PSC rule exposes wind company's motives ~ Letter

Watertown Daily Times PSC rule exposes wind company's motives

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009


A few days ago there was a most revealing article in the Albany Times Union, and it affects all state citizens.

The Public Service Commission recently said that before industrial wind projects could be approved that they had to:

■ Prove that their electricity was not just going to replace carbon dioxide-free hydro-produced electricity, and

■ Verify that available transmission capability was sufficient to carry their anticipated new power.


My first reaction was that these things haven't been formally checked out all along? The admission of that is simply astounding.

Then I see from the story that the big multinational wind companies have objected to these conditions as being too expensive. Additionally they expressed great concern that, if the results of these analyses turned out to be negative, that this information could be used against them as a basis to turn down a project. Imagine that.

So, in other words, state taxpayers and ratepayers should simply fund the developers' lucrative projects even though they may well be providing zero environmental benefit (replacing hydro) and may not be able to have their power go onto the state grid?

That should make it quite clear to anyone paying attention as to what their motivation is. It is not about benefiting state citizens, the state environment or the state electricity situation.

Then, to top it off, a purported "environmental" representative, Carol Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE-NY), said that the PSC's required checks are: "ridiculous, they're not helpful at all. They send a very, very bad message. What they tell people to do is try to avoid the PSC." She went on to say that ACE-NY might sue the PSC on this matter.

ACE-NY's Mission Statement makes bold proclamations about their organization being all about benefiting the state economically and reducing air pollution. Why would they object to making sure that carbon dioxide was really being saved and that the power being paid for was really going to the grid?

They are really wind energy lobbyists, and those good words about their "mission" are just a sleight-of-hand show to rope in the gullible public to support their self-serving lobbying efforts. It's good that this situation has given us an opportunity to see their real spots!

So kudos to the PSC for finally asking for some extremely reasonable information; hopefully this will be the start for them asking for even more worthwhile data, and more are definitely needed.

John Droz jr.

Brantingham Lake