CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Case # 07-M-0906 Iberdrola acquisition of Energy East

Those of you Commissioners who have reservations about the Iberdrola takeover of Energy East have every reason to be concerned. From where I sit, in Barre Center, Orleans County, NY, I see the future they have planned for us, and it is disastrous. Iberdrola employees have been courting our local public officials and large landowners for many months here, and are intent on erecting wind turbines in our town the minute your PSC gives the OK to the Energy East deal. However, there is not enough wind in our town to drive a single utility scale wind turbine. I have researched this and satisfied myself that this is true – such turbines require a Wind Power Density of Class 4, with some newer turbines possibly functioning in Class 3 wind, but Barre has only Class 1 and 2 wind. No one at Iberdrola will dispute this, but neither will they explain why they still want to erect turbines here.

Glenn Schleede has analyzed the economics of wind development in New York, and from my understanding of his writing, it appears that Iberdrola’s “investment” of $2 billion will net them $1.75 billion in federal and state tax shelters and subsidies. Owning wind farms in New York will allow Iberdrola to shelter nearly all the income it will earn from Energy East. New York taxpayers will have to make up for this lost tax revenue, at a time when we are already staggering under an intolerable tax burden. There is absolutely no benefit to New York ratepayers from allowing Iberdrola to own wind farms and Energy East. The benefit is solely to Iberdrola.

There is also no benefit to the environment from Iberdrola’s proposed wind farms. Iberdrola’s CEO has admitted that the electricity the wind turbines generate is not reliable, nor will it ever provide more than a tiny fraction of the renewable power that New York is striving to achieve through its Renewables Portfolio Standard. It will damage the health and welfare of the people who have to live with these enormous industrial machines in their midst. In our part of the state, town officials are permitting 420 ft. tall turbines to be built as close as 300 ft. from one’s property line. These requirements are absurd, but the officials have been so heavily influenced by wind industry operatives that they have completely abandoned their obligation to safeguard the welfare of their constituents. Thank heavens the State Attorney General’s office has finally mounted a serious investigation into the corruption that is allowing such actions to occur.

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