National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Tax abatements going to out-of-state firms

The rapid expansion of wind energy projects in the north country has been a controversial topic from the start, and the Copenhagen Wind Farm in Denmark is no exception. To make matters worse, we now learn that this project is being constructed by a contractor and workers from more than 1,700 miles away.

That’s right! Millions of dollars in tax abatements are being provided to a developer from France and RES Contracting of Colorado. Drive by the Copenhagen project, and you will see license plates from Florida, Missouri, Texas, Colorado, Illinois and New Mexico. Is this what the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency considers sound economic development?

Common sense dictates that tax abatements and financial incentives are designed to benefit our local workers, our local communities and our local economies. The Lewis County IDA can no longer allow an out-of-state contractor and its workforce to take its profits and paychecks out of our area each week.

Please call your local and state elected officials and let them know that the north country is home to thousands of hardworking and highly skilled men and women who have the absolute right to earn a living on this project. It is unfathomable that the Lewis County IDA continues to use our tax dollars to supplement a traveling workforce.