The PSC Claims NO ROLE in Art. X Siting - You Decide!!!

When it was exposed in the Watertown Daily Times that the husband of a prominent NY Public Service Commissioner was the lawyer representing BP’s Cape Vincent Wind Farm the PSC responded as follows. The emphasis added is mine

“Wind farm approvals would be the responsibility of the Siting Board (Art X Siting Board) , not the PSC.  The PSC has no role to play in the review of the BP project in Cape Vincent,” said commission spokesman James A. Denn, who spoke on behalf of Mrs. Harris”.

NO ROLE????   Really???

I guess you could make a stretch that technically that may be true. But he is attempting to make a complete disconnect between the Siting Board and the PSC and any influence and the connection is very real and very important.

Consider this State website explanation of the relationship between the PSC and the Siting Board. It is in fact the same website the PSC siting board advised the town to look at for information.

http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/All/819F6262C4B3D787852579D0004F0151?OpenDocument

Note what it says about the Siting Board. Emphasis added is mine. 

“The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, "Siting Board", shall be in the Department of Public Service and consist of seven persons: the Chair of the Department of Public Service (DPS), who shall serve as Chair of the Siting Board…”

This very clearly states that the NY PSC is very deeply  involved with the Art X “siting process.  Is Mr. Denn the spokesman asleep at the switch?

The Chairman of the  NY PSC is Garry Brown. Maureen Harris is a commissioner that sits with Brown, and her husband is the BP lawyer representing BP’s CV Wind Farm.  Brown  will also be, according to the website, the Chair of the Siting Board.   Note that it says the Siting Board shall be IN the Dept. of Public Service. It appears like Mr. Denn the PSC spokesman and the PSC are playing a game, and shall we say stretching the truth to down play the Harris relationship and critical importance of the PSC role in siting.  It says the Siting Board shall be IN the Dept of Public Service!  To me this would be like saying the Cape Vincent planning board or highway dept. would not be influenced by the CV town board.  

The town has written a letter to the PSC asking "assurance" that the Art X system will be ethical and fair  Yet here we have a previous PSC public response that I would say is less than forth coming as to the truth about the PSC’s critical roll in the Art X process.

Is this an example of the "assurances" the town will get…if the PSC  responds at all?

What if the PSC doesn't resond at all with any assurances?  That is the discussion of the next post.