I am writing in response to Mark Williams letter on 12/18/07, “Do homework …” concerning the debate on industrial wind power that was sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa at GCC on 11/19/07. As a concerned citizen, and former member of Phi Theta Kappa, I was also in attendance at the debate. Representing the anti-industrial wind side of the debate was Mr. Brad Jones, of Performance Plus Business Consultants (his business), who won DEC’s Environmentalist of the Year Award last year for his organic tree farm at his Finger Lakes area home. Representing the pro-industrial wind side was Mark Mitskovski, Project Manager for the Steel Winds Project in Lackawanna. I am in complete agreement with Mr. Williams’ assertion that it is of utmost importance for people to do their homework concerning industrial wind power.
Perhaps however, Mr.Williams should practice what he preaches, and do his homework before making denigrating remarks in his attempt to discredit Mr. Jones. Mr. Williams stated in his letter that “Mr. Jones provided grand claims without providing much credible data to support his views.” It must be Mr. Williams wasn’t paying attention, as Mr. Jones clearly stated that because he literally has “boxes and boxes of information”, and he travels so much speaking on the issue, that it is just impractical to haul it all around. However, Mr. Jones freely gave out his contact information and urged all to feel free to contact him if they had any questions, or wanted specifics on the massive amounts of credible data he has accumulated.
Mr. Williams also referred to Mr. Jones’ warning to “follow the money” if they want to know why wind corporations can’t be trusted. Williams then insinuated that since Mr. Jones spends 40 – 50 hours a week speaking and consulting with others in the fight to expose the truths of corporate industrial wind, that “he clearly suffers from the same problem he claims wind developers have.” Had Mr. Williams done his homework, he would have known that Mr. Jones does all of his work on the wind issue FREE of charge! Sorry, but the money trail does not lead to Mr. Jones’ door! Since we know that most who write in support of wind are those who stand to gain, wondering if it isn’t Mr. Williams who’s at the trail’s end?
Mr. Williams also falsely asserted in his letter, “The main problem people have with wind turbines is what they can see.” Wrong! While industrializing our beautiful Western New York countrysides with thousands of 410+ foot tall industrial wind turbines is certainly a crime in and of itself, the main problem with industrial wind power is that it is a complete waste of our tax payer dollars because it simply does not work as they claim.
To date, I have not been able to find a single shred of evidence from anywhere in the world that supports industrial wind power’s claims, which are the very basis for the industry’s existence – that somehow wind power will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, reduce CO2 emissions, and thereby reduce global warming.
In fact, the National Academies of Science National Research Council Report released on May 3, 2007, states that “building thousands of industrial wind turbines won’t reduce the pollutants that cause smog and acid rain.”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. Government’s source of energy statistics, stated in their 2007 Annual Energy Outlook Report that wind had provided 4/10 0f 1% total nation-wide generation in 2005, and due to “considerable uncertainties”, might provide 9/10 of 1% by 2030. That’s 2/10 of 1% (a 20% decrease!) from what they had predicted in their 2006 Annual Energy Outlook Report estimate of 1.1% by 2030. Wow – in only one year it’s gone from bad to worse!
So, why are we even doing it?!? Oh, yeah – “It’s all about the money!” Government officials and wind reps alike, have openly admitted, “It is all about the money!” Check out the 1/14/07 archived story from the Watertown Daily Times at http://www.gslaw.com/news/archive.php?press&press_id=36 The article quotes wind power developer, Keith D. Pitman, President & CEO of Empire State Wind Energy, LLC, of Oneida, as saying, “It’s all about the money – period. It’s not how clean they can make the air, or how sorry they feel for you. It’s the money they can make,” he said of developers. He went on to say that if a company isn’t willing to share any information at all, it could be a red flag.
Hmmmm. Could that be why Mr. Mitskovski, Project Manager of Lackawanna’s Steel Winds Project, refused to answer when asked at the debate, what the actual output numbers of the project are? Instead, Mr. Mitskovski replied, “Would you go down to the local grocer and ask him how much he was making? NO – That’s private information.”
Mr. Mitskovski’s statement is quite disturbing for obvious reasons. While privacy and non-disclosure may be a right of privately owned and funded businesses, it has been recorded that up to 80% of these projects are funded with public monies (OUR tax dollars) – making it public information! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why they do not want to divulge this information! They don’t work as claimed.
In the case of the Steel Winds project, the fact that they don’t work is quite literally true! Just a few weeks after the GCC debate, all eight of the Steel Winds Project turbines are being disassembled and sent back to the factory because they aren’t working. Ironically, the Steel Winds Project was awarded The 2007 Best Renewables Project of the Year at the POWER-GEN International 2007 Conference, the world’s largest power generation conference & exhibition. (Looks like they didn’t do their homework either!) Lackawanna officials have stated they’re not worried about it, since they will still be receiving their monthly payments. Our tax dollars at work!
Finally, Mr. Williams condemns those who question what’s going on because we dare question those we’ve elected to serve in government, and who are overseeing things. It is “We the people …”, who those in government were elected to serve, sir – not their own personal interests, or those who have the biggest pocketbooks! And, if you don’t think that mega-corporations are controlling what is being handed down to all of us, then you have the blinders on!
For every one person we have elected to represent our interests, 61 lobbyists now walk the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in 1938, “The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to the point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism.”
Hopefully, Mr. Williams and his group, WIRE, will continue to do their homework, and can find some answers to the same unanswered questions we’ve been asking for years now.
1.) What independent, transparent measurement has been done anywhere in the world showing the fuels, and CO2 emissions, that wind energy actually displaces?
2.) Can you show us actual output numbers that verify any of industrial wind’s claims?
Please, Mr. Williams, do be honest and forthright, and share all information you and your group can find on industrial wind power with us. We are anxious to learn the truth!
Mary Kay Barton
1/9/08
Batavia Daily News
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/11/in-answer-to-questions-raised-regarding-wind-power-forum-at-gcc/