What about our activism against BP’s insane plans for our
community? Was it enough? Was it even proportional or appropriate?
Did we actually drive BP out as some comments
seem to imply? I, like some, would like
to think we did, but I just don’t think that is reality. I’m not saying we didn’t have some impact at
all, but maybe we just got very lucky!
As you saw in my post below the town supervisor Mr. Hirschey
is not very optimistic AT ALL about the news of BP leaving.
However, I believe the economics for BP had a far greater impact
on their decision. I think that is
pretty obvious. Assuming this decision is real and no other shoe drops in coming months!
A lot of the "wind opposition" claimed they wanted to” save”
our community. A number of the local
environmental groups where “concerned” about the wind proposals. Yet the vast
majority were not willing to take control and say NO! They seemed to be willingly waiting for someone else to
do it. That was the main premise...and subject of most letters to the NYPSC...please save us!!! Very sadly in some respects... that
someone turned out to be BP themselves not the PSC or anyone else.
It is a bit frightening to examine what it says about us as
a community, and individuals, on many levels, when BP brought us this nightmare
that would destroy our community and region, and for at least eight years dominated
and perpetuated that destruction completely at will, with no let up, and in the
end were the same ones…and apparently the only ones who could actually end it
for us. And it wasn’t even for us… it
was simply because they had a whim to do
something else.
I think that when the forces that dominate our nightmare,
and our actions, no matter how noble those actions are, basically required us
to stand by and relinquishing control and depending on those forces to be the only ones capable of ending it… then we
have a serious problem in perception as the supposed wind “opposition” and should carefully examine why
that happened, and what created such an environment among so many of us where
we tolerated so passively, so much, for so long, so willingly!
Hats off to you Art!! You could be spinning the tail of how you and others forced BP out. But you told it straight up. Anyone with a half a brain can tell it was mostly economics of the wind industry that made the finial decision. Thank you for having at least a half a brain. Where JLL and Pandora together don't have a half a brain. They just want to keep the hatred in Cape going. I have a feeling they are afraid if anger fades in Cape, their self importance will fade. Just to clear I'm not a fan of yours, but I
ReplyDeletedo like reading your blog. You tell both sides, even if you don't agree.
Thanks...We may not agree and that's ok. I just don't like it when important community issues get spun so heavily from either side. That doesn't help anybody.
ReplyDeleteAnd frankly in one sense I just don't see this a s a victory for anybody and I really don't think it is a good thing when the state determines our future in such a manner no matter what the issue is.
For me personally...I was basically an unknown is this community, although a few people knew me in efforts with Shirley Hamblin to save the lighthouse. I was mostly willing to leave local politics alone as long as they most left me alone, and frankly I would have no real problem getting back to that place.
Last fall a pro wind person came up to me and shook my hand (not Harold Wiley) although he has too) and basically said what you are saying. I warned them I was still deeply anti wind. They said they knew that, but I was astonished when this person said wind was the worst thing to happen to this community.
It is tough to be fair sometimes when this issue is so controversial and you disagree with the opposing side because as a result just about everybody ends up hating you.
But that s the price of that ticket. Just like you coming here and being honest.
Best wishes.
Art, I know you're trying to look at the big picture, but sometimes its better to look at the immediate picture. Regardless of anything that may happen down the road,and in spite of the fact that ART.X could still reign over our destiny, I consider the departure of BP as a victory for Cape Vincent. If economics was a key element in that departure, then most assuredly the lapsing of the PTC played a big role. I know many local folks who participated in the effort to influence legislative action that resulted in this irresponsible subsidy being discontinued. Nothing happens in a vacuumn.
ReplyDeleteThere are many damaged friendships, some beyond salvage, and plenty of hard feelings to go around. Lots of issues to still be resolved. None of that should dampen the sense of relief, and celebration over BP getting to hell out of our town.
I consider it a victory when the goddam blinking red tower light will disappear from the view out my back yard, and I can rest assured it will not be replaced by twenty more blinking atop 500ft. turbines,regardless of why BP decided to leave.
I'll leave it to the voters for wind to worry about the damage they've done to the community.