[MassHistPres] Wind Power Bait and Switch

Mon Aug 2 17:11:47 EDT 2010

Chris,
My thanks also - and my apologies for rising to the bait - won't  
happen again.

Samuel Bird AIA, LEED AP
Past Chair - Concord Historic Districts Commission

On Aug 2, 2010, at 2:51 PM, Skelly, Christopher @ SEC wrote:

> Ok, time to ratchet this discussion down a few notches.  Please  
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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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