Path 15 fix on way

Path 15--the transmission lines blamed for much of California's energy debacls in 2000-01 is getting its fix on:

Officials on Monday called the project a landmark achievement, but they also disclosed that the Schwarzenegger administration has been forced to adopt dual plans for short- and long-term power development because Californians last summer already hit usage levels projected for 2006.

Consumer groups, who protested Schwarzenegger's rejection of Democrat-sponsored energy legislation earlier this year, said today's ceremony at the state's power-network control center near Sacramento actually signals the Schwarzenegger administration's failure to make progress.

Construction of a third, 84-mile transmission line along infamous "Path 15," between Los Banos and Coalinga in the Central Valley, was kicked off under the previous administration -- that of Gov. Gray Davis, who was recalled last year, partly because of his handling of the 2001 energy crisis.

Of course, transmission lines are useless if you don't have the capacity to generate enough power.