EDITOR:
I have noted with fascinated interest that significant claims are being laid at the doorstep of green energy. When we talk about government savings, then the obvious question is did that savings flow back to the taxpayers? If not, I would suggest that the savings is questionable. If there was some means to divert the unspent monies to an area that the taxpayers (not the politicians) really wanted, then I think the savings should be likewise recognized.
If either of those examples of savings, extreme diligence is due to insure that these really materialize. Specifically, as consumers (including government agencies) use less energy then energy producers will be under pressure to raise their fees per kilowatt. That pressure will come from the large fixed costs associated with the utility. The fixed costs include land, buildings, equipment, executive salaries and staff. Thus unless the PUC is able to stay on top of the utility to insure that the projected savings come to fruition, they will either never occur or be of only the shortest possible duration.
Let's see if our government can develop a matrix which monitors the savings and then take whatever steps are necessary to insure that they truly materialize for a significant time into the future.
Sam Batdorf
Gardnerville
