A Free-Market Energy Blog

Wind Power Misinformation in the Empire State

By Mary Kay Barton -- July 26, 2016

“Manhattan Institute scholar, Robert Bryce, recently reported that the wind industry has garnered $176 billion of crony cash here in the U.S. It’s no wonder the American Wind Energy Association spends over $20 million per year lobbying for more of the same!”

Who can be in favor of industrial wind blight, enriching the top one percent at the expense of taxpayers, ratepayers, and the rural environment? Yes, as Donald Trump has noted, “America is being auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

The reason for this travesty of concentrated benefits, diffused costs at the hand of government is half-truths and misinformation. A recent article, NY looks to the wind to replace its fossil fuel diet, by Joe Mahoney, is a case in point.

There is nothing “free,” “clean,” or “green” about industrial wind. Quite to the contrary, the true costs of industrial wind development are astronomical. Yet, the wishful thinking of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Schneiderman, and ‘green’ ideologues who benefit from this massive taxpayer and ratepayer rip-off, have been repeated unquestioned by many in the media for years now.

Mr. Mahoney’s article highlighted Cuomo’s approval of the proposed offshore wind factory off of Montauk, New York, saying:

The offshore “wind farm” could be a symbol of how the state can meet Cuomo’s ambitious goal of getting half of New York’s energy from carbon-free sources by 2030.  Now, those sources represent about 23 percent of the state’s energy draw.

That statement is inaccurate.

New York State’s hydro power supplies approximately 23% of New York State electricity generation all by itself.  New York State’s emissions-free nuclear power supplies approximately another 30% of New York State’s electricity generation. “Other Renewables” (ie: wind, solar, biofuels, geothermal, etc) now provide another 3%, as cited by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Clearly, current hydro and nuclear power supplies alone in New York State are already exceeding Cuomo’s emissions-free target of 50%, but for some reason, emissions-free nuclear is NOT counted towards New York’s “emissions-free” goal.

Most infuriating for New York State taxpayers and ratepayers is the fact that New York State was ALREADY GETTING approximately 50% of its electricity from emissions-free sources (19% from hydro + 29% from nuclear + 1% from “Other Renewables”) back in 2000 – BEFORE Governor Cuomo & Co began throwing billions of dollars of taxpayer and ratepayer wealth into the wind, plastering rural New York with these bird-slaughtering lemons, as reported here.

Scientific Proof MIA

As our government officials continue to misdirect great resources into the wind, the key question that needs to be asked by everyone is this:

~ Where is the Scientific PROOF that wind energy is a NET societal benefit?

The answer is that there is NO such scientific proof.  None. Nada.

However, there is much proof that development of sprawling, unreliable, industrial wind factories has been vastly detrimental across the nation and the world. So much so, President Obama had to approve 30-Year EAGLE-KILL permits specifically to accommodate the bird-slaughtering wind industry.

Governor Cuomo’s pie-in-the-sky ‘green’ energy policy is bereft of any realistic assessment of the expensive lessons already learned in Europe and elsewhere as a result of pushing these ‘renewable’ energy policies. Results include, but are not limited to: “skyrocketing” electricity rates, industries fleeing, 2 – 4 jobs lost for every ‘green’ job created, destroyed habitats and countryside, birds and bats slaughtered, lost property values, health issues, utter civil discord, and increasing numbers of people being thrust into ‘energy poverty.’

All this as a result of the same ‘green’ mess Governor Cuomo, President Obama, and Hillary Clinton continue to push. While they demonize fossil fuel use and promise to rid us of it, the truth is that the availability of reliable, affordable power thanks to fossil fuels is directly correlated with greatly improved health and longevity here in the U.S., as explained by Alex Epstein in his powerful book, The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.

“It’s all about the money!”

WHY do they continue to push such an obvious failure, you ask? Simple: the green is money!

Manhattan Institute scholar, Robert Bryce, recently reported that the wind industry has garnered $176 billion of crony cash here in the US. It’s no wonder the American Wind Energy Association spends over $20 million per year lobbying for more of the same! Big Wind and the Big Banks who back them are playing the system to tap into taxpayers’ and ratepayers’ wallets, while the crony-politicians who enable the whole dastardly deal get hefty ‘campaign donations’ in return. The greatest Ponzi Schemes of all times pale in comparison to the eco-heist these ‘Green Gangsters’ are pulling off.

Industrial wind was saved in the U.S. by Enron as a tax-shelter-generating scheme. Nothing about that has changed. Big Wind enriches the top one percent, the rent-seekers, at taxpayers’ and ratepayers’ expense. Just ask Warren Buffett, who said,

We get tax credits if we build “wind farms.” That’s the only reason to build them. They don’t make sense without the tax credits.

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump was absolutely correct when he said in regard to our nation’s economic demise, we are being auctioned to the highest bidder. The Industrial Wind blight across America exemplifies this sad reality!

Action Required!

What will reverse the present state of affairs is political activism by the exploited majority. Tell your elected  officials to STOP wasting OUR money on the environmentally destructive CONSUMER FRAUD that is industrial wind energy. If they won’t, vote the bums out!

————–

Mary Kay Barton is a retired New York State-certified Health Educator, Cornell-certified Master Gardener, and a tireless advocate for scientifically sound, affordable, and reliable electricity for all Americans. She has served over the past decade in local Water Quality organizations and enjoys gardening and birding in her National Wildlife Federation “Backyard Wildlife Habitat.”

6 Comments


  1. Stan Jakuba  

    Thank you for pointing out the NY fraudulent statistics.
    Below are some numbers for the operating expenses of various plants. It is obvious that we could not afford renewable energy even it there were enough of it.
    In your fight, please point out to this sample statistics about power plant productivity:

    Electricity production at major energy sources per employee in 2015 in rough numbers:

    Nuclear 2000 kW per employee
    Fossil fuels 1500 kw/e.
    Wind 250 kW/e.
    Solar 15 kW/e.
    Hydro, wood, etc. sources are not included because they cannot yield appreciably more in the future over the present yield.
    Stan

    Reply

  2. Jim Wiegand  

    Mary Kay Barton speaks the truth. America is being blighted by industrial wind. America is also being robbed.
    With this industry horrific impacts, protecting corporate interests, are being covered-up in the regions of wind farms all over America. I have the name of a man that witnessed two Hispanic non researchers quickly scanning around turbines, then picking up bat and bird carcasses and putting them in a bucket. He witnessed this during the time when a formal mortality study was supposed to be taking place. Even so this limited rigged and non-scientific study still reported finding over 25 bat carcasses per turbine in 7 month period.
    This man is willing to testify, but no one in this fraudulent green administration cares.
    I also interviewed a employed wind tech that told me about golden eagles killed by wind turbines that were never reported. At this blog there is important information about a Audubon, Wind industry and wildlife agency cover-up pertaining declining Peregrine Falcon numbers in New Hampshire……..”Are Audubon and Wind industry biologists hiding declining Peregrine falcon productivity near NH wind farms?.
    The public has to get far more involved. Stop supporting this terrible industry and wasting their important tax dollars on these expensive energy inefficient turbines. These ridiculous side show turbines can’t solve our energy problems anyway.
    There needs to be public debates or public question and answer hearings that are not rigged from the inside. In other words let someone like me the industry’s fake experts real questions and follow-up questions they can’t squirm out of. These hearings should also include leaders of every Conservation group that has received money received money from wind energy. There needs to be grand jury investigations into many things pertaining to this industry. Besides the mortality fraud hiding thousands of eagles and endangered species, a close look at the bogus energy reporting from all these wind farms would likely show that billions has been overpaid in Production Tax credits. Looking into Conservation group support and the funding they receive for their silence is another.
    A carefully crafted lawsuit should be filed by an ethical Law firm (a tough act) that would directly challenge all the wind industry’s rigged research. If well written, a slimy judge would have a terrible time trying to dismiss it without exposing the inside rigging taking place. Judges dismissing wind industry cases and inside settling with non-disclosure agreements (Altamont etc) has been the pattern all over the country.
    Everyone should read the three part article “Harvesting Eagles” so that they understand this green mafia. Get educated on the wind industry, Interior Department and Conservation groups eagle mortality fraud that has been perpetrated on the public. Read about the Denver Eagle Repository, set up by Bill Clinton in 1997 to handle and hide the flood on new eagle carcasses coming in from “green” energy developments. The Denver Eagle Repository is being used by corporate America to hide the cause of death and the bodies of thousands of eagles that have been slaughtered by turbines.
    In a real Democracy many of these green mobsters would be prosecuted and in prison.

    Reply

  3. Jim Wiegand  

    Wind energy is as effective at solving C02 problems as flushing a toilet is to cure cancer.

    Reply

  4. Rick Steinberg  

    As a birder Mary Kay ought to quote the Audubon Society President who stated in the Societies monthly editorial that he is Pro Wind.

    Reply

  5. Wind Power Destruction in New York State: ‘Clean’ Power Plan Problem | ajmarciniak  

    […] Wind Power Misinformation in the Empire State – Master Resource   •   July 26, 2016 at 1:03 am[…] Most infuriating for New York State taxpayers and ratepayers is the fact that New York State was ALREADY GETTING approximately 50% of its electricity from emissions-free sources (19% from hydro + 29% from nuclear + 1% from “Other Renewables”) back in 2000 – BEFORE Governor Cuomo & Co began throwing billions of dollars of taxpayer and ratepayer wealth into the wind, plastering rural New York with these bird-slaughtering lemons, as reported here. […]Reply […]

    Reply

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