Recent stories about payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements should once again be raising a public question about how PILOTs are arrived at in particular and economic development policies in general.
The request by the developer of the new and (he says) improved version of the Galloo Island wind farm has already raised the hackles of a lot of people, for more than one reason. Continue reading via this link to the Watertown Daily Times
2 comments:
There is not a wind developer in the USA who has or will pay a full share of property taxes.
That is because wind is only financeable with a combination of local tax breaks, federal tax credits and government subsidies. It is a financial house of cards. But that house of cards can stay up long enough for some smart people to get and get out with a lot of money before it all falls apart.
Good comments by Mr. White.
However, I must say I wonder where this level of sentiment was when Cape Vincent was under siege by two wind developers for nearly a decade.
Those projects would have wreaked absolute havoc with the CV and 1000 Islands viewshed, would have been an ecological disaster in a major flyway and destroyed property values, and negatively impacted tourism.
Especially when you consider that all of this would have been directly attached to the Wolfe Is. wind project impacts already present.
CV dodged the wind bullet once but is still very vulnerable.
It's long past time that communities and environmental groups along the eastern lake and 1000 Islands get serious about the protection of this beautiful region, by prohibiting wind turbines in local zoning laws and local environmental organizations should put their full weight behind unequivocal opposition to wind development in the golden crescent and 1000 Islands.
This should also include complete opposition to the Art 10 siting process that fast tracks these absurd projects.
We have had more than ample time to see the wide spread insidious impacts on many levels of wind development or even their proposal's impacts on our communities.
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