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Letters you can Copy and Send
Your neighbors at Citizen Power know all to well that
life can be hectic. Writing letters to elected officials can be
a pain. So from time to time we will, for your convenience, post letters
here. They are for your convenience and use. Feel free to copy, paste,
and personalize as appropriate. You can copy the letter then go to our
E-mail page to select an E-mail group, paste and send.
Thanks for taking the time to contact your elected officials.
---------- Suggested Letter, Citizen concern about long term liability ----------------
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I am very concerned about proposals to build peaking power plants in
our communities. I know you have already heard many concerns about these
proposals including the adverse impact on air quality, the waste of our
increasingly precious ground water, and the negative aesthetic impact of
having these plants serve as the western gates to our cities.
I agree with those concerns and would like to add another. I present that
concern to you in terms of a question: if these plants are built by 'LLC'
corporations, what is the true meaning for and long term impact on our
communities?
If I read the financial information correctly, the Constellation Energy
Group, a partner for building a plant with a primary site in New Berlin,
had $12,384,600,000 in assets in 2000. El Paso Energy Partners had assets
of $879,259,000 in 2000 and is predicting $60 million in earnings for the
full year ending December 31, 2001. These are big companies with many
subsidiaries. To say these are big time 'power brokers' with substantial
assets bases is an understatement.
So why, I ask myself, are both these proposals hiding their developments
in a structure whose name states its purpose - to limit liability. Are these
investments so speculative that these power brokers are afraid to structure
them such in a manner where there will be some accountability? Are these
plants inherently so dangerous that the don't want to expose themselves to
corporate risk? Or are they just looking for unsuspecting communities (easily
swayed by the specter of $750,000 'free' money) - communities that forget
that LLC ultimately means Leave Liability to Communities?
I'm not a power broker, so I don't know the real answer. However, I do know
that I don't want these plants polluting our air, using our water and I don't
want our communities to be stuck with the liability. Please, for everyone's
sake, stop them.
Sincerely,
----------- End Concerned about long term liability Letter ----------------
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