NYS Assemblyman Sam Hoyt January 21, 2008 Letter by James Hall

January 21, 2008

Honorable Assemblyman Sam Hoyt
936 Delaware Avenue
Suite 005
Buffalo, NY 14209

RE: IDA reform – A8703

Mr. Hoyt,

Cohocton Wind Watch is a community citizen organization dedicated to preserve the public safety, property values, economic viability, environmental integrity and quality of life in Cohocton, NY and in surrounding townships. Neighbors committed to public service in order to achieve a reasonable vision for a Finger Lakes region worthy of future generations.

It has come to our attention that several trade unions are supporting your Assembly A8703 IDA reform effort. While our group opposes the ill sited UPC Industrial Wind Turbine Projects in the Towns Cohocton and Prattsburgh, we share the need for fundamental and extensive reform of any bill that reauthorizes the IDA’s.

Enclosed are several recent correspondence made to SCIDA. SCIDA will be voting on a UPC PILOT on Thursday, January 24, 2008.

CWW requests that your office investigate the abusive conduct of this IDA. Community tax payers are being defrauded and cronyism is profiting from dishonest approval of IDA projects that should never receive tax exemptions and PILOT benefits.

Our group strongly supports local labor and businesses. However, Industrial Wind Turbine Projects with foreign ownership and LLC legal protections are scam ventures. Ex Enron executives are using phony energy REC’s to defraud the NYS taxpayer. SCIDA is about to advance this fraud by granting a PILOT, when the developer clearly stated in their application, that they were willing to pay $4,400,000 per year for tax exemption status.

Use this example to demonstrate why the IDA’s are out of control. The New York State Legislature must demand real and comprehensive oversight if IDA’s are reauthorized. The better course is to abolish the IDA’s and return legitimate business development to the private sector. Systemic corruption is the legacy of the IDA’s. If they can’t be fixed, allow them to go out of existence.

Cordially,


James Hall for CWW

cc: Governor Spitzer, AG, Cuomo, Senator Burno, Senator Winner, Assemblyman Bacalles