Dear Ms. Kriz,
Based on your January 14, 2008, story, "Turbine or Not Turbine," I suspect that you may not be fully aware of the extent and nature of the nationwide (even worldwide) controversies about wind energy.
This is somewhat understandable since the wind industry and other wind advocates have, for years, greatly overstated the environmental, energy and economic benefits of wind energy and greatly understated the adverse environmental, ecological, economic, scenic and property value impacts. They have misled the public, media and government officials.
In fact, "wind farms" are being built primarily because of huge tax breaks and subsidies for "wind farm" owners, not because of their energy, environmental, or economic benefits. A few landowners may derive additional income but at tremendous cost to their neighbors and to the area in which the "wind farm" is built.
Wind industry lobbyists have been very successful in misleading politicians at every level of government. As a result we now have federal, state, and local officials and policies that result in:
a. Transferring millions of dollars annually from the pockets of ordinary taxpayers and electric customers to the pockets of a very large (often foreign owned) corporations that own "wind farms" (and a few dollars to landowners who don't mind harming their neighbors, the environment or scenic and property values).
b. Directing billions of capital investment dollars into energy projects ("wind farms") that produce very little electricity -- which electricity is intermittent, volatile, unreliable and most likely to be produced at night in cold months, not on hot weekday late afternoons in July and August when electricity reaches peak demand levels.
Hamlin certainly isn't he only place where the controversy is brewing. Dozens of grassroots opposition groups have sprung up across the country where state and local governments have adopted policies such as those adopted and/or proposed in NY. There are several dozen in upstate and western NY alone.
"Wind farm" developers are well financed (particularly with tax breaks and subsidies) and clever. In many cases, they arrive on the scene quietly and signup a few landowners, including some who are members of local government bodies who then advocate the developer's interests with their fellow government officials, local citizens, and the media. Often, local governments do not have or do not enforce "open government" and/or conflict of interest laws that adequately protect citizens.
If you are going to do additional stories about wind energy, I'd urge you to learn more of the facts. You might want to visit such web sites as www.windaction.org and www.wind-watch.org.
Also, I'm attaching a critical evaluation of the "energy plan" for NY announced by your governor and other state officials on April 19, 2007. This paper explains in some detail why wind energy and the "energy plan" make little sense for the people of NY -- especially the people of upstate and western NY.
Good luck with your future reporting.
Glenn R. Schleede (former western New Yorker)
18220 Turnberry Drive
Round Hill, VA 20141-2574
540-338-9958
P. S. I grew up a few miles from Hamlin and know the area quite well. It's sad that a few people in the Town who wish to profit personally from a "wind farm" are willing to sacrifice the area. It's also sad that some of them are hiding behind false environmental and energy claims. If the local government officials were really interested in protecting citizens' interests, they would be in Albany fighting against proposals to override local government -- and citizens' rights; i.e., fighting against the infinite "Title X" that would move more authority to politicians in Albany and permit further exploitation of upstate and western NY.
No comments:
Post a Comment