Article X is betrayal of governor’s promisesGovernor Spitzer’s energy team has drafted the language for Article X, which governs the siting of energy plants, including wind turbine factories. Article X, as drafted, is seriously flawed and a betrayal of the governor’s campaign promises. 1) This bill eviscerates Home Rule. If that happens, Spitzer has clearly sacrificed upstate New York for downstate interests. On the day he took office, he promised an annual State of The Upstate message. This bill relegates upstate to becoming a factory for downstate financial interests. Needless to say, it also drives a wedge between upstate and downstate. 2) This bill effectively circumvents the State Environmental Quality Review Act. SEQRA was put in place to prevent environmental abuses, and it should not be swept aside for any projects. 3) This bill preempts local land use controls and authorities. There is no assurance that local zoning will be respected. Communities that have zoned wind out will lose protection under Article X. 4) Currently, no intervener funding is allowed for wind projects. Thus, the project developer/applicant has no obligation to provide funding for municipalities/organizations to hire consultants to inform the siting proposal and process. Wind has acknowledged impacts. Why is it exempt from intervener funding? 5) The bill requests that communities that have banned wind energy be exempted from the siting of wind energy systems under Article X. Cherry Valley has fought off two successive attacks from the wind industry. Is it now to be attacked again by the current administration? 6) There is concern that wind projects that are “close to being permitted” under SEQRA may face double jeopardy and have to be re-permitted under Article X if the SEQRA permitting does not occur before the implementation of Article X. The governor is eager to grandfather specific wind projects in Article X. But he has completely usurped the rights of communities. Why is the industry favored, while the people are ignored? Wind energy in New York generates at 10 percent of nameplate capacity (See General Electric’s report to NY State Energy Research and Development Authority, March 4, 2005, page 160-165). When the developer says a project will power up to 50,000 homes, that means it will actually power only 5,000 homes. The developer knows this. Isn’t this fraud? The 2005 Energy Bill rescinded the Public Utilities Holding Company Act, a federal law that has been in place since the Roosevelt administration. That law prohibited investment banks from acting as holding companies for public utilities. It was put in place to address some of the excesses which caused The Crash of 1929. When it was rescinded, Congress cleared the way for the wind energy feeding frenzy we are now experiencing. Ultimately, these energy policies feed investment banks and large multi-national corporations, which fatten their bottom lines with the huge tax deductions and production tax credits. Goldman Sachs now owns the Maple Ridge project at Tug Hill Plateau. Iberdrola, a Spanish multi-national corporation, now owns Jordanville Wind. When multi-national corporations don’t pay taxes, those taxes are shifted to the remaining people. These policies can only result in greater utility expenses in a state which already has the highest electrical rates in the continental United States. New York State doesn’t have an energy policy. It has a tax shifting policy. The governor’s announcements of April 19, ironically Paul Revere Day, pander to the energy and banking industries at the expense of the people of New York. Finally, does anyone remember the governor’s comments to the League of Women Voters questionnaire during the campaign? The League asked, “What role do you see wind power, methane and other renewable energy sources playing in alleviating the high cost of energy in New York State?” Spitzer answered, “Investing in clean, renewable energy to reduce pollution and energy costs – and to diversify our energy supply – is a key part of my energy plan. On June 25, David Paterson presented our comprehensive clean energy proposal. However, for wind projects, we must respect communities’ concerns about turbine siting.” Article X, as written, gives the lie to Governor Spitzer’s campaign promise. Sue Brander Jordanville
|