Monday, September 3, 2012

Pimping Wind ~ BP" Style of Community Outreach ~

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I was looking back at my archives and I noticed that last year around this time, just before the Republican Primary a “Clean Energy” educational forum presented by the New York Wind Education Collaborative, a conglomeration of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE), Albany and Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the CCCE is an offshoot coalition derived from Marion Trieste’s public education campaign.

Carol E. Murphy, executive director for the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Albany was quoted in the Watertown times describing the mission of their “educational” forum.

“We came to offer the latest scientific information to people — it’s all out there for people to look at,” “but people won’t believe it if they don’t want to believe it.”

The collaboratives stated goal was to increase the public’s understanding of wind power issues, in the belief that a better-informed public can participate more meaningfully in the environmental review process and other public discussions surrounding proposed wind facilities.

Among other things, the Forum provided an “independent expert " who defended a study supporting the notion that Wind Turbines do not impact property values.
The statement was made by their expert that the review of Cape Vincent’s economic report Re: Wind development impacts by McCann Appraisal, LLC was laughable.

What is laughable is that they would have us believe that their educational forum was independent and unbiased.
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August 26, 2011, I submitted a FOIL request to the Town Clerk of the Town of Cape Vincent for the following.
A copy of the correspondence and transaction information concerning the forum scheduled to be presented at Rec. Park August 30, 2011.
I received a letter in response telling me that the Rec Park facility had been rented by BP

Below is a copy of that letter






2 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

The developers have an opinion shaping formula that they employ pretty much unchanged for each project. Sometimes it works. Most of the time it doesn't

The problem with their "educational" efforts is that is presumes that some of the locals will "want their money" (and fight for it) and that everyone else in the town is asleep, stupid (or away from town for part of the year).

That approach isn't working very well for the wind industry these days.