filed: January 18, 2012 • Arizona, Letters

Thanks to wind farm, we are facing a 6.6 percent utility increase

Credit: Williams News, williamsnews.com 17 January 2012 ~~

First of all I want to thank Williams News for continued coverage about wind energy in the North Country. A few weeks ago I predicted this utility rate increase would soon be here. It is now before the Corporation Commission for a hearing on Jan. 19.

I believe it will pass because it is directly connected to the cost of infrastructure that APS had to endure for the Perrin Ranch Wind Farm due to the State Corporation Commission’s insistence that APS be part of the renewable Energy Mandate or face denial of any future rate requests. This in my view is political blackmail. Especially when the energy that will be produced is still very questionable.

There have been a lot of misstatements made regarding this issue that in many ways cannot be deemed accurate, only assumed. There are several more of these wind farms being projected in our state mostly across the northern area of Flagstaff, and closer to our treasured National Park, the Grand Canyon. That in particular, is a major concern of a lot of us about industrializing the Grand Canyon Corridor.

There is a big push to go green but little concern about the cost, or the efficiency of what it will achieve, especially in the field of wind energy. Yet our U.S. Department of Energy keeps doling out our tax dollars to these developers as though they were on vacation in Vegas. Please contact your congressmen and demand that we get more factual answers on these matters before extending any more wasteful tax subsidies.

John Lee

Williams

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