Who is Breaking all that Wind in Jefferson County?

The circus is officially coming to town. We aren't talking about the race for NY-23, or last night's season premier of the Bachelor where ladies put their tata's out to play with Bachelor Jake's heartstrings, and no, we aren't referring to the Buffalo Bills lousy .375 winning percentage this year either.

We are talking about tonight's BIG SHOWDOWN with the Jefferson County Legislature. To find out more about the proposed PILOT and the aggressive tactics being employed to develop wind energy projects we invited Bert Bowers, Co-Chair of the Coalition for the Preservation of the Golden Crescent and the Thousand Islands, to give us his perspective on things. Bert's team, has been farting all over -- doing everything they can to break wind and put a stop to what they believe is an unfair and unsustainable proposal to develop wind farms on the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. The debate tonight, it seems, goes well beyond some ramshakel island you can find heading south off I-81 from Watertown. It is about something much, much bigger than you or I, or this awesome blog.

This is really a debate about the proper role of county government, unelected bureacurats making decisions that directly affect our everyday lives, our property rights and values, our tax structures as well as basic transparency in government. On nights like these where rumor has it the people are coming out en masse to defend their property, their environment and their way of life, you just have to wonder why Congressman Bill Owens and no other Republican candidate for Congress has made an effort to reach out to this team of people that make up this formidible citizen lobbying group making headlines across NY-23, www.preservethegoldencrescent.com. And so we begin!

Buggs Buddy Question: Bert, thanks for taking the time to address this fascinating topic which has so much relevance to our politics and our way of life in NY-23. Can you please tell us what the most important thing you have learned about wind development since the debate came to the eastern shores of Lake Ontario?

Bert Bowers, Co-Chair of The Coalition for the Preservation of the Golden Crescent and the Thousand Islands, Response: Wind power has not, in this case or in general, been proven to reduce overall use of fossil fuels or reduction of greenhouse gases. Wind developers claim that WTG installations are "clean and green," but do not supply any analyses to demonstrate that wind power actually reduces the use of fossil fuels or the emission of greenhouse gases. The poor efficiency of wind power is not a result of deficiencies in the design of the turbines, but is simply a result of the natural variability in the wind's velocity. We are asked to accept that all of the environmental problems created by the construction and operation of this proposed facility are acceptable or are in some way mitigated in order for the development to proceed.

We are asked to accept all of these negative effects based on the unsupported assumption that the electricity produced by the turbines will enable utility companies to significantly reduce their use of fossil fuels and the consequent emission of greenhouse gases.

This assumption that the WTG fulfill their intended purpose is questionable because of the extreme variability of the wind. The operation of the WTG effectively magnifies the variability of wind, as the kinetic energy in wind is a function of the cube of the wind speed. Thus a doubling of wind speed will cause the WTG to produce eight times the energy or conversely if the wind speed drops by half, the electricity will be merely one-eighth.

The only types of existing generators capable of accommodating the extreme variability of the wind are hydro-power and simple gas turbine powered generators. These are the generators that will need to be used to “fill-in” the approximately 70 % of the WTG rated capacity that is not produced by the wind turbines due to the natural variability and unpredictability of wind.

Obviously, to the extent that hydro-power is used to balance the variability of the wind, there will be no reduction in fuel usage or emissions as we will simply be substituting one form of non-polluting power for another.

If the balancing is done with simple gas turbines, it will require them to be operated in a very inefficient manner. This mode of operation is similar to a car being operated in a manner that includes sudden stops and jackrabbit starts. The fuel economy will be poor and a high ratio of unburned hydrocarbons will be emitted. There are a number of available studies that indicate that the provision of more efficient, combined-cycle gas turbines alone would be more efficient and reduce both the emissions and investment than the case of simple gas turbines combined with WTG installations. All we see from the wind energy proponents are the meaningless slogans they promote such as “Clean, Green and Free.”

Buggs Buddy: Has Congressman Bill Owens or any of the potential NY-23 Republican challengers met with your group to learn about your issues and concerns?

Bert Bowers: No, but the Coalition is barely two months old.

Buggs Buddy: Many people, when they think of wind energy, automatically think “green.” They think that “green is good” and that since wind is renewable it must be good for the environment and that it therefore must be good for the residents of Jefferson County. Some critics might say that the people in Henderson just don’t want the wind turbines because they are flat-out ugly and might devalue private property, not because they are harmful for the environment. Can you give us a sense of how you respond to your critics when they bring up these issues, or the fact that proponents say they are getting a real deal with federal support?

Bert Bowers: I don't favor turbines because they cannot and will not save us from using fossil fuels to generate electricity (See answer to your first question above). They create an impression among the public that we are taking action to solve our problems, but we are simply handing out government money to groups of investors who qualify by building wind turbine facilities. Most of the stimulus funds handed out for wind turbine development have gone to European companies. The only "green" is the money we give away to wind turbine developers.

Buggs Buddy: Some activists who oppose the PILOT say other local citizens who are also opposed to wind development are scared to speak up, that people are fearful of being targeted by elected town officials. Do you think there is any truth to that? Do you believe town officials are vindictive or that they have a real financial stake in the wind project? And have most of your inquiries been answered by local officials, regulators and developers who have an interest in seeing the project move forward on Galloo Island?

Bert Bowers: No. I have been speaking out against the wind developers for the past three years. I think it is more a case of people not being aware of what is going on or being uninformed or misinformed. There are a number of Town Officials and County/State Officials who are clearly conflicted on this issue.

Buggs Buddy: Do you think wind developers are deliberately targeting poor rural areas? Do you think there is any legitimate place for wind developers to go in New York State? Would you feel differently about the project if the subsidies were going to local manufacturers of the turbines?

Bert Bowers: Yes, they are targeting poor, rural areas. No, I do not believe there is a place anywhere in NYS for wind development -- it is clearly a hoax. I would hope that NY manufacturers would steer clear of manufacturing these useless machines.

Buggs Buddy: Will you be working to replace any legislator that supports the PILOT or other measures that would allow for expanded wind power development? What is your next plan of action in dealing with the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency?

Bert Bowers: Yes, I will oppose any official who works in favor of the wind developers. I am on record as opposing the very idea of a PILOT for a development that, in the Golden Crescent/Thousand Islands area will cause a net loss in employment by chasing away the tourist/vacationer community who are one of the principal supports of our local economy.

Buggs Buddy: Bert, thanks for your time and your answers to our questions. We will be following the issue and how the Jefferson County Legislature votes on the PILOT. We hope to stay in touch and continue the dialogue with you and your team. Best of luck to you!