Subject: Bill S2098, Federal Eminent Domain Expansion!!!!! (fwd)
Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 124614 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Roy L. Beavers"
To: emfguru
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Hi Folks:
This is probably an important message!!!!
It is something of a mystery to me how this big of an issue ...
this important of a piece of MAJOR legislation could have sneaked
up on us so..... But it apparently has..... That's Washington,
as usual.... Isn't it......
I will attempt to explain what is implied by the message that follows:
Senate Bill 2098 is about to be voted on -- and the public (or the
press) have known nothing about what is coming..... That's point #1.....
Point #2 -- this is a HUGE bill, with many different aspects covered,
manly designed (I believe) to address the issue of opening up the
nation's power grid to more competition...... Remember that line???
That was also the line used in the 1996 Telecommunications Act....
And, the Act that opened up the airlines to more "competition."
(I don't know how that worked in your community -- but in my community,
we LOST air service ... and our AIR FARES went UP!!! Not down, as
promised.... Ditto, of course, with our TV cable service costs....
They have gone up about 50% since "De-regulation" and many rural areas
have been excluded all together -- except to pay the MUCH HIGHER
rates for the satellite service.....)
That HAS, indeed been the record with these "de-regulation" bills that
are always "sold" on the basis of "increasing competition" which is
SUPPOSED to drive down public rates....
More often than not -- the opposite has occurred..... WHY???
Because, it is "de-regulation" that results in MORE CONCENTRATION of
the industry -- not less...... The bigger fish "gobble up" the smaller
fish..... And, then (with their added concentration of $$$$$$ and market
control -- sometimes resulting in a monopoly in some regions) -- why, of
course, they RAISE the rates..... Increase their profit$$$$$$....
Point #3 -- one of the features of this bill is to extend the right
of EMINENT DOMAIN across state boundaries and give that authority to
FERC...... Have you ever heard of FERC???
Well learn all you can about it -- because this bill will mean that FERC
will become as powerful in electricity/energy affairs as the FCC now has
become in telecommunication affairs..... FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission) will control the flow of power nationwide.....
That's why... this bill (S2098) proposes to give FERC the same right of
EMINENT DOMAIN over your property that now exists within your local
state law..... It will be extended to a powerful Washington agency
....... that like MOST Washington agencies this day and age .....
will be friendly to the power industry, NOT the people......
(Just think -- the next time some power company wants to lay a power
line across your properrty -- you get to fight the fereral government,
instead of the local power company..... You go to a federal court
and you have federal judges instead of the people who live in your
community (as now under state law)....????? Ain't that great.....)
I don't think it is a good idea to give FERC that much power.... I
believe that YOU (the people) and certainly ALL property owners will
be better protected by your LOCAL (state) eminent domain laws than by
this nation-wide monstrosity.....
The message below is VERY important.....
Pardon me for "cussin" again -- (recently I promised my good god-fearing
sister who SOMETIMES reads this list ... that I would stop....)
But ... here goes -- what I want to know is WHY/HOW in the G__ D_____
H___ do the people's representatives (in Washington) continue to do
business this way.....???
.....Spring the legislation at the last minute -- always on a deadline
that curtails PUBLIC awareness and PUBLIC DEBATE about what is being
legislated.......
Oh, we know the answer -- this piece of legislation is not FOR the
people..... This is for the same special interests who BOUGHT the
congress ... the White House ... and (most recently) BOTH of the
political nominations for President in BOTH of our two major parties....!!
I LOVE the following line -- which I heard recently in my mormimg donut/
breakfast place in my home town:
Question: What does it cost to buy a Presidential nomination?
Answer: $70 million -- that's the going price......
Cheerio...... READ CAREFULLY BELOW.......
Roy Beavers (EMFguru) You gotta SHOWME -- I'm from Missouri....
roy@emfguru.com
.....It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.....
NEW!!! Website... http://emfguru.com
...................People are more important than profits.................
Missed opportunity...
$$$$$ We could have changed the corrupted system!! $$$$$
McCain !!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 13:03:00 -0400
From: Nancy McCord
To: Roy Beavers
Subject: Bill s2098 Federal Eminent Domain Expansion!!!!!
Dear Mr. Beavers,
I was happy to find your web site and discover someone
so knowledgeable about EMFs with first hand information about
the behavior of the electric utility industry (who was willing to
tell about his experience).
In southwest Virginia we have been fighting the
expansion of American Electric Power's 765 kv line for 10 years
and sadly have become only too familiar with their priorities and
methods of operating.
This morning we received the following e-mail from our congressman's
office, alerting us to a Senate bill which could give electric utilities
even greater power.
The 75 page bill (#2098, see attachment)) which deals with deregulation
will be voted upon Wednesday by the Senate and will extend the power of
Eminent Domain to FREC. The utility lobby has apparently convinced the
government that for reliable electric service this power must be expanded
even further. If passed this will give local groups even less
ability to influence outcomes when facing a powerline project.
You may be aware of this issue, and already have passed the
information on, but if not, it is my hope that you have a national data
base of many who have been hurt by the utilities use of this awesome
power, and once contacted, would be willing to contact their Senators
before Wednesday's vote.
Hopefully, if enough Senators receive calls on Monday and Tuesday
asking them not to extend the power of Eminent Domain to FREC
they will at least remove this from the bill.
I appreciate any assistance you are able to give with this.
Sincerely,
Nancy McCord
The following is what we received and the full bill is attached.
> > Federal Bill (Senate) S-2098, discussed today in the Senate, will be
voted
> > on next Wednesday, May 24, 2000, about the need for transmission lines
> > across the U.S. and giving FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
> > power of Eminent Domain, nationally, to build transmission lines.
> >
> > Electric companies have convinced the Federal Government of the need for
> > many more transmission lines for Reliability. EVERYONE must call their
> > Senators and Congressmen across the United States.
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Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com