Wind Referendum?

I see that the idea of a referendum on industrial wind energy in Cape Vincent is being talked about again.  Of course it would have to be a non-binding referendum due to the fact that NY laws has no provision for a referendum on this type of matter.

But those anti wind  pushing a referendum might want to be careful what you wish for. 

First,  believe it or not, I think there are still a fair number of people in this community seasonal and local  that still don’t get it about the impacts of industrial wind. Many still hang on to their green guilt and think that the wind or solar idea is viable and reasonable energy climate solution. Even our town board and zoning committee has jumped on the solar band wagon despite it having nearly all the same negative issues as wind, and needs the same subsidy support.  The only thing that will wake them up is actual wind turbines in CV, and even then some won’t care and they will just stay silent and live with it.  After all we are living  in a “anonymous” community on the wind issue in CV to a great extent with many still living in fear of putting their names on their beliefs.

If you are assuming the last election is an accurate indicator for referendum results and that many many people are anti wind because the “supposed” anti wind candidates won, then you might want to think that through a little more clearly.  Although the last election was of course about wind in it’s own way, it was also a great deal about conflicts of interest…not about electing anti wind candidates. The Republican candidates even knew the ethics issue would play better than an anti wind platform.  If so many voters were anti wind and it was a lock, then why would they have backed away from an anti wind stance.  There was NO anti wind candidate, and no anti wind platform. There was no willingness to prohibit wind development.  In fact the new zoning law which is a direct result of the last election has provisions FOR industrial wind development in CV even though very limited. I think far too many people misinterpret the last election results as an anti wind victory or mandate or referendum.

One Republican candidate told me that in his 2011 summer election campaigning he was surprised that many seasonals were NOT as anti wind as he thought they might be, giving the farmers and the land owners the benefit of the doubt for using their land for income.  They just wanted it pushed back away from them. 

Then of course you have the Zogby poll as a referendum of sorts with 63%  of those polled being seasonal.  Everybody loves to beat up on or cherry pick the Zogby poll. A $10,000 poll by a very reputable pollster.  The results were not definitively anti wind by any means.  The “wind opposition” like to beat up on me saying by talking about the Zogby poll results as more pro than anti wind, that I am helping the pro wind side. That is a crock!!! It’s not my poll and not my results. It belongs to Mr. Hirschey, and the town board at that time.  In fact I thought it was a terrible idea, and that can  be verified by looking at the JLL blog archives from when that poll was first suggested and voted on.   And interestingly enough I had a phone conversation with Wiley at JLL back around that time where he assured me that he felt something like 70 5 or more of the community had turned anti wind.  That came nowhere close to the Zogby results.

My conclusion is that if you are dead set for the referendum idea thinking that it will be an anti wind sweep, you might want to re-evaluate that very carefully.  You could end up with BOTH a Zogby poll AND a referendum saying the community is not as anti wind as you think because they are not truly engaged or informed as they should be on the anti wind issue, or tainted by the prospect of money.

In the end we have had it’s not about polls or referendums.  I believe that CV leadership should stop screwing around and take the bull by the horns and show decisive leadership and prohibit wind development since despite the polls and any referendums and the uninformed or emotional opinions, the science and research and evidence is very clear that wind energy is a climate / energy failure, tax scam, with far too many negative impacts. Leadership often has the responsibility to be out front on issues like this and do what the evidence indicates is responsible.  In the CV region that would be to prohibit industrial wind and protect our region.