Older and Wiser

Energy Circuit is about to celebrate its first birthday?the day after Labor Day. We admit that the irony of the timing has not been lost on us, and the thought occurred that Independence Day or Arbor Day would have been better PR-wise. But we didn't want to wait. At any rate, the timing was appropriate given that creating and producing the publication has been a labor of love, emphasis on the latter. More significantly, the combined labor of Circuit 's writers and editors is the heart and soul of our 'zine. Our pool of talent keeps growing, and you, dear reader, get the benefit. Circuit offers the institutional memory of those of us who can remember the "blue book," as well as the zeal of those anxious to master the energy beat. More talent is joining us and our highly skilled and invaluable core writers: San Francisco correspondent Lisa Weinzimer, South Coast correspondent William J. Kelly, and Sacramento correspondent Jason Mihos and copyeditor Patty Mote. New contributors include John Dizard, Arthur O'Donnell, Chris Keyser, Steven Bodzin, Jim Hight, and Roberto Walton. We have one volunteer contributor, Dr. Rich Ferguson, employed by the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies. The folks who bring you the professional "look" of the publication every week are Chris Carlsson and Jim Swanson, Typesetting Etc. We mourn the loss of our wonderful Web developer, Gerry Prunty, who died suddenly in January. And we couldn't have done without the early Web development efforts of Glenn Nyhan. Before introducing you to some of our newest writers, let's blow out the candle on our caloric layer cake. The layers include German chocolate PV cake with candles powered by the sun, rich pound cake that hammers the foundation of energy policy and politics, angle food cake for our most supportive readers spreading the Circuit word, and carrot-and-stick cake to help prevent our issues from being forwarded without permission. Now back to the people behind our latest bylines: John Dizard , Financial Times columnist, contributes the column "The 3,000-Mile View: From Wall St. to California." His first editorial focused on the high financing risk of California LNG facilities and the lesser risk of salt cavern LNG. Arthur O'Donnell starts this month as a contributing columnist. Arthur is editorial director of Energy Central's newsletters and author of Soul of the Grid: A Cultural Biography of the California Independent System Operator . Steven Bodzin has not only mastered energy reporting, he's also a radio producer. Steven is former editor of Home Energy Magazine , covering residential energy efficiency, and Tubular Times , a newsletter for energetic cyclists. This summer, he was an editor at a radio station in the north, far north-Sitka, Alaska. He is back in the land of the midnight grid, honing his skills at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism and reporting for Circuit . Our North Coast correspondent is Jim Hight . His publication credits include the Sacramento Bee , the Boston Globe , the Environmental Business Journal , and High Country News . He uses the Internet and a 20-year-old Toyota to cover state and federal energy policy as well as planning and natural resource issues. Joining us later this month is Chris Keyser . She has been a journalist for 20 years, specializing in energy and environmental issues. She was a reporter for McGraw-Hill energy publications and worked for United Press International, the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA), AP-Dow Jones in Tokyo, and the San Francisco Examiner . She just completed a graduate program in environmental law for nonlawyers at the Vermont Law School. Rich Ferguson , CEERT research director since 1993, holds a Ph.D. in physics. He has authored several CEERT reports, from natural gas to restructuring and environmental stewardship. Ferguson served on the California Power Exchange board of directors, the CAISO Working Group on Intermittent Resources, and the Western Regional Air Partnership. He contributes the weekly gas forecast. We will also have on-the-ground reporting from Washington, D.C., with Roberto Walton covering Federal Energy Regulatory Commission meetings. And, lest we forget, there is also the incomparable Dr. Snarky Sparks. She has been an investigative M.D. for 30 years. After receiving a B.S. in political psychobabble and a minor in theater, Snarky, as she's known to both friend and foe, discovered that live gossip and the circulatory system beat scripted action. Thus, she shares her unique niche of investigative doctoring with Circuit readers. We once asked Snarky the origins of her name, and she snapped, "Figure it out, you're reporters." We did discover the etymology of "Snarky." It means nosy, blunt, funny, and slightly irritating-as in someone wearing Day-Glo paisley pants a bit too tight; as in "putting on one's snarky pants." As Snarky et al. enter our second year, we will continue to provide you comprehensive reporting and news analysis, as well as the juicy scoop. We will continue to unwind the spin, dig for the heart of the issues, and portray how matters fit into the energy puzzle, missing pieces and all. We help you stay on top of the news and trends and follow the political winds but also alert you to matters you may not want to hear about. We consider it our job to shine light on measures and actions that could spell trouble in the long or short term. When you see things you don't like, consider it preventive reporting. When you see things you like, don't hesitate to let us know and/or sign up for an additional subscription. You've probably noticed that in addition to the new voices, we have added new features during our first year, including Snarky's gossip column, a news brief section, gas forecasting, and expanded coverage of natural gas and muni issues. In addition, guest editorials, offering a plethora of views, continue to multiply. These have provided invaluable perspectives on open procurement, a core-noncore market, and natural gas consumption. This week's guest column examines the link between water and power resources. Also during our first year, Circuit has provided exclusive interviews with new policy makers, giving readers the first glimpse of how top changes in energy management may affect politics, policy, and regulation. For instance, Circuit was there as soon as the state's new energy czar and the California Independent System Operator's chief executive officer had figured out the phone systems in their new offices. Shortly after the appointment of FERC's newest commissioner, Suedeen Kelly, came up for Senate confirmation, Circuit met with her to hear her views on California's potential refund, liquefied natural gas, and renewable energy. Last but not least are you, our readers. We love to hear your perspectives, insights, compliments, and complaints. We thrive on healthy, thoughtful, and robust debate. Before we blow out the last candle, all of us here at Circuit extend a thank-you to our subscribers for your continued support. ?Elizabeth McCarthy & J.A. Savage

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