If BP Is True To Its Promises, The Cape Vincent BP Leases Terminate Today, March 31st, 2014

Today is the day!!!  In the sense that BP is gone officially makes no one happier than me.   

But is it really a victory?  Yes, I suppose it is depending on how you frame the events.  And everyone will distort them to their favor. 

My first reaction to this is that the entire thing is just simply very sad.  BP raped a community and then just walked away with no accountability other than the lease payments to lease holders for holding the land.

On Pandora’s blog I noted two comments.  One was apparently from pro wind and one from anti wind.  Neither really grasps the realities of what happened.

First the pro wind comment suggests that anti wind won the battle and the war.  I don’t see it that way.  As I have said many times going way back to when this whole thing started, there really are NO winners.

In addition this person clearly does not grasp what pro wind failed to grasp all along that created a disaster for them and their agenda.  They still frame their argument once again, as us against them dividing the community and failing to grasp the real enemy and what might have transpired if pro wind had taken the entire community into consideration including the seasonal part of our community. 

Dividing this community and entrenching in some provincial turf battle about who has rights to the community and who can vote here was a major downfall for the pro wind side and set them back tremendously for the outcome they so desperately wanted.  And taking this advice from the wind companies and their PR organizers was an unmitigated disaster. 

As to the anti wind comment…one point that person made was the wind developers should never have been allowed to make contact with town officials with leases. 

I do not agree, and that is an overly simplistic overreaction analysis that fails to grasp the actual legalities of the problem.  In fact this departs from American capitalism and ideals.

It is not illegal for a town official to enter into a contract with a wind developer or any other developer for that matter for the use of their land.  In all the contacts I had with the NYAG’s office this was not even a real point of contention.  However, the illegal conflicts this behavior created when a town official acts on matters related to their financial interests is definitely a different and very serious matter that was discussed in great detail with the AG.

That being said, the town official, whomever they might be should take responsibility and quickly and fully disclose this relationship to the public.  They should not act in any manner on these issues.   Then they should fully recuse themselves by leaving the room, and not voting on any issue which would involve their financial interest.  In addition it might, although they would not be obligated, they might consider stepping down or having a temporary unconflicted alternate take their place, or even a full replacement, especially on an issue so intensely controversial  and heated.

And the person who made this comment if they are a Hirschey supporter better get a grasp on the fact that Hirschey allowed and supported the appoint of pro wind lease holders to his administration and in addition let lease holding officers with obvious and blatant conflicts in 2010 engage in matters such as wind law committees where they might have had the opportunity to favorably impact a wind law to their financial advantage.  Hirschey was even willing apparently to appoint Paul Aubertine to a town board seat at one time when Mickey Orvis stepped down.  Hirschey knew full well what a conflict that would cause due to Aubertine's family's leases.

So let's not be too hasty here about taking to task previous officers on the matter of just signing leases, when in fact the simple signing of a wind lease is not illegal in itself.

When pro wind town officials with leases and the pro wind officers that supported them engaged in behavior contrary to what I stated above as to recusal, and decided to entrench they really badly damaged their cause.  In fact it may have been the entire key failure that caused it all to unravel.  It basically led to the election of Hirschey and the supposed anti wind side, and the downfall of the pro wind govt and what they wanted to achieve.  Early on when this etrenched conflicted behavior began I felt strongly that anti wind could defeat them because basically they were defeating themselves, and kept digging the hole deeper and deeper.

Way back in 2007 I had a meeting with pro wind lease holder Paul Mason since he and his farm are a distant neighbors, and our families have known each other for a long time. I felt we owed each other a fair discussion on our opposing stances on wind.   My parents and his parents were friends although I did not know Paul very well. 

I told Paul that his real problem was not me or WPEG but the entrenchment of the lease holders and town officers behind these conflicts of interest.  I felt it would take them down.  And if they insisted on this direction I would do all within my power to challenge this potentially illegal behavior to remove this govt from power one way or the other.  When it finally came to the NYAG investigation it was a gold mine for the Hirschey candidates to run on ethics.

So when we look back let’s make sure we have a grasp on the realities of what happened here…to all of us!!!

 

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 [AP1]

"Use Photographic Records To Show What Is So Appealing About The Region" - OK I Am Game For That!!!!

See the article at the link below to the Watertown Daily Times about the efforts to get the 1000 Islands designated as a Scenic Area of Statewide Significance


http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20140329/NEWS03/703299881

Below is a quote from the article

"Mr. Dodson explained the steps needed to initiate the project. He said the group must form an advisory committee, collect information, hold meetings and interviews, and use photographic records to show what is so appealing about the region."

Imagine that...well I guess we are well ahead of the curve on that account!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEVADA!

 

 

 

 

 

A Small Effort To Try To Save A Small Portion Of The 1000 Islands - Some 35 Years Ago!!!

This comment came into my blog a few weeks ago under some pictures I had posted of our regional beauty.  Since I was traveling I didn’t have the opportunity to respond.

The comment below.

“Anyway, no matter how crazy you are and how many bridges you have burnt, you did have a part in it all, years ago. There are continued efforts to protect the Thousand Islands with a more permanent legislative action. I doubt after the way you went after them much to the glee of the pro wind that you will be involved in or even approve of the regional wide efforts.”

Of course this commenter does not  have a clue what they are talking about in regards to my feelings or efforts about protecting our regional scenic beauty.  I will get to that proof in a minute. My concerns and efforts for the preservation of the 1000 Islands region go back a long long way.

For some time now since the industrial wind issue sunk its claws into our area there has been talk of getting the 1000 Islands region designated as a Scenic Area of Statewide Significance (SASS) due to its incredible scenic beauty and natural resources.

I do agree with this effort in general terms , although I think we should take a hard look at it since there are some inherent weaknesses, and there may be some ways to plug those holes, or ways in addition to SASS to strength the protection of our area.   But in general I am in favor of this idea and am 110% in favor of protecting the scenic and natural resources of the 1000 Islands and Golden Crescent and I think even further down the Eastern Ontario lake shore.

 Because of my long time concerns about the scenic beauty of the region I was one of the first people in the wind battle to expose the significance of the 2003 CV Comprehensive Land Use Plan and its significant protections of scenic resources, and how ANY wind law would violate that plan. I repeatedly spoke on those ideas and that this plan was the foundation of protecting us from wind energy and protecting the scenic beauty of this area.  Apparently my commenter has a real short selective memory on that account.

And my objections to this CV 's efforts is that they did not go far enough to protect us in CV.  The scenic protections in our zoning law are almost absurd.  For example a mile and a quarter scenic buffer from the Seaway Trail, and 12E isn’t scenic protection when it comes to giant wind turbines…it is a joke!  Pushing giant wind turbines into the CV interior isn’t protection…it too is a bad joke.  Writing a law that allows some industrial wind development in CV isn’t scenic protection…it too is a joke!  None of this even comes close to actual scenic protection on the wind issue.  It is absurd. Our zoning law allowing some industrial wind  development is in fact a violation of our new comprehensive land use  plan which is primarily about community scenic resource protections.  How absurd is it to allow for some extremely visually invasive wind development, and then restricting logos on the turbines?  Put up 500 ft turbines then you are going to worry about a small logo on the turbine?  This is scenic protection nor is it serious or responsible.  What the hell is wrong with this picture?  How do you write a wind law allowing some wind development and with this nonsense in it, and then out of the other side of your mouth claim you want to protect the scenic resources of the region.

Or like CV councilman John Bryne interviewed in the WDT about his run for NY Assembly.  He claims he is not against wind development, just the improper siting.  He better get a clue that there is NO “proper” siting of giant 400 or 500 ft. industrial machines if you are actually serious about regional scenic protections. Byrne is trying to be milk toast to attempt appease everybody.  If you want true scenic protection you need people with a clue and some actual backbone.  The only thing Byrne is interested in protecting is his political future!  His comments on wind energy are absurd and shows how badly out of touch he is with real protections of our scenic resources.

So even though I fully support the efforts at scenic protections of our area, it makes me wonder if leaders truly have a full comprehension of the idea or what it will actually take.

I am glad to see town officials WPEG and others getting behind the SASS idea.  But they better get a lot more serious about actual effective protections.  But once again why are we just like Art 10 waiting for the State to solve our problems.  There are significant things we can do to have vision, and protect the area ourselves.  I will have more on this SASS plan later.

But back to my commenter indicating I might not approve or support efforts to protect our region.

Oh really??? Well let me ask my commenter where he or she has been for the last 35 years on protecting the area’s beauty?

As this issue came up and seeing  my commenter’s opinion, it jogged my memory to about 35 years ago to 1979. That would be only one year after Save the River was formed.

Below you will see responses to my letters regarding a small effort I engaged in to try to bring awareness to protecting at least a small part of the 1000 Islands and Cape Vincent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will see it was an effort to bring awareness to saving Cape Vincent's Carleton Island from development.  It is sad it was never protected because I believe it represented a real gem and potential tremendous opportunity for Cape Vincent and the 1000 Islands and nobody was really publicly talking about protecting it, and the opportunity sadly slipped right by us.

The Canadians, despite their recent environmental wind fiasco on Wolfe Is. had the vision to save some of the 1000 Islands as a national park years ago. This action has greatly enhanced the 1000 Islands protections and its natural beauty.

On the American side we were not so visionary, and other that some nice state parks there was no real preservation of the islands on a much wider scale.

As a young kid as soon as I had access to a small boat, sometimes with oars and sometimes with a small motor, I would endlessly explore Carleton Island and that continued as a young man.  There were cows ranging there back then, but soon even that was abandon and the island began to take on a sort of incredible beauty of a river wilderness island. Even today my wife and I still enjoy kayaking along the shores of Carleton, even though it has been developed looking for little pockets of the island that reflect that past, and a taste of the river beauty. 

 I felt very strongly back in 1979 and even before that this island setting should be preserved as a park.  Trails could be established, docks could be provided for boaters like the Canadian Islands, and maybe a shuttle could be established to bring hikers, fishermen, hunters and mt. bikers etc over from Cape Vincent. The possibilities were wide and significant.

At that time in my life having lived in the West and been deeply involved in the wilderness outdoors for about 10 years I had watched closely or been involved in a small ways in some big western environmental issues.  Although I always knew the 1000 Islands was a very special place, these western experiences significantly deepened my appreciation of the river and 1000 Islands and CV and what might be done here to preserve it.

It seemed to me this island right at the top of the 1000 Islands had tremendous environmental protection  and eco -tourism potential for the area.  Maybe even some economic potential for Cape Vincent.

I even spoke to the town supervisor at the time, and if memory serves me it was Otis Radley. It has been a long time and  I don’t honestly remember clearly his reaction.  However, because of the cost and other reasons there was not much enthusiasm. 

I regret now I did not push this effort much harder, and take it on with the same effort as the CV wind battle. Maybe that is why I fought hard in the wind battle this time around.

 I was 29 then, newly married and in graduate school then teaching in AZ with limited time in CV in those days. I had little political experience, and the size of the fund raising and effort seemed overwhelming to me then.  That was long before the Internet, and blogs and websites etc. that could have made the effort much easier if they had been available.  And getting people in general to process the idea of preserving  an island on only scenic and environmental , that could be developed and produce money instead was foreign to many people.  Unfortunately it still is to many.  What is the point of leaving empty land empty? 

But now we have had a real severe wake up call about the  preservation of the scenic beauty and natural resources of our area with the onslaught of the insane wind industry attack to industrialize our entire region, including the Lake and the threat it brings to regional beauty.

I don’t know if you have seen the excellent Ken Burns PBS documentary on our US national parks?  One thing I took away from it was how nearly every national park region was under some kind of significant environmental threat until people woke up to what would be lost if it was not protected.  It appears with wind energy that CV and our region has followed a similar path.

So to my commenter… You would be VERY wrong with your ignorance and limited and distorted view of me and what I actually stand for.  I was well ahead of the curve on this preservation and protection idea, as much as 35 years ago.  As I was in 2006 saying loudly with my name behind it that industrial wind energy develop in our region would be an environmental disaster, and we should prohibit it out right to save this area as real protection.  And that would be when many supposed anti wind people were too frightened to take that stand publicly. Many still are!

I am very pleased to see the towns and people of this region grasping the importance of this SASS idea.  It is too bad we didn’t grasp it and other serious protections in significant ways a hell of a lot earlier.  It might have deflected a lot of the industrial wind issue.

And in case my commenter has not been awake since my blog opened. Maybe they missed that  I have worked very hard with my camera and blog to showcase the incredible beauty of our region, not only along the river and lake but inland as well, hoping people take a second and more detailed look at what we have, how lucky we are to have it, and what it could cost if we don’t protect it properly and aggressively!

 

And also to my commenter…if you are actually serious about the protection of our region, are you going to put your name behind it…or with so much at stake are you going to be anonymous about that too????

A Thank You To Cape Vincent Councilman Clif Schneider - And Some Observations

We have been on an extended trip exploring the magnificent and remote places of the NV and CA desert.  When we returned I noticed  an article in the WDT indicating that Cape Vincent councilman Clif Schneider is resigning his position, and moving to Wellesley Is.

 

I felt I wanted to thank Clif, and also share some observations from my experiences with Clif in the past.

Clif has been a really interesting player in the CV wind battle.  It is no secret among people who read my blog that I have had major and deep disagreements with Clif’s and the current town board’s approach to the CV wind issue. I have had a hard time comprehending the logic of some of Clif’s rather strange decisions coming from a supposed smart scientifically oriented logical person. I could probably blog on for a long time or write a short book on what I have observed surrounding Clif Schneider as a key CV wind battle player.

 Despite my disagreements with Clif, we were once friends and colleagues in the wind battle and worked on a number of important issues.  Over several years up until about 2011 Clif and I had many long detailed personal discussions about the CV wind issue on many levels.

So despite my deep differences with Clif I would like to applaud his service to the CV community.  He did after all step up during a very difficult time in CV’s history.

I was first introduced to Clif by a mutual friend, I believe it was back in the 1980’s and as I understand Clif’s service to CV also goes back to well before the wind issue reared its ugly head in our community.

Frankly though based on many many detailed discussions with Clif I am convinced he was never anti wind, just as I am convinced by the evidence that Urban Hirschey is not anti wind either...even by his own admission.  After all they both wrote a zoning law that does allow some  industrial wind in CV.

I think in Clif’s case the anti wind label somehow stuck to him and for political convenience he wasn’t all that interested in removing it, even though in my opinion was far from accurate.  Clif may not have wanted 124 BP turbines in CV, but I think in the end had a compromise come along he might have taken it despite all the tough talk about our law.  I also don’t think he was against PILOTs and other tax subsidies that are critical to support wind and solar. Despite the failings of these renewables and the cost to the tax payer.  Somehow this just doesn’t add up to the anti wind label that stuck to him.

I even have an email analysis of the 2009 wind law attempt he sent to WPEG where he basically says that the way to solve the wind issue in CV is for lease holders to convince more neighbors to sign up as good neighbors and this would reduce complaints far better than wind law restrictions.  It is an astonishing piece off really faulty logic.

Just as he is a supposed Republican.  In my personal discussions and debates with Clif he turned out to be one of the most politically liberal people I knew.  But he needed to attach his star to the supposed Hirschey Republican wagon to get elected.  So he probably thought it was far more expedient to just  let people think he was actually a Republican and anti wind.

But I will still say a sincere thank you to Clif for his service and I wish him well.

That being said I also want to comment on one of Clif’s recent decisions.  It is again n example of a  decision based on what I think is a very faulty logic.

Recently Clif has suggested that a letter from the Town of CV be sent to the NYPSC and Art 10 thanking them for the fairness and attention regarding BP’s application for a wind farm in CV.

Again I am a bit stupefied by this logic.  FAIR!!!  Are you kidding!!!  This move just seems outright goofy!

I just don’t get Clif’s and this board’s overriding need to lock their lips on the ass of the NYPSC and the Art 10 process in big sloppy kisses!

So what the hell exactly are we thanking the NYPSC for?????

Would it be for the State’s wholesale removal of our home rule rights on the energy siting?

Oh…maybe it would be that Art 10 left us hanging out to dry as they basically assisted BP with more time to find another buyer, as if a nearly a decade of BP’s dominance over our community was not enough.

Would it be that Art 10 stopped BP’s nonsense in their absurd completely flawed application process?  No it can’t be that because the NYPSC and Art 10 despite all the letters begging them to stop BP and save CV and the 1000 Islands did nothing to stop the process.  It was finally BP that pulled the plug, not the PSC, Art 10, or the town.

Art 10 didn’t do a damn thing to help this community or stop BP.  Instead they assisted an industrial giant to keep wreaking havoc on our community as long as possible.

In fact Art 10 never rendered any final decision in CV at all. So we have no clue what they would have done if BP had stuck it out, and thus have nothing to thank them for.

To be thanking the NYPSC or the Art 10 process is patently absurd and one of the goofiest things I have seen in the CV wind issue.  Just about the time you think you have witnessed all the possible stupidity something or someone out does it!

Well…even so…  best wishes to you Clif.

 

In The Outback

Have been adventuring in the Nevada Desert outback.  Not much cell or data coverage here,so blog activity will be limited a little longer.  Beautiful desert full moon tonight. So bright it hurts your eyes to look at it.

Hopefully We Have Saved It!!!

 

 

The Beauty That Is  Cape Vincent!