The Balance Of Power!
Think Very Carefully!
What is the actual "Balance of Power" in the Cape Vincent wind battle? What forces are at work on either side and what can be wielded on behalf of our defense of our beautiful community and region and our zoning law... and rights to formulate and enforce that law?
But before we do that we have to understand the arena over which the battle takes place, and what is it we sacrifice if we are wrong, and if we lose. So before we go on please look carefully at the pictures below that I believe show only a few examples of the incredible environment that surrounds us in Cape Vincent and the 1000 Island Golden Crescent region. Just so you fully understand!
This is the PRIZE that one side or the other will take away!
As a result, first we need to be very clear about what the sacrifice will be and how precious it is that could be taken away. We need to be sure that the response to defend what is so unique and precious and that is recognized on a national and international level is equal to what we could be sacrificing if that response is not appropriate.
The power on the other side of this fight to save Cape Vincent or powers willing to sacrifice it to wind industrialization involves politicians, bureaucrats, giant corporations, and powerful lobbyists...and staggering amounts of what really counts ... MONEY!
Let's take a closer look at how that works.
I am going to show an example of one powerful man involved in this battle right here in Cape Vincent. (Now settle down because I am not referring to Mr. Hirschey! ) Not because I want to pick on this other man's character, but because the relationships make a prime example of what we are up against and how that works and how to measure it against our defense. This is the "type" of thing the other side has at their disposal. In fact forget the man, just look at the power and relationships.
Below is a campaign donation list for former Sen. James Wright. He was a powerful NY senator from our region and also sat on the NY Senate Committee on Energy. In addition he worked for an incredibly powerful and influential lobbying firm. He now sits at the head of The Development Authority of the North Country...DANC. DANC has an interest in the CV wind issue since part of BP's wind project power line will run near the DANC waterline right of way.
Part of Wright's campaign donor list while in office as a NYS senator.
AES/ Acciona!!!
American Wind Energy Assoc. national wind energy lobby fight for the tax incentives for wind developers.
Enron!!! Houston, TX AES NY PAC
GE Wind Energy
Bernie and Carr – The CV town engineers.
Whiteman, Osterman &Hanna !- The former big Albany pro wind lawyers that tried to skirt our ethics codes. Did Edsall just happen to “find” these lawyers in NYC all by himself or just on a fluke!!!
Nixon Peabody Lawyers – Argued against the WPEG utilities law suit.
Cindy Intschert – Cindy is Jeff, County DA. who refused to do anything about the CV wind conflicts.
Hugh Gilbert – State Supreme Court Judge who has heard all WPEG laws suits and ruled against each one.
Flat Rock Wind Power – Now Maple Ridge
Greenberg and Taurig Law Firm. – Name Greenberg ring a bell??? This is an interesting one. He was the Cuomo top AG counsel that called me for a meeting that started the ball rolling on the CV AG investigation. He worked for Dem. Cuomo, s AG office and his firm is donating to Republican Sen. Wright. Anybody who thinks this is a Dem Rep. issue is deluded!
Patty Ritchie and Friends of Patty Ritchie Sen. Ritchie voted to appoint form NY sen Aubertine as Cuomo's Ag. Commissioner, after NNY voters removed him from office over his questionable relationship to CV wind developers and support of the CV officials conflicts of interest.
Kevin McCauliffe – Lawyer from Syracuse that arranged all the Maple Ridge town PILOTS.
Alliance for Clean Energy- Big renewable NY (wind ) lobby for clean energy. Remember Carol Murphy?
Independent Power Producers of NY- Wind farms are IPP’s, not utilities despite what our former ZBA thought.
Reliant Energy, Houston, TX (wind related interests)
Duke Energy Houston TX (wind related interests)
CH Energy (wind related interests)
Florida Light and Power – Largest wind developer in N. America. In fact I have wondered if BP sells out
if Nextera, part of FLP would move into CV!
Energy Action Fund – Clean energy lobby.
And these are just the ones I recognized. Who knows what’s hidden in the Republican Committee donations.
Again, believe me I am not trying to attack Wright's character. You can look all this up on the NYS Board of Elections website. It is fact. My point is that it points up the type of "Balance of Power" and connections whether it be Wright or any current powerful politicians supporting the Art. X process and renewable energy agendas. It is up to you to decide if these campaign contributions have any relevance.
Wright just happens to be the politician I researched since he was from our area and apparently took a donation from Acciona, the former wind developer in CV.
Now you might say, well he is on our side because DANC's lawyer submitted comments to the NYPSC questioning BP's PSS. Well they are simply concerned about their water line, and I don't recall them or Wright ever saying anything negative about wind energy, or the development of a major wind complex in Cape Vincent or the 1000 Island region.
In terms of relevance and the power connected to it, someone rather important thinks this IS relevant. That would be the very powerful and influential lobbying firm of Fleishman-Hillard. They hired Sen Wright at one time to an important position.
So how influential is this lobby/PR firm Wright worked for? Well does the name Leon Panetta ring a bell?You know, the former Sec.of Defense and CIA director!!! Browse around this F-H website and look at the names involved in this lobbying firm. It is the top of power and influence. It appears Wright was there to lobby and advise on energy matters.
But forget Sen. Wright personally, like I said that isn't my point. But when you have players on the other side of the Balance of Power like a global energy giant like BP, and Cuomo who was the NY AG and is now governor of a powerful state, and is a powerful player with a green agenda on the national political stage,who is protecting or courting Aubertine who has BP wind leases for some reason, it shows the forces that are on the other side of this issue.
Then you have a NYPSC commissioner who Cuomo re-appointed and whose husband is the lawyer for BP's CVWF. Then there are other influential characters I won't mention in this play book that blur the line between Albany and CV. And I haven't even mentioned that the forces on the other side, like I have demonstrated, created Art. X that ensures that the power falls into the right hands in the right way at the right time, by stripping away your right to protect yourself and what you see in the pictures when it comes to the most important issue the community and likely this region will face in land use issues. We get to control the little stuff like fences, decks, signs!
Point being...do the math!!! When you consider all the above and potential wind issue players on the other side you can bet that there are very powerful forces and relationships EXACTLY like I clearly demonstrated in Wright's relationships.
That is what we are up against and is working to take away our community and what you see in these pictures!
So what do we have to counter this and protect ourselves?
Well with out a judgment as to whether it is bad or good., or whether it will work or not ... (we don't know yet)... we have a piece of paper called a local zoning law and some "experts". And that zoning law's entire viability and existence depends on the powerful forces on the other side because the system was purposefully engineered that way. The other thing we have...again for bad or good...along with a piece of paper ad local experts and their lawyer, is a belief among some that this and an approach to be "reasonable" to those forces is all we need to protect ourselves from the ultimate sacrifice of our community. But of course you have some input and comments against their $$$$ billions!!! That should do it!
And don't forget that for our "experts" to make a case against our piece of paper being put into a State shredder, we have to beg the forces on the other side for the money to even do that! Or referred to as Intervenor Funds. The way I look at this is... it is to ensure they can Intervene on just how much is allowed from your experts to make their case to protect the law the other side will determine the outcome of anyhow! You can see in the intervenor requests the town and WPEG recognize they have no funds to battle against the $$$$billions of this energy giant and their lawyers and the State...just like the one married to NYPSC commissioner! How many billions did BP make in just the last quarter? And how much will the town get in intervenor funds? Maybe a percentage of $99K. BP probably spends that much on a business lunch for a high powered clients!
Oh...and after all this some of that $99K may go right back to pro wind to defend BP's right to trash our zoning law by removing your rights. And if the town decides to take any Art X decision to court...where would the funds come for that? Intervenor funding can't cover that. So if the town and WPEG have no in house funds to hire experts to defend our rights and laws...where is the money going to come from for a real legal defense of our law? Not to mention that Art X law even restricts what the court can consider!
If a shifty salesman came to your door selling this snake oil I doubt if you were in your right mind you would buy it!!!
So I guess the question to ask yourself here is... does this in any reasonable way a counter the billions $$$$$$$ and political control the other side has at it's disposal at all levels to make it's case, and they don't have to beg anyone for $$$$$, at the same time enjoying the full protection of corporate constitutional rights, and at the same time they removed your constitutional and community rights?
So look at a few more pictures of our beautiful region and what is at stake against the realities I have described. Look at the PRIZE in the arena
Then consider if our community's approach to defend ourselves is correct or not, or is appropriately proportional in the Balance of Power.
The sad part is, we won't know until it is far far too late to do anything else about it!
We will, by our choices, be subject to a condition where the final exam will come before we can comprehend the lesson to be learned!
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