Saturday, July 12, 2008

Schumer errs in supporting commercial wind power

Sen. Charles Schumer may believe he’s addressing critical issues by supporting commercial wind power, but real-life evidence and data that’s accumulated for more than 20 years seems to disagree.
It appears that industrial wind is mostly an environmental and economic folly that’s unfortunately diverting our attention and resources away from efforts to find truly meaningful solutions to ever-increasing, real problems. It’s being propelled by some of the world’s largest corporations because their investments in wind allow them to avoid billions in taxes each year, regardless of their oftentimes very “un-green” portfolios.

Schumer’s assertion that costs will come down as a result of wind power is inexcusably naive. In every electricity market with high penetrations of wind, consumer costs have sky-rocketed. Meanwhile, huge swaths of our remaining and cherished natural landscapes, which are not renewable, are being swallowed up by this boondoggle — ironically in the name of the environment.

The Public Service Commission had it right when trying to protect the interests of citizens from the likely consequences of the Iberdrola acquisition. Schumer hasn’t done New Yorkers, or this beautiful state, any favors by interfering.

Sue Sliwinski

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