20110823Comment.pdf

Jean Jewell
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gfleisch986~hotmail.com
Friday, August 19, 2011 10:53 AM
Jean Jewell; Beverly Barker; Gene Fadness
PUC Comment Form
A Comment from Gerald Fleiscman follows:
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Case Number: IPC-E-ll-fl
Name: Gerald Fleiscman
Address: 11535 W. Hazeldale Ct.
City: Boise
State: ID
Zip: 83713
Daytime Telephone: [phone]
Contact E-Mail: gfleisch986~hotmail.com
Name of Utility Company: Idaho Power Company
Acknowledge: acknowledge
Please describe your comment briefly:
While I have nothing specific to comment on this case, I feel it is very shortsighted of the
commission to accept Idaho Power's IRP argument that coal-fired power costs are not subject
to competitive threat.
China' s energy needs are reaching around the world and they may be finnally reaching here. So
far China has been able to produce all its own coal. In the year 2000, both were at 1.3
trillion tons. China is now at close to 3 trillion tons a year for both. In the same time
period the U. S. has gone from approximately 1.1 T tons/year to 1.15 T tons/year. An August 3,
2011 Idaho Stateman article headlined i U. S. Competi ti veness at Root of Coal Fight i discusses
a planned port near Bellingham, Washington that is planning to export 48 million tons/year of
U.S. coal to China.
Obviously 48 million tons/year is a drop in the bucket of China i s overall coal use, but it
looks significant compared to the Jim Bridger power plant i s use of 8 million tons a year.
I do not feel it is wise to ignore global energy interests and needs in planning our energy
future. So far we have some say over our electric energy supply future (in contrast to oil).
I submit that local sources of energy (wind, solar and geothermal) are being discounted by a
belief that our electric utilities have a monopsony in relation to coal.
The form submitted on http://www . puc. idaho. gov /forms/ipucl/ipuc. html
IP address is 66.193.42.61--- -- ---- ---- --- - ---- - --- - - --- - --- --
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