planet Earth." Why? SPS would provide clean, totally renewable
energy to the rapidly growing economies on this planet. The 1.3 billion people in China,
and the 1 billion people in India want the same standard of living currently enjoyed by
all Americans. It is estimated that world demand for energy will double in the next 20
years, and then double again by 2040. If you are worried about global warming, nuclear
energy, or the eventual energy crisis as our fossil fuels deplete, SPS is a positive,
pro-growth, pro-technology solution. At the same time, if you want to open the space
frontier, SPS will create a huge commercial space market that is one or two orders of
magnitude larger anything in existence today. Hundreds to thousands of people will have to
live in space to build and operate these power satellites.” I might also add that by doing
this you would really piss off the oil and utility industries. If this kind of technology
was publicly owned and reached fruition it would put them out of business. Personally, I
know how bad I’d feel if Enron and the fossil fuel industry were wiped out. I’m
sure you feel the same way. Second, the CESA should be a
proactive and not a reactive force. In other words, CESA shouldn’t just promote
conservation but promote technologies such as wave generation plants, windmills, solar
retrofitting and most importantly: The construction of the Californian Car Industry.
California should lead the nation in building cars that run entirely on biofuels and/or
air compression. There are a number of promising technologies here. Find out how viable
they are by commissioning studies on the French Air compression car, the Scottish wave
generator and any other idea that works. That way you can tell the predictable naysayers
who will claim that the initiative is anti jobs and anti growth that you are in fact
building a new kind of industry that will create Californian jobs for years to come. CESA,
should, of course, involve the best science minds at CIT, Stanford or wherever else
there’s substantive intellectual talent. Here are the links concerning the
technologies. CESA should also work to coordinate its budget, which should be about $10
million its first year, with whatever else the state is doing to avoid overlap. I’m
not sure how that would work, this is where your knowledge of what the California state
legislature is doing would be helpful. Here are some links about the car that runs on air
compression and the ocean wave generator. Three, you should include a clean
money statute into your referendum, or public financing for elections. I don’t think
this needs any explanation. This is the model bill that is provided by the
www.publicampaign.org. Or you could just insert the appropriate Californian bill that
probably hasn’t gone anywhere. So let’s do it. Sincerely, Philip Shropshire
· Requires refunds to San Diego
Gas and Electric customers (and other ratepayers who pay excessive rates to
"deregulated" utilities) of excessive electricity rates through a windfall
profits tax on power companies that sold energy to deregulated utilities at unjust and
unreasonable prices. · No back billing of Edison or
PG&E consumers for any energy procurement costs above the legal frozen rate. · Determination of energy rates
and refunds will consider profits of utilities' corporate affiliates and full amount of
"competition transition charges" collected from ratepayers during rate freeze
period. · Public Utilities Commission
(PUC) will be authorized to oversee all transactions, the terms of which must be publicly
disclosed · PUC will oversee electric
rates on a cost of service basis. · PUC will be authorized to
establish thresholds for excessive energy prices that will be used to determine the
windfall profits tax levied against power companies that gouge consumers. Section 3. Energy Planning and
Public Power and the Creation of the Californian Energy and Space Administration · PUC and Ca. Energy Commission
will institute integrated resource planning to determine California's energy needs. · The state will create The
Californian Energy and Space Administration. This agency will have a mandate to meet
California’s energy demand in a reliable, affordable, efficient and environmentally
sound manner. The board will be composed of five members who will vote for their
replacements. A board member who is leaving his post can vote for his replacement. The
board shall also have the right, by a majority vote, to make all the board positions
elected. Once publicly elected positions have been approved, according to board rules and
by majority vote, this decision can’t be overturned. Otherwise, prevailing
Californian law should cover the conduct of CESA. · A) The first goal of the
Californian Energy and Space Administration is to get feasibility studies on Solar Power
Satellites. The board is to reach a financial and strategic conclusion (e.g. should the
state proceed with testing, incubator investment or outright initial launches through
either Sea Launch, NASA, or the European Union) no later than 18 months after this
initiative is approved and should submit the budget for such a plan for ballot approval.
However, even if the public votes down the initiative, this doesn’t preclude the
state legislature from approving funding. · B) The second goal of the
Californian Energy and Space Administration is to attain feasibility studies on a number
of new energy technologies. This should include, but not be limited to, the French air
compression car and the Scottish ocean wave generator technology. CESA should formally ask
California universities, MIT, CMU and all interested parties to analyze these technologies
and, if possible, come up with budgets for building these technologies here in California.
CESA should create a plan for the California Auto Industry—an industry that should be
founded upon clean fuels and new materials efficiencies. The universities should have
their analysis back to CESA within 12 months after the initiative’s approval. CESA
should have a completed plan and budget regarding these technologies no later than 18
months after the initiative’s approval. Fission Nuclear Energy is not an option that
CESA can look at to solve the state’s energy crisis. · The agency will be authorized
to build, own and operate, as well as purchase, power plants and transmission and
distribution assets. · The agency will be authorized
to auction the right to build power plants to, or contract with, private generators that
will sell energy on a cost-of-service basis to the utility distribution companies. · Facilitates the authority of
local and state government to exercise the power of eminent domain to take over
generation, transmission and distribution assets if necessary. Section 4. Public Accountability
And Clean Money Election Proposal A. California will establish a
statewide Citizen Utility Board to protect the interests of consumers. B. PUC will be restructured to
foster public accountability of Commissioners. C. In order to make sure that
public officials are not influenced by utility industry contributions, the state should
adopt a clean money election proposal. TITLE I: CLEAN MONEY CAMPAIGN
REFORM Section 5. Severability · If one or more sections of
this referendum are struck down in court, the rest of the referendum’s legally
binding statutes will go into effect. |
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