Aubertine given Marching orders about Marching Orders ?

According to Fred Dicker ~
Things can get pretty petty in Albany: When The Post disclosed at the end of the summer that Cuomo’s agriculture commissioner, Darrell Aubertine, would resign in September, Cuomo’s aides claimed the report was false — and ordered Aubertine to wait until last Friday. Continue... NY Post.

If BP cannot sell their Cape Vincent wind project will they be throwing in the towel by the end of the year?

We are collectively holding our breath, and have been for a long time, for the message to sink in with BP that their development efforts here are unwelcome by the vast majority of residents. They should leave here to allow the town and the region to recover from nine years and counting of astonishingly arrogant corporate abuse.  We have had enough of BP's brand of public outreach and it is time for them to stop; it is time for them to go!

 

IS BP LEAVING CAPE VINCENT? YES, NO, MAYBE?

Update:10/5/13
11:30 AM

Yesterday rumors were flying all over town that BP was leaving after their long reign of terror in Cape Vincent.  As of yet I have been unable to get a confirmation that BP is leaving .
Yesterday a comment came in to the post that I did about BP leaving .That hits the nail on the head

There may be a lot of conflicting news but the good news is that something is brewing. My reaction to this news tells me just how good I am going to feel when these wind bastards pull the plug. What a relief. I only hope all the rumor is true.  

It has just been confirmed  that there was a meeting hosted by BP Thursday night at Aubreys.  So, there is something to the story.  

Biologist: Eagle Deaths at Wind Turbines Widespread, Undercounted

Though California and Wyoming lead the nation in eagle deaths at wind turbine facilities, wind turbines are killing bald and golden eagles nationwide, and the death toll is mounting. That's according to Dr. Joel Pagel, a longtime raptor biologist now working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the lead author of a recent peer-reviewed paper on wind facility eagle mortalities. Continue...REWIRE

Tell BP to Drop Dudley

As we all know, just three years ago, BP was responsible for the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. How has the leadership at BP reacted?
Continue... Huff Post Green

Aubertine, Ag Commissioner, Resigning

New York state Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine is resigning.
Continue...

The Cape Vincent Wind Farm is Stale are Bob & BP are Gonna Bail ?

 Rumor has it BP is packing it in, Updates will be posted when they become available
I am Getting  Conflicting information 
Is this just a Rumor 

Word has it that BP will be meeting with Cape Vincent leaseholders last night to let them know they are terminating leases and ceasing operations in the Town of Cape Vincent. 

 BP has been moving along the Article 10 path since September 17, 2012.  The initial Public Information Program lasted five months.  During that time Bob Dudley, BP's CEO, and BP produced a 50 year old map with few houses, wrong road names and 124 red dots denoting proposed turbine locations - that was the extent of the information BP provided.   BP attended meetings and hosted meetings where they were barraged by questions from the public and public officials.  True to form Bob Dudley and BP told us thank you very much for your interest, "We'll be getting back to you."  That refrain lasted five frustrating months.

On March 29, 2013 Bob Dudley and BP began the next stage on its path toward certification, it filed a Preliminary Scoping Statement (PSS).  A scoping statement outlines the issues and studies that an applicant must include in their formal application.  The full-blown application includes all the details needed by Public Service staff and the Siting Board to understand the project proposal.  It includes project layout details, various permits, equipment, construction details as well as assessing potential adverse environmental impacts, such as noise, shadow flicker, safety setbacks, projected bird and bat kills and a number of other issues.

Twenty-one days after Bob and BP's scoping statement was submitted, the public, Town and state agencies filed their reviews of the scoping statement on April 19, 2013.  The Department of Public Service, Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town provided extensive, detailed critiques of Bob Dudley and BP's statement.  Collectively the recommendations included a complete makeover of all the environmental studies they conducted in the past, with a number of new study requirements as well.  For Bob and BP to properly respond will require a year or more before a complete application could be filed.

Bob Dudley and BP were required under the rules of Article 10 to file: "Summary of Comments on the Preliminary Scoping Statement" on May 10, 2013.  For the most part Dudley and BP failed to respond to the State agency reviews.  In a remarkable display of corporate arrogance toward the Town, Bob Dudley and BP stated their proposed Cape Vincent project was "...not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan to the extent that the Project conflicts with the zoning law."  Bob Dudley appears to be saying the hell with the wishes of Cape Vincent we want our money dammit!

On Tuesday May 21, 2013 the Administrative Law Judges from the Departments of Public Service and Environmental Conservation came to Cape Vincent to award $99,750 in intervenor funds, most of which went to the Towns of Cape Vincent and Lyme.  These funds will be used to hire technical experts to further review Bob Dudley and BP's scoping document and add to the already extensive list of studies.  In addition, the experts will suggest specific methods to employ in these studies.

At the conclusion of meeting the judges outlined what is called the Stipulation Phase of the Article 10 process.  This phase has no time deadline and will end when Bob and BP and any interested parties complete negotiations to explore possible agreements on some of the issues outlined in the scoping statement and reviews.   The next step in the process after Stipulation will be a time when BP could file its formal application.

So, where is Bob Dudley, BP's CEO, taking BP this fall ?  Will he wait to comply with all the study recommendations put forth by the Town and state agencies?  As noted previously, this could take well over a year.  This seems unlikely, since BP is seeking to divest its entire wind development portfolio.  Why invest in expensive, long-term studies if Bob and BP are going to bail-out?

After Stipulation Bob Dudley and BP's best plan may be to do nothing.  By doing nothing they will halt any further expense on a project that is on the auction block, which makes sense.  If there are any inquiries by interested investors, BP and Bob Dudley can claim they are in the process of submitting a formal application to the New York Siting Board.  That would give the illusion that Bob and BP were actually doing something.

Another option would have Bob Dudley and BP submit an application made up of all the old, stale studies the Town and State agencies found so lacking.  Just repackage, add some lipstick and submit it and see if it flies.  However, for Bob and BP to ignore extensive recommendations by the Departments of Public Service and Environmental Conservation, whose commissioners sit on the Siting Board, would be asking for its application to be considered incomplete, inadequate and substantially lacking.  Why bother if Bob Dudley is only going to get his hand slapped by Albany bureaucrats.  I'm sure Bob wouldn't like that.

In conclusion the best bet on what Bob Dudley and BP have planned for Cape Vincent this fall is nothing.  Just sit by the side of the road, thumb out and looking for a ride and a buyer.

Richard Chandler can look for a job elsewhere, Bob Dudley can try to figure out where BP will get all the money to pay off its debts in the Gulf and we citizens of Cape Vincent can enjoy  Autumn in the gorgeous Thousand Islands region of New York. The Town, on the other hand, will recharge its batteries, increase its resolve, continue preparing for battle and take whatever steps are necessary to defend our beautiful little piece of God's country. For the rest of us, maybe we can forget about wind for a spell. That would be nice.

House Hears Debate on Wind Production Credit

Some pretty ill winds are blowing around Washington, D.C. these days, and some of those are directed at the wind energy industry. Continue...

What's Fair Is Fare ?

NY State Fair director steps down 

Thomas Ryan, a political appointee who headed the New York State Fair for just eight months, has stepped down, according to a news release from the Department of Agriculture & Markets.

Ag & Market Commissioner Darrel Aubertine gave no reason for Ryan's departure in a three-paragraph press release.  Continue...

Former New York State Fair assistant director sues over firing.

Syracuse, N.Y. - A former assistant director at the New York State Fair is suing two state officials for slander, libel and wrongfully firing him, according to papers filed in New York Supreme Court. Continue...

A concerned Citizen Comments to the Public Service Commission Concerning BP's Cape Vincent Wind Farm

My home faces Cape Vincent.  One of the most beautiful times of day is the Sunset.  If wind turbines were erected, that view will be forever gone.  I have done in depth research on both the adverse effects and the benefits of Wind Power.  I discovered that the aversities far outweigh any benfit derived from these unsightly towers.  The noise, tremors in the earth, shadow flicker and the harm inflicted on our bird and bat population should be enough to have anyone say not here in our community.  BP has  decieved and lied to the citizens of the Town ofLyme.  I am disgusted that they would put a price tag on our community and some people will follow along with them.  Wind turbines should not be placed in flat lands, nor along the shores of Lake Ontario.  They do nothing but destroy the scenic beauty of our rural area. 

Link here to the Public Service Commission Website to make your comment

Experts not selling turbines say...

To the editor:

Travis Clendenen's September 27 letter to the editor saddens me. He claims by placing 500-foot-tall industrial wind turbines all around my neighbors home's we will all benefit. A growing body of research by individuals not employed by a wind turbine manufacturer, like Travis, has found the exact opposite.  Continue...

Analysis shows wind tax credit would cost billions

Extending a tax credit for new wind farms would cost billions of dollars over the next decade, according to congressional analysis obtained by The Hill.

 More : The Hill

Association of Towns urge state officials to consider health impacts of low-frequency noise

CAPE VINCENT — The New York State Association of Towns wants state officials to assess potential health impacts of low-frequency noise produced by wind turbines when reviewing BP’s Cape Vincent Wind Project.Continue...Watertown Times

Plan to revitalize Chaumont River corridor in the works

A master plan to revitalize rural communities along the Chaumont River — namely Chaumont, Depauville and LaFargeville — soon will be developed with financial assistance from the state.
Continue...Watertown Times.

Focus on the Positive this Election Season

Recently, a reader suggested that I should focus on the positive during this election season, instead of posting negative things about the Democratic candidates running for office in Cape Vincent.

They pointed out that I waste a lot of time on irrelevant issues like conflicts of interest,  voter fraud petitions , illegal voter ID laws , typographical errors and poor job performance to name a few.

I decided that I would give it a go and so... I searched the Internet for positive stories concerning important issues that would define the Democratic candidates qualifications.
   Lo and behold I found a positive news story about Alan Wood, Candidate for Town Supervisor.

Last March, Mr.Wood was recognized for his extraordinary ability to grow  facial hair.

Read more about candidate Woods hair Raising exploits  [ here  ]

"When I had no mustache, I looked like my sister,” 

Said  Mr. Wood 

Source:  http://www.mpcourier.com/article/20130316/NEWS03/703169856

BP~ Court battle resumes with fresh allegations emerging

Energy giant said to have rejected plan that might have stopped oil spill early
Continue...