UPDATED: Just In... Eric Skrmetta Warns the State GOP About Threats From the Left To the Public Service Commission
Will GOP leadership take heed of the warnings?
I will follow up on this, but for now…
EXCELLENT
(This came out on social media Saturday evening.)
First, we can’t know if Ms O’Donoghue was being a bit snarky or being exacting about the Republican/Democrat mix on the PSC. Though Dr Craig Greene identifies as a Republican, he commonly votes along with Davante Lewis and Foster Campbell, the Democrats on the commission.
So, it’s not inaccurate to say that Democrats do “control” the PSC. I submit as evidence the vote on Mr Lewis’ unneeded and mean-spirited Directive, in which he baselessly accused utility executives of “even bribery.” Greene voted along with this:
This captures the attitude that exudes from Craig Greene in every PSC meeting:
Here, Eric Skrmetta reacts incredulously to the Directive:
We covered this issue here:
I reached out to my contact in the state GOP:
“Skrmetta spoke from the floor when elected officials were offered the opportunity to speak. Meetings are not recorded.”
I have consistently included the LA GOP in my Twitter posts about the PSC. It is gratifying that Mr Skrmetta has spoken directly to state party leadership about the problems with the Public Service Commission.
The five commissioners hold outsized influence over your quality of life. The complete independence of the commission must be reconsidered. The Left has targeted the PSC. While the Democrats do already control the PSC, they would dearly love one more official seat, which is a very distinct possibility.
I happen to know that Mr Skrmetta believes that Mr Lewis’ victory is part consequence of the demographics of New Orleans and Baton Rouge: to be plain, he believes the black vote made the difference for Lewis. This is wrong, however. The Left will use the “Green Energy” / “Renewables” angle to appeal to white women in the upcoming vote. Also, because the PSC is so little-known and understood, a handful of activist voters can turn the outcome. Lewis received 50,001 votes in his successful bid for the seat, with nearly $40 spent per ultimate vote.
I assure you: The Left has already earmarked $2MM to secure the next seat. Six years of one-more-of-only-five votes is well worth the money to them. They are attacking our economy and our energy systems, and the PSC is the perfect place to launch and assure their victory. We must push back against them.
Will state Republicans begin to address this problem?
Email me and let’s set up some meetings and discuss this: TheBigEasyConservative@protonmail.com
I’ve written about Dr Greene on Twitter:
Dr Craig Greene is a highly motivated and very highly accomplished person who, among his many pursuits, sits on the Louisiana Public Service Commission. With a demanding job and large family, one could wonder why he seeks such a post, but we admire his accomplishments.
In the April PSC meeting he made this drop-jaw comment: “I want, and I know other commissioners have said they want: resource diversity, price stability, low-cost energy, and all the benefits that cost-effective renewables can bring to Louisiana residents and businesses.”
That's an awful lot of "want" when the Laws of Physics are involved. He also said this: “Every time a utility threatens us with an urgency, I just think, this is a plot or scheme.” But what if the urgency is real? (And it is!)
SWEPCO executives, visibly frustrated with the commissioners, were struggling to emphasize the dire situation regarding energy production issues: “We’ve got to get the capacity up… Everybody agrees: there is a dire capacity need!”
SWEPCO continued: "We’re going to learn about reliability even being more of an issue than any of us envisioned sitting right here today. Blackouts and all are being discussed! We don’t want that to happen! … When you start closing things, you’ve got to replace that capacity.”
Commissioner Greene made no inquiry, asked not one question about the predicted "blackouts." Lewis responded though, saying, "You mention blackouts; we know they are coming."
One would think "blackouts" are a first priority issue for state energy regulators, right? But not if the warnings are a "plot or scheme."
The positions of the 5 commissioners should be eliminated. Staff does all the work anyway and commissioners most often vote for Staff's recommendations. We are taking this matter up with legislators: to restructure the PSC.
Lewis' election is evidence that hardcore Leftists have targeted the PSC as a vulnerable place to exert disproportionate influence on state actions; this is dangerous. Lewis is openly Socialist, while Greene and Campbell go along with him. Referring to "My comrades"...
Greene voted with Lewis for a useless Directive in which Lewis accused utility companies of using ratepayer money "for bribery." This seems a huge deal, but Greene voted for the Directive and had no reaction to evidence-free accusations of such a serious crime.
The PSC needs to be restructured or eliminated. Commissioners answer to nobody, yet they're an elected position. Accountability and full transparency are badly in need at the PSC.
We also wrote about the Left's backing of the Lewis campaign, and warned of the template being employed again when the next PSC chair is up for a vote, which is soon... These people sit for 6 years on the PSC, which is yet one more problem with this anachronistic institution...
We scrutinized the campaign funding of the Lewis campaign which benefitted from about $2MM in out of state funding. Lewis' chair was purchased for him by 'Big Renewable' other interests to whom he is indebted.
We will always doubt the motivations of Commissioner Greene... we know the motivations of Commissioner Lewis... Foster Campbell seems unaware of which way is up... Mike Francis is running for Secretary of State. Eric Skrmetta is the only realist on the PSC.
This must change.