I have to say this...even though I disagree with Wiley at times at the Cape Vincent blog JLL I must say he does have a lot of "FLAIR" To Rick's credit it is my understanding that he was once involved in theater and if so that background shows.
Here is the title of his latest post.
"Cape Vincent Public Officials Recognize the Horrors of Art X and Industrial Wind "
Oh Really!!! Whoa such theater! Come on Rick get real!!!
Well how come when I presented them with a resolution TWICE to oppose those Art X HORRORS , just like their own county passed , they refused to pass a similar one. Oh the horrors of Art X!
If they recognize the HORRORS of Art X, then how come they are going right along with it and playing in the Art X game as participants which validates it, and enables it, and empowers it? Oh the HORRORS! If it is so HORRIBLE then why take part in it at all, and instead truly oppose it and deny this HORRIBLE thing into our community.
If Art X and industrial wind are so HORRIBLE then why write a law to APPEASE Art X to look REASONABLE to the HORRIBLE Art X siting board, and why does the resulting law actually ALLOW some of those HORRIBLE industrial wind turbines in Cape Vincent? Oh the HORRORS!!!
And here is the real hoot. Dave Lamora and I have been suggesting a unified regional towns opposition to Art X all along. We even sat down with Supervisor Hirschey and Councilman Byrne, and the town attorney Mark Gebo about this issue of opting out of Art X and passing a community bill of rights to declare our right to enforce our wind zoning. The answer we received was far less then luke warm to the idea of opposing Art X, and getting other towns to join in!!!
I asked John Byrne point blank if he and the board would take the direction we suggested. The best I could get out of him about the HORRORS of Art X was "well we work as a team and I would have to run it by the other board members."
And as I said after he "ran it by" the other board members the best they could come up with was to refuse the resolution I presented to oppose Art X officially. Basically the EXACT SAME resolution the county passed! Oh the HORRORS of Art X!!!!
All this appeasement, and gentleness toward Art X has baffled me....well not really. All this willingness to go along with the State and play by the official State rules and not officially ruffle any political feathers. All this let's play like nice boys and girls. Let's not actually and aggressively and officially be opposed to Art X and industrial wind. Let's just moratorium and regulate it to death within the "official" regulatory political box so we all look respectable! Well maybe this is all actually understandable if you consider...
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20080517/NEWS04/617584592
In the end I guess you really wouldn't want to piss off the State with any REAL opposition to their sacred Art X process and ruffle any political feathers down in Albany, despite the HORRORS of Art X!!!!
STOP, The regional wind energy industrialization of one of New York State's most beautiful and environmentally sensitive areas, the 1000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River and the Golden Crescent of Eastern Lake Ontario. If you don't think you are seeing the most recent posts click on the current month in the archives to the right.
What exactly is your point in referencing this sale of Climax Corp. formerly owned by The Hirschey brothers?
ReplyDeleteIs it that the acquisition was made possible by utilizing certain New York pension funds,and that somehow this would influence Mr. Hirschey's attitude towards Governor Cuomo. or his policies,and therefore influence his actions as town supervisor regarding wind development in Cape Vincent? Are you implying Mr. Hirschey has convinced the town council not to upset the applecart with ART.X because of this connection?
Or is it that the Rochester investment firm (Delta Point Capital)that co-invested in Climax also has several portfolio Companies heavily into to industrial wind energy infrastructure?
Or is it that the other co-investor( Hamilton Lane) is a global investment firm from Pa.with a considerable number of clients in the industrial energy sector ,who helped broker this deal with State comptroller Dinapoli?
Are you really suggesting that our supervisor may pull his political punches because of some financial deal (6.9 million dollars) that sweetened his own retirement?
Tch, tch, tch.
I didn't say it you did! If Art X stripped away our rights and it along with industrial wind is so HORRIBLE as JLL suggests, then it has always baffled me why the town wants to just go along so willingly with the state routine, and why the town would not pass a resolution to oppose Art X just as the county already did. Even the protest against BP on Oct 23rd we were told by the board that we had to be respectable and no signs allowed in side blah blah blah. Have to play nice...WHY? Protest are protests, not tea parties! BP is here to rape and destroy our community after all! If Art X and wind is so horrible it just seems there is a lot of willingness on the town's part to play the game with the state knowing they will likely approve some form of BP's project. Then there is NO discussion or plan as to what will they do if the state does approve BP's wind farm...what then? Is the town just going to roll over and throw up it's hands and say "oh well" The news about the NYS Climax investments has been around since 2008, and I even remember when it happened. About a year after Mr. Hirschey took the lead of WPEG. Even former wind conflicted Sen. Darrel Aubertine showed up to the announcement event at Climax. How nice of him to praise the state's interest in Climax!
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, sometimes things just look interesting. The sale of Climax is not a secret, it is simply interesting history. You know like the BP lawyer being a husband to a high level NY PSC commissioner who is on a board with the chairman of the commissioners, who just happens to also be the chairman of the Art X siting board. Makes you wonder what else is going on in Albany and at the PSC and how it relates to CV?
Maybe Mr. Hirschey just doesn't want to go tow to tow with Cuomo or the state in light of past events. I know from past personal history with him that he doesn't like confrontation. Of course that is unless things don't go yur way in a public hearing, then you call the police. Remeber the incident last summer when dave Lamora asked Hirschey for more time to speak?
I didn't realize that Hamilton Lane and Delta point had other energy and wind investments. That is interesting. Dinapoli's NYS Green Initiative program also has a wind farm investment. Look at this website and on page 11 of the document.
www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/environmental/green_initiative_2011.pdf
Life has taught me that many times on the big issues things just aren't as simple as they appear on the surface. Don't know if that applies here...just thought it was all very interesting!
Anyhow I am going to Las Vegas for a few days. At least there compared to CV things make sense. The casinos rig the games in their favor, it's all about money and their is no bullshit propaganda to try to cover it up, everybody knows it up front. Vegas is at least honest in that regard and it's all out there.
Unlike the wind companies and the Art X bullshit game the town is playing with the state!!! At least in Vegas when you gamble and they take your money you get free drinks. Unlike a BP open house where they will take your property values and dignity, and maybe you get a doughnut and coffee to listen to BP and Chandlers bullshit!
Pundt,I usually dismiss your inferences as just the ramblings of a conspiracy- theory nut, but maybe you're onto something here.
ReplyDeletethink about it-how would one stifle a modern day rebellion without a lot of fanfare and public outcry? Maybe you'd authorize the State Comptroller to invest 500 million dollars of New York common Retirement funds in a Green Initiative Program, which happens to include Climax Corp. in Jefferson County,and the Sheldon wind Farm in Wyoming County. The future of these retirement funds rests on the success of any of these investments.
Who is going to publicly attack Gov. Cuomo's energy policy,and or ART. X legislation, when he holds sway over these retirement funds?
Cape Vincent, whose supervisor was a beneficiary of one such investment,to the tune of millions of dollars, -probably not.
Interesting side note-guess who is the current deputy State comptroller,under Dinapoli- Former DEC. commissioner Pete Grannis who approved the Cape Vincent planning board, under Rich Edsall, as lead agency for the BP and Acciona SEQRA review.
As you say things are not always what they seem on the surface.
Going to risk being sued by commenting on this blog.
ReplyDeleteconspiracy theories are just that-theories.
there is no mystery why the good people of New York refuse to rebell against the tyranny of ART. X.
We are reluctant to bite the hand that feeds and comforts us ,even if that hand is the same that punishes and ultimately controls us.
We have created our own subservience,by relinguishing our autonomy.
Call my lawyer if you have a comment.
7:40 Some good info coming out here.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting about Grannis and the DEC. Everything is just so cozy in Albany! I wrote him a direct letter asking him if he KNEW about the old CV planning board wind conflicts when he gave the lead agency to CV in the Acciona SEQR studies that are now so clearing recognized as badly flawed. There was a dispute between Lyme and CV over lead agency and Grannis gave it to CV and Edsall, despite the conflicts and we all know how that turned out.
The answer to my letter was basically a political dodge to avoid the issue. The DEC basically said it was not their problem...take it to court. That made me think...what if the SEQR was given to a bunch of 1st graders to study and write? Would the DEC intervene then? Because what we got from Acciona and our PB was about that quality. AND Grannis would not officially known of the PB conflicts because our old planning board and town board didn't disclose their conflicts as they legally should have by our and the states ethics codes until 3 years after the fact when they signed the leases. But Grannis should have looked into it, and when it did become public he should have done something to address the conflicts and the PB and the SEQR.
Anyhow...a consspiracy nut case? There is more truth out there about Albany and CV!
8:06
ReplyDeleteGet sued? Over what. The Climax state pension fund thing is perfectly legal, and it is all public knowledge, and I am not accusing Mr. Hirschey or the state or Dinapoli of anything illegal or underhanded.
It just makes me wonder if human nature is such in this case that it is creating a pathway of least resisitance on our town board? It is just interesting and I think a valid question. The town has chosen to be obedient to the state Art X system...that is their choice and there is nothing illegal about that either, although I disagree and think it is an obvious path to disaster for our community.
For example even when the town board found out that the BP CV Wind Farm lawyer was a husband to a NYPSC commissioner, then they wrote a letter to the PSC asking polite questions about the matter and for an explanation and assurances it would not influence the Art X process. The PSC writes back and says everything is just wonderful and all on the up and up, and the town accepts it as gospel and moves on in the Art X process anyhow. Are you kidding me? They now KNOW how the connections are going to work in Albany and what the Art X system is going to do to us and our community, and our board just blindly accepts it all an goes right along. You mean these commissioner down at the PSC don't talk to each other, or have drinks and dinner and discuss things even though there is supposed to be an OFFICIAL separation in the matter of certain commissioners over the CV.BP Art X issue? Get real, but the town just accepts that and moves on.
Makes me wonder why?
All you have to do is look at the recent gun law passed in NY at 1:oo Am...12 minutes to review the legislation. Please, is there anyone who thinks wind is not coming to CV? After the big dustup with Hugo Chavez Cuomo over conflicts when he was AG what was the result? Aubertine given a huge job as Ag Commissioner.He shoved it up the board's ass. Hugo Cuomo doesnt give a shit about the Art X process. Wind is coming unless our board adopts a very "radical" AMERICAN approach to tyranny....FIGHT! They can't see the trains headlight coming. We are toast with this namby pamby approach.
ReplyDelete"Upon receiving an application, the siting board has 60 days to determine whether the application is complete. Within a “reasonable time thereafter,” the board is required to hold a public hearing during which concerns can be aired by members of the community that live nearby the proposed facility as well as state agencies and the municipality in which the facility is to be located. The law does not specify where the public hearing is to be held."
ReplyDeleteThis is an obvious quote from Article X, a red letter Albany seems determined to stamp on NYS foreheads. The last sentence makes my blood run cold. Art. X really has less to do with conspiracy theory and everything to do with where you want your decision-making power to be based.
If the hand that feeds you is the same hand that oppresses you and then, you find yourself rushing to Albany just to comment on matters that should be discussed in a local setting, I would make sure I took a Big Bite out of The Hand. Especially if I had to travel to the state capitol in order to voice the concerns of my local community -- "within a reasonable time thereafter," you understand! And exactly how long might that be? The whole content of Article X can be seen as "conspiratorial" if one considers special interests and their influence on government aside from the nasty details of whose wife or second cousin gets cut in on the deal. It's an old story in these here United States. I mean, it is difficult to trust the Powers That Be when we know their self-interest is at stake and the public interest may not be as high on their list. Keeping things as local as possible is a time-valued way to limit outside power influences, pardon the pun.
I live in a state where X, or something like it, hasn't happened - YET! It's probably only a matter of time before the hammer comes down. We already have wind development here that pollutes the landscape in one of the most beloved scenic spots in the nation. It's begun to look like no one will be able to stop the Big Power/Wind Power steamroller. So Cuomo is running a little dictatorship over there? I can just imagine him rubbing his hands together and thinking, privately, "I'm going to get rid of all that noise coming out of Cape Vincent and everywhere else in the state." Before he runs for President, that is.
Keep fighting, folks. It's better to go down bloody, even if you are drawing blood among yourselves, then to let Big Power march in and erect an army of giants over your heads without enough respect for where their feet are coming down. Best of Luck!