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opinion:
our view
Power crisis sure
to linger
Old habits are hard
to break. The first day temperatures inched past 80 degrees
Fahrenheit, Californians reflexively flipped on their air conditioners,
leading to what is likely to be the latest of many blackouts
facing the state in coming months.
Apparently the
constant bombardment of news about the ongoing power crisis
has fallen on deaf ears, or maybe people were under the impression
that air conditioners ran on magic dust instead of electricity.
Telling people
to limit energy consumption should be unnecessary, but relying
on people to be well informed is often a losing venture.
Last week, President
Bush mandated that federal buildings in California limit power
consumption to aid in the crisis. In addition, Gov. Davis
is encouraging all of California to limit power consumption.
Again, this should go without saying.
The crisis is sure
to be with us throughout the summer; we should all be prepared
to have windows and doors open while sitting in a bathtub
full of ice.
Unfortunately,
the quickest deterrent will be the outrageous bill facing
those who turned on their air conditioners this week without
thinking of the consequences.
California legislators
are trying to get the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
to cap wholesale energy prices. This should just be one of
the first measures taken by the federal government to alleviate
the power shortages.
We also hope the
federal government looks into price gouging by wholesale electric
companies, as well as questionable bookkeeping by California's
energy carriers.
While Pacific Gas
and Electric used the escape clause of bankruptcy court to
evade enormous debts, it should be remembered that it is a
multi-national, multi-billion dollar company with numerous
profitable subsidiaries, not merely a woebegone little energy
provider that was duped into lobbying for deregulation. As
they reap, so shall they sow.
In addition to
the lack of air conditioners, we in California also have obscene
gas prices to look forward to while we sit in the worst traffic
in the United States. Who said California is only notable
for its cheese?
Any genuine solution
to the crisis will only come in the long-term. In the interim,
we all face a long summer of riding bikes to the beach for
some of nature's air conditioning. Hopefully, the ocean will
not be too full of pollution this summer so we can actually
get into the water.
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