December 28, 2010
Letters, Oregon

Citizens fund opposition

The Observer, www.lagrandeobserver.com 27 December 2010

Regarding the question raised by Donna Knox regarding who is financing the anti-wind farm effort: I am, along with hundreds of other small donors. I donated $100 to the effort. In addition, over $1,000 was raised with a garage sale.

If you want additional information regarding the money available to the group and the expenditures made, feel free to attend our next meeting. Friends of the Grande Ronde Valley is a non-profit. The financial records are available to you.

I also obtained information regarding who is funding the fight to put a wind farm in this valley. It is Horizon Wind through their mother company, which is located in Portugal. They have donated more than $150,000 to convince us that we want a wind farm. Why do you think they have been doing this? I will tell you why.

Horizon will receive a cash grant from the federal government of 30 percent of the $600 million cost of the wind farm. They can also write off the entire remaining balance of the $600 million in six years. Gosh, they are basically building this wind farm with 100 percent of the cost being paid by tax dollars either directly or as a tax deduction. I wish we could all get such a deal!

Horizon Wind received more than $391 million of our tax dollars between September 2009 and November 2010.

There is no monetary benefit to those of us fighting the wind farm. Only the knowledge that we are trying to save a valley we love.

Too bad Horizon Wind is so eager to get our tax dollars that they are willing to destroy our home.

Irene Gilbert

La Grande


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/12/28/citizens-fund-opposition/