Decisions on the appropriateness of building industrial wind installations should be based on the scientific facts of the issue, not just about who stands to profit from these projects. Since wind can never provide RELIABLE power on demand, it is simply the electricity version of the ethanol scam. It mattered not that it cost more energy to make a gallon of ethanol than it provided, nor that there were many who foretold of the problems associated with ethanol. Alas, since there was money to be made, politicians pushed it through in their "politically correct" rush to appear "green". Now, we are left dealing with the consequences of the rising costs of food and anything else associated with corn, the havoc it is wreaking on the environment, while it certainly isn't alleviating our oil dependence. It is very sad indeed, that energy and public policy decisions are being based on greed, ignorance, and misinformation being put forth by corporate wind profiteers, pandering politicians, and agenda-driven, corporate-owned media (e.g. - GE owns NBC), rather than according to what's actually right and wrong.

The Hatch case focuses on the inconsistency between Hatch's repeated claims that he did not have an agreement with Everpower, and the following documents filed between April 2006 and February 2007 by Everpower (with either the Town of Howard or Steuben County IDA) in which Bill Hatch is identified as a "participating landowner", either directly, by the listing of his name, or indirectly, by showing his property on Hughes Road in the Town of Howard as a site where a wind turbine will be installed.

Tanton explained, "Capacity factor and kilowatt hours are not pertinent ... the ONLY measure that is for this application ("How many homes...") is Capacity CREDIT, also sometimes referred to as capacity value. Capacity Credit is the percentage of nameplate capacity (applies to all types, not just wind) that can be counted on every, and any hour of the year. It is most important during 'peak' hours, which can be summer or winter depending on the region." Tanton emphasized, "Capacity Credit is a statistically determined number, but for most wind facilities is between 0% and 10%. In essence, industrial wind turbines - regardless of how many, power NO HOMES at all because it is not there when it's needed (just like a fair-weather friend). There is a vast difference between power and energy."

What do wind developers look for in a county and its township before putting their cross hairs on them? ...I think they scope out elected officials to see if they have any moral or ethical values, using a proverb like "they will fall for anything, because they stand for nothing." They found Herkimer County. They came in under the cover of darkness, behind closed doors and found their scarecrows. A scarecrow is a landowner who signs a contract to have industrial wind turbine erected on their land for money, but they must sign a contract that says they cannot bring a suit against the developers due to any nuisances (ill-effects, though the developer says there are none) the turbines cause them or their family.

Jack A. Nasca, chief of DEC's energy projects and management division of environmental projects, made a persuasive case for his agency taking the lead. He noted in a letter to his boss, Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis, that the "anticipated impacts" of the wind farm are "primarily of statewide and/or regional significance as opposed to local significance." The project will require installing an underwater transmission line along with other construction activity, which will mean heavy boat traffic to and from the island, and could disrupt fish spawning and bird populations with long-term ramifications ..."The impacts from the loss of a unique habitat of regional importance and the potential for impact to resident and migratory bird and bat species of statewide importance will remain for the operational life of the project," Mr. Nasca wrote. Terns on the state list of threatened species nest on the island, which is also near other important bird habitat.

Having read several different industrial wind energy landowner contracts, I really have to hand it to wind developers. In exchange for a few thousand dollars, the wind company can preempt landowners' rights to: extract sand and gravel from their property, develop mineral rights on their property, allow hunting, build additional outbuildings or plant trees, etc. If, in the sole discretion of the wind developer, such activities would interfere with or alter the flow of wind currents over the property, or interfere in any way with the building or operation of the wind project. ...Yes, I really have to hand it to these wind developers, and if you have signed one of these leases, you probably already have.

During the past year, several towns in the region have grappled with the issue of wind power, but none perhaps more contentiously than Meredith in Delaware County. Regardless of how you stand on wind power, Meredith has become a great example of townspeople with the legal right to control their fate actually exercising their democratic powers to take charge of their lives. A year ago, Meredith planners were working on an ordinance to regulate industrial wind turbines. After their work was completed, the town board made changes to their proposal, held hearings and passed a law many thought too lenient to wind-power developers. So, in July, when it was time to file to run for town offices in the November election, the planning chairman and others who opposed the town board's action decided to use the ballot box to get the power to rescind the ordinance they opposed.

A proposed wind farm with 77 turbines on Galloo Island has brought to the fore an often overlooked discussion of the need for new transmission lines to get the power from the turbines into the electrical grid for distribution to homes and businesses. ...The location of wind farms contributes to the problem. They are commonly sited in remote or more rural regions where winds are stronger. Doing so can create regional confrontations since the communities being asked to bear the brunt of the lines often do not directly benefit from power being sent into other areas or even out of state.

Eminent domain could be used for turbine placement and total number of units, all in the name of feasibility and "the public good." Local laws, no matter how restrictive, will be irrelevant once eminent domain is unleashed. All three levels of government seem unable to deal with the issue fairly. The state is bent on producing 25 percent green energy at any cost, not protecting rural citizens' safety and individual rights. The county cares only about the money, how much they get and who controls it without any responsibility for health, quality of life and property rights of all taxpayers. Local governments (some) try, but are no match for billion-dollar companies promising thousands of dollars to landowners as fast as they can. Seduced by money that's lavished on them, some officials and landowners ignore problems while trying to railroad through projects before anyone knows what's happening.

According to data provided by AWS Truewind LLC, Brandon falls within a Class 1 wind resource at 50-meter wind power density. There are very small areas within Brandon that, based on data provided by AWS Truewind, fall into a very low-end Class 2 category. There are no areas within Brandon that can be proved to be a Class 3 wind resource at 50-mters wind power density. Not even remotely close to Class 3. Based on our research of the AWS Truewind data for the Town of Burke, there are no areas within Burke that can be classified as Class 3 wind, either. ... What kind of electrical production can we anticipate will come from an industrial wind turbine facility that is Class 1, and barely Class 2?

Wind energy claims to be clean. Unfortunately, we can't say that about wind company ethics and some local town officials entangled in wind issues. There's a deafening silence from leaders entrusted with the public welfare. Conflicts of interest between wind companies and town boards appear to be a regular occurrence in small communities hypnotized by financial gain. ...Cape Vincent officials with apparent conflicts stated they will continue voting on wind issues, letting the legal chips fall where they may. If Cape Vincent gets wind power money, will town funds drain away in a cesspool of legal battles over potential corruption? ...While officials sit silently, fearing controversy or hoping to get through an election, citizens fill the void spending thousands of dollars protecting themselves and seeking answers, as wind power ravages their county.

Two area residents present their views, CON and PRO, for the Jordanville wind energy project.

The development of wind power locally raises many questions and issues that are being addressed and others that are becoming more evident. Yet as the projects are discussed, debated and considered, it becomes apparent that each one does not affect just one town or village alone. The considerations are broader in every case and call for substantially broader oversight and planning. Plans for 77 wind turbines on Galloo Island, for instance involve more than the specific site of the towers. ...In Clayton, the wind developer has offered the town $300,000 before any final determination has been made. These cash promises to agents of government who are then expected to independently determine the appropriateness of a project can be construed as a public form of bribery.

The town and planning boards of Lyme deserve accolades for their effort in developing zoning laws with regard to wind turbines. They have actually put the horse before the cart with every action they have taken on this issue. ...The town of Lyme draft zoning law embraces compromise; it allows for the placement of turbines within the town, including Three Mile Bay, while protecting those who will not be signing a lease with BP. BP states that they may not build in the area if the wind energy facilities law in Lyme is adopted. This may not be a bad thing. Everyone knows that wind turbines are the new sexy alternative energy solution right now. But technologies are changing and the wind is not going anywhere. If one wind developer leaves, another will fill its place – possibly with a smaller, more energy efficient product.

The Town Council and Planning Board were castigated by a number of speakers for providing too much protection as in the required setbacks bring greater than those of other towns and noise-level restrictions being more restrictive than those of other towns. One farmer spoke out forcefully stating that the wind development company had told him that he could have many wind turbines on his land and now under the proposed law will have fewer. The wind developers have acted in an unethical fashion by approaching farmers and other landowners, in some cases years prior to announcing their intentions to the entire community. ...These developers know that small towns, such as Lyme, have no zoning or land-use regulations in place that are appropriate to industrial-scale wind turbine developments. If they had acted responsibly and ethically, they would have first approached town officials with their plans and then waited while the town's planning board and council developer appropriate land-use regulations.

Wind energy still accounts for much less than 1% of electricity generation - and a miniscule share of total energy production - in America. Proponents of wind energy claim that it can be a competitive source of electricity without government subsidies and regulation. But current wind generation and future forecasts rely heavily on government subsidies. Even the Department of Energy forecast of 7% annual wind generation growth does not begin to match projected growth in national electricity demand. ...Wind farms are usually in sparsely populated areas, like the large wind farm complex in Lewis County in the Adirondacks, for many reasons. Vast amounts of land, costly in urban areas, are required to generate relatively small amounts of electricity. ...Even in rural areas, the noise of windmill rotors, which tower hundreds of feet above ground, and their disruption of local landscapes limit their appeal to many residents.

In Enfield, developer John Rancich has proposed building 10-12 wind mills on Connecticut Hill. The wind farm proposal is controversial, to say the least. About 50 people packed a public hearing recently about a town proposal to limit where wind farms can be placed in relation to the nearest road. The hearing came amid allegations of previously secret meetings that violated the state's open meetings law. Rancich contends the "setback proposal," as it is known in Enfield, will wipe out his plans for a wind farm. All of this tension makes you wonder if a wind farm is worth it. We have neighbor fighting neighbor and governments under stress to regulate something they are not familiar with. The end result is the building of large structures that could, if placed in the wrong spot, disrupt our county's landscape. That said, we aren't opposed to wind farms. We just want them placed in the right locations.

The recent court ruling annulling action by two Herkimer County towns in support of a wind-turbine farm is a huge victory for the principles of open government. It should serve as a lesson for all governmental boards that state Open Meetings Law is as important a law to follow as any other law on the books. And it should embolden residents to hold their leaders accountable when boards are shutting out the public improperly. ...The law is quite clear that boards do the public's business, and that in all but a handful of situations, that business must be conducted in front of residents. Let Warren and Stark be a reminder to all local public officials that they must do the right thing, and that they just might pay a price if they don't.

Invenergy LLC recently submitted a flawed application to the Roxbury Planning Board for a wind plant that would straddle the towns of Roxbury and Stamford. A total of 22 of the proposed 33 industrial wind turbines aren't valid, due to landowner refusal. David Groberg of Invenergy claims that they will simply build a smaller project _ an unlikely scenario without the connecting property owner's consent.