Wednesday, January 20, 2010

In Other words

just pay your taxes and shut -up!


I am publishing this in its entirety because there is no link.
This is a letter to the editor that was published in the Thousand Islands Sun ~
January 20, 2010~
This letter, may give the reader insight into the division in Cape Vincent. I found it to be a sad and insightful letter.
It is true Cape Vincent is a beautiful place, but there are many beautiful places in the world, there is an old saying that beauty comes from within unfortunately Cape Vincent has an ugliness within that is reflected in Harold Wiley’s letter .

Don’t get me wrong there are many wonderful people in Cape Vincent and I have had the opportunity to meet many of them in this fight against this insidious corrupt wind beast.

It has been said it is not the wind it is the corruption that is true, however it goes even deeper than that and Mr. Wiley’s letter speaks to that. In Cape Vincent certain people have an attitude of entitlement this is why we have a corruption problem. The town board meetings and planning board meetings have a surreal atmosphere. Some of our board members have a warped sense of right and wrong, essentially they have been left to their own devises for so long that they have been writing their own rules. Many of our board members have a because I said so mentality, it is our town our Community and we will do with it what we want.

In Other words just pay your taxes and shut -up!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Little History of Cape Vincent(As I see it)
By
Harold Wiley

Cape Vincent is, has and always will be a beautiful town and village on the bank of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. We have the most beautiful sunsets, sunrises and moonlit nights, all unsurpassed by any others in the world. Our beautiful clean St. Lawrence River is a sight to behold with ships and boats passing on a beautiful day, in a very relaxing atmosphere.
Lets go back to my fond memories of Cape Vincent and how it has progressed or possibly digressed over my 80 plus years of living here.

First of all, I remember five thriving hotels, four successful grocery stores, one dry goods and clothing store, one movie theater, two hardware stores, one lumberyard, two gristmills and feed stores, one pharmacy and drug store, two resident dentists, one family doctor and one resident undertaker who also served as ambulance service for the town. We also had four gas stations and garages and one new car dealership. Where have they all gone and why? We do have one big asset in our community, a thriving bank, the Citizens Bank of Cape Vincent. Thanks to a strong board of directors, the bank has survived through thick and thin and still manages to keep on growing.
Cape Vincent started out as a small, growing community with everyone supporting local business and keeping them going. The old story, live, let live and help others live. The hotels used to fill up in the summer with corporation and business executives when they came to fish and relax for a weekend , keeping a guides association busy taking them fishing, relaxing and providing shore dinners on the beautiful St. Lawrence.
Then these people began to realize that they could bring their families, pitch a tent on the beautiful shores of the St. Lawrence River, row a boat, fish relax and enjoy the beauty of the area. Soon they began bringing campers and trailers
And put them on the banks of the beautiful River. And permanent trailers were installed as summer homes for many people.
Then they began trailering boats to the area, bigger and better every year. Mobile home parks were established and permanent trailers were installed as summer homes for many people.
Many mobile home park owners made good money with these parks, but some of the people that built beautiful homes along the river started to complain that there were too many tin cans obstructing the beautiful view of the river. I would hate to think what our tax base would be if it were not for mobile home parks and summer homes along the river. Again, it helped our tax base and allowed for many improvements in our town.

We need and appreciate these people very much but again, live and let live.

I believe the next project after the negative discussion of tin cans along the river was the merger of Cape Vincent and Clayton School districts into one great district. Was it plain and simple? No. There were many meetings and negative discussions about the increase in taxes, etc. Our school board prevailed, the district was formed and we have a school district to be proud of today as it is recognized as one of the best in the northern area. It attracted good teachers, superintendents, principals, coaches, etc.

Again live, let live and help others live.

The next huge issue to come before the residents of Cape Vincent was the building of a prison in our town. This really aroused people the the point of turning friends and neighbors against each other again. When it was first mentioned at a town board meeting the comment was “Do you want Cape Vincent Known as a prison town?”

Times passed and many public meetings overflowing with hands for and against. Finally, with a strong town board, a decision was reached. Property was purchased and the prison was built. It has provided many jobs for local men and women (good paying jobs). It has also brought other people to move here, rent homes, built homes and helped boost our economy. What other business was about to come to Cape Vincent with a 12 to 13 million dollar pay roll. It has helped keep Cape Vincent alive and well and provided many jobs.

Again live, let live and help others live.

The next issue was a water line running from Cape Vincent to Brownville. Was it easy? No. There was much opposition from people who had good wells next door to people who didn’t have good water. They were all set and didn’t care about their neighbor or others along the water line. Our local town board worked hard and long to provide what was the best for the majority of the people and get the water line through and since has water going off in other directions to serve the people of Cape Vincent.

Again, live, let live and help others live.

This brings us up to our latest discussion and controversy over windmills. It has been a long and arduous battle pro and con. Again, with all other problems that we have had you must respect and listen to opinions and still get along for the best of majority.

The past election though the majority of absentee ballots, brings us a new supervisor and town councilman new to politics in our area. Many of these same people who elected our new supervisor through absentee ballots are the same ones plus many others who have made themselves a comfortable living here on the river or elsewhere that have been against most of the progress proposals that come to Cape Vincent. It is in my thoughts that they have no concern for neighbors, relatives and friends who also want to better themselves here in Cape .Again, that is their opinion and must be respected for it, they have a right to it as we all do.
In closing, I would hope our new supervisor and councilman will have the best interests of all the people in their thoughts and decisions when they are made.

Again, live, let live and help others live.
When I think about our past supervisors and who they were, they were there for all the right reasons, to make Cape Vincent a better place to live.
Our newly elected supervisor, Urban Hirschey, is a stranger to many in our town. The first so called summer resident who has ever been elected to supervisor. Let’s hope he will get well- known to all of us and do what is right for the majority in Cape Vincent and not a select few. I wish him well and hope he gets to know Cape Vincent the way many of us do.

Again, live, let live and help others live.

P.S. I think the windmills will come
and I think they should. I wouldn’t want one but for those that do, I hope they get them. After they are in we can all sit back and enjoy the benefits from them as we all do with controversial issues that have passed over the years.

Harold Wiley

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Aubertine out as Energy chair

JUDE SEYMOUR
First published: January 06, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Last modified: January 06, 2010 at 1:40 pm

AUBERTINEState Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, has been replaced as the Senate Energy & Telecommunications chairman, according to Liz Benjamin at the New York Daily Times.

State Sen. John Sampson, the Democratic Conference leader, gave the post to state Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, in a show of bipartisanship.



Senator Maziarz at Senate Energy Press Conference March 23, 2009 Darrel Aubertine is pictured in the back ground.




Mr. Aubertine will remain chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane ~ Senate Energy press conferance March 23,2009

"First they're taking our money then they're taking our power"

Graham opposes 'slick lawyering' subsidy deal



By ROBERT BRAUCHLE
TIMES STAFF WRITER
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2010

The Watertown City Council, and more specifically Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham, has big issues with the economic benefits being offered to the developers of the Galloo Island Wind Farm project.

The mayor has lashed out on his WATN 1240-AM radio show, his blog and Monday night at the City Council meeting against the proposed payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement because, he says, it will minimize the amount of sales tax that flows to the city.



 Link--> here <--to the original article

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Galloo Island Cumulative Effects

I found this letter on line; I decided to post it because it directly relates to the Galloo Island Wind project.
Wolfe Island now has industrial wind turbines, the cumulative effects will be devastating to bird populations in Eastern Ontario and New York State.



Robert Miller
Canadian Renewable Energy Corp
c/o Stantec Consulting Limited
361 Southgate Drive
Guelph, Ontario K1G 3MS

CEAR 04-04-4667 Wolfe Island Wind Turbine Project: ERR

Dear Mr. Miller,

The purpose of this letter is to state my persistent concerns about the Cumulative Effects Report of Environmental Review Report (ERR) released by Stantec in support of the proposed Wolfe Island Wind Turbine Project and to request that the process be elevated to a panel review according to the federal process and an independent environmental review according to the provincial process.

ERR Cumulative Effects
The ERR Cumulative Effects (Chapter 8) refers to the transboundary effects of developments in the Point Peninsula and Upper St. Lawrence IBAs, the Ashland Bird Conservation Reserve and regionally significant shoreline and grassland habitat in Jefferson County, New York. It also includes development in Kingston and surrounding areas.

I have reviewed the section pertaining to the projected cumulative effects of the project with regard to certain and reasonably foreseeable activities at a regional level (ERR 8.1). I am concerned that the proponent has excluded the following wind turbine projects proposed within the zone of influence for the Wolfe Island ERR:

• 77 turbine project for Galloo Island, Henderson County, New York, by UpState NY Power Corp
• 80-100 turbine project for Amherst Island (owned by the proponent, CREC)

I also contend that cumulative effects of wind turbine developments in other Important Bird Areas (IBA) along the northern lakeshore of eastern Ontario should be considered in the ERR. These projects include:

• 140 turbine project offshore in Prince Edward County by Trillium Power Energy Corporation
• Point Petre, the Royal Road Project (owned by the proponent)

These projects should be added to the projects included in the cumulative effects report:

• 200 turbine projects for Jefferson County, New York by BP Alternative Energy Project and AES Acciona Wind power. Jefferson County has four proposed wind farms on the drawing board, all in various phases of planning.

The sudden, intensive concentration of turbines along the southern and northern shores of eastern Lake Ontario inside Important Bird Areas will certainly alter the Eastern Ontario environment and biodiversity through nibbling loss and spatial and temporal crowding, and will dramatically effect migratory bird populations. The current ERR indicates a significant, irreversible negative effects on avian populations as a result of foreseeable activities in the region. These “foreseeable activities” must include wind turbine projects in development for Amherst Island and Galloo Island.

Galloo Island
Galloo Island, New York, an IBA located in Eastern Lake Ontario across from Wolfe and Amherst Islands, is in the introductory stages of the approval process and is reasonably foreseeable. The Municipal Planning Board for the Town of Hounsfield has received site plans from the company which describe the construction of 77 turbines. The Planning Board is awaiting responses from lead agencies in the first step of the SEQR process. Galloo Island will impact cumulative effects related to migratory and congregatory birds as well as visual landscape, cultural and economic effects for Wolfe Island.

Galloo Island hosts an exceptional breeding concentration of colonial waterbirds, including the largest Ring-billed Gull colony in the U.S. (an estimated 60,000 pairs in 2003), New York’s only Caspian Tern colony (1,560 pairs in 2004), and the largest Double-crested Cormorant colony in New York (3,967 pairs in 2004). Smaller numbers of Blackcrowned Night-Herons (three pairs in 2004), Herring Gulls (313 pairs in 2003), and Great Black-backed Gulls (12 pairs in 2003) nest on the island as well. (Source: Audubon Society, 2007)

Amherst Island
Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO), an official stakeholder, indicated concerns that the Amherst Island project, owned by the proponent (CREC), be identified as a significant regional activity for consideration in the study. Stantec excluded Amherst Island, describing the project as “not reasonably foreseeable.” (ERR Table 8.1) Stantec also excluded developments in Prince Edward County, and additional concern for KEDCO.

Stantec states that the Amherst Island Wind Project was excluded from the CEA analysis as it is only a “prospect” and is not yet in the approval process. Public information available from residents of Amherst Island and media sources belies the assertion that the Amherst Island Project is not foreseeable. Land has been optioned for years, research has been completed by Vector and Gaia Wind companies, a previous site plan proposal is available, and the project is progressing and expanding following the acquisition of land-lease options by the proponent.

Amherst Island is included in the Visual Change Model of the ERR when considering negative effects on landscape viewing but is excluded from sections dealing with effects on avian populations.

Amherst Island is situated 4 km east of Kingston and rests between Wolfe Island to the east and Prince Edward County peninsula to the west. Amherst Island is a recognized IBA and is considered globally and continentally significant with regard to congregatory species (http://www.bsc-eoc.org/iba/site.jsp?siteID=ON062). Wolfe and Amherst Islands have gained international recognition for concentrations of wintering hawks and owls that are often present. Amherst Island is one of the few remaining breeding habitats for raptors such as Rough-Legged and Red-Tailed Hawks and owls. Short-Eared Owls are recognized under COSEWIC to be of Special Concern. Amherst and Wolfe Islands also support grassland songbirds; species with dwindling populations due to habitat fragmentation, according to the Canadian IBA Directory and the Audubon Society (2007).

The Canadian IBA Directory states that Wolfe Island and Amherst Island share the same potential and ongoing threats: disturbance, intensified management, urban and industrial development.

Negative Effects on Avian Populations in Eastern Ontario and New York IBAs
The ERR states that the project on Wolfe Island will result in significant negative effects on populations of raptors. The ancillary and access roads will fragment habitat, nests will be disturbed and the breeding and flight displays of Short-Eared Owls will make breeding pairs highly susceptible to blade strike. The ERR anticipates that the baseline population of Short-Eared Owls will decline and populations will not recover for the life of the project. A similar prediction is made with regard to Rough-legged Hawks. The ERR predicts that Bald Eagles will likely relocate permanently to avoid being “hemmed in” by the more than 200 turbines to be erected in New York and 86 turbines along western and southern shores of Wolfe Island. Mitigation strategies will not prevent the decline of SARA identified species as well as populations of grassland birds and raptors below baseline levels, according to the ERR.

“The negative cumulative effects on avian mortality and migration in the region will be long-term and irreversible” (ERR, Table 8.3 Significance of Cumulative Effects).

Questions that Remain Unanswered
• What would be the cumulative effect of the projects in Jefferson County (200 turbines) and Galloo Island (77 turbines), the Amherst Island and Wolfe Island projects (186 turbines) and the Prince Edward Point projects (153 turbines) on the baseline population of Short-Eared Owls, Rough-legged Hawks, and Bald Eagle in the Eastern Lake Ontario region?
• What would be the cumulative effect on other raptor species, grassland songbird populations and migratory birds (including waterfowl)?

The ERR states that migrating waterfowl, grassland birds and raptors will alter migration and other behaviors to avoid large concentrations of turbines. Given the density of turbines projected for the northern and southern shores:

• Where will avian populations find refuge in the region? Can the proponent identify remaining regional habitat suitable for sustaining displaced avian populations?

The CEA boundary for consideration of cumulative effects should be expanded to include Galloo Island, Amherst Island and the developments in Prince Edward Point IBA, and should include the potential effects of avian mortality, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity and changes to migration patterns. The current ERR indicates a significant, irreversible negative effects on avian populations as a result of foreseeable activities in the region.

I respectfully request that the ERR for the Wolfe Island Wind Project be elevated to a panel review according to the federal process and be elevated to an independent environmental review according to the provincial process.

Leslie Kaduck
Ottawa, ON

Saturday, January 2, 2010

In Shadow of Fenner Collapse Italian utility Enel is looking to raise US$7-billion from asset sales


Deal, or no deal


The economy is not exactly flying. For many companies, the only certainty is that improving revenues is going to tough. Cost-cutting and margin improvement are more urgent priorities that big corporate deals.

Italian utility Enel is looking to raise US$7-billion from asset sales before the end of 2010 to cut debt and keep a single-A credit rating. A healthier banking system could also help if lenders are willing to take the losses that come with restructurings at struggling companies.