Thursday, April 17, 2008

Official: State targeting polluters

In the settlement, Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. agreed to close its Russell Station generating plant, which state officials had termed a major source of air pollutants, including those that many scientists believe contribute to warming of the atmosphere.

The utility agreed that if it replaced the facility, it would build a modern natural gas-fired plant. If RG&E is sold, or if another company buys Russell Station, the agreement would be binding, she said.

Three of Russell Station's four boilers are shut down, with the fourth one scheduled for closure in early May, Kennedy said. The future of the facility is wrapped up in the possible purchase of RG&E's parent company, Energy East, by the Spanish energy firm Iberdrola.

(Click to read entire article)

Voice Your Choice Say NO to Overhead Power Lines

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

RG&E purchase may be in trouble, Iberdrola chief says

The purchase of Rochester Gas & Electric’s parent company by a Spanish energy giant may be in jeopardy.

Ibedrola S.A. Chairman Ignacio Sanchez Galan said this week that unreasonable conditions imposed by the New York state Public Service Commission might cause the company to reconsider its plans to purchase Maine-based Energy East Corp. for $4.5 billion.

Iberdrola already has taken some sizable steps to gain New York’s approval for the deal. On March 14, the company agreed to several Public Service Commission conditions, including putting up for bid and selling the RG&E Russell Station power generating plant in Greece and four other plants.

The company also agreed to spend more than $100 million over the next three years developing wind-generated power in New York state and to review its remediation plans and schedules for its Beebee Station and Andrews Street site with the city of Rochester.

Voice Your Choice Say NO to Overhead Power Lines

Friday, April 11, 2008

NVBHA Board Meeting April 15th at 7 pm

We are having an Open NVBHA Board Meeting April 15th at 7 pm at the South Bristol Town Hall.

We welcome all questions / comments / suggestions / information that you may have.

Please let us know by email if you plan on attending
nvbhagroup@gmail.com click here

Please feel free to comment to any of the posts.

If you have photos to share on our Blog, please email them to us.

Voice Your Choice Say NO to Overhead Power Lines

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Wind Farm Meeting Tonight in Hamlin

We are not alone in our fight - click on the link to read the article in yesterday's Democrat & Chronicle. At the end of the article scroll through the comments - there are both pros and cons (of course). The meeting tonight in Hamlin was also mentioned on Channel 8 morning news.

Please Step Up and Post your Comment at the end of the article about Naples, South Bristol, Cohocton, Prattsburgh & Italy and the issues we are facing. We need all the media attention we can get - if you post a comment in the D & C, you will be helping us spread the word.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/NEWS01/804090361

The meeting tonight in Hamlin was also mentioned on Channel 8 morning news - we wonder if they will be there reporting? If you recall, Channel 8 came to our Town Meeting with RG&E back in November. Watch the Channel 8 News 11:00 news tonight and the AM News tomorrow.


Voice Your Choice Say NO to Overhead Power Lines

Iberdrola to reconsider Energy East buy if NY court conditions not reasonable

MADRID, Apr. 10, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- Iberdrola SA (OOTC:IBDSF) (OOTC:IBDRY) would reconsider its planned buy of Energy East (NYSE:EAS) , for some 6 billion euros, if the conditions imposed by the New York State Public Service Commission (NYPSC) are 'not reasonable,' ABC reported, citing comments by Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Sanchez Galan.

'If the conditions are reasonable, we hope to complete the acquisition before the third quarter of the year,' in line with the original deadline set by the Basque utility, he added.

Over the last few months press reports have flagged that the deal could be blocked by the NYPSC on concerns about a possible carve-up of Iberdrola's assets in the event of a takeover bid.

The utility has reportedly been in the sights of EDF, perhaps in a joint offensive with core shareholder Actividades de Construccion y Serivicios SA, although more recently a domestic tie-up between Iberdrola and Gas Natural SDG SA (NYSE:GNN) has been tipped as the most likely scenario.

ABC noted that the NYPSC is the only authoritative body in the U.S. which has not given the green light to the East Energy (OOTC:EECFF) (TSXV:EEC) buy, a deal which is key to Iberdrola's expansion plans in the U.S.

Voice Your Choice Say NO to Overhead Power Lines

Monday, April 7, 2008

Results of Randy Kuhl Town Hall Meetings

Thank you to everyone that took time from their day to attend one of the Town Hall Meetings on Friday. The format was a little different than we expected. Rather than Mr. Kuhl talking to us as a group, he gave each of us an opportunity to meet him & discuss one-on-one our concerns.

Many of us spoke with Mr Kuhl in regards to the RG&E powerline issues, wind turbines and the SCIDA issues we are facing.

His response to each of us was that he could not help us as these were local issues. We told him that we have already contacted our local officials. He then advised that we contact Dale Volker and Joseph Errigo. They are the representatives for Naples - zip code 14512

Here is there contact information:

Senator Dale M. Volker

Chairman of the New York State Senate Codes Committee 59th Senate District

http://www.senatorvolker.com/59/Contact.aspx



Assemblyman Joseph A. Errigo
130th Assembly District

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=130&sh=map


Below are the links to find contact information for your representative if your zip code is something other than 14512

for the Assembly: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

for the Senate: http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm


Remember, our group began when we opposed RG & E. We have put them on hold (for a short time), but they will be back. Since November approx 27 wind turbines have been constructed. Take a ride south on West Hollow Road from Cty RD 34 in South Bristol to the Village of Naples & you can count them all.

The Town of Italy is now being faced with pressures to Re-Zone Residential Land to Industrial Land so more of these turbines can be built.

If and when these turbines ever produce electricity, how will the power be carried? Good question... Perhaps we should ask Energy East, aka RG&E and NYSE&G although they stated last November that the Overhead Power Lines have nothing to do with the wind turbines. hmmm.... makes you wonder doesn't it?

The "core" group of the NVBHA have been busy these past few months. But, a few of us cannot do this work alone - if you care, there is an easy way for you to help. Just by writing a simple letter or email or fax to
these two gentleman above and let them know how you feel about the issues we are facing. We need as many people as possible to write, call, fax or email. Don't worry about spelling or using the right words - our representatives need to know that we are concerned and opposed to what is happening in our community. They need to hear what we say & we need to say it from the heart. The "pro" wind companies are urging these same gentleman to extend the energy tax credits. Please help us and to urge our congressmen to stop the energy tax credits for the wind companies.

Mr Kuhl also suggested that we contact the Andrew Cuomo, the NYS Attorney General, at
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/complaints/complaints.html


Voice Your Choice Say NO to Overhead Power Lines

The ‘green field’

The five partners will offer their services to anyone who needs advice on environmental issues, such as a town weighing a proposal for a wind farm or big-box, a business that needs help with permits, or environmental organizations trying to reach the public.

(Click to read entire article)

Voice Your Choice Say NO to Overhead Power Lines

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Important read about Naples & Prattsburgh School Districts

This article was published on 4/4/08 in the Corning Leader.
Schools Sue Over Wind Farm Payments
Read below or click on link to read article in entirety.

http://www.the-leader.com/homepage/x1564575269

By Mary Perham
Corning Leader
Fri Apr 04, 2008, 12:25 AM EDT
Bath, N.Y. -

Schools Sue Over Wind Farm Payments

Two local school district claim they aren’t getting their fair share of tax payments from a wind farm development in the Prattsburgh area.

Charging deliberate attempts to prevent them from receiving proper payments, two local school districts filed lawsuits recently against the Town of Prattsburgh and Steuben County Industrial Development Agency, and other agencies.

The lawsuits filed by both the Prattsburgh and Naples school districts allege the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the 36-turbine wind farm project creates a significant loss in anticipated revenues for the schools.

Both districts want the tax agreement thrown out for the wind turbines that stretch along hillsides in Prattsburgh and Naples.

According to separate complaints filed in Steuben County Supreme Court, Prattsburgh schools will lose $1.3 million in anticipated revenues, and the Naples school district as much as $560,000 in expected revenues.

The annual losses are based on the number of wind turbines located in each district. Payments-in-lieu-of-taxes typically allow an industry to operate for up to 20 years without paying the full value of its property tax. Instead, the businesses pay a set fee each year, which gradually increases to full taxation.

By state law, the county and towns generally split 52-53 percent of the annual payments, with the school districts taking in 47-48 percent of the money.

But the tax agreement wind farm developer UPC signed with the Town of Prattsburgh did not provide any funds for the school districts. The town agreement was then used to sharply reduce the tax payments, according to lawyers for the both districts.

Edward Primo, attorney for the Naples school district, said SCIDA failed to work on behalf of all the groups affected by the tax payment package.

“It’s supposed to benefit not just one of them, but all of them,” Primo said Thursday. Prattsburgh Central School Superintendent Joseph Rumsey said the action is designed to give the board of education more time to study its options.

“The board feels that it has the fiscal responsibility to all the six towns in the district to look further into this, Rumsey said. “They have great relations with the town board and they want that to remain in the future.”

Rumsey, the school superintendent since January, said the board only recently learned the terms of the tax agreement and feels it is “not proportionate.”

The district is in a more difficult position than Naples, since taking action could affect its taxpayers, accordingto Rumsey.

Prattsburgh town and SCIDA officials worked “largely behind the scenes” to prevent the school districts from participating in the agreements, according to the Naples’ complaint.

Other allegations include:
  • A deliberate intention by SCIDA to get around general municipal law.
  • Lack of consultation with the school districts.
  • Action designed to benefit the town to the district’s detriment.
  • Incomplete information provided to districts on the developers, project scope or number of turbines in the districts.
  • Improper public notice by the Town of Prattsburgh of public meetings and the hosting agreement.
  • Districts have either received incomplete documents or no documents on the final tax agreement after formal requests.
Other agencies named in the lawsuit are Steuben County as a recipient of the PILOT payments, and Windfarm Prattsburgh, the local UPC agent.

UPC declined to comment on the pending litigation, but John Lamontagne, UPC spokesman, issued a statement saying, “We remain excited about the Prattsburgh project and appreciate the community support we've had to date."

Prattsburgh Town Attorney John Leyden and SCIDA Executive Director James Sherron were unavailable for comment. Prattsburgh Town Supervisor Harold McConnell and SCIDA Attorney Russ Gaenzle did not return The Leader’s calls.