Wednesday, December 30, 2009

More ~ on ~ Fenner

This statement is priceless!
An article by Robert Brauchle covering the recent Fenner wind turbine collapse quoted town supervisor Russell Cary. This is what Cary had to say on the matter.


The importance of the Town Board's discussion to regulate where the turbines can be placed didn't hit home until Sunday morning, when he saw the mangled tower laying in the field.

"We'd always said we wanted to learn about its impacts,"

Cary said.

If this statement weren’t so moronic it would be funny.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Wind Watch: Safety oversight lacking at turbine collapse site

Wind Watch: Safety oversight lacking at turbine collapse site


Credit: By JENNIFER BOGDAN, Observer-Dispatch, www.uticaod.com 28 December 2009


FENNER — As officials continue to investigate what could have caused a 200-foot-tall wind turbine to collapse in Madison County, it was not at all clear Monday what agency, if any, is responsible for overseeing turbine safety issues at Fenner Wind Farm in this town northeast of Cazenovia.

State officials said the farm does not produce 80 megawatts of energy annually, and therefore, is not large enough to fall under their jurisdiction. Madison County officials also don’t believe they’re responsible for regulation and pointed to town officials for oversight.

However, officials in this rural town of about 1,600 residents said while they played a role in awarding permits for the project before it was completed in 2001, they thought that Enel North America, the company that operates the farm, was responsible for regulating the structures manufactured by General Electric.

“I think they’re pretty conscientious,” Fenner Supervisor Russell Cary said of Enel North America. “They don’t want this to happen again.”

The turbine, which weighed close to 190 tons, toppled over in a cornfield at about 4 a.m. Sunday, shutting down the wind farm’s 19 other turbines. No one was injured.

The collapse on Buyea Road in Fenner followed a power outage recorded at about 3:30 a.m., Enel North America spokesman Hank Sennott said. The cause remains under investigation by the company.

While it was the first time the company saw one of its turbines fall over, collapses of the structures are not unprecedented.

In March, another General Electric turbine split in half at the Noble Altona Windpark, northwest of Plattsburgh in Northern New York. That incident also followed a power outage.

Noble Environmental Power, the company operating the turbine, declared a wiring anomaly was to blame for the incident. General Electric wind turbines are equipped with a system that should shut them down when a loss of power occurs. Without the system working property, the turbine will spin faster than its design allows, the company said in a news release.

However, the collapse at Noble Altona Windpark remains under investigation by the state Public Service Commission because the operation produces enough energy to fall under that agency’s jurisdiction, said Anne Dalton, a spokesperson for the state commission.

“As I understand it, this one owned by Enel North America would be investigated locally,” Dalton said. “All I know is it’s not subject to our jurisdiction.”

The collapse that occurred in Altona on March 6 created a small fire and flung Fiberglass debris as far as 345 feet from the base of the turbine, the company said. No one was injured in the incident.
But Milissa Rocker, a spokesperson for General Electric, said the company’s windmills are safe. Just five of General Electric’s 13,000 turbines operating globally have collapsed since 2002 when General Electric took over the wind power operation from Enron, she said.

“It’s important to understand this is a very rare occurrence,” Rocker said. “This turbine is one of the most reliable in service.”

Despite the apparent resemblance between the incidents in Altona and Fenner, officials from both General Electric and Enel North America said there is no way to draw a parallel until an investigation is complete.

“What’s similar is that a turbine collapsed,” Rocker said. “That’s about as far as the similarities go right now.”

Wind turbines are an increasingly common part of the regional landscape, particularly along U.S. Route 20 and near Lowville.

There are no wind farms in Oneida or Herkimer counties, but three projects are pending in Herkimer County, according to data from New York Independent System Operator, a nonprofit organization that operates New York’s electrical grid. One plan for the Herkimer County town of Litchfield has raised the ire of residents near Sauquoit in Oneida County; they say turbines would mar the landscape and pose possible risks to home values and health.

Members of Save Sauquoit Valley Views — a group opposing the Litchfield windmills – said the Fenner tower collapse sparks concern over the Litchfield project.

“Despite the industry’s assurances, large turbines are intrinsically unsafe,” Liz Waszkiewicz said in a statement e-mailed on behalf of the organization. “Since the Fenner incident wasn’t related to high winds or other conditions that should have led to collapse, should a landowner take that chance?”

Sennot said the company does not believe strong winds or foul play were involved in the incident, but declined to discuss other possible causes until an investigation is complete, which likely won’t be until the end of January.

“Generally speaking, turbines are a far enough distance away that — should something like this happen — homes wouldn’t be hit,” Sennott said. The company is not concerned about additional turbines collapsing, he said.

The other 19 turbines at Fenner Wind Farm, which produces enough electricity to serve at least 10,000 homes, have been temporarily shut down as a safety precaution, he said.




I published this story in its entirety because it mentions the turbine collapse at Altona New York on March 6. This collapse caused a small fire and flung Fiberglass debris as far as 345 feet from the base of the turbine.

The spewing of Fiberglass debris is a health hazard.
The video (They’re not green episode 3) in my previous post covers this health issue. I urge you to watch this video.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Enel hires consultant to help probe Fenner turbine collapse

Enel hires consultant to help probe Fenner turbine collapse News from The Post-Standard -
By John Mariani / The Post-Standard
December 28, 2009,

Fenner, NY -- Enel North America has hired a forensic engineer to look into why a 187-ton turbine at the company’s Fenner Wind Farm fell over early Sunday.

The engineer is expected to be joined by a team being put together by General Electric Co., the turbine’s manufacturer, to look into the cause of the collapse, Enel spokesman Hank Sennott said.

Meanwhile, officials are working to stabilize pieces of the fallen giant so they don’t hurt investigators probing the wreckage, said Steve Pike, Fenner Wind Farm’s project manager.

 Continue reading via this link

Rethinking wind tower safety ~ By Perry White

Watertown Daily TimesRethinking wind tower safety
Another wind tower has collapsed, this one in the Madison County Wind Farm in the town of Fenner. The nine-year-old tower collapsed Saturday night, apparently when power was lost to the tower. This is the second such collapse in upstate New York this year; in March, a tower collapsed in Altona, Franklin County, when it, too, lost power. Clearly, this issue is one that needs further study and one that should be giving pause to towns in the north country that are rushing to get permissive laws on the books for commercial wind farm development.

These two collapses are far from the only ones, however. In Denmark in 2008, a tower collapsed when the braking system failed and the blades spun out of control, eventually shattering the nacelle and sending debris well beyond the collapse range of one and a half times the tower height. In Oldenburg, Germany, a tower collapsed in November 2006 when a rotor shattered, bringing the entire tower down; large chunks of blade debris landed more than 200 meters – 660 feet – from the tower.

 link to full article...

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Windmill falls at Fenner wind farm - NewsChannel 9 WSYR

FENNER
Windmill falls at Fenner wind farm - NewsChannel 9 WSYR
Fenner, Madison County (WSYR-TV) – A turbine at the Fenner wind farm toppled, over yesterday, engineers are trying to figure out how it happened.

The tower, which is more than 300 feet long from the base to the tip of the blade, is located just off Buyea Road, and is one of 20 generating electricity.

"I was turning over in bed and it sounded like a big clap of thunder" said Jill Van Allen, who lives across the street. "I was waiting to see the lightning through my bedroom window (but didn't)".

Fenner Town Supervisor Russ Cary was notified by company officials at Enel North America, which owns the farm. He tells us Enel did not have any answers as to how it happened, but ads, the towers were built a distance away from homes for this very reason-that if they collapse, they won't do any harm.





ALTONA

After the Altona collapse WPTZ Plattsburgh reported that The New York State Public Service Commission launched an investigation into the Noble Wind Farm "accident" in Altona and will make its own determination on the cause of the collapse.
Public Service Commission spokeswoman Anne Dalton said it is unclear how long the investigation will take, but added it is the first time the commission has investigated a turbine collapse.
Noble Environmental Power issued a statement in late March blaming the March 6 turbine collapse on a “wiring anomaly” that was exacerbated by a power outage at the wind farm.

With the instillation of more wind turbines around New York State the Public Service Commission may become seasoned professionals at investigating turbine collapse caused by “wiring anomalies”

Thursday, December 24, 2009

*DEC accepts Galloo Island FEIS!

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has accepted the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Hounsfield Wind Farm proposed for Galloo Island, Town of Hounsfield, Jefferson County.

forwarded message:
From: "Stephen Tomasik"
Date: December 23, 2009 3:22:48 PM EST
Subject: Hounsfield Wind Farm - Notice of Completion of FEIS

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has accepted the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Hounsfield Wind Farm proposed for Galloo Island, Town of Hounsfield, Jefferson County. A copy of this notice and the attached location map are included with this email. You are receiving this email notice because you have made comments on this project or have otherwise expressed interest in being placed on the distribution list for DEC notices regarding this project, and have provided an email address for use by DEC in communicating agency notices. Please note that a separate notice will NOT be sent to you via regular mail. The notice was published in today's Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB), which can be accessed at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20091223_not6.html To view the entire FEIS, go to the Upstate NY Power Corp. link at: http://upstatenypower.com/feis.html

Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions or comments.


Stephen Tomasik
Project Manager
Energy Projects and Management
Division of Environmental Permits
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway - 4th Floor
Albany, New York 12233-1750
PH: (518) 486-9955
FAX: (518) 402-9168



Friday, December 11, 2009

Corruption grows ~ where ever wind power blows!

Judge halts town vote on wind energy deal democratandchronicle.com Democrat and Chronicle

judge has temporarily barred a Steuben County Town Board from voting to settle a lawsuit by a wind power developer after concerns were raised that lame-duck board members wanted to strike a last-minute deal with the company.

The order by state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Lindley, signed Monday, short-circuited a special board meeting Monday night at which a majority of the Prattsburgh Town Board may have been prepared to settle the lawsuit.
prepared to settle the lawsuit.
The order was sought by two other board members who are not in favor of the wind project as currently proposed.

 More...

Monday, December 7, 2009

Watertown Daily Times | Disillusioned in Cape by town elections results

Watertown Daily Times | Disillusioned in Cape by town elections results
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009
ARTICLE OPTIONS
A A A

To the people of the town of Cape Vincent: Many of you probably feel disillusioned or even devastated by the results of the town elections. You may even feel victimized by certain "new" voters. But don't be too upset. You'll still be allowed to stock their favorite beer on local store shelves. You'll still be allowed to maintain the local highways, public buildings and local businesses while they enjoy their wine and cheese parties. You'll still be allowed to fight their fires.

And when they are sick or injured and call 911, you can still respond in the ambulance that your incoming supervisor doesn't know you have. Oh, and those of you who live in the village, don't worry about him changing the look of Broadway. He doesn't know that he won't also be the mayor of the village. And yes, it will still be called Cape Vincent, not Carthage.

I would like to express my great appreciation to Tom Rienbeck for his many years of unwavering dedication to the town of Cape Vincent. He has done an amazing job and accomplished so many positive things for Cape Vincent and its neighbors. My hope is that he won't be out of the supervisor's office for very long.

Julia Gosier

By aviary Sat., Dec. 05 at 8:23 am
Sorry, Julia, but with all due respect, this election was about honesty, transparency, respect and willingness to listen to one's constituants. While Mr. Reinbeck may have done many wonderful things for this town, the wind issue brought out the worst in him and others on the board. This pattern is being followed in communities all over the North Country. Town Boards cannot decided what's best for their towns. They need to listen to the people they represent with respect and an open mind. Sorry...that just didn't happen in CV.

By julia Fri., Dec. 04 at 8:23 pm
from Julia,
Some people apparently missed the main point of my letter. Yes, I am very much in favor of industrial wind in the town of Lyme, in the farmland areas of the town, not the waterfront areas. We desparately need the help it would bring to a financially strapped community. I also believe it is a sound environmental move. But the point I was making is that the incoming supervisor of Cape Vincent truly does not know enough about the town of Cape Vincent and its local government to govern it well. This election was of course about wind power or at least about power.I'm afraid the ability to govern well was lost in the "cause:.

comments:
By aviary Thu., Dec. 03 at 11:37 am
WDT you must have had a typo in that link somewhere. I have recopied it here:
http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/10/parcel-o wners-act-against-lyme/
By Pater Thu., Dec. 03 at 8:37 am
North Country,

Please, please -- make your substantive and logical arguments for wind power in Cape Vincent. Line 'em up and we will look at them. We can happily discuss those as long as you don't bring George Bush into the discussion or talk about "wine and cheese" parties vs those with a preference for beer -- or what a good guy Tom Rienbeck is. And let's leave out other irrelavancies such as Dick Cheny and national health care policy and the war in Afghanistan -- oh, and let's leave Sarah Palin out of the converstaion too. This is not about an amalgum of liberal vs. conservative hot points. It is about wind turbines in Cape Vincent.
If you wish to have a larger conversation about public policy in a more general way -- then say so. I will bow out of that one.
By WDT-Reader Wed., Dec. 02 at 8:04 pm
This explains it a little better...

http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/10/parcel-o wners-act-against-lyme/

So I guess you're just a little bitter... understandable I suppose... sorry?
By WDT-Reader Wed., Dec. 02 at 7:56 pm
So what is your position on industrial wind development anyway, Julia?

http://www.townoflyme.com/Board%20Minutes/2008/Jul y%209.pdf
By WDT-Reader Wed., Dec. 02 at 7:34 pm
North Country,
"I can't help but notice that whenever anyon in favor of wind power makes a point that is difficult to refute..." What are the merits of wind power that are "difficult to refute" and who has made them? I have yet to see any of those types of comments that have not been torn to shreds. There is no question. Anyone who does the research can not dispute that the negative costs far outweight any benefit. All you have to do is go through this presentation http://www.energypresentation.info and you'll see for yourself. On the contrary though, anyone who has tried to tout the benefits, hasn't offered any proof based in science. If I'm wrong, please correct me. We have a wonderful forum right here with which to debate the subject. Sadly, most of the 'pro-wind' arguments have been rooted in emotion, and lately have included this crap about rich/poor, seasonal/year-round, etc. I am definitely not rich, but have no problem seeing the flaws of wind energy, the conflicts of those who support it for no scientific reason and ultimately why Tom Rienbeck was ousted from office.
By north country Wed., Dec. 02 at 5:47 pm
Pater: this thread is also about logic and argumentation, or at least it should be. I still haven't made up my mind about wind power. However, I can't help but notice that whenever anyone in favor of wind power makes a point that is difficult to refute, you guys try to dismiss it on grounds that avoid the issue -- like accusing anyone who mentions money of "class warfare."

It's exactly what conservatives tried to do for 8 years under Bush: if a liberal made an observation that reflected poorly on the President, they were called unAmerican -- because it's much easier to call them a name than to refute their point.

You may not realize it, but you anti-wind guys do the same thing all the time. Someone challenges you, and you accuse them of a culture crime. It's a shortcut to real thinking and subverts productive discussion.
By Pater Wed., Dec. 02 at 1:44 pm
Aviary,

Could not agree with you more. North Country makes points that have nothing to do with wind power. But we can't ignore the efforts of so many, such as Julia, Nelson, North Country, and Tom Rienbeck himself, to distract and confuse the issue by turning it into a conflict between haves and have nots, year rounder vs. seasonal residents, etc.
Some potential lease income for some is now threatened, so they lash out on some misplaced emotional level.
By aviary Wed., Dec. 02 at 9:41 am
Frankly, I'm having a hard time understanding what this debate really has to do with wind power. No matter what wine you drink, what income you enjoy or whom you invite to your parties, science is science is science. They do not work properly, do not help our community with electricity, they are inefficient and expensive, and they cause more harm to the environment than they purport to alleviate. Keep your class wars and your snobbish judgements of other people just because they have...or don't have...money OUT of the fray. Everyone continues to lose sight of the science and grab onto the emotional implications. Keep the passion, but use it where it belongs!
By Pater Wed., Dec. 02 at 8:19 am
North Country,

Come on. This comment thread is about Julia's (and Nelson's) clear message that wind opponent's are disregardful of the needs of the broader community and only care about their own "part-time" interests.

When Julia presents this as a conflict between the "wine and cheese" crowd vs. the local "beer" regular folk, she is using a tired old class warfare cliche. Your comment clearly asked if my reference to Julia's points as class warfare was valid. Julia's comments were a flat out and unmistakable class warfare sales pitch.
Your other follow-up statements were just a collection of assertions (not much different than Nelson's) that the rich are at odds with the poor and opposed to health care reform, etc. Explain that. That may be obvious to you but not to me. And in any case, you jump to the conclusion that my refutation of Julia's letter was my use of class warfare against her. How? Julia could be a millionaire for all I know. Don't know the lady. But she is the one who invoked the image of the financial/social divide and never explained how that divide is pertinent to the issue of wind power in Cape Vincent or the outcome of the election in Cape Vincent. Nobody has yet explained how the less well off in Cape Vincent will be less well off as a result of Tom Rienbeck's defeat in the election. Yet that assertion has been repeatedly thrown out there as if it was plain to see! In fact, that assertion is nothing more than a cheap appeal to gut level base instincts and envy based resentments. Don't indulge in them.
By north country Wed., Dec. 02 at 7:38 am
Pater: the second half of your letter is a classic straw man fallacy, attributing to me a position that I never stated (and, for the record, do not hold), and then arguing against that position as if you are debating me. A clever tactic, but ultimately meaningless.

Don't believe me? Re-read your post. From the words "Careful who you call rich ..." the post becomes pure fiction, refuting claims made by no one, least of all me.

Still don't believe me? Re-read my initial post. I think you will find that you invented an argument, and then debated it.
By Pater Tue., Dec. 01 at 9:13 pm
North Country,

Why is it "class warfare" when we ask tough questions about the rich," you asked.

Statements by some seem to want paint this as a battle between the Tibbetts Point high rollers on one end of the scale and destitute sharecroppers on the other. That wealth divide in Cape Vincent does not exist. We are not talking about the Hamptons on the North Shore of Long Island here. Careful who you call rich and not so rich. Do you regard the wind leaseholders as "poor'" ? Is Darrell Aubertine poor? The net worth of many of the leaseholders is greater than many of the waterfront cottage owners. All class warfare is false warfare -- no matter which direction it flows. To resist industrial scale wind developemnt is not class warfare against anyone. If you want to make the case that it is, you are going to have to explain that.
By north country Tue., Dec. 01 at 8:57 pm
Why is it "class warfare" when we ask tough questions about the rich, but NOT class warfare when we ask tough questions about the poor?

I haven't heard a single person opposed to health care reform being accused of "class warfare," even though a common theme in their opposition is that "poor people want something for nothing."

The rich get everything for free: the avoid paying taxes, hide their money off shore, defer their salaries to avoid payroll tax, reward poor performance with big bonuses ... under Bush they not only got BIG tax beaks, but even got a $100,000 tax rebate if they bought themselves a new Hummer (that's not a joke, they really did).

Why is pointing this out "class warfare"? But criticizing the poor is ... just defending the American way?
By Caper Tue., Dec. 01 at 4:12 pm
Julia and Nelson,
Shame on you! You failed to mention just how filth rich these seasonal people are. They often have parties for 70 - 100 people at a time. They drink bottles of Far Niente 1999. (They wouldn't dream to drink NY wines...) The routinely munch on caviar and laugh gleefully while watching those people from Cpae Vincent mow their estate. Then, they sit down to a feast of Beef Wellington. After a night of wonderous festivities, the guests drive away in their BMW's, Lexus' and Mercedes. All is good for those rich seasonal people. Why do those people think they can come up here and vote for town officials? I say, "To hell with that idea of idea of taxation with representation." That's OK for the rest of the US but not for us Capers. Oh, I'm sorry Julia, you're not a Caper after all. But, you're sticking your nose our business. And you don't even own land in Cape Vincent. Hmmmm.
By Pater Tue., Dec. 01 at 2:40 pm
Gee wiz, Julia:

Trying your best to keep that old class warfare flame going aren't you. It won't work because that's not what any of this is about, as much as you might want it to be. When things don't go your way, you look for a boogyman to blame -- the "rich people."

And Nelson, you could have written speeches for the leaders in Beijing about thirty years ago. But heck -- even they don't talk about the evils of private enterprize anymore the way you do . Your rhetoric might still have a certain appeal in North Korea.
By Ed Tue., Dec. 01 at 2:10 pm
Nelson, since you interviewed the owner extensively, did you happen to ask him if he had any real estate investment advice for you? Did you ask about his educational background; how long he stayed in school, whether he had control of his job choices, if the Fla condo was a distressed sale, if any of his "rich" style was a result of marrying into money? If not, your comment isn't really helpful. And $250,000 doesn't buy very much these days, this place sounds like a bargain. If any landowners are going to make anywhere near that kind of money, I will be very surprised, but not as surprised as they will be when their new assessment after the exemptions run out show a pop of about $3 million per turbine.
By Cape Fear Tue., Dec. 01 at 10:43 am
Nelson,
Did you ask him how much his taxes were? Did you ask him if he had to pay those taxes year round even though he lived there part of the year? Did you ask him if he voted in Cape Vincent or Florida? You know he can vote at one of his homes, but not both.
Did you ask him if the people in Town mowed his lawn for free? Or, were they like the many in Cape Vincent who see the summer people as a source of income. I know of several whose income depend on their excellent lawn and landscape services. And, several of the beautiful homes on that road, Nelson, were built by a local contractor. I bet he would love to build many more. But, with the appearance of wind towers, he won't. And the ones he did build are going to lose 30% or more of their value.
What is your point, here, Nelson? That you agree that insulting the major portion of the tax base is a good thing for the community? Or, that having parties is bad. Or that you want seasonal people to just go away and take their economic support of our community with them.
Nelson, today, that same piece of property is paying more in local taxes than the wind company friendly Town Board is asking of the foreign wind developers for each of it's multi-million dollar wind turbines. Don't you think a multi-million dollar wind tower should pay more in taxes than a person's home, Nelson. Especially since, with wind, every single home in Cape Vincent is going to lose much of its value and have little chance of ever being sold.
Comment removed by author.
Comment removed by author.
By nelson Tue., Dec. 01 at 9:38 am
I decided not to make any more comments, but just one more. You are so patronizing talking to other concerned adults as if you are the "Oracle of Reason." Sometime ago, I was out on the Tibbetts Point road. I saw a sign in front of one of the summer homes. I decided to stop and take a tour, it was one of those beautiful summer evenings. I rang the bell, a rather well dressed well mannered gentleman came to the door. I said I was interested in his home and he said come on in. I came in and he showed me from one end to the other.

As I recall, at both ends there was a significant area for sitting and relaxing. He said, "I can have guests staying and I do not even know they are here, plenty of room." I asked, if I were here I would want to entertain. He said," My wife and I had 70 people in last night for a party and had plenty of room. I figure, "I could entertain a 100 without being crowded.

Then, I asked him about the land around the house, how do you take care of it, He said, "no problem" the lawn is 5 acres, but there is a riding lawn mower, and I have workers coming out from Cape Vincent, "they take care of it."

Then, I asked, "what about swimming in the river." He said, I don't swim in the river." He took me out to the rear of the home and showed me a cabana and a large "in ground pool." The whole property sat on 500 feet of waterfront.

Finally, I asked, "Is it warm in winter,?" He replied, "I would not know, I have a high rise condo in Ft. Lauderdale for the winter."

Now, the finale, how much? He replied 250,000 dollars, not a lot of money,
but, 25 years ago when I took a look it was a bundle and a half.

Now, that is money, would that guy have had a poor working couple out for his parties? They come out to take care of the place for him. Would he have wanted wind turbines? So some poor working guy might want a share of the "good life?'. I think not.
By Jefferson'sLeaningLeft Tue., Dec. 01 at 7:25 am
Julia,
Mr. Rienbeck lost the election because he lost the support of old friends who saw him taking the Town of Cape Vincent in the wrong direction.

He allowed wind contract holders to serve on the Board knowing that there were ethical problems. The Attorney General advised against them and even the wind company recognized them, but Mr. Rienbeck and the Board ignored the conflicts and even flaunted the ethical problems. The Town Board was corrupt in favor of the wind developers and Mr. Rienbeck allowed it. Like and old friend said, if you don't know what corruption is, ask your grand mother.

He attempted to violate the open meetings law by having a person arrested for using a camera at Town meetings. Only our astute county official prevented the arrest which would have launched expensive lawsuits against the Town.

He stated that he wanted to be fair to the wind companies and ignored the wishes of over 800 taxpayers who requested a moratorium to allow time to properly review important decisions. As it turns out, it appears that the Town was not asking enough from the wind companies to make up for the fact that land values in Cape Vincent will plummet and further growth in Town Valuation will cease. Everyone will lose, even the contract holders who will find they are not getting the best deals. Their land values, too, will plummet and their property will be near impossible to sell in the future. The wind companies need to come up with huge sums of money to cover the loss of all taxpayers in the Town of Cape Vincent. Remember, Julia, only a very small portion of the taxpayers are collecting a few bucks from this deal.

Tom Rienbeck proved that he should not be a Town official when he insulted 65% of the tax base by calling them rich and selfish. The tax money from the people who you despise allows employees to be paid and the Town to operate.COMMENT
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Friday, December 4, 2009

CAPE VINCENT The Story of How Wind Turbines Became Utilities


DEC 4, 2009
Preface

A friend sent me this; it is a good chronological progression of the events that unfolded in Cape Vincent.
These events ultimately led to the wind turbines being designated as utilities. This is the Truth and there is documentation to support it. Additionally the planning board and Town board in Cape Vincent are self serving liars, the planning board of Cape Vincent isn’t even following its own comprehensive plan. A comprehensive plan is a means to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the people in the community and give due consideration to the needs of the people in the region of which the community is a part.
K.M.


THE BEGINNING

Nov. 8, 2006 Planning Board meeting:

Planning Board Chairman, Mr.Edsall


and the planning board (PB) are asked the critical question that sparks the controversy.

“Is a wind farm an acceptable site plan review use in the agricultural district?”

Is this question asked by Acciona? The minutes aren’t clear.
The Planning board chairman, Mr. Edsall asks his board for a vote on the question. They vote 5-0 yes. (With 3 conflicted votes) Note that the question is NOT are wind turbines a utility.
That is where the confusion starts. The question is about a wind farm being a proper site plan review use. This is a very important point.

The Problem:

There is no discussion on why a wind farm is acceptable as a site plan use in the AG district by the PB. They give NO rational as to why it is allowed or under what category it might fall. There are 12 site plan review uses allowed in the AG district. A wind farm is not listed as a use. Utilities, light industrial, and commercial ARE listed uses, but the planning board never says which use a wind farm is. They just say it is acceptable and move on.

So they must have had some reason in their heads. They never clearly define why wind turbines are allowed and why. Did they think that they are a utility because that is what the wind company told them? And that was what SLW listed on their permit application?

There is also the problem that it is out of the jurisdiction of the PB to make this determination or answer this question.
NY Town Law does not give the PB the power to interpret zoning law.
That is for the Zoning Enforcement Officer Alan Wood, and if there is a question it goes to the Zoning Board of Appeals. So even though everyone blames WPEG, it is the planning board that screwed up 1st.


Dec 2006: VERY IMPORTANT

WPEG challenges the planning board’s decision before the CV Zoning Board of Appeal.

It is critical to understand that… WPEG did not challenge whether turbines are utilities. They only asked for a determination, that if a wind farm is an acceptable site plan review use, which use is it, because wind farms are not listed?

The problem starts here because

SLW AND THEIR LAWYERS SWEEP IN AND SAY…”OH OUR PROJECT IS OK IN THE AG DISTRICT BECAUSE IT IS A UTILITY UNDER YOUR CURRENT ZONING AND UTILITIES DEFINITION”.

WPEG never said a word about utilities…it was SLW who defined turbines as utilities. Then WPEG challenged that as well, saying a wind farm is not a utility as defined by Cape Vincent’s zoning law. This is important…how did WPEG get blamed for turbines being utilities if they were fighting that turbines are not utilities…this makes no sense at all.

It is also very important to note that SLW’s application for a permit, and site plan review that was turned in to the town, also says their wind farm should be considered a utility.

WPEG didn’t write that on their application for them. The important thing is that even if WPEG didn’t challenge the PB decision these projects would have moved forward as utilities ANYHOW because that is what SLW put on their application. If nobody challenged it, it would have moved forward as a utility anyhow.

Now the other thing that is being lied about is they are saying WPEG is at fault for killing the 2006 wind law.

At the end of this post, I have included the minutes of an Aug 2006 meeting where [ Supervisor Reinbeck stated that on behalf of the board, he will request the planning board to adopt our proposed wind tower regulations as a guideline during their site plan review process]. So that is a lie too.
Also at the bottom of this post, is a letter from Richard Edsall: June 14, 2006. We propose that the town board abandon its efforts to amend the current zoning law.


Why does Reinbeck start a wind law committee, spend $20,000 on the law, and spend 5 months on it, when he knows he can’t pass it anyhow because of the conflicts of interest on his board? The answer is because he never wanted a wind law to begin with unless it was very weak and favored the wind company.

The wind law was finished in Jan…it is now almost May.
He is not going to pass a wind law because he and Edsall and the board and the lease holders do not want one.

No matter what they say, they want turbines as utilities so they can put as many of them in as possible and as close to the river and lake as possible!!!! THEY ARE LIARS!!!!
But to do this and create a public diversion they will blame WPEG for all the points above.

You have to have something for cover when you recklessly waste $20,000 of tax payer money.
Unsigned