Wind Turbines on Lake Ontario!

[LongLine]

rolmops - Richie Kessel's pet program has been promoting the "Recharge NY" program. Cuomo signed it into law on April 13th but Kessel wasn't reported in attendance at ceremony. hmmmm...makes one wonder.

NY Inspector General has opened another investigation into "possible irreguarities at L.I.P.A." including "donnations" to groups favoring "sustainability" in last 10 years as well as possible "bid rigging". (Kessel used to run LIPA before he went to NYPA 2 1/2 yrs ago) hmmmm...makes one wonder.

Cuomo has returned Ex-chairman John Dyson to NYPA board of trusties & it's rumored that he'll become chairman. hmmmm...makes one wonder.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[LongLine]

Townsend (outgoing Chairman of NYPA) doubts viability of offshore windfarms.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... wind-farms

In the words of Dr Watson: "no $hit Sherlock."

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[jimski2]

http://www.buffalonews.com/wire-feeds/2 ... 422778.ece

[LongLine]

Well Richie is stepping aside. Guess he's caused enough damage with his cockeyed schemes. Let's hope the next guy isn't as big a crook or ......(expletive deleted).

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... t|Business

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[fish or swim]

The good news first. The Ceveland, Lake Erie project has been delayed a year because they can't find any investors and other various problems.

This next part looks really bad.

http://palltimes.com/articles/2011/08/0 ... 472162.txt

However, according to the Coalition on Article X (COAX) — a nickname for the bill — the measures signing is an “imminent threat.â€

“COAX members are appalled that Article X was slipped into law without any discussion by our elected officials with the very New York state citizens they were elected to represent,†members of COAX said in a statement. “We find this lack of transparency to be totally unacceptable.â€

The organization noted that Power NY encroaches on Home Rule in New York, a legislative authority that allows each municipality in New York to govern themselves.

“This takes away input from the local planning and zoning, and even community government, whether it is village, town or county on any siting of power projects,†said Oswego County Legislator Shawn Doyle, R-Pulaski, who hosts meetings locally with COAX. “If somebody wants to come in here, and whether they want to site a nuclear power plant, a gas plant, coal plant or build industrial wind farms … the local boards have no say. The state would do all the siting.â€

http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/08/ ... ipalities/

On August 4, 2011 Governor Andrew Cuomo stripped away the municipal “Home Rule†rights of the very public that elected him, by signing into law the “Power NY Act.†Also known as Article X, this swiftly passed law was prompted by separate bills initially sponsored by Senator George Maziarz (R – 62nd District) and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D – 101st District). The combined bill passed both houses with very little public input, late at night behind closed doors. The public’s rights were taken – literally – while they slept. COAX would like to say thank you to our elected officials who did the right thing and voted against Article X trying to preserve Municipal “Home Ruleâ€, unfortunately, too many voted yes.

Coalition On Article X (COAX) was formed to preserve and regain our municipal “Home Rule†rights, taken away by New York’s Governor, Senators, and Assemblypersons who voted to strip the public of their ability to govern their own towns.

COAX members are appalled that Article X/Power NY Act was signed into law without any discussion from our elected officials to the citizens they were elected to represent. We find these actions to be totally unacceptable. New York State has always prided itself on the fact that it is a “Home Rule†State.

[Tim Bromund]

Something just doesn't sound right in that article. George Maziarz is one of the good guys in the Senate and has been actively opposed to the pinwheel projects. I suspect there is more to this than the article is letting on.

Tim

[LongLine]

Before we get our tail feathers in a tizzie – check out what the bill says, not just what the media says:

1st from the press release itself:

http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/s ... egislation

Power NY (S.5844), sponsored by Senator George Maziarz (R-C, Newfane), has three main components: it reauthorizes and modernizes the licensing process for major electric generating facilities (also known as Article X), provides incentives to consumers for energy efficiency investments, and explores the potential for additional solar power generation in the state.

Then the actual bill (my underline)

http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S5844-2011

PURPOSE OF BILL:

Power NY would establish an on-bill recovery mechanism for the "Green Jobs/Green New York" program which was added by chapter 487 of the laws of 2009, reauthorize and modernize Article X of the Public Service Law, regarding siting of major electric generating facilities in a manner that enhances public participation and augments environmental justice, and require a study with respect to increasing generation from photovol-taic devices in New York

Section 12 would reauthorize Public Service Law Article X to streamline the State decision-making process with respect to issuing a certificate for constructing and operating new major electric generating facilities having a nameplate capacity of twenty-five thousand kilowatts or more, and modified or repowered facilities. The new law would provide a pre-application process and hearings process, wherein an applicant must first submit an application to a seven member siting board, consisting of state agency officials and two ad hoc members that reside in the community and are appointed by the Legislature based on recommendations from local officials. The application must contain, among other things, information related to the facility's environmental setting, potential environmental, health, and safety impacts, including a cumulative impact analysis of air quality based on projected emissions from the proposed facility, a comprehensive demographic, economic and physical description of the community within which the facility is to be located, an evalu-ation of reasonable alternative locations for the proposed facility, and measures to minimize significant environmental impacts. The applicant must also provide funds to support intervenor-participation in the siting process both at the pre application and hearings phases of the proceeding.

The new Article X would allow several parties to participate in the sitting proceeding before a hearing examiner as of right, including the department of environmental conservation, department of economic development, department of health, and the municipality wherein the plant would be located, members of communities that live within the vicinity of the proposed facility site, and non-profit organizations formed in whole or in part to promote conservation, the environment, or consumer interest, or that represent commercial or industrial groups.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Misty IV]

I received some disturbing news today from my contact for Oswego County. He found out (through the grapevine) that NYS Government will be taking the authority away from localities if they can get a good return on "green" energy. Expect a play soon by State for offshore Industrial Wind. Seems we're not out of the woods just yet.

Has anyone heard anything about this? My contact said this was kind of a backdoor announcement that he wasn't expecting to surface. Regardless, we all need to pay attention to the state government and watch this closely in the upcoming months, especially over the winter when alot of secret schemes appear and surprise us all in the spring.

[fish or swim]

Misty, please read the previous 3 posts before yours.

Yes it is an extremely troubling development. That is the method the wind scum use to run their scam. They get the state government to take the planning authority away from the local communities. And then they can have the state push their windmills through without the locals having any say in the matter.

The good news is future wind development is becoming extremely questionable both on land and maybe even more so on water because of the high costs. There is great deal of difficulty finding investors that will take on the risk.

[rolmops]

The huge amount of CHEAP natural gas that is about to flood the energy market is our main ally in this fight. In today's economy the main reason for wind power is the amount of jobs that it is supposed to provide. Now those jobs can be provided by the expansion of the natural gas infrastructure,while at the same time,the cost of electricity produced by natural gas is far less than wind energy produced electricity and gas is a lot cleaner than coal and also much cheaper to transport to the power stations than coal.

Washington may not be the smartest, but the big gas company's lobbies are quite willing to show the numbers to anyone who wants to see. This will force Washington away from wind energy and into embracing gas drilling.

Now if we can only solve that nasty fracking thingy....

Cornelis.

[Misty IV]

Received an email from a friend in Oswego with the following information about Mitt Romney. Perhaps worth watching??

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Romney blasts 'ballyhooed' wind and solar

"We should not be in the business of steering investment toward particular politically favoured approaches," he says in the plan. "That is a recipe for both time and money wasted on projects that do not bring us dividends. The failure of windmills and solar plants to become economically viable or make a significant contribution to our energy supply is a prime example."

If elected US president, Republican candidate Mitt Romney would end federal government support for the solar and wind industries, and curtail the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) "reckless regulatory behaviour" and "war on carbon."

[LongLine]

If they have to build them anyplace, let's hope this is true. i.e off Long island & 5 on the thruway (wonder where I heard that idea before?) & not in the Great lakes.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article558352.ece

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Tim Bromund]

If they have to build them anyplace, let's hope this is true. i.e off Long island & 5 on the thruway (wonder where I heard that idea before?) & not in the Great lakes.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article558352.ece

Tom B.

(LongLine)

Other than Rich Davenport being a voice of reason, the comments after that absurdly slanted article (not that I would expect anything else out of that worthless dishrag of a newspaper) were extremely depressing.

Tim

[fish or swim]

Long Island has some mega-mega bucks neighborhoods. A huge boating area. I don't think they will put up with this crap either. Hopefully the scam falls apart everywhere. Once they put them up in Long Island Sound the Great Lakes are next.

And another story below concerning some previous posts in this section. It is very poorly written and difficult to understand but the title explains most of it.

Legislators vote to oppose state Power of NY Act

Opponents say legislation could override local interests in siting power plants

http://www.palltimes.com/articles/2011/ ... 740587.txt

Doyle votes against this bill:

Also, the bill enacts a new permanent streamlined permitting process for power plants greater than 25 megawatts by creating a “one-stop†multiagency siting board that will make siting decisions. The legislation allows communities to participate in the process by requiring power plant applicants to provide “intervener funding†for the community to be affected by potential projects, to hire experts and lawyers to review proposal.

Legislator Shawn Doyle, R-Pulaski, has noted that there are aspects of the bill that he described as positive. However, the “bad outweighs the good,†he said, as the issue lays in the threat to Home Rule, he has said, which is the legislative authority that allows each municipality in New York to govern themselves.

“This takes away input from the local planning and zoning, and even community government, whether it is village, town or county, on any siting of power projects,†Doyle said.

Malone votes in favor:

and don’t tell me there isn’t tourism for windmills because there is.â€

[chinook35]

Maybe we've won ! According to the article in the Watertown Daily Times , offshore windfarms are a dead issue and the Galloo Island project is in limbo.

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/arti ... 91/-1/news

The link won't open the article ,but if you click on local news the article is at the top.

[rolmops]

There is an article on the front page of the D&C pointing to an official of the power authority (NYPA) having gotten a sweetheart deal from Monroe county in some communications outsourcing deal.

It seems that the rot in the NYPA goes very deep. This can only work in our favor.

[fish or swim]

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article558352.ece

"An ambitious plan for what was to be the nation's first freshwater wind farm with as many as 150 large turbines in Lake Erie (or Lake Ontario) off Buffalo's shoreline is being halted, a state lawmaker with firsthand knowledge said Thursday."

"The Great Lakes project is expected to be discussed when the authority board meets Sept. 27."

I don't trust them but we'll see what happens.

[fish or swim]

Watertown, hope this link works

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/arti ... /709179931

State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, told the Buffalo News on Thursday that the New York Power Authority is backing away from the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie project in favor of a wind farm off Long Island with the Long Island Power Authority and Consolidated Edison.

“I think at this time it is very expensive and I think at this time they are moving away from it and I think it’s a wise decision,†he said Friday. “I have every indication that it is not moving forward.â€

But Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, said Friday that NYPA officials told her last week that no decisions had been made.

[jimski2]

http://www.buffalonews.com/business/bus ... 561197.ece

Well, isn't this something.

[brucehookedup]

This issue is not going to go away too soon. Its rearing iits ugly head again, as i heard on the radio this morning. Lets kill it once and for all!

[LongLine]

From meeting last night in Charlotte

http://www.mpnnow.com/topstories/spreed ... arge-crowd

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Misty IV]

More news to report:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ohio Senate Bill imperils Lake Erie wind project

CLEVELAND -- Northeast Ohio leaders warned today that a state Senate proposal to repeal Ohio's renewable energy portfolio standard for public utilities would significantly imperil an ambitious plan to develop wind energy in Lake Erie.

At issue is Senate Bill 216, a new proposal by state senators Kris Jordan (R-Powell), Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) and Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) to repeal Ohio's renewable portfolio standard.

The existing standard, enacted three years ago, requires electric utilities (subject to some limitations) to provide 25 percent of their retail energy supply from advanced or renewable energy sources by 2025.

Examples of advanced or renewable sources include clean coal, wind, and solar energy.

In a Cleveland news conference, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, Ashtabula County Commissioner Daniel R. Claypool and Lorain County Commissioner Ted Kalo were joined by other area leaders in expressing concern about the proposal.

Among the area leaders joining FitzGerald, Claypool and Kalo were representatives of the Lake County Port Authority, the city of Cleveland and the Great Lakes Towing Co.

If the renewable portfolio standard is repealed, this would significantly reduce private sector interest in the development of a 20 to 30 megawatt wind energy demonstration project in Lake Erie, they said.

The effort is being promoted by LEEDCo., a collaboration of the counties of Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, and Ashtabula as well as the city of Cleveland, NorTech, and the Cleveland Foundation.

"We are in a race to capture the jobs that will come from the new energy economy. We can and should be a leader in pioneering new energy technologies that can be manufactured locally and sold globally," FitzGerald said.

"We are well positioned right now, but this proposal is a big step in the wrong direction."

WKYC-TV

[Misty IV]

And the latest, sent to me today by Thomas Marks, Executive Director of Great Lakes Wind Truth, NY State Director of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council & North American Platform Against Windpower:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Great News it is official the GLOW project is dead! There are no plans for a funeral or any mourning, just some brief rejoicing that NYPA has displayed some common sense. They have proposed to build offshore wind turbines near Long Island.

We have to be very watchful of the Lake Erie Alternative Power (LEAP) proposal for 1400 wind turbines of which 225 are planned for NY waters of Lake Erie.

The Ohio Governor has displayed some common sense recently saying that our energy sources should be decided by the market, sustainable and cost competitive. The governments only role should be to set the goals for emissions as they did for the automotive industry. The industry will find the best, most efficient, cheapest way to supply energy. Real competition in a capitalistic system works that way. Unfortunately the NY Governor has not yet seen the light, although I believe he will.

Our economy is weak and we have a huge crisis in federal spending threats of cutbacks in Social Security and Medicare, seniors and low wage earners struggling to make ends meet. They do not need expensive wind power that is not reliable and has to be backed by conventional sources. It is not right to cut social security when we are giving huge subsidies to foreign companies building wind turbines. The subsidies should be stopped before we cut social security or Medicare.

Thomas Marks,

Exec Dir. Great Lakes Wind Truth

NY Dir. Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council

North American Platform Against Windpower

[larry]

30 pages, 17000 page views 449 posts, a lot of voices heard and the right information gets through to the public to put a stop to this madness. Thanks to everyone, sanity prevails!!

[hogboy]

If they do put them in than i say every house in upstate ny should get free electric. We have to give up prime fishing spots and not to mention the eye sore than we should get free power. lakeontariounited.com