A mid-winter musing and suggestion. I would like to suggest a direction HEA could take. Call it whole control, which has a nice ring. You can repeat it if you wish.
By whole, I mean the whole body of residential consumers —equivalent to the underlined title:
All Residential Customers
Energy Charge: 14.866 cents/KWH
Customer Charge: $20.00
Featured in Kilowatt Courier, our own guiding light, back page, top right.
Consider this and consider it again! This is the rate structure we desire.
If we were to attain this rate structure we would have reassembled the membership into a whole body for the express purpose of attaining fair and equal treatment for all members. We wouldn’t need anyone to explain the high-minded principles of a cooperative. We would have defined ourselves and what principles we stand for. We would know who we are and what we’re talking about.
To that end, I would suggest that in the next election this be on the ballot. Any action taken by the board of directors, that in any way subdivides our membership body, must be voted on by the membership.
Please read this again. It’s much clearer than what follows.
So, we’ve still got a looming problem to address. A certain odious policy has been in place for six years, prior to that, another policy for 21 years. Both have had the effect of splitting the body of our membership. These polices are called rate structures.
I’ve studied and analyzed the situation we’re in and have a pretty good idea of what it is. As to how or why this policy was adopted, every time I consider it, I swerve off into the incomprehensible. Beneath a pall of apathy, and inattention; (don’t notice, don’t care). One may catch a glimpse of the whole human drama. Myriad machination, slick chicanery, misdirection, obfuscation, bullying, bribing, bamboozling, skullduggery and more. To tell it true, I haven’t a clue, it seems like pure conjecture. Back to what is.
What hope have we of getting this policy rescinded?
It remains to be seen. The board of directors can do it. I imagine the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, or RCA, could do it, though they handed it off to the Attorney General who went along with the grand stipulation in October, 2010, whereby this policy (rate structure) went into effect.
The membership could vote on it, if they could get it on the ballot. The under users themselves seem to be scheming a strategy.
In analyzing the situation, I used the criteria of necessary, desirable, logical, ethical. It, and the previous policy, failed on all accounts. I’m sure the RCA and AG have guidelines and statutes that assure proper scrutiny of a proposal before it’s adopted. As far as I can tell, that process has been subverted. I couldn’t discern any line of reasoning to arrive at these policies, at least none that were ethical.
As to cooperative principles: The current policy is predatory and punitive. Things we really shouldn’t allow in-our co-op. This policy effectively sets up a penalty box; users in that sub-group pay partly for KWH consumed and partly penalty.
As all hockey fans know, a visit to the penalty box has a time limit. Let’s call it: Times Up — it’s been six years; enough is enough. We’re all a bunch of damn fools for ever having allowed it.
To conclude, I must note I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the people of Fritz Creek for their unwavering support, love and attention. Some few of you (beautiful souls all) have witnessed a more detailed analysis, theatrical prop included.
Lest I start sounding like Dr. Bronner, I’m going to take my cue from the erstwhile, errant guru of Antelope, Oregon. I hereby take a vow of public silence on all matters electric. Akin to Bandjax, I won’t debate or attend meetings. Whole control, remember where we started.
Highest regards to all.
Tom Maloney is a Homer resident who calls himself “the third complainant,” as one who challenged HEA’s recent bid to eliminate RCA oversight from its operations in favor of what HEA called local control.
