Skeptical Climate Documentary Set to Rock UN Climate Summit – ‘Climate Hustle’ To Have Red Carpet Premiere in Paris
0 comments Posted by SARTRE at 6:50 AM
The New ‘Consensus’: 97 Percent Of Americans Aren’t Worried About Global Warming
0 comments Posted by SARTRE at 5:05 PM
Obama’s climate agenda doesn’t seem to be gaining traction with Americans despite increased efforts to tie global warming to extreme weather, public health concerns and national security.
Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer spent $73 million during the 2014 election cycle backing liberal candidates and trying to make global warming a top tier issue in campaigns — but with little success it would seem.
Negative Realities
of the ‘Clean Power Plan’
New York State Attorney General,
Eric Schneiderman, claims that President Obama’s ‘Clean
Power Plan’ is making a difference here in New York State. It certainly is,
but it has been a NEGATIVE impact!
The
destruction
of rural America is ongoing thanks to those -- like NY AG Schneiderman and
Governor Andrew Cuomo -- who continue to push ‘unreliables’ like industrial
wind energy as a fantasy-cure for the alleged problem of “Climate
Change.”
$Trillions have
been spent on ‘renewables’ worldwide, yet carbon dioxide has not been
significantly reduced, while rural America is paying the ultimate price. Our
countrysides, wildlife, and Constitutional private property rights are
being sacrificed on the altar of “Green” energy … for no net benefit.
Sadly, the mad rush
for unreliable, non-dispatchable 'renewables'
is taking New York State - and the nation, down the same path that has caused
"skyrocketing" electricity rates in Europe over the past 20+ years,
which has led to widespread 'Energy
Poverty' (defined by power
bills exceeding 10% of a household's income). Energy Poverty has been blamed for
causing tens of thousands of deaths annually.
One would think that
emulating such destructive energy policies would be off the table here in the
U.S. However, when greed and ideology are the main drivers, denial of
long-term reality occurs.
Wyoming County in western New York
State (where we live) was originally slated to have over 2,000 industrial wind
turbines littering its beautiful countrysides. Thanks to many good people getting involved, thus far there
are only 308 (308 too many!) industrial wind turbines littering five townships on the west side
of the Warsaw Valley here in Wyoming County (which negatively impact all those
for miles around).
Instead of focusing on long-term
realities for all ratepayers and taxpayers (the ones who are funding this
consumer FRAUD), officials have focused solely on the recycled
taxpayer and ratepayer money payoffs that large landowners and targeted townships
are promised they will receive from Big Wind developers. The Wyoming County Townships who chose to turn themselves
into sprawling industrial wind factories may not have to pay any town tax for
the 10 – 20 year life of the project (usually a couple hundred bucks a year,
per household), but the costs we’ve been left dealing with, far outweigh any
short-term payoff.
Consider:
1.) Wyoming
County taxes have risen
yearly over the past 12 years (concurrent
with the proliferation of wind factories in the County) - up another 9.68% this
year.
2.) Wind
factories are NOT paying their fair share of taxes, but instead "shift
the burden of taxation on to local residents and small businesses."
3.) Real Estate 101: LOCATION!
LOCATION! LOCATION! Property values are significantly
negatively-impacted. Many homes are
selling below assessed value, if they sell at all. (Three more properties in
the area of the wind factories are going to auction this week (11/7/15).
4.) The
Town of Eagle, which has a wind project, was reassessed to what they were told
was 100% just last year (2014), and had their assessments jacked up another 40%
again this year (2015).
5.) Few -
if any, meaningful permanent jobs were created here (maybe a few dead bird/bat
picker-uppers). Western and
Upstate New York continue to hemorrhage jobs as high taxes and electric rates
continue to drive business, industry and people out of the state.
6.) The population
of Wyoming County has decreased by 2.2% since 2010 as people flee the area.
7.) Nobody is getting
"free" or reduced rate electricity here. In fact, NYS electricity rates continue to "skyrocket" as
$Billions more of our taxpayer and ratepayer dollars are thrown into the
wind.
According to NYSERDA,
the average NYS residential electricity rate in 1999 was 13.3 cents per
kilowatt hour (kWh). The first wind factories went up in New York State in
2000 (Wethersfield & Madison). 20 wind factories later, and the
average residential electricity rate in NYS as of February, 2015, is now 19.8
cents per kWh (according to the EIA, as cited by NYSERDA) – one of the highest
rates in the nation, and nearly a 50% increase since New York State began
mindlessly plastering the NYS countryside with redundant generation of industrial
wind factories, which have been averaging a pathetic 24% Capacity Factor
(actual output).
Noteworthy: New York State was already getting nearly 50% of its
electricity from emissions-free sources back in 2000 - 29% from nuclear, 19%
from hydro, and about 1% from all other renewable sources. 15 years later, with countless
$Billions of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars thrown into the wind, and the
breakdown is now: 30% from
nuclear, 23% from hydro, and approximately 3% from all other renewables (wood,
biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, etc).
Natural
gas is now providing the largest percentage of NYS electricity generation
(approximately 40%), while coal is approximately 2% of electric generation in
NY.
8.) The
only thing that has been reliably generated by industrial wind is complete and
utter civil discord. Community
relations have been ruined. People who used to be friends no longer speak. Even
families have been divided.
9.)
Habitat Fragmentation associated with the miles and miles of industrial sprawl
and access roads associated with wind factories has forever destroyed “the
sense of place” Wyoming County was famous for, and is cited as one of the main
reasons for species decline worldwide.
10.)
Negative impacts from wind turbine-related ‘infrasound’ have been documented
worldwide. The mental and physical stress this places on those stuck
living too close worsens after prolonged exposure and increased loss of proper
sleep. (Observation: Murder,
suicide, domestic violence, health issues, etc, have seemingly increased in
correlation with the installation of wind factories, though no studies have been
done.)
11.) Lawsuits
persist.
12.) Radar
systems are severely impacted, thus impacting Homeland Security. Since it wasn’t in Invenergy’s contract
to cover it, Wyoming County residents are stuck paying for a new Emergency Communications
tower (costing an untold amount) after the one we had no longer works
adequately following the construction of Invenergy's Orangeville wind factory
in 2013 (Another county-wide impact, as the new tower sits unfinished).
13.) The
“flicker”/strobe effect created when the sun is behind the turbines, and the
blinking red lights at night drive some crazy. The light
pollution in our night sky now looks like a cheap blinking Christmas tree
spread out for miles.
14.) All
of the environmental,
economic and civil devastation has been for naught, since the diffuse
energy of wind cannot replace reliable, dispatchable, baseload generation
sources. Thus, consumers are paying
twice for the redundancy of wind.
The cost of the transmission lines that must be added to run across New
York State to New York City (where the power is actually needed in New York
State) is also significantly adding to New York State ratepayers’ electric
bills.
15.) It
remains to be seen who will take these giant fans down
once they are defunct. According to a prominent wind industry attorney, should
the corporations abandon a project – whatever the reason, “The landowner will be liable.”
For more on the reality of industrial wind in
New York State over the past 15 years, see the history as documented in this
partial list of articles:
New
York State Windpower: Enough Business/Government Cronyism
Local Wind Subsidies: New York State's Money-Road to Nowhere
Local Wind Subsidies: New York State's Money-Road to Nowhere
Critical
Thinking vs. 'standing firm' (Regarding local 8th graders being given a
'science' lesson by wind salespeople at a local wind factory.)
Learn more at:
~ Mary Kay Barton
Lisa Linowes of Industrial Wind Action offers update regarding Congressional action on the federal subsidy for industrial wind Production Tax Credit (Thanks Lisa!)
Hi Folks. I’m long overdue in sending out this update re: the Wind PTC and what’s happening in Washington.
Where things stand: As
you know, the wind PTC expired December 2014. Due to the “begin
construction” language in the law and the overly lenient IRS rules that
interpret Congress’ intent, projects can still squeak by as PTC eligible
even if they have not yet turned a pebble of earth provided they are
placed in service by the end of 2016. The wind industry is quickly
losing its window for starting projects which explains why the pressure
is building.
Last
summer, Senate Finance voted out of Committee a $95 billion tax extender
bill that included a 2-year extension of the wind PTC (2015,2016). The
PTC was the 3rd most expensiveprovision in the bill at $10.5 billion. In October, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) submitted a bill to end the wind PTC. On the house side, the PTC Elimination Act offered by Congressmen Marchant and Pompeo (H.R. 1901) is still pending and new cosponsors have signed on every month since the bill was introduced. These different bills will need to be reconciled.
Last month, Speaker
John Boehner handed the gavel to Paul Ryan (R-WI). Ryan was chair of
the powerful House Ways & Means Committee. When he ran on the Romney
ticket in 2012, he agreed with Romney that the wind PTC should expire . He still might support a phase-out so we’ll be watching. News from today is that Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) has been named the new W&M chair. The renewables industry is suggesting they can work with Brady, but so can we! Info on Brady can be found here - http://kevinbrady.house.gov/ . Brady will be a key voice in how the House deals with energy tax policy.
Next steps: It’s
time to start beating the drum against any extension of the wind PTC.
We need to call on our representatives, and the entire House leadership – with special focus on Rep Brady -- to walk the walk on fiscal issues. We can’t afford any more billions to “spur” wind growth. With the DOE touting wind as competitive with (or under) the price of gas, there is no justification for further subsidies. The 1992 tax credit had done its job and It’s now over!
Next week
House members will be home in their districts. Please, please take every
opportunity to attend a town hall meeting or (low cost) fund raiser.
Stand up and ask your representatives where they stand on the PTC. Let
everyone know that the PTC is toxic and will not win votes. Call the
district offices to get an events schedule. (If you need assistance, let
me know).
Demand a standalone vote: There’s
one more important ‘ask’. The wind PTC has rarely been put forward in
the House or Senate as a standalone vote. The last time this happened
was in 2012 and Senator Menendez’s amendment to the Transportation Bill. It failed. If the Senate and/or House insist on considering the wind PTC we want a standalone vote.
That way we can know who in Congress is with us and who’s against us.
We also don’t want big wind to gain a boost from other more beneficial
tax credits seen as “must pass”.
Thanks
everyone for all your efforts! There have been impacting developments
across the country that suggest the wind industry is quickly falling out
of favor. Keep up the great work! You are all making the difference. As
always, if I can be of any assistance, do not hesitate. Meanwhile, I’ll
keep you posted on the PTC and our next steps.
Best,
--Lisa
www.WindAction.org
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