Letter: Mathematics of buying electricity doesn’t add up

Friday, May 4, 2001 | 9:36 a.m.

Reality set in the other day when I received a phone call from a co-worker in our main plant in Idaho. He warned me things are serious now but this summer we could be shutting down lines and possibly the plant due to the increase in power rates.

If they close, two weeks later we would close our Las Vegas plant, which makes paper products, because they supply us with all our raw materials. It is kind of weird to think that people are losing jobs not to other countries (North American Free Trade Agreement) but to our own philosophies on business (capitalism).

I wish someone could tell me how the power companies survived and profited at selling power at $13 a megawatt and now they are saying they are going bankrupt at $300 a megawatt. Is it me, or are they taking us for a ride?

VINCENT LEWIS

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