[MassHistPres] Wind Power Bait and Switch

Mon Aug 2 15:49:31 EDT 2010

Thank you Chris. JH

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 14:51:37 -0400
From: Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Wind Power Bait and Switch

Ok, time to ratchet this discussion down a few notches.  Please review and follow all the guidelines for posting messages including your name and affiliation within your email message.  

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From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of peter kenney
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 2:13 PM
To: sam bird; carolmcarl at comcast.net
Cc: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Wind Power Bait and Switch

For several years I have heard the oil ploy used as a justification for approving the Cape Wind project. This argument is so flawed as to be self-defeating. Denmark generates 20% of its national electric load using wind power, but the Danes have not shut down one of their legendary and very dirty coal-fired plants. Wind, being intermittent, will always require back-up power from fossil fuel plants.

However, the true flaw in this argument is in the numbers: Massachusetts generates slightly more than one percent of its electricity using oil. Arguments against Cape Wind based on historic presrevation and other considerations should be seen in light of Cape Wind's claims about the project's economic benefits. After all, Cape Wind's developer, Jim gordon, does not claim that the wind farm will enhance Nantucket Sound's natural beauty, or its navigation or air traffic, or its commercial fisheries or its recreational boating uses. He claims that this project will save ratepayers mponey....he made this claim repeatedly for nine years until the truth was made known. We who opposed this project from 2001 knew this claim was a lie, but the Sam Birds of the world would have us ignore the fact that wind power is both not affordable and very destructive of the environment at its various sites. While people might, perhaps, be willing to sacrifice some value of the natural or historic character of a sacred place for a meaningful gain in other terms, granting exclusive use of the heart of Nantucket Sound to one man for his personal profit while requiring the public to pay more for the electricity produced there is simply stupid, and wrong.

War is also not affordable, in the most basic of terms. War for oil is a common ploy used by Cape Wind proponents. It is a cheap shot, a meaningless and entirely false justification for the rape of Nantucket Sound soley to profit one greedy man. Most importantly, after nine long years we finally have proof, in his own words, that Jim Gordon has been lying to the world about the cost of Cape Wind's power.

I think Walden Pond is perfect, location for at least one turbine....what about you, Sam?

From: greenbird-architect at comcast.net
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:05:18 -0400
To: Carolmcarl at comcast.net
CC: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Wind Power Bait and Switch

You probably haven't heard comments here because this is not the appropriate forum for discussions related solely to PPA's and rate structures for public utilities. This forum did have a discussion about the declaration of 560 SM of Nanatucket Sound as eligible for the Nation List  and that was appropriate as it had to do with Historic Preservation.  

The interface of Renewable Energy and Historic Preservation is a fascinating area for study - one in which to goals of each can be directly at odds, in perfect harmony, or anywhere in between. Throw politics, economics, climate change, and nimby-ism into the mix and it gets really exciting.

That said, since the seal has been broken, the issue of the cost of renewable energy is quite simple - for quite a while, given the way we measure cost, it will be more "expensive" than fossil fuel. But then, is the cost of fighting a war to "stabilize" oil producing areas of the world figured in? Is the probable future escalation of fossil fuel price figured in? Is the cost of the damage of increasingly intense weather events figured in? As oil gets more difficult to find is the cost of future Deepwater Horizons figured in? Are the health costs of decreasing air quality figured in? Ask Messrs. Tuerck and Haughton.

The analogy is this: If you sent your husband to the market to get something for dinner and he returned with a 5# bag of sugar you might ask why, and he might say "Well, I looked at everything in the market and this gave me the best price in terms of Calories per Dollar." That may be true, but there are a few other things to consider when planning a meal.  Organic food, local food, quality food usually costs more - but an increasing number of people are deciding it's worth the cost.  With the global effects of energy however, it is not a personal health choice, as with food. The production of the energy each of us consumes has an effect on everyone else on the planet - so this becomes an issue of public policy and environmental justice, not an individual health choice. The Cape Wind opponents have weighed the issue and decided their viewsheds are more important than the public policy benefits of renewable energy - everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Here's a thought to ponder:   Freedom is inversely proportional to population. 

Samuel Bird AIA
Concord, MA

On Jul 30, 2010, at 6:58 PM, Carol wrote:

Friends:

I'm quite surprised that I haven't heard comment here about the July 28, 2010, OPINION artical in the Globe entitled "The great wind power bait and switch".    It was written by 2 Suffolk University economic professors (David G Tuerck and Jonathan Haughton) and describes the huge differences between what Cape Wind told us the cost to users would be (save $25 million a year), and what the actual cost might be.  "Ratepayers could end up paying $82 million annually more than what they currently pay".   Rather than give you all the details here, I have pasted a link to the Globe article below.  It's well worth reading.  (I understand money and costs in not what we usually write about here, but this info is a big part of the overall picture of this Cape Wind project!)

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/07/28/the_great_wind_power_bait_and_switch/

Carol M Carlson
Bedford, MA
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