Lost On The Shore

Some Good Things Happening In Maryland

2008-08-20T15:30:31-04:00

I just got back from some travel and ran across these items in the news.

Energy Governor O'Malley has recognized that the solution to Maryland's energy problems lie not just in conservation but also in the construction of new generating facilities in the state. With brownouts or rolling blackouts projected for portions of the state (including the Eastern Shore) as soon as 2011, trying to persuade homeowners and businesses to reduce consumption simply isn't going to cut the mustard. We need both new generating capacity and improved transmission facility. The sooner the state begins to take an active role in supporting both, the better off we will be.

Pollution Attorney General Doug Gansler has announced plans to sue the Defense Department to force them to clean up groundwater and soil contamination at Fort Meade. The Defense Department has been trying to dodge responsibility for this for quite a while. The fort has been on EPA's superfund list for quite a while but the Army has been dragging its feet in the cleanup effort. It's worth noting that they don't seem to have any shortage of funds when it comes to building a big new golf course at the fort. Now let's see if we have the gumption to take legal action against some of our neighboring states - Pennsylvania in particular - to force them to stop sending their filth down the rivers into the Chesapeake Bay.

Transportation The O'Malley Administration has announced plans to fast track the procurement of additional railroad cars to supplement the MARC fleet. The 13 double-deck cars will be purchased from the Virginia Railway Express and will be refurbished before being placed into service. When they are placed into service in November, they will increase the MARC fleet by more than ten percent. Together with the new locomotives expected in February, these will reduce delays and allow for expansion of MARC service, giving many Marylanders a meaningfull choice of how to commute in these times of high gas prices.

Jurisprudence Governor O'Malley has appointed Judge Mary Ellen Barbera to the Maryland Court of Appeals. She is an excellent choice. Judge Barbera didn't have the luxury of being able to go directly from college to law school. Instead, she attended the University of Maryland School of Law at night while teaching in Baltimore public schools. Undoubtedly she learned a lot both while teaching and at law school. Her real-world experiences and background in addition to her sharp legal mind will give her excellent perspective as she takes on her new responsibilities. We wish her well.

What Can We Do?

2008-08-14T16:20:30-04:00

In the last post we looked at the issue of global warming and discussed the factors that contribute to the phenomenonand potential effects. Today we'll look at some actions that we can take on an everyday basis to help combat global warming. I want to focus on actions the average person can take. There are lots of recommendations to replace your air-conditioning and heating unit, re-insulate your entire house, get rid of your car, etc. that are effective but not within reach of many.

Looking at the above graph, we can see that the largest shares of carbon dioxide emissions come from the burning of coal and petroleum. Natural gas contributes a smaller but growing share and other factors, particularly cement production, contribute a small but significant amount. So our search for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A significant portion of greenhouse gases are emitted during the generation of electricity - primarily from coal, but a significant and growing amount come from natural gas-fueled generating facilities. So reducing electricity use will not only save us money but will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some things you can do to reduce your electricity consumption:

Install CFL bulbs wherever possible. They're considerably more expensive initially, but they do save electricity and they last considerably longer than incandescent bulbs. Many electricity suppliers in Maryland offer discounts to their customers on the purchase of CFL bulbs, so check with your electricity supplier. After all, you're paying for the discount in your electricity bill so you should take advantage of it. If you can't afford to change all of your lightbulbs to CFL immediately, start with those you use the most.
Turn off the lights when you leave the room. This is a no-brainer. Some think that turning lights back on again uses more electricity than is saved by turning them off. This isn't true - even for fluorescents. While they do use a surge of electricity to fire up, the surge lasts for only half a cycle, or 1/120th of a second and is equivalent to the energy used in just a few seconds of use. So turn them off.
Try to reduce use of your heater and air conditioner. Turn your thermostat down a bit in the winter and up a bit in the summer. Consider closing off parts of the house that aren't used. Be sure your furnace filter is changed or cleaned regularly. Caulk and weatherstip your doors and windows.
When you need to replace an appliance, replace it with an Energy Star rated appliance. The increased efficiency will offset the increased cost and you will use less electricity.
If your hot water heater is nearing the end of its useful life, consider replacing it with a solar hot water heater. This can be quite cost effective. There are state and Federal tax credits available. Look here for a good calculator.
Switch off computers, speakers, TVs, battery chargers, etc. when they're not in use. Keep in mind that, even while switched off, some of these draw power. Consider investing a few bucks in a power strip that allows you to switch off several at a time or a remote-control power strip that makes it even easier.

A lot of greenhouse gases are generated by transportation. Here are some options you can consider to cut down on both greenhouse gases and costs.

Combine several short trips if possible.
Use mass transit, carpool or, if possible, telecommute.
When it's time to replace your current vehicle, consider one which is more fuel-efficient. On the other hand, don't rush out now to trade in your gas-guzzling SUV or truck for a very high mileage car. You'll lose money on the trade-in and you'll pay more for the car. Unless you need a new car now, wait until there are more high-mileage cars available and until the current glut of SUVs and light trucks on the market is reduced.
If most of your trips are 40 miles or less, consider waiting a few years until plug-in electric cars are available. Both GM and Toyota expect to introduce models soon.
Keep your engine tuned, your wheels aligned and your tires inflated properly.
Try to order things to be delivered by mail (such as Netflix) rather than driving to the movie rental shop to get one. One more piece of mail won't make a big difference to the postal service.

There are other things you can do.

Avoid products with lots of packaging. Reducing your trash by ten percent can save 1200 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
buy refillable items where possible. Refilling a spray bottle is preferable to throwing it away and buying a new one.
Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. About half of all junk mail is discarded without being opened. There are some good tools here to stop junk mail.
Pay bills online where possible. Save a stamp, a trip to the mailbox and some unnecessary paper.
Buy and use reusable shopping bags in lieu of plastic or paper.

Note that I haven't recommended solar electric panels - the cost is too high for most people and the return on investment is not very good, even with the tax credits that are offered. I also haven't recommended things like buying 'carbon offsets' where you pay someone to supposedly take carbon out of the air. It's very trendy, but not very effective if you use it just to continue a wasteful lifestyle. Many of the supposed 'offsets' aren't really offsets anyway.

Probably the most effective thing you can do is to urge your legislators to deal with the problem instead of ignoring it. If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that I support nuclear energy. It's not that I think it's a wonderful technology - there are unresolved problems with waste disposal and there are some dangers. It's the only realistic technology, though, for replacing our large, coal-fired generating plants. We haven't solved the waste disposal problem for coal, either - just dumping the waste in the atmosphere turns out to be very dangerous. And many more people have been killed in providing electricity from coal than from nuclear energy.

Renewable energy is great and I support it. We need to address the cost and variablity issues, however, if we are to rely on it for a substantial portion of our energy needs.

So let's all do what we can, and demand that our legislators address the problem instead of ducking it. The issue is not going to go away and the solutions won't get easier.

[Note: I apologize for the delay in posting. Things have been very busy. I hope to get back on schedul e next week.]

Hot Enough For You?

2008-08-03T13:36:34-04:00

The Baltimore Sun carries this article today on the predicted effects of climate change on Maryland. The article describes a report by a group of scientists who have compiled the first comprehensive report on the potential effects of climate change on Maryland. The report was prepared for the state by a committee of 19 scientists from five Maryland campuses, the U.S. Geological Survey and two environmental groups. Among the findings:

An increase in the average temperature in Maryland by about 3 degrees fahrenheit by midcentury is probably unavoidable.
Many hardwood species in Maryland are likely to 'fade away' while pine trees more common in the south become more common here.
A significant area will be inundated by the combination of rising sea levels and continuing land subsidence. Significant areas of wetland would be lost.
Cool water species in the Chesapeake Bay such as soft-shelled clams, sturgeon and eelgrass will disappear, while warm water species, such as croaker, will become more prevalent.

Coincidentally, another article on climate change was published in the Washington Post today. The article addresses the tendency of many to blame every hurricane, drought, heat wave, flood, frost or large cloud on global warming. This, of course, just confuses the issue because weather is naturally variable. If you attribute strong hurricanes to global warming then, when a year comes along without any strong hurricanes, people will logically say that global warming doesn't exist!

So let's look at some facts. This graph [prepared by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration] shows the difference between the global average surface temperature from 1880 to 2006 and the average temperature during the period.

Note that the data displayed here have been quality controlled to remove the effects of urbanization at reporting stations in and around cities. The average surface temperature has increased by about one degree fahrenheit since 1970 and, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is now increasing by about 3.2 degrees fahrenheit each century.

Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have increased from approximately 280 parts per million (ppm) in pre-industrial times to 382 ppm in 2006 - approximately a 36% increase according to NOAA's Earth Systems Research Laboratory. They also publish this nice graph.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to increase at a rate of about 1.9 ppm per year. According to the IPCC's 2007 report, all of this increase is due to human activity.

Methane is more abundant in the atmosphere now than at any time in the last 650,000 years according to the IPCC report and are now 148% above pre-industrial levels.

Nitrous oxide levels have increased approximately 18% in the past 200 years and continue to increase. Increases in nitrous oxide are primarily due to agricultural activity and the use of artificial fertilizers.

These gases contribute to the increase in the temperature of the earth's surface and lower atmosphere through a process called the 'greenhouse effect', which was first described by Joseph Fourier in 1824. Without the greehouse effect, the earth would be a cold and barren planet unable to support life. But there can be too much of a good thing. The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased the greenhouse effect and caused the average surface temperature to begin rising. Water vapor is also a major contributor to the greenhouse effect.

There are a variety of feedback mechanisms which have either a positive or negative effect on the increase in global temperature. Increased evaporation due to higher temperatures increase water vapor in the air which increases the greenhouse effect. On the other hand, clouds reflect solar energy back into space thus reducing the heating of the earth. It's uncertain how much the increase in water vapor will effect cloud formation. Reduced amounts of ice and snow increase absorption of solar energy by the earth's surface contributing to the increase in temperature.

One of the most pernicious effects of global warming is the increase in the mean sea level. Water, like most substances, expands slightly as it becomes warmer. In Maryland, and particularly on the Eastern Shore, this effect is increased by the slow subsidence of the land over a period of thousands of years. Here is a graph of sea level changes at Baltimore. It is prepared by the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSML) at the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.

While there are significant year-to-year variations, the trend is unmistakable. Much of Maryland, and particularly the Eastern Shore, is at a very low elevation and is very susceptible to inundation during periods of high tides and during storms. The photo above shows storm surge flooding caused by Hurricane Isabel in Bowleys Quarters, MD in September of 2003. With continued increases in sea level we can expect many more episodes like that. Many of the islands that existed in the Chesapeake Bay at the time of the explorations by Captain John Smith are now gone, victims of rising sea levels. We can expect more of the same.

For barrier islands like Assateague and Ocean City, the prognosis is also grim. The combination of rising sea levels and stronger storms made possible by increased ocean temperatures will make it increasingly difficult to maintain these islands in their current locations. This photo of barrier islands in North Carolina breached by Hurricane Isabel is a good example of what to expect.

(photo by the US Geological Survey)

So what can we do? I'll talk about that in my next post.

2008-08-01T13:40:18-04:00

Having taken a look at fundraising by the congressional candidates in Maryland's first district, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at how the two major party presidential candidates are faring in their fundraising in Maryland. As before, all data is from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website and reflect contributions through June 30, 2008.

As you might expect given Maryland's political leaning, Barack Obama is raising a lot more in Maryland than John McCain. Obama has reported total contributions from Maryland residents of $8,088,188 - almost five times the $1,643,247 that McCain has raised.

Again, not surprisingly, the largest share of the contributions come from Montgomery County. Obama has raised $3,906,539 from zip codes beginning with 208, while McCain has received $799,869 from the same area.

In Prince George's County (zip codes 207xx), Obama's lead is overwhelming. He's raised $1,041,030 compared to just $69,075 for McCain - more than fifteen times as much. In eastern Montgomery County (zip codes 209xx), Obama also has a very strong lead - $905,051 to McCain's $58,171.

Here on the Shore, things are a bit closer, as they usually are. Looking at zip codes 216xx, 218xx and 219xx, Obama has raised $184,530 to McCain's $122,892, with most of the money coming from the relatively wealthier mid-Shore area. Here's a rundown of the Shore contributions:

Eastern Shore Presidential Campaign Contributions through 6/30/08
	Obama	McCain
Mid-Shore 216xx	$146,789	$89,485
Lower-Shore 218xx	$27,881	$26,223
Upper-Shore 219xx	$9,860	$7,184
Shore Total	$184,530	$122,892

Obama has a slight lead in the Upper Shore and the Lower Shore in terms of contributions, with a more substantial lead in the Mid-Shore areas that include Easton and St. Michaels. It will be interesting to see how the fundraising lead translates into votes. I'm hopeful that the current enthusiasm for Obama, particularly among young people, will translate into increased turnout on the Democratic side and a boost for Frank Kratovil.

[The photo is one of the earliest known photos of the White House - sometime in the 1860s - and is in the Library of Congress collection.]

PAC-MAN?

2008-07-23T10:11:39-04:00

In my last post I looked at the individual contributions that each of the candidates in Maryland's First Congressional District had reported and contrasted the source of contributions for Frank Kratovil, which were almost 95 percent from Maryland residents vs. the source of contributions for Andy Harris, which were only 54 percent from Marylanders. This, of course, raised the question of who would best represent Marylanders - Kratovil who gets almost all his support from within Maryland or Harris who gets almost half his support from wealthy outsiders.

But individual contributions are not the whole story. Each candidate has also raised significant sums from Political Action Committees (PACs), but Andy Harris has raised much more this way. As always, lets go to the numbers!

Starting with Frank Kratovil, according to the numbers I have, Frank has received $38 thousand in PAC contributions so far. The majority of this - $27 thousand, has come from labor union PACs including notably the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), The International Association of Firefighters and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Other significant PAC contributions include some Democratic leadership PACs (a PAC established by a member of congress to support other candidates) and the Sierra Club.

Andy Harris has received far more money from PACs - $268,900 so far. It's interesting to look at who is contributing to him. By far his largest contributor has been the medical industry, which accounts for $129,100 of his PAC contributions. That shouldn't be too surprising; Andy Harris is a doctor and the healthcare industry wants one of their own to represent them on the Hill. Harris has also received $14,000 from the oil industry, apparently impressed by his express desire to drill everywhere. Other significant contributors include several insurance industry PACs, a couple of construction industry PACs and the Automobile Dealers Association PAC.

So what does all this tell us? Well, first of all it tells us that Andy Harris is much more succesful at raising money from special interest groups than Frank Kratovil. Almost all of Kratovil's contributions have come from individuals rather than from special interest groups.

Second, there is a clear difference in the source of PAC contributions to the two candidates. Labor unions, which generally support Democratic candidates, are supporting Frank Kratovil; that's no surprise. The medical/healthcare industry, on the other hand, is throwing tons of support to Andy Harris. I suppose they hope he will represent their interests if he is elected. He's also received some support from the oil industry, which is not too surprising, they generally tilt Republican anyway.

So that brings us back to my last post - who will represent Maryland? It still seems to me that the answer is Frank Kratovil, who received the bulk of his contributions from Marylanders and mostly from individuals. I think Andy Harris owes too much to outsiders and to the medical industry to be able to effectively represent the people of the first district and I think the numbers show that and they show that Andy Harris is the real PAC-MAN.

[Editor's Note: They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I guess I should be flattered that Joe Albero over at Salisbury News copied my last post verbatim in his own blog. He didn't attribute it to me, but he's a busy guy and I assume it was an oversight. Of course, to get the whole story, he'll have to copy this one too. I'll wait and see.

I will be away for a bit, so no posts until late next week - Tom]

Who Will Represent Maryland?

2008-07-20T16:18:24-04:00

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has reported the results of fundraising by Congressional Candidates in the First District for the quarter ending June 30. Not surprisingly, Andy Harris continues to lead. The Republican raised avout $432,000 during the quarter and lent his campaign $100,000 of his personal funds. He reported about $609,000 in cash on hand at the end of the quarter.

Frank Kratovil didn't do badly, though. He raised about $376,000 during the quarter and had $454,000 in cash at the end of the quarter. So, Andy Harris has a lead of about $150,000 in cash at the end of the quarter - about $100,000 of which is his personal loan to the campaign.

But, aside from Harris's loan to his own campaign, where did the money come from? A look at the details reveals some interesting data. I looked at all the individual donations to each candidate of $200 or more reported by the FEC. Then I looked at the source of the money.

Let's start with Frank Kratovil. Individual contributions of $200 or more to Kratovil's campaign totalled $303,471 through June 30. Of that, $287,421 or 94.7 percent, came from persons residing in Maryland. That is a very high percentage and indicates that Frank Kratovil has the support of Marylanders and will represent them when he is elected to Congress.

Now let's look at Andy Harris. His individual contributions (of $200 or more) total $916,356 - an impressive amount. But let's look at where they came from. Of that only $493,191 or 53.8 percent came from person living in Maryland. Where did this money come from? It came from all over the country, primarily through the Club for Growth - a very right-wing anti-tax group which is trying to elect Andy Harris so he will do their bidding in Congress.

Andy Harris isn't running to represent Maryland, he's running to represent the Club for Growth and his wealthy buddies in their attempt to avoid paying even a dime in taxes. Let's look at those numbers one more time. Frank Kratovil - 94.7 percent of his individual contributions come from Maryland. Andy Harris 53.8 percent of his individual contributions come from Maryland.

Now I take a special interest in the Eastern Shore, so I took a look at how much each candidate received from Eastern Shore zip codes (216xx, 218xx,219xx). This time lets look at Frank Kratovil first. Of his $303,471 in individual contributions, $155,541 of 51.3 percent came from the Shore.

For Andy Harris, the numbers tell a different story. Of his individual contributions of $916,356, only $91,277 or 10.0 percent came from the Eastern Shore - sad numbers for a man who claims he will represent the Eastern Shore in Congress.

Fortunately, all those wealthy people who live out of state and are funding Andy Harris's campaign can't vote in Maryland. Marylanders of the First District need vote for Frank Kratovil, who will represent the people of Maryland, not Andy Harris who will represent his wealthy benefactors from Texas, Florida, Ohio and other states.

Lubyanka on the Severn

2008-07-18T13:14:04-04:00

The Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and a host of other newspapers report today that the Maryland State Police have repeatedly spied on groups opposed to the death penalty or opposed to the war. Despite the fact that the police spies reported no plans for illegal activity or any illegal activity itself, the State Police reported the names of some participants to the Federal government to be entered into the national database of people thought to be terrorists or drug traffickers.

This is both stupid and dangerous. Stupid because it diverts scarce resources from fighting crime to unproductive spying on people who are peaceful and law-abiding. Dangerous because it erodes popular support for the police and damages their credibility. Who can trust them? Many in Maryland oppose the death penalty, the war in Iraq or war in general. Why would our state police spy on them and report them as, of all things, potential terrorists?

The right to dissent and protest are important American values - they help keep our democracy strong and have played an important part in the evolution of our country, from the very founding of our country to the abolitionist movement that helped raise public consciousness about slavery to the suffragette movement that won the right to vote for women to the civil rights movement that helped to finally bring equal rights to African-Americans and to the anti-war movement that helped end the fruitless war in Vietnam. Dissent is important because it helps us examine our assumptions and see others' points of view.

Of course, some of this can be attributed to sheer laziness. The agents that the Maryland State Police sent to spy on the peaceful and law-abiding citizens of the state repeatedly reported that no illegal activity was planned or had taken place. Yet they consistently recommended the spying be continued. Why would they do that? Well, going to meetings of peace activists and anti-death penalty types is certainly easier and safer than going after criminals!

Governor O'Malley needs to get to the bottom of this. Those responsible for this fiasco need to be terminated - there's no place in our state government for this kind of nonsense. Investigating and spying on people simply because they dissent is an affront to our American way of life. After a full disclosure of what went on, the records of this spying need to be purged to protect the reputations of those who were spied upon. And our police need to get back to enforcing the law and catching criminals - certainly there is enough crime in Maryland to keep them busy.

The photo above is of the KBG headquarters on Lubyanka Square in Moscow. Russians used to joke that it was the tallest building in Moscow because 'from its basement you can see Siberia'. We don't need any secret police in Maryland.

Blowin' in the Wind?

2008-07-16T15:37:26-04:00

It seems that the project proposed by Bluewater Wind to place wind turbines off the Delaware coast is heading toward approval and may well be expanded and extended to the Maryland coast off of Ocean City. Governor Martin O'Malley expressed his support for the Delaware project yesterday and indicated he would not be opposed to extending the project to Maryland.

The project would certainly be good for the Shore, which suffers from a lack of generation and transmission facilities. The electricity, while costly compared to existing generating facilities might be comparable in cost to that from a new coal plant.

The one problem with wind energy, which I have referred to before, is the inherent variability of wind energy as a dependable power source. Most wind turbines generate electricity at full capacity only when the wind is blowing at about 15 mph or more. Wind itself is highly variable on an hourly, daily and seasonal basis.

The graph at left shows the actual energy generated by the wind turbine at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne over the last month. The variability is clear. You can see real time data for this installation on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis here. A wind farm of the size proposed would almost certainly require a backup natural gas generation facility at a substantial additional cost to provide power on the days when the wind doesn't blow hard enough.

Another factor, of course, is that the peak electricity demand in Maryland and neighboring states is in the summer while the wind here is stronger and more consistent in the winter.

Despite these issues, though, the proposal is a welcome one and I'm glad to see it getting support from the Governor. While some might complain that the turbines, which would be barely visible from the beach, are unsightly, They would certainly be better than the sight of oil derricks and the associated environmental problems that President Bush favors. I look forward to seeing more progress like this.

Maryland Energy Update

2008-07-10T11:27:52-04:00

I thought, with all the progress being made, it would be a good idea to post an update of the energy/electricity situation in Maryland.

So what's happened? Actually, not much. While there has been some slight progress, we are mostly standing still as demand continues to grow. Let's take a quick look at some of the data (most of this data comes from a June, 2008 report by the Maryland Public Service Commision).

Maryland continues to be a large importer of electricity, importing about 30% of its needs. On an absolute basis, Maryland is the fourth largest electric energy importer in the United States, exceeded only by California, New Jersey and Virginia. Delaware and DC are also large importers meaning that the mid-atlantic area is heavily dependent on imports from other states - primarily to the west. As I've reported before, due to lack of generating capacity and already congested transmission facilities, the PJM power interconnection has warned of the posssibility of brownouts in the area beginning in 2011 - that's three years away.

Only 22 percent of Maryland's total generating capacity of about 12,500 megawatts has been built in the past 20 years. More than two-thirds of our generating capacity is more than 30 years old. While electricity demand and consumption in the mid-atlantic area is expected to grow, several older plants are scheduled for retirement within the next four years, including the Buzzards Point and Benning Road plants in DC.

There are some bright spots. The PSC and Constellation Energy appear to have settled their spat and are cooperating in a number of areas. The Governor is supporting construction of new power plants in Maryland, including the proposed Constellation/Unistar nuclear plant in Calvert County (1640 megawatts) and the Competitive Power Venture natural gas plant in Charles County (645 megawatts). If all goes well, the latter could be on line by the end of 2010.

The Baltimore/Washington area continues to be affected by relatively high transmission costs due to lack of adequate transmission facilities. Three major power lines are being proposed to help address this problem. The Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) would run from Possum Point in Northern Virginia, across Southern Maryland, under the Chesapeake Bay to Indian River in Delaware and north to New Jersey. It has recently been approved by the PJM Board.

The second line is the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line (TRAIL) which would run from near Pittsburgh to Loudoun County, Virginia. It would do much to bring excess power from Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio to the Washington DC region but has faced intense local opposition. The third is the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), which would run from near Charleston WV to near Frederick, MD. It has been approved by the PJM Board on June 22.

Together these three would significanlty increase transmission capacity and lower transmission costs in the Baltimore/DC area and to the Eastern Shore. Given local opposition, it's unlikely that any of them will be completed before 2012, however, in time to affect the predicted power shortage.

In that regard, a statewide coalition of power companies and business groups has formed to press the state to speed up the approval process for new power plants and power lines. The group, which includes my own supplier - Choptank Electric Cooperative - along with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative and others is concerned that brownouts will be necessary if nothing is done.

On the positive side, all the investor-owned utilities in Maryland have begun 'Demand-Side Management' initiatives which are a combination of energy efficiency programs which reduce the amount of energy used and demand response programs designed to reduce the electricty demand during times of high usage. The cooperatives will submit plans during 2008. Primarily these include CFL lightbulb programs and 'smart meters' which can reduce power usage during high demand. BGE's program also includes more efficient window air conditioners and appliances for low-income customers.

In addition, Delmarva Power and Choptank Electric Cooperative have finally signed a contract with Bluewater Power to buy electricity from a proposed wind farm off the Delaware coast. The project awaits approval by the state of Delaware.

Finally, I'm happy to report that Worcester County has this week begun generating electricity using methane generated from its landfill. The project is built and operated by Curtis Engine and generates 1 megawatt of electricity which will be purchased and distributed by Choptank Electric Cooperative. Two more generators at the site will come on line within the next year. The project not only generates electricity, but captures the methane - a potent greenhouse gas - that otherwise would end up in the atmosphere. I'm very pleased that my trash will now generate some of the electricity I use!

[The photo is of a wind farm near Copenhagen, Denmark]

Performance in Education

2008-07-08T16:40:20-04:00

Several newspapers and TV stations, including the Daily Times here on the Shore, recently carried an article discussing the increased use of 'performance pay' in Maryland schools. According to the article, Prince George's County schools are instituting a series of 'performance bonuses' for teachers while Harford and Anne Arundel schools offer modest performance bonuses to principals.

Now, if you believe, as I do, that government has the power to improve people's lives, you must also demand that government, at all levels, perform at the highest levels of effectiveness and be transparently accountable to the taxpayers. After all, money to run the government is not contributed voluntarily but is taken involuntarily. If we fail to demand and expect the highest levels of performance from our government then we are playing into the hands of those to whom all taxes are anathema and government is just a wasteful boondoggle.

And in many areas, government is becoming more accountable. In Maryland, Governor O'Malley has introduced 'statestat' and 'baystat' which, although imperfectly, try to publicly and transparently measure the performance of the various state agencies. And in many areas of the government, pay has been tied to performance, although the measures are sometimes crude and the system is often not administered in a transparent fashion.

But not in education. For some reason or other, we don't pay our teachers according to their performance. The primary reason for this, of course, is the violent opposition of the teachers themselves. They would have us believe that there is no way to effectively measure the performance of teachers and that, anyway, they're all good.

Of course, that's absurd. Anyone who's been a student or anyone who is a parent of a student can tell you that there are good teachers and bad teachers and, quite probably, can tell you, with a fair degree of unanimity, which are good and which are not.

Many of our school systems have salaries based on performance for other staff but not for teachers. Somerset County schools have performance pay for secretaries, custodians, receptionists, classroom aides, cafeteria workers and administrators - but not for teachers. Here in Worcester County, there is no thought to performance pay for teachers. According to the spokeswoman as long as they get enough money, they'll do fine.

And that's the crux of the matter. For most of our local jurisdictions, schools take the lion's share of the budget. And they get what they ask for almost always - cut their budget request by even a small fraction of a percent and there will be predictions of doom.

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I am a big fan of education. It's the key to our ability to compete in a global economy and to the relatively high income levels we enjoy in Maryland. And that's even more reason why we should have the highest expectations of our educational establishments and our teachers and why they should be held to the highest standards of accountability and transparency.