NYS' Multi-Billion Dollar Energy S-WIND-LE

NYS' Multi-Billion Dollar Energy S-WIND-LE:

by Mary Kay Barton  

Links to meeting minutes of the 2009 NYSERDA Environmental Groups' Meeting specific to Wind Power, and NYS' Citizens' Questions Document are contained within the article:

NYS taxpayers and ratepayers are funding what is likely a $Multi-Billion fraud. 

I was one of a number of citizens representing 33+ NYS grassroots groups who attended the June 16, 2009, NYSERDA Environmental Stakeholder's Meeting on Wind Power in Albany. (See Meeting Summary:  http://tinyurl.com/mxa5zf for a more detailed report.) 

The reasons for this unique meeting were: 1.) to answer citizens' questions on industrial wind power that we have been asking NYSERDA for years now (See: Citizens' Questions:    tinyurl.com/kkkuqz for these, and for more background),  and 2.) to see if they could provide scientific proof that the $2+ BILLION dollar Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program is not a complete waste.  NYSERDA failed to do either. 

The crux of the problem with wind power is the fact that it is the very same businessmen and investors who stand to make "obscene" profits at NYS citizens' expense, who are claiming industrial wind is a solution that will reduce CO2 emissions and thereby reduce Global Warming. 
 

To date, no independent scientific studies have shown evidence to substantiate their self-serving claims.

Our persistent pursuit of NYSERDA for PROOF is the reason this meeting was held.

Unfortunately, NYSERDA's one-sided stacking of the panels for this meeting, the very limited question time citizens were allowed, the wind lobbyists' PR provided on NYSERDA's website, right on down to the intimidation their lawyer used when he told us, "You better watch what you do with that videotape,"  all fly in the face of NYSERDA's own Mission Statement as a "public benefit corporation" who "places a premium on objective analysis" - "reaching out to solicit multiple perspectives."

NYSERDA officials told us wind energy is “not up for debate,” as this is the political agenda that's been handed down to them. Our view is that as energy experts of the state, NYSERDA should formally object to ineffective political directives in technical areas, and insist on sound scientific solutions.  It appears instead, that fear of program cutbacks is guiding their actions as "multiple perspectives" are now being locked out while our government and its' agencies pursue these corporate-political agendas.

DEC's Chief of Engineering Projects, Jack Nasca suggested that NYS towns use some of the PILOT money they receive from these projects to conduct their own studies, so the towns can hold developers accountable if they don't meet set project requirements. Nasca's statements further demonstrate that the State (who is in charge of this whole matter) has no intention of demanding any accountability from Big Wind LLC's, and wants to pass the buck on to rural communities. 

NYS Department of Health representative, Dr. Jan Storm, reported that the negative health impacts involving noise associated with industrial wind turbines have been reported worldwide.  Yet, she acknowledged NYS still has NOT conducted any studies on these problems, while the "woefully inadequate" siting continues on unchecked across NYS. 

 

Only two of the speakers at the meeting had anything genuinely negative to say about wind power all day. Dan Driscoll, retired noise control engineer for power projects with the PSC, sited the "many adverse health effects" associated with "infrasound" from industrial wind projects. He closed by asking, "What are you going to do about it?" but received no reply from any NYSERDA or other State agency representatives.

Retired DEC Ecologist Tom Brown really called out the State, citing the "inadequate oversite of these projects by the State" in towns who are "ill-prepared to deal with the well-financed industry," as being "tragic". Thank God there are still some highly-principled people who aren't afraid to speak out against the political pandering going on in our government today! 

Before we allow the needless spending of billions more of OUR hard-earned money, to line the pockets of corporations who continue to lobby for legislation to suit their bottom lines, we must DEMAND to see independent, objective scientific PROOF to justify what they are doing. 

Before we allow further environmental, health, economic and cultural devastation of our beautiful NYS landscapes - all for a scam reminiscent of the economically-devastating subprime fiasco that has harmed us all, we MUST stand up, speak out, DEMAND the TRUTH, and insist on scientifically-sound solutions to our energy issues. 

We anxiously await the scientific proof that NYSERDA claims they have, but still has not produced (5 YEARS into this program!), when they post the answers to our Citizens' Questions on their website - as they promised us they would do at the 6/16/09 meeting. 

 

Mary Kay Barton is a lifelong NYS citizen & environmental activist for Sound Scientific Solutions.

Originally appeared at: Empire Page as: "NYS' Two-Billion Dollar Energy Swindle":

http://www.empirepage.com/2009/6/27/nys-two-billion-dollar-energy-swindle 

[In hindsight, I should've titled it "NYS' MULTI-Billion Dollar Energy S-WIND-LE, as I did here."  ~ mkb 12/3/14]