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For Immediate Release |
More Power To You and California Tribes Urge Federal Government
to Cut Red Tape for New Power Plants on Tribal Lands |
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LOS ANGLES, CALIFORNIA, May. 17 -/E-Wire/--
Grassroots watchdog group More Power To You, working with the Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association, is calling on the
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federal government and the Bush Administration to help Native American tribes move
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forward on plans to build new, small to mid-size power plants on tribal lands located
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in California.
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While proposing this common-sense solution to the problem of too few power plants in
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California, More Power To You also pointed to the urgent need for President Bush to
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redress actions by the previous Administration that pose barriers to building critical
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new transmission lines from the east.
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Power Plants on Tribal Lands Are a "Win-Win'
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"Sovereign tribal lands are not subject to state regulations, so all that needs to
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happen for Native Americans to build power plants on their own land is for the federal
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government to get out of the way,' said More Power To You chairman and California
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small business owner Peter C. Foy. "During his recent fact finding trip to
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California, Congressman Dan Burton, the chairman of the U.S. House Government Reform
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and Oversight Committee, assured me that Congress is looking at cutting federal red
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tape and streamlining regulations so such projects can move forward. We urge them to
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do so now, and also to assist tribes that want to build power plants to secure
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financial backing for these important projects.'
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"All of the 19 tribes that make up the Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association are coming together to build power generators,' said David Dehnert, attorney for SCTCA. "As the tribes work together to bring electricity to
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reservations that don't currently have power, they will benefit tribal communities and
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all Californians.'
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Foy noted that there are 103 reservations, comprising over 480,000 acres in California. He said that More Power To You's research indicates that many tribal
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lands are in sufficiently close proximity to transmission lines to make them viable
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locations for power plants.
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"The reality is that while most of us recognize the need for more power plants here
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in California, building them near crowded neighborhoods is difficult,' said Foy.
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"Building new plants on tribal lands can be a win-win, long-term solution for both
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California power consumers and our Native American neighbors. The tribes will have a
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solid, long-term source of income that they control, while the people of California
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benefit from a greater supply of locally-produced energy.'
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Foy said that while More Power To You applauds the federal government for its intention to put federally-owned mobile and back-up generation capabilities to work
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to ease the burden on California's power grid during peak times this summer, there is
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much more the federal government can do.
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"We are pleased that the Bush Administration responded to our plea for assistance by
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agreeing to use federal generation capabilities,' said Foy, noting that the concept
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was one of the short-term solutions raised by Californians in town hall-focus group
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meetings More Power To You organized in various parts of the state. "We also agree
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with Vice President Cheney that more power plants and better transmission capabilities
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are needed soon, but we have discovered by listening to the people of California that
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the federal government can do more to help bring these plants and transmission capabilities online sooner.'
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"Land Grab' Impedes New Transmission Lines, Pipeline Capacity
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In addition to clearing the way for Native American tribes to build plants, Foy said
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that the federal government must act now to ensure that new transmission lines and
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pipeline capacity for proposed new natural gas power plants in neighboring states
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become a reality.
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"I spoke with Governor Jane Hull of Arizona, and she informed me that a new transmission crisis may impede our progress toward solutions for the current energy
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crisis unless the federal government addresses the huge land grab that took place in
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the waning days of the Clinton Administration,' said Foy. "At that time, the federal
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government locked up millions of acres in various parts of the West as national
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monuments.'
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These actions by the Clinton Administration make it next to impossible to build new
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transmission lines or natural gas pipelines into California from the east.
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"We urge the Interior Department to work to undo this shortsighted approach that, if
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not fixed, has the very real potential of extending this power crisis far into the
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future,' said Foy.
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Foy indicated that More Power To You is currently investigating several other short-
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and long-term energy strategies that have been suggested to his group, and that more
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ideas will be announced in the coming weeks.
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About More Power To You
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"For too long, the people who pay the electric bills and pay the taxes in California
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have been shut out of the discussion about the State's energy crisis,' said Foy.
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"Through More Power To You, everyday homeowners and businesspeople are putting forth
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their own workable, creative ideas to make sure California has the power it needs this
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summer and beyond.'
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The name of the group says it all: "The people of California need more power, in
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terms of a stable and affordable energy supply, and they need more power in the
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process to make sure that California never again experiences this kind of energy
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chaos,' said Foy.
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More Power To You is a 501.c.4 non-profit organization, based in Woodland Hills, Calif. For more information, visit the Web site at www.mpty.org or call toll-free,
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1-877-99POWER.
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