June 29, 2013
Letters, Rhode Island

Deepwater Wind is a product of greed and politics

The Block Island Times | June 25, 2013 | block-island.villagesoup.com

For the past four years, I have monitored and participated in the regulatory process that has governed the advancement of Deepwater’s proposed windfarm planned in state waters just 2.5 miles to the Southeast of Block Island. I have done so because I personally don’t like our island’s need (a cable to the mainland) being leverage by capitalists (Deepwater and DE Shaw) at the expense of the island’s preservation history and natural condition.

In some cases, I have participated as a formal intervener or presented position papers in front of the New Shoreham Town Council, R.I. Senate Committees, R.I. House Committees, R.I. Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the R.I. Coast Resources Management Council (CRMC). As a result of these formal and informal activities, I am familiar with the content in most all public filings made by various parties under oath in front of the PUC, the CRMC, and other permitting bodies.

I am an advocate of private and publicly-funded alternate energy pursuits, public advocacy and good government. I am most interested in public awareness however.  Additionally, I believe that blind faith in our leaders will permit lobbying influence to go unchecked and that neutrality from the public becomes the ally of the special interest. Therefore, I have set forth below what I consider to be the most important and relevant facts and analysis of testimony and information provided by parties of interest in such forums. I have provided specific reference notations so that you may, if interested, do additional research to satisfy your own curiosity or launch your own fact-based advocacy. It is my opinion that the path on which the Block Island Wind Farm has been shepherded is unnecessarily flanked by greed and political influence. The end here (a cable for us) should not justify the means. The end can be reached alternatively.

Mike Beauregard

Mohegan Trail

Block Island

Public facts about Deepwater’s Block Island wind farm

1. Joint Development Agreement (JDA) between State & Deepwater was signed in January 2009. 2 Deepwater designated the “Preferred Developer”, but missed Every One of the Initial Timeline Milestone in the JDA

3. Initial Decision of RI PUC determining the project NOT Commercially Reasonable circumvented by Deepwater lobbying effort to change the law after the PUC’s initial ruling rejecting the project

4. Deepwater’s Revised Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) with National Grid sets construction costs for Block Island Windfarm at $205 Million, excluding cable

5. Block Island Windfarm will be just 2.5 Miles offshore and a “Demonstration Project” or “Stepping Stone” to the profits of the Utility Scale Windfarm planned for 20 Miles offshore

6. Of the 40,000 in Megawatts of offshore windpower installed or under development in Europe, fully 98.8% of European offshore turbines are more than 3 miles offshore and the average distance from shore is 31 miles

7. National Grid has estimated that power from the Block Island Windfarm will cost the Rhode Island public $497.5 million more than market costs for power

8. Windfarm will create just 6 permanent Jobs, only a modest impact compared to the massive costs

9. 41% of RI Ratepayer Payments for power generated by the Block Island Windfarm will fund pre-tax profits to Deepwater and its capital providers. In total, $175,000,000 in exchange for just 6 Permanent Jobs.

The regulatory process involving the Deepwater Wind Farm has demonstrated how fast & easy it is to make huge profits off of the citizens of Rhode Island

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/06/29/deepwater-wind-is-a-product-of-greed-and-politics/

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