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M
odern
P
atriot
C
hronicles
An Eleventh Commandment Free Zone
Vol. 6, Issue 9
August 9, 2007
By Craig Dawkins
Does Chesapeake's McClendon Own 2 of 3 Votes to Kill OGE's Red Rock Plant?
What's So Bad about Barry Bonds?
Copyright@2007, All Rights Reserved
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POLLS! POLLS! POLLS! POLLS!
Does it matter to you if Barry Bonds used performance enhancing drugs?
Yes or No.
Go to
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Does Chesapeake's McClendon Own 2 of 3 Votes to Kill OGE's Red Rock Plant?
A few weeks ago on Oklahoma City's KFOR political program Flashpoint, Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy explained to his lawyer (Mike Turpen) and his banker (Burns Hargis) that his company performed better under Democratic Party administrations due to their political bias against coal and other fossil fuels. At the end of the show, McClendon removed a large chunk of coal from a sack in order to demonstrate how dirty coal really was. But of course, he did not offer to inhale the core product of his company…. “Clean burning natural gas.” In other words, he was just bad mouthing his competition.
In May of this year I was in attendance at the Oklahoma City Economic Roundtable meeting when OG&E made their pitch for a new, state of the art, electricity generating power plant that would utilize “clean coal” technologies in producing electricity. After their presentation, I asked what they thought of McClendon's usage of radical environmentalism in Texas, defeating TXU Energy's coal plants with his shill environmental organization called the Texas Clean Sky Coalition and whether or not they felt he would be successful using the same model in Oklahoma to stop their Red Rock proposal. I also enquired as to their thoughts of how Denise Bode's departure from the Corporation Commission would impact their proposal in light of her replacement Jim Roth.
Their representative nervously and unconvincingly conveyed cautious optimism, saying that they would have a short time to get Roth up to speed on their proposal.
You may have read Chesapeake Energy's advertisements in all of the major publications in Oklahoma arguing against coal and for natural gas. McClendon and his gang are arguing against “Wyoming coal” in favor of Oklahoma clean burning natural gas. What a great sound bite right? Oklahoma is the third largest natural gas producing state in the US. So it only makes sense for OG&E to use natural gas right? Well…wrong.
Anyone paying natural gas bills over the last few years can tell you of the volatility of natural gas. In late 2005, natural gas was going for more than $15 per decatherm which is roughly twice the rate paid today. Natural gas was so high during this period that those who had selected the higher priced wind energy rates were paying lower costs for electricity. Oh I hear McClendon and others in the natural gas industry saying that the futures markets can be utilized to counteract spikes in natural gas prices. True it is possible for anyone to utilize the futures markets to lock in lower pricing. But there are limits to this strategy and is not necessary when utilizing coal as the main fuel source. Regardless, I frankly don't trust McClendon's motives or his assumptions regarding the natural gas futures markets. But it probably matters very little what I or anyone else thinks about the OG&E Red Rock plant proposal. McClendon already has the votes to kill the project in my opinion.
Let's look at some factors that might unfavorably impact OG&E's Red Rock power plant. Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud received a very large sum of campaign contributions from Chesapeake executives late in the 2002 Republican primary and I believe remains solidly in the Chesapeake camp. I question whether Cloud is likely to vote against Chesapeake given their financial support of his campaigns. So count Cloud as one of the solid no votes siding against OG&E in favor of natural gas powered production.
The other commissioner, Jim Roth, who was appointed by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry in May, will also vote no because of the special relationship he and McClendon have formed over the years. Roth has been a dependable politician for McClendon in recent years. Arcadia Farms LLC (McClendon's corporation that has acquired huge amounts of real estate in the last few years) has received some significant benefits from Roth in the past. It is my opinion that Roth's appointment to the Corporation Commission was in sync with McClendon's desire to stop OG&E's coal plant proposal.
Former commissioner Denise Bode is now the head of McClendon's Clean Sky Coalition. McClendon told Washington D.C. publication The Hill, “We will be an aggressive and forceful advocate of natural gas, and I should add, effective,” The bottom line is that Bode will use whatever political capital she retains to help stop coal from obtaining additional penetration into Oklahoma's utility mix which will prevent Oklahoman's from paying lower energy prices using clean coal technologies. (See this link
After Bode has succeeded in Oklahoma, she will turn her attention to Washington D.C. where her impressive energy credentials will be utilized to bolster the natural gas industry. Using the tactics of environmental activism, playing on global warming fears, and demonizing coal technologies will likely be good business for natural gas producers. But the benefits accrued to the natural gas industry will not directly be a benefit to Oklahoma electricity rate payers.
While it is my opinion that 2 of 3 (and could be 3 of 3) commissioners will vote against OG&E's proposal, significant communication from constituents might possibly impact the result. But it's long shot in my opinion. What is likely to occur is that McClendon will prevail using those politicians he influences (controls is probably more like it) with campaign dollars and average (non-natural gas producing) Oklahomans will end up paying higher prices for electricity in the long run.
That's not good for Oklahoma businesses not involved in the natural gas sector. While McClendon and others in the “clean burning natural gas” camp state that the environmental costs associated with coal aren't fully appreciated in the rates, this is just nonsense. They argue that coal will cause greater costs to Oklahoma's environment and should be calculated in the costs. But when one considers the merits of the argument, coming from those in the natural gas industry seeking to enhance their profits on the backs of Oklahoma rate payers, the arguments ring hollow.
Then again, Chesapeake could stop fighting OG&E and just build their own electricity producing plant and sell electricity for a profit….Somehow I don't think they will go that route. I suspect they feel more comfortable letting politicians do their bidding.
Or perhaps my cynicism is unwarranted?
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What's So Bad about Barry Bonds?
Barry Bonds is now the holder of arguably the most cherished sports record in America. He is America's homerun hitting king and some are not happy about it. The press resents Bonds' abrasive style and his “take it or leave it” attitude. Some complain of his alleged use of anabolic steroids and growth hormones. And others cite the federal government investigation into his use of illegal substances as justification for rejecting Bond's baseball greatness.
Bond's deserves credit for accomplishing what no man has accomplished before him. Hitting the most homeruns in history requires much more than steroids, growth hormones or any other substance. It requires baseball greatness. Some would rather Bonds be made a criminal through government charges than give him the credit he deserves as a baseball player.
Today's society suffers from a kind of twisted police state psychosis where otherwise sane, rational individuals can look at a person like Barry Bonds and truly believe that he is a threat to society. What he needs to do, in the minds of some, is fall on his knees, confess his sins, admit his “sickness” and check himself into treatment. That would somehow make some feel better about his worthiness. He should do no such thing. He should continue to demand the respect he has earned for his athletic prowess. His taking performance enhancing drugs is no reason for shame. He has harmed no one other than himself. And if performance enhancing drugs are so damned bad, why aren't people calling for the government to prosecute the distributors of Viagra or Cialis? There are millions made in promoting these evil performance enhancing drugs…..Right?
I believe a majority of Americans no longer want to live in the realm of liberty where people are free. If Barry Bonds or any other athlete experiences happiness in taking performance enhancing drugs, who are we to object? Why should we object? And on what basis should we oppose free people making free choices?
And if you hold the view that voting majorities are duty bound to lift up those values most cherished while punishing those that are held in disdain, you are placing majoritarianism above natural rights. It means that majorities are free to trample the human rights of the minority when they fail to embrace virtuous majoritarian values. This cannot be how free people want to live can it?
Let Bonds and every other person who wants to use performance enhancing drugs do so with impunity. It doesn't harm me and it doesn't harm you for them to do so. They should not be punished or discouraged by the government from using such drugs. Private organizations have the ability to establish their own rules and guidelines and the government should have no authority on the matter.
But America's big government conservatives and liberals maintain a belief that the government must restrain people because of their inability to make “proper” choices in accordance with majoritarian values. Since when do politicians and government bureaucrats know best?