Nice Try JLL...But It Ain't True - How About We Stick To The Facts And Not The Spin!

WOW...the WDT story has gotten way out of whack that the three local non-profits, Save the River, (STR), Thousand Islands Land Trust, (TILT) and the 1000 Island International Tourism Council have suggested that the PSC allow local towns to decide their land use futures when it comes to industrial wind energy.

Cape Vincent Town Supervisor Urban Hirschey apparently sent a copy of this article to the PSC as a comment.  OK good so far.

However, Hirschey's rabid supporters like Wiley at the JLL blog and Pandora's Box of Rocks blog are giving the distorted  impression that the three non-profits mentioned above have weighed in against industrial wind energy in our region.  Particularly Wiley at JLL.  Below is the JLL headline. Underlining is mine.

"Cape Vincent Supervisor Urban Hirschey sends  the NYS PSC a Watertown Daily Times article showing industrial wind opposition by three major Stewards of the Thousand Islands Region"

That is pure nonsense!!!

You can read the rest at:           http://www.jeffersonleaningleft.blogspot.com/

Let me say right up front I really wish that were actually the case, but it is not true unfortunately, and the best two of these groups can offer is a cop out stance on industrial wind, and this has already cost us dearly in our efforts to protect this region over the last 7 years.  Wiley is putting an unreasonable spin on what these groups have said and what Hirschey actually sent to the NYPSC.

The three groups are basically saying in the WDT article and comments to the PSC that the local communities should retain home rule rights to decide through zoning and comprehensive planning what industrial wind development they will allow.  In fact I only see one letter to the PSC by TILT, and not the other two groups.

So let's look at the FACTS.  First re-read the WDT article at:

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130125/NEWS03/701259837

The only group that makes a direct statement  in the article about opposition to industrial wind in the region is TILT and they back off that in their official letter to the PSC.  Their quote below from the WDT article.
"Thousand Islands Land Trust’s executive director, Jake R. Tibbles, said that while the land trust “supports the concept of renewable energy and strongly advocates energy efficiency and conservation activities,” it does not support the siting of large commercial wind turbines."

And I say thank you for being the only one who has the metal to stand up and say outright what the proper and obvious solution to the industrial wind issue really is and that is NO turbines in our region. That is what I have been saying for 7 years since wind arrived.  It is what everyone else with any official standing like towns or groups is deathly afraid to say.  Thank you to TILT for taking a lead on the issue that is actually a relevant and an appropriate stance to the invasive impacts that will destroy our beautiful region.

However, in TILT's official letter to the NYPSC they don't say they oppose turbines outright.  They only say it in the WDT article.  You can see the TILT letter by their director Jake Tibbles at this link;

http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterSeq=40867

In this letter he does not say TILT is opposed to industrial wind, only that the Art X board should  let the towns make the decision locally concerning wind siting. 

Well how about Save the River, are they saying they are opposed to industrial wind in the region as Wiley claims?  No.  Lee Willbanks their director says that there should be a three year moratorium and study to determine the cumulative impacts of wind development.  Nowhere does STR publicly say they are opposed to industrial wind in our region.  OK, so we do a moratorium and study...what then...put up the turbines?  It's a cop out!!! Or after three years do they finally come out with full public opposition to industrial wind?

And here is an irony. CV councilman Clif Schneider is or was on the board of STR, and as I understand it helped draft STR's  three year moratorium and study position.  Yet at no time has Clif or the town of CV actually asked for or tried to pass a three year moratorium just as he has recommended.  The best we got was a 7 month moratorium so they could rush ahead and go along with Art X and appear "reasonable", and that ended in a law that would actually allow some industrial wind turbines.  Go figure!!!  Seems to me that would be directly contrary to what the three groups are suggesting in the WDT article

And what about the Tourism Council?  Are they publicly against industrial wind in the region as  Wiley claims?  Nope, not them either.  The best they can offer is this quote below from the WDT article. Underlining is mine.

Gary S. DeYoung, executive director of the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council, echoed Mr. Tibbles’s support for home rule.

While the tourism council has no formal stance on commercial wind development, Mr. DeYoung said he, too, believes local officials should be the ones determining what’s best for the community.

WOW...there is a knock your socks off stand on industrial wind...just don't take a stand!!! That is nice and safe!  Don't want to offend anyone trying to destroy the precious tourism and natural assets of our region now do we!

So only the TILT group, and only in their WDT comments comes close to actually publicly opposing industrial wind energy in the region.  All three rather are basically focusing on the idea of home rule and communities should decide locally the wind issue.  Ok, I agree with that.  But that is what Hirschey actually sent to the PSC...not that the three groups are opposed to industrial wind as Wiley at JLL is spinning it.  And the Tourism Council isn't even taking a stand!

So let's look at the end result here if these groups agree that Art X should respect home rule and local decisions on wind.  Is that good?  Well let's see.  Although very restrictive, Cape Vincent's wind zoning regulations actually allow some industrial turbines, and I believe so does Clayton's and Lyme's laws.

Other than Henderson, there is no zoning law locally that actually prohibits wind.  So in essence there is NO official legislative outright aggressive public  industrial wind opposition.  So far THAT is what local decision making has produced and these three groups are apparently endorsing.

Well what about home rule and Art X and local communities making their own wind decisions? How is that coming along?

Well...so far no local community has expressed public legislative resolutions opposing Art X. like Jefferson County did.  Instead they are all going along appeasing and participating in the process.  And spin it any way you want that IS NOT HOME RULE!!!

So what you end up with is NO public official opposition to industrial wind in our communities and region...and NO official public opposition to Art X.  It's all political correctness and enabling of a system that will ultimately destroy our communities and the treasured natural assets of our region.

Well geee that is real comforting!!!

Frankly it it all nonsence, just like Wiley's claim on his post!!!

If you want to see what really should be done by local communities and environmental groups to protect our communities and region, read below my last post a plan to battle industrial wind and Art X in our region.

I get real tried of all this BS political correct talk and evading the issues and no real concrete action that matches the level of attack presented by the State and it's wind developer clients to take over and destroy or region.

So far we have played along exactly as the State and Cuomo has scripted it for us.