Bellying-up to the Corporate Welfare Bar Hurts Us All

Dear Editor,

After reading Invenergy's self-serving pontifications in their 1/13 article, "Invenergy and NYSERDA enter renewable energy credit purchase agreement", it seems we need to step back and take a look at the bigger picture here:

1.) I (and most citizens) agree we have environmental and energy issues, and
2.) I (and most citizens) agree that these technical matters should be solved using real science - not propaganda being put forth by corporate salesmen.

Real Science is not a collection of theorems, but is a PROCESS - the core process being the Scientific Method. The Scientific Method consists of a hypothesis (e.g. that wind energy is equivalent to our conventional power sources) being subjected to a: (1) comprehensive, (2) objective, (3) independent, (4) transparent, and (5) empirical-based assessment.

The fact is: This has NOT been done for wind energy - Anyplace!

Said in an another easy-to-understand way:

Since we are in agreement that we have energy and environmental issues, let's say that some entrepreneurs step forward and present us with a black box they claim holds a partial solution to these issues. Due to "confidentiality" reasons, they can't tell us what's in the box, but they assure us that it will work. Would we just say, "Great - Who do we make the $100 Billion Dollar check out to?" I think not.

We would say something like, "Thanks - that sounds good, but FIRST we need to see the PROOF that your product will be an effective cost-benefit solution BEFORE we mandate your product on citizens."

Again, this is exactly what has NOT been done for wind energy. All the Invenergy & NYSERDA propaganda puff-pieces in the world will not change this simple fact. As we've been asking for years now -- Show us the PROOF!

The fact is: Because industrial wind is NOT reliable, predictable, or dispatchable - it provides virtually NO Capacity Value (specified amounts of power on demand), and therefore, needs constant "shadow capacity" from our conventional power sources. Thus, wind has NOT, and can NOT replace our conventional power generators (i.e. - coal plants), and has NOT been proven to significantly reduce CO2 emissions anywhere.

The "economics" of wind are just as grim. (See) The direct grant program from the U.S. treasury worth 30% of the value of these industrial wind projects had been due to expire 12/31/10. However, thanks to politics in Washington, this very generous federal grant program (OUR money) was extended for another year when it was inserted at the last minute into in the recent federal tax compromise bill. We wouldn't even be talking about the Stony Creek project anymore if this "FREE taxpayer money handout program" had not been extended. This my friends, is corporate welfare!

Adding insult to injury, now NYSERDA is paying Invenergy for the "RECs" (Renewable Energy Credits) using ratepayer dollars that NYSERDA collects from us every month in our electric bills via the "Systems Benefit Charge" (SBC) - transferring even more of our money from our pockets to the international developers' pockets.

What part of "It's OUR money!" don't our political leaders get? Industrial wind salesmen offer to give communities back a mere pittance of their own money in return for permission to destroy the very environment they claim they wish to save. Those who are content to participate in this energy scam, drawing in dollars by bellying-up to the corporate welfare bar, are - unwittingly or not, hurting us all.
Environmental Activist for Sound Scientific Solutions,

Mary Kay Barton
CitizenPowerAlliance.org