Overload

Nim Goldman said, "Who knows? He might make a good president."

"He might at that," O'Brien conceded. "In the meantime, though, California is rudderless, stuck with a head of state who won't take stands or hand down decisions. Not if they're likely to offend a single national voter."

"Allowing for slight exaggeration," Eric Humphrey said, "that is the essence of our problem."

"Furthermore," O'Brien added, blowing cigar smoke, "the same thing applies-for similar if different reasons-to every other public figure in Sacramento."

The five of them were at Golden State Power & Light headquarters, in the chairman's office suite, seated informally in the lounge area.

In less than two weeks public hearings on the proposed coal-burning, high-capacity generating plant at Tunipah would begin. And while the project was vital to California-a viewpoint agreed to privately by the Governor, his aides and senior legislators-for political reasons none would lend public support to the Tunipah plan. The utility, despite strong opposition forces, must "go it alone."

Something else the Governor had rejected was GSP & L's plea that the several regulatory agencies which would be intervened with licensing Tunipah should hold joint hearings because of urgency. Instead, regular procedures would take their course. It meant a long, exhausting series of submissions and argument before four separate government bodies, each concerned with a differing aspect, though often overlapping.

Teresa Van Buren asked, "Is the Governor, or anyone else, likely to have a change of heart?"

"Only if the bastards see an advantage to themselves," Ray Paulsen growled.

"And they won't." Paulsen had grown increasingly bitter of late about the frustrating delays in having plans approved. As the executive in charge of power supply, Paulsen would have the unpopular job of initiating power cuts when they became needed in the future.

"Ray's right," O'Brien acknowledged. "We all know bow the Sacramento gang left us holding the bag on nuclear, admitting-off the record-the need for nuclear plants, but without the guts to say so out loud."

"Well," Eric Humphrey said incisively, "whether we like that attitude or despise it, the same is true again. Now about the Tunipah hearings. I have some thoughts to share with you. I want our own participation in those hearings to be of the highest caliber. Our presentation must be factual, reasoned, calm and dignified. Under cross-examination the responses of all our representatives must be the same, with emphasis on courtesy and patience. As part of their tactics, the opposition will try to provoke us.

We must resist that provocation and I want all our people briefed to that effect."

"It will be done," Oscar O'Brien said.

Ray Paulsen regarded Nim somberly. "Remember that applies to you,” Nim grimaced. "I'm already practicing restraint, Ray-right now."

Neither had forgotten their clash at the management meeting where Nim and Van Buren favored a hard-line public airing of the utility's problems, Paulsen and a majority of others the reverse. Judging by the chairman's instructions, the "moderate line" was still in effect.

"Do you still believe, Oscar," Eric Humphrey asked, "that it is necessary for me, personally, to appear at those hearings?"

O'Brien nodded. "Absolutely yes."

Behind the question, obviously, was Humphrey's wish to avoid public attention. During the past ten days there had been two more bombings at GSP & L installations, none causing major damage but a reminder of 1the continuing danger to the utility and its personnel. Only yesterday a warning, telephoned to a radio station, declared that "more Golden State Piss & Lickspittle management criminals will shortly pay the people's penalty for their misdeeds."

O'Brien added, "I promise it will be a brief appearance, Eric, but we need you on the record."

The chairman sighed. "Very well."

Nim thought with wry humor: As usual, the low-profile strategy would not apply to him. At the upcoming hearings Nim would appear as a key witness and, while others from the utility would testify on technical matters, Nim would present the broad sweep of the Tunipah project. Oscar O'Brien would lead the witnesses through interrogation.

Nim and O'Brien already had had several rehearsals in which Ray Paulsen shared.

During their work with O'Brien, Paulsen and Nim had suppressed their normal antagonism and at moments had come close to amiability.

Taking advantage of this, Nim raised with Paulsen the subject of a used van for Karen Sloan because transportation was a subordinate department under Power Supply.

To Nim's surprise, Paulsen was interested and helpful. Within forty-eight hours of their conversation, be had located a suitable van which would shortly be available for sale. More than that, Ray Paulsen was personally designing some modifications. They would facilitate loading Karen's wheelchair into the van and, once inside, locking it in place. Karen telephoned Nim to say that a GSP & L mechanic had visited her to measure her chair and check on electrical connections.

"One of the best things that's ever happened to me," Karen told Nim during their phone talk, "was your seeing that red circle on the map that day and afterwards coming here. Speaking of that, when are you coming again, dear Nimrod? Soon, I hope." He had promised he would. Later, Nim had phoned Karen's parents, Luther and Henrietta, who were delighted about the van and were now arranging a bank loan to cover most of its cost.

Oscar O'Brien's voice brought Nim back to the present. "I presume all of you realize how long this entire process concerning Tunipah is likely to take."

Paulsen said gloomily, "Too damn long!"

Van Buren inquired, "What's your best estimate, Oscar?"

"Assuming we are successful at the various sets of hearings, and allowing for delaying court actions subsequently, which our opponents are certain to resort to-I'd say six to seven years." the general counsel shuffled papers. "You may also be interested in costs. My department estimates that our own costs-just to seek the license to build, and whether we win or lose-will be five and a half million dollars. Environmental studies will cost a few million more, and we won't have turned a spade until construction is fully licensed."

"Let us make sure, Tess," Eric Humphrey told the PR director, "that that information becomes as widely known as possible."

"I'll try," Van Buren said. "Though I can't guarantee that many outside this room will care."

“They'll care when the lights go out," Humphrey snapped. "All right, I want to review progress, if any, on our other applications Devil's Gate pumped storage and Fincastle geothermal."

"'If any' is right," O'Brien observed. He reported that so far only the earliest skirmishes through bureaucratic jungles had been accomplished. Countless others lay ahead. Meanwhile, massive opposition to Devil's Gate and Fincastle was growing . . .

Listening, Nim experienced a surge of anger at the cumbrous, inefficient system and the utility's own faintheartedness in failing to attack it strongly. Nim knew he would have trouble at the Tunipah bearings. Trouble in exercising restraint, difficulty in maintaining patience, a reluctance to curb his own harsh words which could speak the truth forthrightly.

8

J. Eric Humphrey sat red-faced and uncomfortable in the elevated, hard-backed witness chair. He had been there half a day-already several hours longer than the "brief appearance" Oscar O'Brien had promised him.

Three feet away, in the courtroom-like setting, Davey Birdsong stood facing the witness and towering over him. Birdsong swayed slightly as be transferred his formidable weight from his heels to the balls of his feet, then back, forward, back again. "Since you must be hard of hearing, I'll repeat my question. How much do you get paid each year?"

Humphrey, who had hesitated when the question was first posed, glanced at O'Brien, seated at counsel's table. The lawyer gave the slightest of shrugs.

Tight-lipped, the GSP&L chairman answered, "Two hundred and forty-five thousand dollars."

Birdsong waved a hand airily. "No, sport, you misunderstand me, I didn't ask the capitalization of Golden State Power &, Light. I asked how in much bread you earn."

Humphrey, unamused, replied,- "That-is the figure I gave."

"I can hardly believe it!" Birdsong clapped a hand to his bead in a theatrical gesture. "I didn't believe that any one person could earn so much money." He emitted a long, low whistle. "Wow!"