by jmaloni
Tue, May 15th 2012 03:15 pm
Press release
At a press conference Tuesday morning, State Sen. George Maziarz, R-C-Newfane, joined fellow state senators, union members, power generators and business groups in order to draw attention to what they deem negative impacts of a proposed underwater transmission line from Canada, and to announce legislation prohibiting the use of eminent domain by an electric corporation (or affiliate) that seeks to build a transmission line that originates outside of the U.S. to an ending point within the U.S.
The proposed Champlain Hudson Power Express Transmission Line (CHPE) is a 1,000-mw transmission line that would originate in Canada and end in New York City. CHPE does not allow any other existing New York generators or transmission companies to tie in to the line, nor does it address the issues being faced by certain struggling power plants throughout New York.
Link to original
Maziarz “ A bill aimed at protecting New York's economy , and environment from efforts to flood our markets with foreign energy from Canada.”
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Senators try to prevent Quebec transmission line
The following are excerpts from a story by Watertown Times staff writer Brian Amaral,
Several senators — led by state Sen. George Maziarz, a Western New York Republican, and joined by state Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton — say upstate jobs are at stake if a $2 billion transmission line proposal is approved because it would squeeze out energy producers in the state, like nuclear power plants, facilities that burn wood to create electricity and wind turbine farms.
“I think this would open up the floodgates. It would be the beginning of the end for generation of energy in New York state,” said Mr. Maziarz, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications.
Link here to read the complete story
Several senators — led by state Sen. George Maziarz, a Western New York Republican, and joined by state Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton — say upstate jobs are at stake if a $2 billion transmission line proposal is approved because it would squeeze out energy producers in the state, like nuclear power plants, facilities that burn wood to create electricity and wind turbine farms.
“I think this would open up the floodgates. It would be the beginning of the end for generation of energy in New York state,” said Mr. Maziarz, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications.
Link here to read the complete story
Letter of Interest!
Today's most frequent key word Darrel Aubertine letter
click here for large image of letter
The letter of interest below
Monday, May 14, 2012
Are you willing to pay more for green energy?
Study: Public willing to pay for more green energy
By Andrew Restuccia - 05/14/12 05:27 PM ET
Legislation mandating that power companies obtain a major portion of the country’s electricity from low-carbon energy sources may face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill. But the policy has strong public support, a new study indicates.
The average American is willing to pay $162 per year in higher electricity costs if a “clean energy standard” (CES) becomes law, according to the study, which was published in the journal Nature Climate Change Sunday.
Link here to read more from The Hill E 2 Wire
By Andrew Restuccia - 05/14/12 05:27 PM ET
Legislation mandating that power companies obtain a major portion of the country’s electricity from low-carbon energy sources may face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill. But the policy has strong public support, a new study indicates.
The average American is willing to pay $162 per year in higher electricity costs if a “clean energy standard” (CES) becomes law, according to the study, which was published in the journal Nature Climate Change Sunday.
Link here to read more from The Hill E 2 Wire
Article 10 "the needs of or costs to ratepayers" outweigh the local laws of the host community
State law favors developers over home rule
MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012
Article X of the Power NY Act draft regulations are up for public comment until May 29. Siting power plants of 25 megawatts or more of all types— nuclear, gas, coal, solar, wind, biofuel, etc. — is now in the hands of a board of five people, all Albany political appointees. The siting process takes one year. It includes transmission lines.
The regulations being drafted by the Public Service Commission need to be scrutinized by all who have worked to remove conflicts of interest and create updated comprehensive plans and zoning regulations to protect people, local and national economies, and the environment.
In general, the issues that have been fought over like setbacks for sound, occupied residences or property lines, low-level vibration, what is an economic study and what comprises decommissioning will be fought out again; but this time the decisions will be made by this new board, not our town boards.
Local laws already can be overruled if deemed “unreasonably burdensome” to the developer. Now developers are pushing for all local laws to be pre-empted entirely.
These are some additional points I feel are unacceptable.
While the Art X regulations state they expect towns to defend their local laws, the intervenor fund cannot be used for litigation. Time periods for public response are inadequately short. Economic impact and property values are ignored. Bird and bat studies happen in less than one year. Decommissioning is only a vague description.
This new draft raises the possibility of eminent domain. Environmental justice is simply a “consideration.” Citizens cannot appeal when a certificate is granted, although developers can appeal if denied.
Given that the regulations say “the needs of or costs to ratepayers “ outweigh the local laws of the host community, the decision of the board becomes a political decision to proceed with a power plant or not. Making new local zoning laws may help us, but it is imperative that we all weigh in now and try to protect what we can.
Hester Chase
Cape Vincent
MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012
Article X of the Power NY Act draft regulations are up for public comment until May 29. Siting power plants of 25 megawatts or more of all types— nuclear, gas, coal, solar, wind, biofuel, etc. — is now in the hands of a board of five people, all Albany political appointees. The siting process takes one year. It includes transmission lines.
The regulations being drafted by the Public Service Commission need to be scrutinized by all who have worked to remove conflicts of interest and create updated comprehensive plans and zoning regulations to protect people, local and national economies, and the environment.
In general, the issues that have been fought over like setbacks for sound, occupied residences or property lines, low-level vibration, what is an economic study and what comprises decommissioning will be fought out again; but this time the decisions will be made by this new board, not our town boards.
Local laws already can be overruled if deemed “unreasonably burdensome” to the developer. Now developers are pushing for all local laws to be pre-empted entirely.
These are some additional points I feel are unacceptable.
While the Art X regulations state they expect towns to defend their local laws, the intervenor fund cannot be used for litigation. Time periods for public response are inadequately short. Economic impact and property values are ignored. Bird and bat studies happen in less than one year. Decommissioning is only a vague description.
This new draft raises the possibility of eminent domain. Environmental justice is simply a “consideration.” Citizens cannot appeal when a certificate is granted, although developers can appeal if denied.
Given that the regulations say “the needs of or costs to ratepayers “ outweigh the local laws of the host community, the decision of the board becomes a political decision to proceed with a power plant or not. Making new local zoning laws may help us, but it is imperative that we all weigh in now and try to protect what we can.
Hester Chase
Cape Vincent
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Article 10 A Violation of Home Rule
The public comment period for Article 10 is open until 5/29/12. Not only will these regulations govern most wind turbine facilities, but they will dictate where all forms of power plants will be sited in New York State.
Public comments are imperative,if you have not sent a letter to the public service commission ,I urge you to do so .
Link here to the NYS Public Service Commission to make your comment
Alex Jones Infowars.com
~~~~~
Sartre
Infowars.com
July 11, 2011
New York State is a “Home Rule” jurisdiction, dating back to 1923. New York Municipal Home Rule – Article 2 – § 10 General Powers of Local Governments to Adopt and Amend Local Laws, provides the authority for the cherished prerogative of communities to control their destinies. The stark conflict of local self-determination and the arbitrary imposition of bureaucratic fiats outlined in Agenda 21 are self-evident. Under the guise of streamlining energy siting and land use, New York State has jumped to the tune of the globalist marching band orders. In the darkness of midnight in a closed room, the new governor Andrew Cuomo pushed a secret version of Article X, and the legislature voted approval for the Power NY Act.
Public comments are imperative,if you have not sent a letter to the public service commission ,I urge you to do so .
Link here to the NYS Public Service Commission to make your comment
Alex Jones Infowars.com
~~~~~
Sartre
Infowars.com
July 11, 2011
New York State is a “Home Rule” jurisdiction, dating back to 1923. New York Municipal Home Rule – Article 2 – § 10 General Powers of Local Governments to Adopt and Amend Local Laws, provides the authority for the cherished prerogative of communities to control their destinies. The stark conflict of local self-determination and the arbitrary imposition of bureaucratic fiats outlined in Agenda 21 are self-evident. Under the guise of streamlining energy siting and land use, New York State has jumped to the tune of the globalist marching band orders. In the darkness of midnight in a closed room, the new governor Andrew Cuomo pushed a secret version of Article X, and the legislature voted approval for the Power NY Act.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
A Sad Sad Story ....
Hello, my name is Lady Grace I have been asked by Pandora to do a guest post .
Now that I have an opportunity I am going to set the record straight .
I have been working behind the scenes for years to make Pandora look good.
~~~~~~~~~~
Below is a photo that proves I FOIL all of Pandora's documents
Note the FOIL request in my hand.
I wrote the Freedom of Information Law !!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additionally," I do most of Pandora’s research , so when you see some of that stuff on her blog there’s a good possibility it came from material and research I did!!!!!!"
"Pandora tries to do some research but when your husband sits on the town government appointed by the Hirschey Government . I guess your research gets a little fuzzy!"
Below is a photo that proves I FOIL all of Pandora's documents
Note the FOIL request in my hand.
I wrote the Freedom of Information Law !!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additionally," I do most of Pandora’s research , so when you see some of that stuff on her blog there’s a good possibility it came from material and research I did!!!!!!"
"Pandora tries to do some research but when your husband sits on the town government appointed by the Hirschey Government . I guess your research gets a little fuzzy!"
That’s when I step in and clean up her mess!!!!
The book in my hand proves that I do all the research for Pandora!!!!!
What do I get in return? I get marginalized and blocked !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And some people wonder why I have hissy fits !!!!!
Because It’s not all about ME,ME,ME,ME...
This is my Sad Sad story , slaving away . Just to make Pandora look good...
This is my Sad Sad story , slaving away . Just to make Pandora look good...
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Article 10 ~ Comment letters
Below are links to the comment letters to the Public Service Commission~ Re: Article 10.
no downloading required
EDP Renewables Comments ~ Article 10
~~~
EDR- Companies - Comments on Draft - Article 10
~~~
Alliance for Clean Energy(ACE) ~ Article 10 Comments
~~~
Voter For Wind ~Article 10 Public comment Letters From Cape Vincent
~~~
Iberdrola comment letter to PSC ~ RE: Article 10
~~~
Letters From the People Concerning Article 10
no downloading required
EDP Renewables Comments ~ Article 10
~~~
EDR- Companies - Comments on Draft - Article 10
~~~
Alliance for Clean Energy(ACE) ~ Article 10 Comments
~~~
Voter For Wind ~Article 10 Public comment Letters From Cape Vincent
~~~
Iberdrola comment letter to PSC ~ RE: Article 10
~~~
Letters From the People Concerning Article 10
Friday, May 4, 2012
Regarding~Cape Vincent's Old Water Tower
Many questions have been raised concerning the Old water tower.
Where did it go? Resale or scrap? Was its disposal part of the new water tower construction contract? Was it sold separately and if so, who got the money, village or town?
I have found a couple of answers to these questions.
The 35 year Old Cape water Tower was demolished and removed February 21 2008,
The Demolition of the old water tower was done by Pittsburg Tank & Tower Company. Elevated Division, Inc. Sebree, KY
The contract details~
Work under this Contract may generally be described t include, but not be limited to the following:
Demolition of existing 200,000 gallon elevated steel water tank, demolition of tank foundation to two feet below grade , disposal of steel, concrete and lead containing paint systems, filling and grading , landscaping and site restoration, and periodic and final cleanup.
Twenty Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars and Zero Cents. (22,500.00)
March 9, 2007
NOTICE OF AWARD
Contract #4 Demolition of existing water storage tank
BID DESCRIPTION ~
Contract #4 Demolition of existing water storage tank
Complete audio of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's annual State of the State Address
This is the complete audio of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's annual State of the State Address, given January 4, 2012 in Albany New York
Link here to read transcript of State of the State address
Link here to read transcript of State of the State address
* They Paved Paradise to put Wind Turbines on Wolfe Island
Viewer discretion is advised , video contains obscene images
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Two Oregon environmental groups challenge industrial scale wind project
Two environmental groups are challenging what they call an "industrial-scale" wind project on the north end of ruggedly beautiful Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon.
Oregon Natural Desert Association based in Bend and Portland Audubon have filed suit in U.S. District Court in Portland to stop plans for the $300 million Echanis Wind Project and its 40 to 60 wind turbines on 10,000 acres of private ranch land. It's one of two wind projects proposed on or near the spectacular 9,733-foot fault-block of Steens Mountain.
Source : Oregonian on line
Lawsuit against wind energy project near Steens Mountain pits green groups against green project
By Richard Cockle
Oregon Natural Desert Association based in Bend and Portland Audubon have filed suit in U.S. District Court in Portland to stop plans for the $300 million Echanis Wind Project and its 40 to 60 wind turbines on 10,000 acres of private ranch land. It's one of two wind projects proposed on or near the spectacular 9,733-foot fault-block of Steens Mountain.
Source : Oregonian on line
Lawsuit against wind energy project near Steens Mountain pits green groups against green project
By Richard Cockle
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
OUT of SIGHT OUT of MIND
POWER LINES
One of the most important aspects of any wind development project is the electrical transmission system.
Bp’s Cape Vincent Wind project will require a 110,000 volt transmission line system on a 100’ foot wide right of way running from Cape Vincent to the national grid sub- station located on county rte. 179 in Lyme. This transmission line will be approximately 9 miles long.
It is my understanding that the public service commission does not monitor transmission lines under 10 miles long, putting an added burden on communities hosting transmission lines under 10 miles long . The community has the responsibility to ensure that the owner of the project conduct tests on a regular basis to detect stray voltage, preferably done by an independent agent.
Additionally any problems with stray voltage should be the responsibility of the project owner.
Acciona carefully considered the dangers of stray voltage when they crafted their wind lease agreements .
below is a clause from their lease limiting their responsibility.
Acciona’s lease agreement
the foregoing indemnity shall not extend to property damages or personal injuries attributable to risks of known and unknown dangers associated with electrical generating facilities such as stray voltage.
One of the most important aspects of any wind development project is the electrical transmission system.Bp’s Cape Vincent Wind project will require a 110,000 volt transmission line system on a 100’ foot wide right of way running from Cape Vincent to the national grid sub- station located on county rte. 179 in Lyme. This transmission line will be approximately 9 miles long.
It is my understanding that the public service commission does not monitor transmission lines under 10 miles long, putting an added burden on communities hosting transmission lines under 10 miles long . The community has the responsibility to ensure that the owner of the project conduct tests on a regular basis to detect stray voltage, preferably done by an independent agent.
Additionally any problems with stray voltage should be the responsibility of the project owner.
Acciona carefully considered the dangers of stray voltage when they crafted their wind lease agreements .
below is a clause from their lease limiting their responsibility.
Acciona’s lease agreement
the foregoing indemnity shall not extend to property damages or personal injuries attributable to risks of known and unknown dangers associated with electrical generating facilities such as stray voltage.
Proposed Federal Rule Change Will Lead to More Dead Eagles at Wind Energy Projects
MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Robert Johns, 202-234-7181 ext.210
Washington, D.C., April 12, 2012) American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the nation’s leading bird conservation organization, has charged that the eagle rule change proposed today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will result in more eagles being killed at wind energy projects.
“ABC supports wind power when it is bird-smart, but this proposed rule change will lead to more dead eagles, more costly lawsuits, and more Americans who will wonder why the wind industry keeps getting a free pass to kill some of our nation’s most iconic birds,” said Kelly Fuller, ABC’s Wind Campaign Coordinator.
Currently, wind energy companies and other businesses can apply to FWS for permit that allows them to kill limited numbers of eagles as part of their normal operations if they also commit to a series of compensatory actions to offset this damage. These “programmatic incidental take permits” granted under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act must be renewed every five years. However, at the request of the wind energy industry, FWS has now proposed making the permits good for 30 years.
“It is simply irresponsible of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to propose granting 30-year take permits for birds such as eagles, which have populations that are still in a precarious state. Just three years ago, the FWS concluded in a published rulemaking that they shouldn’t grant permits for longer than five years “because factors may change over a longer period of time such that a take authorized much earlier would later be incompatible with the preservation of the bald eagle or the golden eagle.” The underlying science has not changed, and there is no proven method for fixing a wind farm so that it no longer kills eagles, short of turning off the turbines,” said Fuller.
“FWS says that it has relatively little information about the impacts of wind energy on eagles, and yet, here they are proposing to extend the permit time for wind companies to kill them from five to 30 years, without having done the requisite environmental impact studies on the species. Conversely, FWS has provided pages of analysis of the potential financial impacts on industry by granting them three decades worth of legal cover to kill eagles,” Fuller said.
“This proposed rule is yet another example of the Interior Department’s misplaced priority in promoting one energy production method at the avoidable expense of our nation’s birds, bats, and other wildlife. We hope the American public loudly protests this move to give irresponsible wind developers a free pass to kill two of our most inspiring birds – Bald and Golden Eagles.” Fuller said.
In addition, today FWS announced the opening of a 90-day public comment period on the eagle take permit rules.
Link here to ABC press release
Contact: Robert Johns, 202-234-7181 ext.210
Washington, D.C., April 12, 2012) American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the nation’s leading bird conservation organization, has charged that the eagle rule change proposed today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will result in more eagles being killed at wind energy projects.
“ABC supports wind power when it is bird-smart, but this proposed rule change will lead to more dead eagles, more costly lawsuits, and more Americans who will wonder why the wind industry keeps getting a free pass to kill some of our nation’s most iconic birds,” said Kelly Fuller, ABC’s Wind Campaign Coordinator.
Currently, wind energy companies and other businesses can apply to FWS for permit that allows them to kill limited numbers of eagles as part of their normal operations if they also commit to a series of compensatory actions to offset this damage. These “programmatic incidental take permits” granted under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act must be renewed every five years. However, at the request of the wind energy industry, FWS has now proposed making the permits good for 30 years.
“It is simply irresponsible of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to propose granting 30-year take permits for birds such as eagles, which have populations that are still in a precarious state. Just three years ago, the FWS concluded in a published rulemaking that they shouldn’t grant permits for longer than five years “because factors may change over a longer period of time such that a take authorized much earlier would later be incompatible with the preservation of the bald eagle or the golden eagle.” The underlying science has not changed, and there is no proven method for fixing a wind farm so that it no longer kills eagles, short of turning off the turbines,” said Fuller.
“FWS says that it has relatively little information about the impacts of wind energy on eagles, and yet, here they are proposing to extend the permit time for wind companies to kill them from five to 30 years, without having done the requisite environmental impact studies on the species. Conversely, FWS has provided pages of analysis of the potential financial impacts on industry by granting them three decades worth of legal cover to kill eagles,” Fuller said.
“This proposed rule is yet another example of the Interior Department’s misplaced priority in promoting one energy production method at the avoidable expense of our nation’s birds, bats, and other wildlife. We hope the American public loudly protests this move to give irresponsible wind developers a free pass to kill two of our most inspiring birds – Bald and Golden Eagles.” Fuller said.
In addition, today FWS announced the opening of a 90-day public comment period on the eagle take permit rules.
Link here to ABC press release
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