Peter Walks for Democracy

In the next two months, ten (maybe eleven) of Centre County’s local governments will vote to adopt affordable, carbon-free, Pennsylvania-supplied solar power at a truly ambitious scale. With the power purchase agreement in its final steps, our citizens and taxpayers will be able to celebrate how a coalition of committed public servants put together a triple win on fiscal responsibility, voter and youth demands for action on climate change, and support for Pennsylvania jobs. As the Chair of the Solar Working Group, I am excited to get this across the finish line.

Like any ambitious project. It has faced hiccups and roadblocks, unforeseen challenges, and near misses. Coordinating communication among 10+ organizations is hard. Doing that with renewable energy? Harder yet. Inevitably—and despite continued engagement and persistence—something gets missed or miscommunicated. 

Last Friday, The Centre Daily Times released a story on the SPPA. Jacob Michael’s story introduces readers to the project vis a vis the lens of a current manufactured controversy. The short version is that Ron Servello, the Chair of the Centre Region Council of Governments, has been on a complaining spree on WRSC’s Tor McCartney’s “Tor Michaels Radio Show” for months. He is complaining about paying legal fees and the approval process for those fees. A small gang of local officials, one self-described “politico,” and current and former campaign and office staff for Representative Scott Conklin have joined Servello on McCartney’s show as “merchants of doubt,” a coterie of know-nothing do-nothing civic vandals with no vision. 

This power purchase agreement has required legal guidance. Guidance has come from Betsy Dupuis who serves as solicitor for three of our local governments: Centre County and Ferguson and Patton Townships. Her costs were absorbed by the ounty, Ferguson, and Patton. The remaining $350,000 in legal fees have come from the services of energy lawyers at Faegre Drinker, primarily Chris Berendt. Energy lawyers operate in a field that requires specialization, high levels of risk, complexity, and (yes) money. About half of those fees were incurred “at risk” by the firm. It was uncertain exactly how much it would cost to get the final agreements across the line for 10+ organizations, a retail supplier, and the developer. Each party wants to maximize their benefits while limiting their risks. It is natural and frustrating that the group would be dealing with uncertainty. 

Looking back on my time as Chair of the Working Group, I see we could have communicated more and in more detail. Specifically, we could have provided more information on the Faegre Drinker’s work. But we did communicate it in the Working Group meetings and the reps to that group back to the parties could have been more explicit. As Chair working with our staff on a Project Management Team, I take responsibility for this. We have learned and our communicating steps now. We will also create documents to guide other local governments who want to aggregate power into solar or other renewable energy projects. I’ve also learned that real coordinated climate action is hard.

“$350,000?” you say. What does that mean? Well, it is the cost for us to be protected from taking on a burden we don’t want and risks we want to avoid. The payback for the project will is a year and a half or less. That’s a great return. But let’s think about it proportionally to all the budgets of the 10 organizations. When you add up the College, Ferguson, (Harris), and Patton townships, State College Borough, the Centre Region Council of Governments, State College Area School District, State College Borough Water Authority, College Township Water Authority, Centre County Government, and the Centre Hall Potter Joint Authority budgets, it’s around $450 million. The legal fees are less than .1% of our total budgets. [In another post, I discuss a wonkier way to value the project through avoided risk and the social cost of carbon.]

Ron Servello doesn’t see it this way. He thinks .1% is too much. He wants to complain about ideological agendas. He has whined repeatedly that somehow, somewhere, in some meeting at some time, the working group magically spent money on lawyers or has forced governments to spend money they have not agreed to. You could fill pages and pages with Mr. Servello’s weird attention-seeking therapy sessions on McCartney’s talk show. I seriously have to ask, “Is he okay?”

Servello’s record in Halfmoon Township isn’t just bad on the SPPA. He was part of a MAGA slate that holds a majority on the Halfmoon board. They have seen the roadmaster leave, their Manager Denise Gembusia and auditor Frank Keshvari, consistent citizen concerns about transparency, a credible violation of the Sunshine Act, and the withdrawal from the Centre Region Library and a funding reduction to the library despite intense opposition by their residents. Servello and I had a phone call about two months ago during which I told him I would refrain from talking about him on the radio if he would reach out to me with questions about the PPA before going on the radio. I kept my end of the bargain. He did not. 

Looking at all of these complaints, you will not be surprised to know he has been on a similar tear on Boards. If you watch the last Council of Governments Executive Committee meeting you can watch Nigel Wilson (Harris Township), Evan Myers (State College Borough), and Pam Robb (Patton Township) trounce him for his pitiful grasp of process, lack of facts, and poor representation as the Chair of the Centre Region Council of Governments. Pam Robb said (at 1:44:19), “And for those who…hide behind lies or they don’t have the complete truth and you go on the air and talk about individuals that you don’t know about…[Y]ou’re a coward.” 

Servello has no interest in learning about the PPA. He’s simply dug into fighting it. Having a discussion with him is “like arguing with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.”