Conservation Insider Bulletin from Dan Besse

Conservation Insider Bulletin

Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina

Conservation News to Peruse & Use

Editor: Dan Besse, earthvote@ccnccpac.org

September 28, 2007

We consider new developments in environmentally significant local races, and take a look at power plant construction controversies, this week in CIB:

--Campaign Watch: Gantt Supports Transit Tax; More Triangle Endorsements

--Administrative Watch: Duke Hike Aimed at Residential Customers

--Around the States: Power Plant Building Frenzy Drawing Fire

Campaign Watch: Gantt Supports Transit Tax; More Triangle Endorsements

Gantt Supports Transit Tax: With a critical vote on the future of public transit coming up in a little more than a month, a key public figure in Charlotte has weighed in on the debate. Former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt this week announced his support for maintaining the half-cent sales tax to support transit in Mecklenburg County. (Gantt was the first black mayor of North Carolina's largest city, and ran as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate against Jesse Helms.)

Gantt spoke at a news conference held to announce the formation of the African American Coalition Against Transit Tax Repeal. He is co-chair of the group, along with former Charlotte City Council Member Ron Leeper. The active support of prominent black leaders like Gantt could be crucial to the outcome of the referendum, since an August poll indicated that a majority of black voters were likely to support repeal. Gantt and others at the news conference this week said that they expected that to be reversed by an active educational campaign. Among other factors, they noted that nearly two-thirds of the revenue from the transit tax goes to support the bus system, which is used most heavily by minority residents who don't have easy access to private autos. Black voter dissatisfaction with the transit tax appears to be linked to concerns regarding where the initial light rail lines are being built and planned. (See Charlotte Observer, 9/26/07.) More information on the debate is also available at www.voteagainstrepeal.com.

In a relevant story, the Texas Transportation Institute's 2007 Urban Mobility Report (released last week) found Charlotte to be one of the nation's most traffic-congested medium-sized cities. Commenting on the study's release, the N.C. Public Interest Research Group noted that its findings indicated the need for more public transit (including light rail) in Charlotte. (Charlotte Observer, 9/23/07.)

More Triangle Endorsements: The Independent Weekly this week announced its endorsements for the October 9 municipal election primaries in Raleigh, Cary, and Durham. In both the Raleigh and Cary elections, the Independent's analysis framed the voting as primarily a choice between competing approaches to growth and development issues. In Raleigh, the paper said, the question is largely whether Mayor Charles Meeker will obtain a working majority on the city council for progressive concepts such as strong land-use planning, inclusionary zoning, transit corridors, and pedestrian-friendly development. Key races can be found in the at-large and District A and B primaries.

In Cary, the paper said, the key question was whether voters would reject the current mayor and board's tendency to override the town's own plans in development/zoning cases. Prior to the election of four years ago, Cary had developed a reputation as a strong land-use planning-oriented city. It could regain that reputation.

For details of the paper's analysis, and its corresponding candidate recommendations, go to www.indyweek.com. The paper also endorsed passage of the upcoming Wake County bond referenda, including the proposed $50 million for continuation of the county's open space acquisition program.

Administrative Watch: Duke Hike Aimed at Residential Customers

In its request to the N.C. Utilities Commission for an electric rate hike, Duke Energy has asked for permission to hit residential customers the hardest. Duke says that it wants to boost residential rates by 6.8 percent, and industrial rates by only about 2 percent. Duke Energy Carolinas president Ellen Ruff denied that this rate "rebalancing" was aimed at hurting residential customers in favor of business customers (Raleigh News & Observer, 9/20/07.)

Duke now projects a net income in 2008 of $1.55 billion, up from $1.47 billion estimated for 2007. (Winston-Salem Journal, 9/12/07.)

Around the States: Power Plant Building Frenzy Drawing Fire

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board of directors voted this week to pursue a license for its first new nuclear power plant in 30 years, at a site in northeastern Alabama. Previously, Dominion Virginia Power had announced plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in southwest Virginia. Both proposals were the subject of public interest group opposition reported this week.

A coalition of environmental groups has filed a challenge to the Dominion plans with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (that state's equivalent of the N.C. Utilities Commission). The coalition criticizes the proposal for its addition to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as its potential to encourage further mountaintop-removal coal mining in the state. (Associated Press, 9/27/07.)

In immediate response to the TVA nuclear decision vote, a representative of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy offered both public-safety and cost concerns. He also criticized the decision as reflecting "amnesia" regarding the utility's history of problems with its nuclear construction program. (Associated Press, 9/28/07.) (TVA experienced serious fire damage to a partially completed plant at Browns Ferry, which prior to the Three Mile Island accident was the most notorious safety incident at a U.S. commercial nuclear plant.)

Clean energy advocates recall the 1970's-80's era of enormously expensive overconstruction by electric utilities, and fear that the industry may be entering into another period of excessive predictions of future electric demand growth.