Saturday, August 23, 2008

AN IMAGINED DIALOGUE ON A WIND FARM STRATEGY

An imagined dialogue on wind-farm strategy

BY LORNA PUNDT

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008
Nancy Madsen's article "Cape Vincent to air turbine zoning plan" (Aug. 15) informs readers the town has appointed a committee to review a new draft wind law. The article listed conflicts of interest for each town officer related to contracts with the wind developer.

For a board that has a history of trying to ram through these wind projects any way they can, why are they suddenly trying to do things by the law? Perhaps the recent investigation of wind-company corruption slapped them into the realization that their questionable actions could actually jeopardize passing a wind law. So they talked to their wind-law lawyers who advised them to do everything right.

Perhaps their conversation went like this: "File your conflict disclosures, everything up front and legal. Dot your i's and cross your t's."

"OK, but how do we get this wind law through? We can't vote if two-thirds of the board has declared a conflict of interest."

"No problem, boys, appoint a committee. Now this committee must appear unbiased, although we know it's subtly stacked pro-wind. Appoint nonconflicted local officials to serve on the committee, and then throw in one pro-wind, and one anti-wind person for good balance. Don't ask for volunteers on this committee. The key is to appoint members to retain control of the process, but yet give the deceptive appearance that all community voices are represented. Once the committee has come up with a weak wind law, one that allows the wind developer almost unrestricted access to the town, and keeps the wind leaseholders happy, then the town board will vote to adopt the wind law."

"But how can we vote to pass our wind law if we have conflicts?"

"Don't worry, you claim you had nothing to do with the committee's recommendations. You have cleverly distanced yourself from the process. You are simply approving what the committee, who represents the community, told you to do. You have no fingerprints on this law."

"The public won't stand for this. They'll sue!""Let them sue, we think this is a position we can defend. By the time they get enough citizens to lawyer up and challenge us, we'll have the turbines up. At which point, the suit is basically meaningless. Why would they waste any more money on preventing something that has already happened?"

See Cape Vincent's new "wind farce" at: www.townofcapevincent.com/images/060208_Cape_Vincent_Wind_Law_Amending_Supplemental_RegulationsA.pdf.
Lorna Pundt Cape Vincent

Monday, August 18, 2008

INDUSTRIALIZATION OF A TINY TOWN

This Is What British Petroleum and

Acciona Spain

have planned for Cape Vincent's future

191, 450 ft. tall industrial turbines


Sunday, August 17, 2008

In Rural New York, Windmills Can Bring Whiff of Corruption

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: August 17, 2008

BURKE, N.Y. — Everywhere that Janet and Ken Tacy looked, the wind companies had been there first.
Wind Turbines Take Over Landscape

Christinne Muschi for The New York Times
To some upstate towns, wind power promises prosperity. Others fear noise, spoiled views and the corrupting of local officials.

The New York Times
Many in upstate New York have signed wind leases.
Dozens of people in their small town had already signed lease options that would allow wind towers on their properties. Two Burke Town Board members had signed private leases even as they negotiated with the companies to establish a zoning law to permit the towers. A third board member, the Tacys said, bragged about the commissions he would earn by selling concrete to build tower bases. And, the Tacys said, when they showed up at a Town Board meeting to complain, they were told to get lost.

 Continue reading via this link

Thursday, August 7, 2008

RESIDENTS SEEK WIND TURBINE REBATE

Hundreds of home-owners in Burton-Upon-Stather have warned they will make a mass claim for council tax discount if a plan to build wind turbines alongside their village is given the go-ahead.
Burton against Turbines (BAT) will base their case on a
landmark ruling last week by a woman in Lincolnshire, who was granted a discount because her home was rendered worthless by a turbine nearby.BAT last month organized a 400-strong rally against the seven-turbine plan, set for land owned by the family of Sir Reginald Sheffield.
A spokesman said: “If the wind farm does eventually get built we will certainly be looking for a block council tax reduction.
“This landmark case in a court of law has proven that having a nearby wind farm does devalue property
.”
Read the full story in Monday’s Telegraph.
Scunthorpe Telegraph
4 August 2008


In this landmark ruling cited in the above story the noise created by the turbines devaluated the property.

I would like to add:
Based on Bp’s record of putting people first these stories must be a grossly distorted. Bp has repeatedly assured us that turbines aren’t noisy and that placement of large scale industrial wind developments near homes doesn’t affect property values in a negative way.
Recently their excellent safety record has been brought to my attention
. In Texas Bp actually spent money lobbying so they wouldn’t have to spend money on safety upgrades in their Texas City refinery, I think 15 people died as a result.In August of 2007, Bp decided to increase the amount of pollution it dumps into Lake Michigan. They had all the permits necessary, everything was a go just like Cape Vincent, but the public became enraged when they became aware of Bp’s plan and demanded it be stopped. BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone said in a statement that the company decided not to increase its discharge of toxic materials into Lake Michigan because opposition to the increased discharge created an “unacceptable level of risk
There are many more examples of BP’s corporate and moral irresponsibility and the people need to get the facts. The green shirts, or shall I say greed shirts, seem to be pleased with themselves but what they aren’t looking at are the long term health implications associated with low frequency noise (LFN) and living in close proximity to large scale industrial wind developments. Sadly the land owners who are hosting turbines on their property may be the people most affected by (LFN) because no matter how green your pockets are wealth can’t buy health.