One of the enduring myths of this era of criminalizing business practices is that Enron’s energy trading policies were one of the primary causes of California’s power crisis during the early part of this decade.
Well, with Enron gone, that myth is not going to hold up this time around if what James D. Hamilton predicts comes to pass:
California may again offer the nation a useful illustration this summer of how not to deal with an energy crisis.
California Energy Blog last month passed along the warning from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that the southern half of our state is in “the worst electricity supply situation in the entire country.” I’m not worried about it, though, because I know that the California Energy Commission has been working for five years to come up with a plan.
And here it is, in all its glory: the fifth annual installment of the flex your power now! campaign. In the Commission’s own words, here’s how it works:Pitch in this summer, California. When you hear the “Flex Your Power NOW!” alert, immediately conserve energy. Learn more about what to do when you hear the alert.
But the really cool thing is the “Conserve-O-Meter”. Go ahead, I’ll wait here while you check it out.
And thus we continue in the great tradition of California regulators, who seek with great diligence, earnestness and, dare I say, ingenuity, to try to balance supply and demand every day by telling each one of us exactly what we need to do. As long as we all maintain the proper spirit and check up on the Conserve-O-Meter as the day progresses, I’m certain that all Californians can be counted on to do the right thing, ensuring the equality of supply and demand as a result of conscientious attention to civic duty.
