So Where Is The 1000 Islands Regional Wind Opposition????

Since June of 2006 I have stood strongly and very publicly opposed to industrial wind development in Cape Vincent and the 1000 Islands / Golden Crescent region. Many of the other people outright opposed to wind development stay anonymous or water down their stance.

So where is the public opposition to industrial wind development?  I see a lot of lip service, but even that has no real back bone.

So let's take a look at this so called "anti wind" or "wind opposition" movement.

Let's start with the Cape Vincent group The Wind Power Ethics Group (WPEG).

First nothing in the name suggests they are anti wind.  In fact they very definitely will not say publicly they are anti wind, and it has been that way since 2006.  I guess they feel they might hurt somebody's feelings!  You know...like BP!!!

The Clayton group ECCO (don't know if it still exists) on one statement actually said they were pro wind but concerned about wind development.  Pro wind ????

The CV candidates Hirschey, Oswald, and Bragdon in their current campaign flier are talking that our new zoning only limits industrial wind development.  Mr. Bragdon in his own campaign statement says he wants to do wind development "right"!  What the hell does that mean?  In fact CV zoning does not ban industrial wind but allows some.

CV Town Board members Byrne and Oswald made statements at one time that were anti wind, but the Hirschey camp squelched that real quick!

Mr. Hirschey, the CV Supervisor on TV in 2011 said he is not against wind development.  In fact Hirschey didn't want the one truly and very vocal nationally known industrial wind opponent John Droz to come speak in CV.  Go Figure!  And every WPEG public presentation on wind HAD to have the pro wind side presented.  In fact in most of those presentations there was not a truly anti wind point of view.

Bob Brown, the chairman of the CV zoning law committee said on NPR that the CV zoning was not drafted to prohibit wind development.

Henderson is the only local town I know of that banned industrial wind development.  All the other towns near the Lake or River have passed laws that  restrict, but do not ban industrial wind development.  At least they showed some brass!!!

I also noted this statement on the JLL blog today from a group of Clayton concerned citizens ("concerned" is the buzz word!)  Corporate industrial wind energy giants are about to lay waste to one of NYS's most beautiful and precious regions....Oh but don't worry...we are concerned!!!

"PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND this meeting to be held in the heart of the proposed industrial wind development.   We must stop this development going through in it’s PRESENT form.  It needs to be revised and stopped."

What the hell is this PRESENT FORM crap???  Is there now a form of industrial wind development in Clayton or the region that is OK???

And the last part doesn't even make any sense. Revised AND stopped????  OK are we now revising... or stopping, which one is it??? 

So why should I attend this meeting...what's the point.  As soon as they actually figure out what they stand for and can articulate it and stop playing these appeasement games ...maybe then I will attend.  Other than that it is a waste of time!

There seems to be a lot of disturbing rhetoric on the supposed wind "opposition" side lately.

Revise
Limit
Restrict
Present Form  etc. etc. etc!!!

The State was very clever in their approach.  Take away community home rule rights and threaten communities with the Art. X process and suddenly the entire wind opposition will go limp!

Everyone is screaming how we have to save the 1000 Islands from wind development, yet no one seems to have the actual backbone to do what it takes.