Watertown Daily Times Wind power: look beyond money
Perry White, the City Editor for the Watertown Times, used to be known as "Kent’s boss" for his blog, "NNY Follies."
Clark Kent's boss at The Daily Planet newspaper was named Perry White as well.
Perry White is now writing for the Watertown Times on line.
This special commentary by Perry White was published in the Watertown Daily Times Friday September 18, 2009.
This commentary is titled look beyond the Money and this seems to be the heart of the issue as we continue to struggle against corrupt municipal officers and unsavory wind developers.
Money is the root of this evil that has befallen our community
Wind power: look beyond money
By PERRY WHITE
Whither wind? As the nation staggers toward replacing fossil fuels with alternative energy sources, the north country has become a favored spot for companies looking to develop wind farms. The largest wind farm in the Northeast is up and running in Lewis County, and new projects are proposed in Hounsfield, Cape Vincent, Lyme, Clayton, Orleans and Hammond. Each of those communities is struggling with how to embrace — or not — the 400-foot towers and the transmission lines to carry the power.
The range of reactions is enlightening. The Maple Ridge project was embraced with enthusiasm by the communities on top of the Tug Hill Plateau, where before windmills, the chief enterprises were snowmobile trails, taverns and dying farms. That project has pumped about $8 million a year combined into town, school and county coffers, providing some tax relief and many capital improvements in towns that were far from flush with cash.
Continue reading Via link below
Perry White is the city editor of the Watertown Daily Times.
4 comments:
This editoral shows exactly why it is so important to elect officials free from conflicts and contracts.
We have seen all to clearly how money from the developers has corrupt many in our government to decisions that are only in their own financial self interest.
This area is a unique natural resource and should not be considered a proper site for an industrial wind complex.
Although Perry has given us the general points of interest in the story, they are quite academic. A more empirical look reveals far more negative than positive reasons for wind power. Actualoy, once you look at the money, the more obvious all the other things are being overlooked by the industry. Giving us a few pros and cons is sweet. It goes well with Sunday morning tea. Isn't that delightful. I can see why so many birds are flying into those blades. They're so busy thinking about the money.
Instead of wasting our money on wind turbines, we should spend the money on shotguns and just kill all the birds for food and fuel. Just don't kill any endangered species. That would be a felony. Also, can't shoot within 500 yards of a dwelling. The noise is fine as far as the TB goes, though. Next door to any one of those pro wind people would be fine. They love noise, and dead birds.
"The hallmark of the issue in each town has been the level of discord it has engendered." No that's not the hallmark of the issue. The hallmark of the issue is deception and dishonesty.
Clif Schneider asked a question of the people who attended the Cape's meet the candidates meeting the other night, "How did we go from protecting our rural landscape and tourism to proposing the largest industrial wind project east of the Mississippi River?" He said the reason was because officials ignored our comprehensive plan and our zoning law. He could have taken it one step further and asked, "Why and who ignored our plan?"
What is lost in much of the discussion is that for towns like Cape Vincent, that have a well thought out vision of their future, some officials buried those plans and ignored those plans because their conflicted vision of the future did not include industrial wind. What was lost was honesty in government, something no one wants to admit; something the Watertown Daily Times does not want to discuss.
If they dig up these documents then not only will they be digging up our comprehensive plan, but they will also be digging up the truth. For that we should all be indebted and it is something that should be covered as newsworthy. But it will not. The paper will continue to suggest this is just a battle over wind.
Post a Comment