A Red Alert on Nader’s ‘Green’ Stand

* Ralph Nader’s organization Public Citizen is quoted as stating that the marketing of “green” power in California is little more than a hoax on consumers, providing few benefits to the consumer [“Report Offers Pale Review of ‘Green’ Power,” Oct. 22].

Mr. Nader contends that since none of the electricity being sold as “green” power is from “new renewable-energy projects,” it is therefore not green power. Mr. Nader could not be more wrong on this issue.

The whole point of deregulation is that there is an excess of electric power available in North America. However, up to now it has been illegal to bring that excess power into California. The current power generation mix in California is 58% from oil, natural gas or nuclear. Every kilowatt-hour of hydroelectric power that is brought into California from oversupply elsewhere makes it possible to take an equal amount of fossil fuel or nuclear power off line. That is a direct conversion of fossil fuel power to hydroelectric power and has absolutely nothing to do with new energy sources.

I have a great respect for Mr. Nader and the things he has done in the past, but he is dead wrong on this issue.

Enercom Access has available to it some 33,000 gigawatt-hours of hydroelectric power to be brought in to the state of California from British Columbia. This is more then enough power to take all fossil fuel and nuclear power off line in California. Fossil fuel generation of electric power is the second-largest polluter behind the automobile.

ROBERT J. HOUCHIN

Regional Director

Enercom Access

Alternative Power

Claremont