Friday, May 24, 2013

New assistant director at New York State Fair fired for lewd comments

Syracuse, N.Y. - The newly hired assistant director at the New York State Fair was fired Wednesday for using lewd comments at the fairgrounds in Geddes, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.
"He was dismissed from his position because he created a hostile work environment, for which this administration has zero tolerance," said Ag & Markets spokesman Joseph Morrissey.
 Morrissey would not expand on the types of comments or whether they were directed at other state workers. Morrissey said Gustafson's position has not been filled.[Syracuse.com]

BP Dumping Wind Energy

The falsehood of being big is the feeling of invulnerability and yet, all energy is not created equal. The sideways understanding of oil and renewable energy are not one in the same. The sale of BP‘s renewable energy assets are more of sign of recouping funds than investing in the future.   The news that  ”BP to Sell U.S. Wind Business in Retreat to Fossil Fuels“  by Bloomberg. The disposition of 16 operating wind farms across nine states will signal a sign to investors of the instability of wind energy models.

Amy Grace, a New York-based analyst at New Energy Finance said, “BP owns about 1,600 megawatts of the 2,600 megawatts in operation, according to BP. Operating wind farms are worth $1.5 million to $2 million a megawatt, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data.  Investors are seeking long-term investments in commissioned wind assets with off-take agreements, and less than 300 megawatts of BP’s assets are without such agreements[LANDsds]

Neighbors React to Town's Vote to Not Dismantle Wind Turbines

By: Brent Runyon 
In the wake of Tuesday’s vote on Question 2, neighbors said the town will either have to purchase their homes or remove the turbines, with no room for compromise.

 “Obviously the town wants to keep the turbines up and somehow deal with the abutters,” said Neil P. Andersen of Blacksmith Shop Road, who has filed a lawsuit, a nuisance complaint and been one of the most vocal opponents of the turbines since Wind 1 started turning more than three years ago.

“Well, let’s do it. Deal with us. If you’re going to buy my house, do it. Let me put an end to this hell.” His home is assessed at $525,400 by the town.[Cape News.net]

Feds give wind farm a pass if turbine blades kill endangered condors

By Louis Sahagun

Federal wildlife officials on Friday for the first time agreed not to prosecute a developer if an endangered California condor is struck and killed by turbine blades at its proposed wind farm in the Tehachapi Mountains, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles.

In granting a right-of-way, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, with approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will shield Alta Windpower Development from prosecution if a condor is fatally injured at its 2,300-acre site near the high-desert town of Mojave during the projected 30-year lifetime of the project.[ LA Times ]

BP's BOB DUDLEY ~ VISIONARY

HOW MANY WIND TURBINES ARE IN  BOB DUDLEY'S BACK YARD?



Cape Vincent, NY Before and after Turbines







Photo Tibbetts Point Light Cape Vincent, NY 
credit: Rollin Hanson (before addition of Dudly's head)

EU oil pricing probe spurs lawsuit against BP, others

NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Chicago-based commodities trading firm has filed suit against three of the world's largest oil companies, accusing them of colluding to fix oil prices after European authorities opened an investigation last week.[Chicago Tribune]

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Wind turbines threaten Juno Beach

JUNO BEACH — For decades, visitors to D-Day beaches on France's northwest coast have looked out at the English Channel, taking in the journey made by Allied troops that marked a turning point in the Second World War.

The view from some of those sites, including Juno Beach, where 359 Canadians died, could soon change if a plan succeeds to build an army of wind turbines some 10 kilometres offshore. Canadians have a chance to voice their opinions on that plan as a French commission holds public consultations on the project.
The commission has made it a point to invite people from Canada, the U.S. and Britain to weigh in.[Mississauga]

Pratt County Planning Board approves changes to their wind energy ordinance ~ Per BP's recommendation

Pratt, Kan. — The Pratt County Planning Board approved proposed amendments to the Pratt County Zoning Ordinance Monday evening. The changes were proposed by British Petroleum (BP) for a specific commercial wind energy project, but will be in effect for all wind energy project special use applicants in the future, if they are adopted by the Pratt County commissioners.

The proposed changes would make the application process a two-phase process instead of one as originally proposed. Applicants would have to basically supply all of the necessary information and data to support their project, but not all up front as a part of the permitting process.
[Pratt Tribune.com]

Reasoning of the Examiners regarding the Eligibility of the Development Authority of the North Country for Intervenor Funding



Wind turbine reportedly struck by lightning

Wind farm technicians and officials with EDF Renewable Energy believe one wind tower, just northeast of Dexter, was struck by lightning on April 24, which mangled one of the structure’s 37-meter, 14,000-pound blades.

The blade is nearly bent in half but still attached to the structure, hundreds of feet in the air.

 View photo and continue reading via this link to the[Austin Daily Herald]

Anti-wind group accuses Clayton town board of canceling meetings because of video cameras

CLAYTON — A relatively new anti-wind organization is accusing the Town Council of canceling two scheduled meetings because the group started hiring Steve Weed Productions, Watertown, to videotape these open sessions.
However, Town Supervisor Justin A. Taylor said that this is far from the truth and that the April 24 and May 22 council workshop meetings were canceled simply because of a lack of agenda items.[Watertown Times]

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

CFG ~ safeguarding the civil liberties and interests of year-round residents of the Town of Cape Vincent

Last July Several longtime Cape Vincent residents who are proponents of BP’s wind farm development in our community initiated a lawsuit against me for defamation of character.

The suit was brought by Gary J. King Marty T. Mason, Donald J. Mason, Harvey J. White, Paul C. Mason, Darrell and Marlene Burton and Frank J. Giaquinto, who contended that I damaged their reputations by publishing false information about them.

The two Mr. Masons claimed that statements I published cost them seats on the Town Council in the November 2011 election.

  We are headed into another election season and it is vital that the residents of Cape Vincent understand how important this upcoming election is.

The Plaintiffs submitted a memorandum in opposition to my motion to dismiss.

This document outlines how the plaintiffs and their organization the Citizens for Fair Government (CFG) organized to prevent certain people in Cape Vincent from voting.
  

Plaintiffs ~ STATEMENT OF FACTS
A. Citizens For Fair government Works To Stop Voter ~fraud.

Defendant's self-serving attempt to recast the issues in this case fails.

Plaintiffs are members and/or supporters of a local organization called Citizens for Fair Government ("CFG"

 CFG's objective is to ensure that the rights of the citizens of Cape Vincent are protected.  

 To that end, CFG has undertaken numerous measures to safeguard the civil liberties and interests of year-round residents of the Town of Cape Vincent, as it is these very residents that realize the daily impact of the Town's elected officials, adopted laws and ordinances, and the administration of local government.

CFG does not limit the issues to which it takes an interest. However, the primary concern of CFG is to curtail suspected voter fraud in the Town of Cape Vincent. 

Issues regarding voter registration have been a particular concern because seasonal residents have attempted to change where they are registered to vote in an effort to influence local elections.

These efforts allow seasonal residents to realize an immediate benefit and strip year-round Cape Vincent residents of their own municipal privileges.

For instance, CFG has a significant interest in the New York School Tax Relief Program ("STAR"). STAR provides homeowners partial exemptions from school property taxes.

 In order to qualify for an exemption, an individual must own a home and it must be that person's primary residence.  

 A local assessor determines primary residence by, among other things, voting registration and the length of time spent each year on the property.  

 CFG was concerned that part-time residents in Cape Vincent were registering to vote in the Town in an effort to qualify their seasonal property for partial exemption under the STAR program.

  Clearly, obtaining this partial exemption would divest the local school district of needed funds, thereby causing a negative impact on year-round residents with substantial interests in the school district and causing a windfall for the seasonal resident.

 CFG is not the only entity that recognized the impact of seasonal residents changing their voter registration on real property ~ exemptions.

In or around October 2011, an unsigned notice was sent to various city assessors notifying each that a resident of their city had recently registered to vote in Cape Vincent. 

The assessor for the City of Canandaigua, New York, Mark Brown, responded to the notice by contacting the resident in question and inquiring where that resident considered his primary residence to be.

  The resident, after stating that all of his vehicles were registered in Canandaigua and that he filed income taxes in Canandaigua, admitted that he considered The Canandaigua to be his primary residence.
Nevertheless, the resident still acknowledged that he registered to vote in Cape Vincent. Mr. Brown, in response to this confession, "suggested that he had just admitted to voter fraud as It was not a Cape Vincent resident for thirty days prior to the election."

  Clearly, Plaintiffs' suspicions that voter fraud was pervasive in Cape Vincent were not unfounded.

B. The Resolution Is Supported By Cape Vincent Residents.
In or around the summer of 2011, Plaintiffs, as well as several other people, gathered in support of certain public officials. 

At this gathering, citizens began voicing their concerns over what many believed to be illegal voting practices in the Town of Cape Vincent.

 In response to these concerns, several members of the gathering formulated a measure to drastically reduce or eliminate these perceived illegal voting practices.  
 The proposed measure would require any voter in a Town election to present a New York State ID with a Cape Vincent address. 

 The measure formed the basis for a petition that was circulated and ultimately resulted in the August 11, 2011 Resolution (the "Resolution"). 

 Notably, a commissioner of the Jefferson County Board of Elections was present at the gathering at which the measure was discussed. 

 Although he was unquestionably aware of the basic tenets of the proposed measure, the commissioner expressed little concern over it and, in fact, stated that the only possible negative outcome was that it could be challenged in court. 

 Thereafter, in or around early August 2011, the petition was prepared and circulated in the Town of Cape Vincent. The petition, signed by over two hundred (200} citizens, requested that the Town Board take action to resolve illegal and unethical voting methods being carried out in Town elections.

 Specifically, the signatories of the petition were concerned that individuals that owned property in the Town, but rarely lived on that very property, were changing their voter registration in an effort to vote in the Town, materially affect the outcome of elections, and substantially damage Plaintiffs' and other year-round citizens'
interests. 

 The petition, therefore, requested that the Town Board implement a procedure where by voters would be required to present a New York State driver's license with a Cape Vincent address in order to vote.
  

The petition was presented to the Town Board and subsequently adopted as the Resolution. 

Two members of the Town Board did not believe the Resolution to be lawful. As such, the Town Board solicited a letter from the Town Attorney for an opinion regarding the Resolution. 

 The Town Attorney merely opined That, in his view, "the resolution...is ineffective." 

The Town Attorney recognized that a prospective voters must be a resident of the jurisdiction for thirty days and residency is largely a question of intent. Plaintiffs shared these concerns.

 Indeed, Plaintiffs had already received confirmation that these very practices had been occurring in an effort to influence local elections.   

 Plaintiffs merely wanted to do something to limit illegal and/or unethical voting in Cape Vincent. Rather than delve further into the issue and involve the Board of Elections, the Town Board hastily reconvened and rescinded the resolution.Continue reading



 To read documents from this case link here ~ King v Hludzenski

Link here to read Voter fraud Petition and Resolution

Don Metzger addresses State Department of Public Service Administrative Law Judge Paul Agresta concerning not awarding DANC Intervenor funding.

Mr. Agresta initially suggested that DANC would not be eligible for Intervenor funding because it is legally deemed a state entity and not a local or municipal party.
“I will promise all of you that we will get to the bottom of the issue,” he said. “We thought it would be a good idea for us to give them funding if we could. So it purely comes down to the matter of what the law says.”
[Watertown Times]
Video  below of Don Metzger  addresses State Department of Public Service Administrative Law Judge Paul Agresta concerning the denial of Intervenor funding to DANC (Development Authority of the North Country)  





Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Pre-application Intervenor Funding conference ~ Cape Vincent town government, WPEG awarded majority of wind project intervenor funding

Update :
5:47 AM
5/22/2013
CAPE VINCENT — The town government and Wind Power Ethics Group were awarded more than $80,000 in intervenor funds Tuesday night to hire six experts to help them review the Cape Vincent Wind Farm proposal.

In a draft ruling made at a pre-application conference for BP’s proposed project, case examiner and state Department of Public Service Administrative Law Judge Paul Agresta awarded the town of Cape Vincent and WPEG a total of $82,600.
[Watertown Times]





Below is a list of requests and the funds allocated to each request.




Shomer Intervenor Fund Request  Acoustical engineer Paul D. Schomer, Schomer & Associates Inc., Champaign, Ill.
 Allocation for Schomer 16,855

McCann Intervenor Fund Request  Michael S. McCann, a real estate appraiser in Illinois, to assist the group with land use and property value issues.
 Allocation for McCann 15,940

Evans Intervenor Funding Request
Ornithologist William R. Evans, director of the nonprofit Old Bird Inc., Ithaca, for his knowledge of effects on wildlife and birds at commercial wind farms.
Allocation for Evans 6,542

Curtin Intervenor Funding Request 
Paul J. Curtin Jr., an attorney with Shulman, Curtin & Grunder, Syracuse, who has been representing the town in its dealings with the wind developer.
 Allocation for Curtin 11,320 

Dimmick Intervenor Funding Request   
 Kris D. Dimmick, engineer and vice president of operations at Bernier, Carr & Associates, Watertown, who would “review and critique” BP’s preliminary scoping statement for its proposed project, among other tasks.
Allocation for Dimmick ~16,410

Phillips Intervenor Funding Request
Carl V. Phillips, Director of the Populi Health Institute, Wayne, Pa., to develop a detailed list of health issues to address, along with a recommended approach and methodology for BP to follow in its studies of adverse health effects.
 Allocation for Expert Phillips ~ 15,515
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lyme Request for Intervernor Funds  legal services and get technical advice from the town’s attorney, Mark G. Gebo, with Hrabchak, Gebo & Langone, and Mr. Dimmick of Bernier, Carr & Associates.
 Allocation 11,000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DANC Request for Intervenor Funding  ~ decision withheld based on a legal issue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lyme School Dist IV Request ~ No award request not applicable

Jefferson County Farm Bureau Request for Intervenor Funding  ~ Request withdrawn


Intervenor Fund Allocations Video

 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PSC ~ Stipulations on alternatives
  We’d like to see a case scenario that attempts to comply with the towns zoning law
to the degree possible


 

Dr. Ernest Moniz Sworn in as 13th Secretary of Energy


WASHINGTON – Dr. Ernest Moniz was sworn in as the nation’s 13th Secretary of Energy by Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman in a ceremony this morning for the Department’s employees, kicking off a busy first day that includes briefings on energy and national security as well as remarks to the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum. Moniz was confirmed by the full Senate in a vote of 97-0 on May 16. 
Following his swearing in, Secretary Moniz told employees that he was honored to be back at the Department and was looking forward to a productive tenure.
“I look forward to the progress we will make together in the coming years – advancing the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, maintaining the nuclear deterrent and reducing the nuclear danger, promoting American leadership in science and clean energy technology innovation, and cleaning up the legacy of the Cold War,” said Moniz in an email to DOE staff. “I believe we can, and must, commit ourselves to the highest standards of management excellence, delivering results for the American people as efficiently and effectively as possible and enhancing our capacity to succeed in our critical missions.”
“The Department of Energy enjoys a talented, dedicated and diverse workforce,” added Moniz. “In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to reconnecting with old colleagues and hope to meet many other members of our exceptional team.”
Secretary Moniz will receive briefings today by the National Nuclear Security Administration, as well as the Department’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.  This afternoon, he will deliver his first remarks as Secretary at the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, followed by a meeting at the White House with other Cabinet members and with the President’s senior energy and climate advisors.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Moniz was the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a faculty member since 1973.  At MIT, he headed the Department of Physics and the Bates Linear Accelerator Center.  Most recently, Dr. Moniz served as the founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative and of the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment and was a leader of multidisciplinary technology and policy studies on the future of nuclear power, coal, nuclear fuel cycles, natural gas, and solar energy in a low-carbon world.
From 1997 until January 2001, Dr. Moniz served as Under Secretary of the Department of Energy.  He was responsible for overseeing the Department’s science and energy programs, leading a comprehensive review of nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship, and serving as the Secretary’s special negotiator for the disposition of Russian nuclear materials.  From 1995 to 1997, he served as Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President.
Dr. Moniz received a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in Physics from Boston College, a Doctorate in Theoretical Physics from Stanford University, and honorary degrees from the University of Athens, the University of Erlangen-Nurenberg and Michigan State University.
Secretary Moniz launched Facebook (Facebook.com/ErnestJMoniz) and Twitter (twitter.com/ErnestMoniz ) accounts in order to foster dialogue on important issues facing the country that fall within DOE’s responsibilities. For photographs and video of Secretary Moniz’s official swearing in ceremony visit Energy.gov

Lake Erie Energy Development

  

The Watertown Times is seeking an experienced journalist to become editor of the paper.


The Watertown (NY) Daily Times is the flagship newspaper for the Johnson family, which owns New York newspapers from Batavia to the west, Hudson to the south and Malone to the north.

 However, much of the senior management is nearing retirement, including John B. Johnson Jr., the editor and co-publisher of the paper.  

Thus, the Times is now seeking an experienced journalist to become editor of the paper. Continue ...

British Petroleum is asking the British government to intervene to help it avoid paying BP claims in the BP oil spill settlement.


Birmingham, AL (PRWEB) May 21, 2013
In a new blog post on BP Settlement News, attorney Michael J. Evans says, "BP should pay all the businesses in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and western Florida that it agreed to pay when it signed the Deepwater Horizon settlement agreement."According to a May 16, 2013 BBC report.
BP believes its financial recovery is in jeopardy because the BP settlement compensation system is "being abused." The BBC article reported that Prime Minister David Cameron was "hugely concerned" about that situation.[Watch List news]

Memorandum to the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection


—Michael Fairneny (5/10/13)
This note is in regards to my wife’s hearing loss, the Hoosac Wind Project, and the current compliance testing done by Iberdrola.
My wife, Jo Ann, has been to an ear specialist on three different occasions within the past few months.  (She has never had ear problems!).  Her hearing has definitely been affected and deteriorating since her initial visit.
The debilitation happened so dramatically that the doctor had her have an MRI of her ears and head. The test evidently showed nothing significant, but the ringing/buzzing in her ears still persists each and every day we are home. This has caused her many sleepless nights and continues to wake her up.
 Continue reading ...[Wind Turbine Syndrome]

It's a small world after all ~ Citizens Campaign for the Environment & Save the River