Bush Called On To Allow U.S.Navy Ships to Help Ease California's Power Crisis

San Diego, CA -- The rolling blackouts that California politicians and bureaucrats say are inevitable this summer may not have to happen if President Bush approves a request made today by grassroots watchdog group More Power To You to allow nuclear-powered U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to plug into the state's power grid.

"The people of California don't buy into the bureaucrats' cynicism that blackouts are inevitable," said More Power To You chairman and California small-business owner Peter C. Foy. "Here in California, we write the software and manufacture the technology that fueled an information revolution across the globe. If we can do all this, surely we can find ways to keep the lights on."

Foy noted that More Power To You's research shows that three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers now on the West Coast (the USS John Stennis in San Diego; the USS Carl Vinson in Bremerton, Wash.; and the USS Abraham Lincoln in Everett, Wash.) produce 194 megawatts each, the equivalent of a mid-sized natural-gas power plant.

"The power from just two of these carriers, plugged into the grid in San Diego and San Francisco, would provide enough energy to power a minimum of 400,000 California homes. These aircraft carriers can make the difference between air-conditioned classrooms and sweltering heat this summer," he said, arguing that California's power crisis constitutes a threat to national security that warrants the President granting the request.

"It's not only school children and seniors who will suffer in blackouts," he said. "California manufactures and services much of the equipment and supplies for our armed forces. Imagine the setbacks to military readiness if the California Independent System Operator predictions of 30 days of blackouts happen this summer."

Foy emphasized that his group is, naturally, advocating that the proposed hook-up of Navy ships into the state's power grid be done in a fashion that works into the regular deployment of vessels and does not impede the Navy's ability to defend U.S. shores or patrol international waters.

The concept of employing Navy ship-produced nuclear power to ease California's power shortage arose from a recent statewide series of town hall-focus groups sponsored by More Power To You in which the group asked everyday citizens what their ideas are for solving the energy crisis and ensuring a stable, affordable power supply for California's future.

"This is the first short-term solution to come out of those meetings. We've investigated it, and it's definitely `doable,'" he said, noting that a related finding from the focus group meetings runs counter to conventional wisdom about California and could have longer-term implications long after the Navy ships are unplugged from the power grid.

"For years, we've been told that Californians will never entertain the idea of nuclear power," he said. "But we were surprised to learn that the people of this state actually say they would consider nuclear power plants as a part of the long-term future for California if they could be convinced of the safety."

Foy indicated that More Power To You is currently investigating several other short- and long-term energy strategies that have been suggested to his group, and that more ideas will be announced in the coming weeks.

"For too long, the people who pay the electric bills and pay the taxes in California have been shut out of the discussion about the state's energy crisis," he said. "Through More Power To You, everyday homeowners and businesspeople are putting forth their own workable, creative ideas to make sure California has the power it needs this summer and beyond."