Letter: Environmental groups to blame

Thursday, May 17, 2001 | 9 a.m.

It is ironic in this day of electricity shortages and skyrocketing energy costs that the media seek comment from environmental clubs and so-called public interest groups on the energy situation.

Have the media forgotten so soon that it was these very organizations that bullied public service commissions, elected officials and even the energy companies into saying "no" to new power plant, transmission line and refinery construction these last 20 years and introduced "rolling blackouts" into the working lexicon of Californians?

How will you respond the next time you answer the door and someone from an environmental organization asks you to donate to stop a local utility from constructing a power plant? How do you think Californians will respond in the future?

DAN KANE

Editor's note: The writer, a registered professional engineer, was president of the Council on Energy Independence from 1974 to 1988. The organization advocated a move away from a reliance on imported energy to an emphasis on domestic energy production.