Public power and private planning: The power authority of the State of New York.
Item
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Title
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Public power and private planning: The power authority of the State of New York.
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Identifier
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AAI9108163
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identifier
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9108163
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Creator
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Petersen, Raymond Edward.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Robert Engler
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Date
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1990
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Political Science, General | Political Science, Public Administration
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Abstract
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The public-power movement has spawned some of the most celebrated hopes for a public administration geared to democratic planning. This study traces the development of the Power Authority of the State of New York as a champion of the public-power movement in the 1930's and 1940's through its emergence as an agent of corporatist planning in the 1960's and 1970's. Throughout, the issue of how energy planning could be conducted in a democratic manner, with considerations of end uses of energy, is explored.;Focusing upon the impact of citizen participation on electric-system planning, the activities of the Power Authority, a public corporation, are compared with those of the Niagara Mohawk Power Company, an investor-owned electric utility. As the operations of these two electric utilities became increasingly coordinated, they both demonstrated less receptivity to public oversight. Since the Power Authority was a model for the grass roots democracy of the Tennessee Valley Authority, its transformation into an agent of corporatist planning illustrates the effect of the privatization of energy policy. By contrast, the activities of citizen intervenor groups in challenging the energy-demand forecasts and project planning of the utilities show the potential for an energy-planning process driven by public objectives.;The costs of corporate planning of the energy system--including artificially inflated demand, inflation, dependence upon the nuclear fuel cycle, and the loss of industry due to high energy costs--are linked to both the emergence of a technostructure in the planning process and to the impact of the money markets upon utility planning. Posited against the corporate planning model is that of democratic planning by publics, where energy policy is shaped by citizens organized in pursuit of democratic development. The successful citizen intervenor challenges to utility demand forecasts demonstrate the effectiveness of public involvement in energy policy.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
