The Derecho Blog: Dominion CEO makes it personal
Having entered the desperation and panic phase, I guess Chuck Penn soiling his shorts was not enough for Dominion Energy. They then ratcheted up their PR campaign with an ad hominem attack in the form of an editorial by Robert M. Blue, president and chief executive of Dominion Energy Power Delivery Group.
It pains me that Mr. Blue, a fellow alum of Mr. Jefferson’s University would stoop to the levels he plumbed in his editorial. Wahoos are not above making personal attacks but the Honor Code that was drilled into our brains usually prevents us from publishing representations based on insincerity and utter fabrications.
While Mr. Blue seems concerned about the less fortunate ratepayers having to bear the burden of increased rates to cover the I-66 Hybrid option, he doesn’t seem concerned in the least that those same less fortunate ratepayers will be forced to bear the burden of the increased rates to cover the cost of a Dominion Energy extension cord provided for virtually the sole use of Amazon Web Services.
Now, to those who have read the editorial, some would suggest that it was acceptable as the target was Chairman Stewart. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it comes to our local officials we can say bad things about them but members of the Richmond power broker elite need to step off. As everything in my world can be related back to Animal House, a particular exchange from the movie comes to mind:
Otter:
He can’t do that do that to our pledges.
Boon:
Only we can do that to our pledges.
Although we as residents of the county can accuse Corey of “political showmanship” that privilege does not extend to Dominion executives. Similarly, I suspect Mr. Blue does not have the requisite local knowledge to opine on the county’s growth prospects and would suggest that his threat of jeopardy to our reliable electric service is simply the basest manner of fear-mongering. I suspect the latter is a product of his law degree from Yale and not his undergraduate degree from UVA or his MBA from the Darden School as it is reminiscent of the tactics of his fellow Yale alum President Clinton and not Mr. Jefferson.
I would suggest to Mr. Blue that his time might be better spent examining the actions of Dominion’s Chief PR Hack, Chuck Penn or the ever-changing needs analysis for the proposed power line, a story that Dominion changes more often than a bed-wetter’s sheets. But then again that would suggest that he understood that it was Dominion and not PWC that was circulating misinformation and creating needless confusion.
Yes Mr. Blue, “Electric transmission lines are a fact of life. Without them, there are no lights, air conditioning, smartphones, apps or jobs”. We are not idiots. We also understand that you have to balance the maintenance of “the quality of life that electricity affords while reasonably minimizing the impacts of necessary infrastructure improvements”. Similarly, as ratepayers we understand that customers “pay for the collective benefits of preserving a healthy and robust energy grid”. It is that point we differ. While we do and should pay for the collective benefits of the electrical infrastructure, we do not believe we should bear the financial burden to construct a high voltage transmission line whose sole purpose is to act as the personal extension cord of a wealthy and powerful private enterprise, Amazon Web Services. If they want the power, let them pay the freight for the installation of the least intrusive option (I-66 Hybrid). It was their decision to select a location without adequate infrastructure and yours to socialize their development costs.
Further blameshifting the route on the County, an HOA or the SCC doesn’t relieve Dominion of their decision to compose and propose the ill-considered routes. With particular respect to the HOA, I suspect Mr. Blue would be singing a far different tune if the proposed routes ran through his neighborhood.
Mr. Blue goes on to assert that the “SCC has already determined the clear need for and broad public benefit of this project: 450 customers would be served directly from the new substation, and it would maintain reliability for more than 6,000 customers in the area”. Unfortunately the SCC decision would appear to be based on fraudulent need data provided by Dominion Energy and “vetted” by (in my opinion) a highly biased Hearing Examiner.
As to his assertion that Dominion will not “take anyone’s homes or force people off their land”, it smacks of little more than word-smithing. Although the route may not require a pole being constructed in someone’s living room, isn’t the impact of placing one 100 feet from the front door or stringing the lines directly over one’s home effectively the same?
And then comes the whopper, “the Carver Road route was developed as a direct result of the county chairman’s side negotiations, not because of poor planning, race, ethnicity, income or anything of the sort”. Dominion did not offer it “as an option only after the railroad route was blocked and because” Dominion has ‘an obligagtion to provide alternatives”. It was developed years in advance of the BOCS vote and as as direct result of Dominion’s poor planning. Dominion’s “planning” consisted of inititally presenting a single option railroad route, developing additional unacceptable alternate routes when asked why they had provided no options and finally creating the Carver and Madison routes in the face of intense citizen opposition.
No Mr. Blue, the blame does not lie at the feet of Chairman Stewart but on the desks of arrogant Dominion executives. Safe in your Richmond ivory tower you simply presumed you could bulldoze (pun intended) your way through PWC as you have in most jurisdictions. Your fatal flaw was underestimating the PWC residents, elected officials and their resolve.
As to being “committed to finding a collaborative solution regarding the Haymarket transmission line”, your next attempt at collaboration will be your first.
(This post is not sponsored by the Stewart for Senate Campaign, Tin Hat Alliance or Vegans for Paleolithic Lifestyles)