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Stumblestate government:
Prison shutting down wood-burning power plant
Department of Corrections says facility is losing money
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 | 7:34 p.m.
Howard Skolnik
CARSON CITY — An $8 million wood-burning power plant constructed to save energy costs at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City probably will be closed in the next several months.
“It loses money every day,” says Howard Skolnik, director of the state Department of Corrections. “We’ll see if we can get a buyer or another agency or just shut it down.”
The director said the plant was constructed smaller than it should have been, and prison inmates were supposed to operate it. But that didn’t work out. Having state workers run the plant was much more expensive than having inmates on the job, he said.
It was also difficult to keep the wood being supplied from the Lake Tahoe Basin. Jeffrey Mohlenkamp, deputy director of the state Department of Corrections, said the concept was good, but the plant wasn’t designed properly.
Mohlenkamp told the Legislative Subcommittee for Federal Stimulus Oversight on Tuesday that the plant would probably be closed in the next three to four months if it can’t be leased out.
Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, said the operation has “not been successful from day one.”
The biomass plant burns limbs, underbrush and plants from the Lake Tahoe Basin for generation of heat and power. It was initially estimated that it would save the prison system about $40,000 a month.
The plant opened in September 2007 and had trouble during its first six months. The efficiency picked up with better supplies of wood and improved operation.
Skolnik said, however, that a study showed the plant could not be operated profitably, even with energy grants.
Mohlenkamp said a study would be conducted “on the lessons learned.”
The state provided $6.5 million for construction and the U.S. Forest Service and federal stimulus money brought the project to $8.8 million.
Mohlenkamp told the legislative subcommittee the project helped clean out the underbrush in the Tahoe Basin, reducing the danger of forest fires.
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So, just exactly when does Skolnik become accountable?
Six point five million would have provided $40k of power for 13.54 years. Good job, bozos. (Sorry. That was an insult to Bozo.)
Brought to you by the same folks that are gonna save us a ton of money on healthcare.
Ok, the interest on 15 million per year at 5% is $750,000. Just how did that investment pencil out? Has anybody heard of ROI return on investment. That is just pure incompetence! Heck, I am just a stupid elementary school teacher and I can figure that out.
Wood burning? That's fine for BBQ but sucks for power generation. Someone's brother-in-law made a bundle on that one.
Next thing you know, the Jean lockup will have to phase out their hydro-electric plant. The reservoir just never materialized behind the dam they built in the desert.
to dhvincent1 and pattina 23851:
You both must be products of the Clark County school system in that you are both unable to read. "The state provided $6.5 million...and federal money brought the project to $8.8 million.
Please note that the federal contribution brought the total to $8.8 million, not an additional $8.8 million.
Throw another has "not been successful from day one" taxpayer funded operation on the "lessons learned" fire.
Trillions in debt as the tax-fires of utopia burn holes through the pocket's of the American Sucker.
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It will great when Skolnik steps down.
FRM, Ok whatever-it doesn't change the fact that the project made no economic sense!
I guess someone should point out how Skolnick favors shutting down old facilities and then building new ones to replace them. He convinces the legislators that it is better finically to do this whether it is or not. But in reality it is the easiest way to steal money from the state. He uses the same contractor over and over for everything. He does that for the kick backs he can get. The best part is if the contractor ever admitted to it he would be charged with a felony as well. The new construction hasn't slowed down at all even though prison employees have to take pay cuts because of the budget short falls. I suppose well have to get one of his contractor friends to build a new power plant. How convenient. I find it odd that Skolnick shuts something down every few month to save money. The truth is that he will never make another dime on any facilitate that is up and running, poorly or not. Thanks again Jim Gibens for this looser.
The person missing from this article is Nevada State Forester Pete Anderson. Why?
He is the one responsible for orchestrating the project in the first place!!!
Why is he not being held accountable for his incompetence and gross mismanagement of taxpayers money? (google NDF Anderson)
Is this a cover up? Where is the governor? Where is the lawmakers? Where is the Sun? We want the facts!
Where do they get the wood from. I did not think there was any wood in Nevada. maybe that's the problem.
6,000 tons of biomass fuel treatments where to come from Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest,Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, BLM state, tribal and private lands.
The proposal was made by Nevada Division Forestry [NDF] to the US Forest Service as a solution to decrease biomass thus supplying energy to the prison.
NDF [Anderson] is responsible, NOT Scolnik
It was just reported [NV Appeal] that Anderson has no end users for the wood, but that he will continue searching for users!
...this is sickening!
We all know what happened to Krolicki, right?
Question: So why isn't our the State Forester also not being idicted?
No state official takes millions in taxpayers money, funnels it into a worthless program and then has no explaination. We need answers!
While I agree that this was a project that lacked vision and any kind of economic sense, keep in mind that Director Skolnik did not propose it. He inherited this project from former Director Jackie Crawford. Praise and blame the current Director for those projects and issues that he owns, but it isn't fair to criticize him for projects that were none of his doing.
why are people always blaming someone else? I know at work, I'm not allowed to tell my boss, this wasn't my fault, someone else made the mess. They don't want to hear that, they want me to fix the problem, because it is now my job and my mess, not the guy who left it.Once you take the job, you own the mess, quit whining, and blaming someone else,just fix the dang problem. Skolnik, hs been in the psotion long enough, he knows the ins and outs and how to make it self serving, time for him to go, he doesn't do anything to benifit anyone except himself.