From: gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: What Jimmy Carter Accomplished in his 4 Years (app: home power)
Date: 21 Aug 92 14:36:10 GMT
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Gannett Technologies Group

In article <1992Aug18.052047.6342@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> ai260@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (J. Fisher) writes:
>
>
>> In article <1992Aug3.082520.29092@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
>> bc151@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Ken Fisler) writes:
>> >
>> >...another part of Carter's Energy
>> >Conservation program, one which allowed anyone-- businesses or
>> >private citizens-- to produce and sell electricity. This was done
>> >by requiring that electrical power companies buy electricity
>> >produced by their customers.
>> ... [text deleted]
>> 
>
>On Sat Aug  8 00:21:11 1992, gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
>replies:
>> Ok, Carter's bill became law. The utilities have been required to
>> buy back customer generated power at the top market rate now for
>> 13 years. 
>
>I never said 'top market prices'. Your blind ideology is
>affecting your ability to read. 

No, I just *called* my utility and *asked* them what rate they were
required to pay. It's the *residential* rate, which is the highest
rate they charge.

>> Why aren't you rich? 
>
>Is this the Republican litmus test for all policy? 

This is the litmus test for *any* economic action. Even ex-communists
understand this.

>> That is to say, if it's such a good idea, why isn't it being done
>> on a large scale? The answer of course is that it isn't such a
>> wonderful idea after all and that economies of scale really do
>> generate cheaper electricity.
>
>It isn't being done on a large scale because this legislation,
>like so much other good legislation, was gutted by Reagan before
>it was given a chance. Your critical powers don't seem to me to
>be nearly astute enough to discern what the future might have
>held for small-scale electrical generation had it been given a
>chance. I would imagine that, if PCs were a Democratic idea, you
>would want everyone to use only mainframes.

You can, of course, imagine anything you like, but that won't make
it true. Tell us oh great enlightened one how Reagan "gutted" the
legislation. My utility says they have to buy any power you generate
*today*, just as they have since the Carter administration. Now they
do require you to supply conditioning equipment that will protect
their grid and the linemen working on it, but that's entirely reasonable.
*They* will supply the necessary metering *on request*.  When I *asked*
how many customers sell them power, they told me that there used to be
*one*, but currently *no one* is selling them power. They wanted to
know when they should install the metering equipment at my house. I
told them not to bother. The utility is Jackson Electric Membership
Coop in Jefferson Georgia if you'd like to call them about supplying
power. They also tried to sell me on their TVRO leasing plan while
they had me on the phone, $9.95 a month. Like Bruce Springsteen says,
"57 channels, and nothing on."  Some things cost more than they are
worth no matter how cheap they are.

Gary
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