Yesterday Harris McDowell, a Democrat tried to ram a piece of legislation through his committee which would give his committee, the SEU, 65% of all money coming from the sale of REC’s (Renewable Energy Credits). Just imagine…… hundreds of millions of dollars.
Currently McDowell is chairman of that committee. Currently that committee is functioning beyond its scheduled cut off time which was last January, 2008.
That means that 65% of that $100,000.000 dollars will go to a organization not sanctioned, nor legal, and is currently chaired by the same person ramming the piece of legislation though his Senate Energy and Transit Committee.
Members of the audience offered protest, and the bill was tabled. It will show up again if no one is watching……..
Can you imagine?
Sixty-five million dollars would have flowed right into Harris McDowell’s pocket, if citizens, just plain citizens, had not just happened to be watching the proceedings….and objected….
Ponder that.
Part II
This was posted on DelawareLiberal.Net on May 9th. It is lifted from an email sent to DelawareLiberal.Net. by Charlie Copeland……a Republican.
I was unaware of the expiration of the SEU oversight board.
And this was placed before the Senate Committee of Energy and Transit, yesterday, May 14th.
What’s important here are the deeds and the dates. Words don’t mean much to this candidate for Lieutenant Governor.
Ponder that.
4 comments
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May 15, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Nancy Willing
Today, the SEU bill is up before Hocker’s house committee. It makes the changes in the SEU that give too much power to too few.
May 15, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Alan Coffey
Unbelievable. We must keep an eye on this stuff. Will it show up in the legislative notifications emails or need we do more?
May 15, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Patricia Gearity
Today, Sen. Hocker’s committee will consider whether it’s ok to place sole authority for the awarding of hundreds of millions $in the hands of a “for-profit” company. A company which would have no public oversight. A company that is not subject to FOIA. A company “overseen” on paper by a board of directors which, under last year’s law, a) has no authority to hire or fire the “for-profit” company, and b) itself has no limits on self-perpetuation, and c) has no supervisory authority over the director of that “for-profit” company. In last year’s law, the one guy named to be the Chairman of the Board is Sen. McDowell, or his designated appointee. Senator McDowell has consistently refused to disclose the sources and amounts of his current income from his “energy consulting” business.
Last year, SB18 passed after Sen. McDowell dropped the “for profit” option for the Contract Administrator, and substituted “non-profit”. Apparently, that change was needed in order to get the bill through the Senate. Now, the Senator is trying to return a “for-profit” company to the pilot’s chair. How much money from RGGI and RECs will go to the profits of that “for-profit” company? The law is silent. Who will decide? The Oversight Board? But the Oversight Board is a rogue entity at this point, which has been making decisions since February 1, 2008 without legal authority! The Energy Office? With what authority?
Sen. McDowell is rushing to hire a Contract Administrator. He needs this bill passed to give that job to one of his corporate allies. But will the RFP (Request for Proposals) disclose a limit to the profits the “for-profit” company can make from running the SEU? I’m not holding my breath and neither should you. If a certain person does not serve on the board, but instead disappears into a paid job for the “for-profit” company, who’s to know? If another pal gets the same opportunities, what’s to prevent him from shuttling consulting fees to his friend? With a private “for profit” company and no public oversight, no one will ever know.
Please, get to the hearing today by 2:30 p.m. and let your opinions be known.
May 18, 2008 at 8:34 am
Savy Politico
McDowell’s soul belongs to alcohol…….he’s LUI (legislating under the influence of alcohol & delmarva). Someone(s) in the GA should give him the same help out the door as was given John Atkins…nothing less. I’m not an attorney but it seems clear he has violated ethic laws, among others, and it is time to pay the piper (or bottler, as you prefer)