Agreement between BRA and Brazos Electric previously approved
The facility has passed every Federal inspection since 1942
Bond money spent on maintenance of the hydroelectric
turbines, according to Texas Bond Review Board records
In a shocking turn of events, a check of the public record
reveals that there is no good reason why the hydroelectric
turbines at the Morris Sheppard Dam on Possum Kingdom Lake
aren't churning out kilowatt hours tonight.
According to a lawsuit filed by Brazos Electric Power Co-Op,
the year-end report of the Brazos River Authority, and the
statements of many seemingly knowledgeable public figures,
the operators of the 1938 WPA project could no longer obtain
an operating permit due to a lack of preventive maintenance.
And yet, a careful check of the records of the Federal
Electrical Regulatory Commission at Washington, D.C., shows
that the facility has been routinely inspected - and passed
- by Federal experts since 1942 when it was put on-line
making electrical power as a by-product of the very
necessary design function of keeping water moving through
the structure's sluice gates to prevent the bottom of the
lake from collecting too much silt to store its maximum
capacity of useful water resources.
How was this done?
According to audit reports turned in to the Texas Bond
Review Board, an agency that scrutinizes the records of
financial underwriting for projects public, private and
semi-private, the proceeds of the bond issues were spent
partly on keeping the gates in peak operating condition and
the turbines spinning at their maximum safe capacity.
In fact, anyone may see the truth of this by visting the
websites of the two government agencies at:
www.ferc.gov
www.brb.tx.us
According to records kept by knowledgeable experts at both
agencies, the record abundantly reflects a project in the
pink of health.
This is in contrast to the statement in the latest year-end
report of the Brazos River Authority, which states, "Upon
receiving federal approval of these agreements, BEPC can
begin their evaluation and repair process," published in the
year-end report for fiscal year 2009.
FERC records show that the agreement was approved in 2008.
Nevertheless, a lawsuit filed the following year shows that
the Brazos River Authority claimed the hydroelectric
generating equipment would have to remain shut down due to a
deterioration in their condition.
"I can't understand why they did this," said Darren Yancy, a
Burleson investment banker and insurance broker who is vying
for the right to run unopposed for the State Senate District
22 seat. "Why would they do this? It doesn't make any
sense."
He has vowed to request that Brazos River Authority
executives grant him permission to take an inspection tour
of the hydroelectric power station at some time over the
coming weekend.
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