Citizens of the Finger Lakes, this could happen to you:

New York State does not regulate wind turbines!

Apologies to Kingston Trio.

"Nothing to do with saving the world"

Blimey!  Great Britain yesterday: bloke forced to carry 'is bike

Another beautiful day in the Finger Lakes - as we write this, we observe 14 windy degrees at stately South of 5 and 20 Manor.  Perfect weather for staying inside to read Christopher Fountain on Al Gore.

I’ll say it again – and again and again: “Global Warming”, as preached by western (global warming) religionist(s), is all about the power to control (other) human’s lives and has nothing to do with saving the world. Nothing.

Obama wants high gas prices

Crisis at the American Dinner Table

Why did Cuomo delay fracking decision again?

What's that look about?

Why has Andy Cuomo suddenly decided to delay hydrofracking for another twenty-eleven years?  Today, Assembly candidate Bill Nojay theorized why Cuomo the Younger would write off the Southern Tier's 20 percent unemployed workers, and we think Bill has hit the nail on the head.

Bill blames Cuomo's decision to study the "health effects" of hydrofracking on the Lybian terrorists who raped, murdered, and mutilated our ambassador.  According to Nojay, the breaking story that our diplomats in Benghazi had requested increased security before the embassy was attacked, but were denied by Hillary Clinton's State Department, will mean the end of our former junior senator's political career.  And no mo' Hillary means Andy has an open shot the 2016 Democratic Party presidential nomination.   So, Nojay hypothesizes,  our most recent Governor Cuomo needs to keep the Democrats' environmental wacko majority on his side.

We think Mr. Nojay is on to something. 

Are your friends talking about gas prices?

Since the media is ignoring Obama's energy crisis, it's up to you to start the conversation.

Upstaters fight back againt Big Wind

Upstate residents fight back against Big Wind: Windfall Movie

Meanwhile, across the pond: Big Wind decimates British home values

Top Democrat apparently not struggling to pay her bills

In addition to owning a secret vacation home in New Hampshire, we've learned that Florida congresswoman and DNC honcho Debbie Wassserman Schultz drives a gas guzzling Corvette (seen here parked next to her hubby's gas guzzling luxury SUV).

Long slams Gillibrand over ethanol support

NY Senate candidate Wendy Long understands that Kirsten Gillibrand is working to keep fuel prices high and giant ethanol producers  rich:

“The worst drought in over 50 years is striking the heartland of the country resulting in astronomically high corn prices, increasing the cost of feed for dairy farmers, and driving up costs for yogurt and other producers.  Unfortunately, Senator Gillibrand is more interested in protecting her friends in big ethanol than she is in protecting our dairy farms,” said U.S. Senate candidate Wendy Long.

This is not the first time that Gillibrand has sided with big ethanol.  Last June she voted to strike down a measure to roll back $6 billion in federal ethanol subsidies.  The measure, S.1057, was dubbed the “Ethanol Subsidy and Tariff Repeal Act.”  

Would that more Upstaters joined Long in understanding the connection between subprime mortgage profiteer Gillibrand and the high energy prices that are crippling our economy.

Solar City in Seneca County?

Will Andy Cuomo force you to subsidize a giant solar panel scheme planned for the former Seneca Army Depot, home to some of the nation's cloudiest skies?

ENTECCO LLC and its team are proposing a renewable power generation project that will be a “Renewable Energy Delivery Hub,” dedicated to the generation of photo voltaic (PV) or concentrated photo voltaic (CPV) solar energy at a size of up to 2,000 MW, to be located in Seneca County, N.Y.

A proposal from ENTECCO was one of dozens offered recently as part of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Energy Highway initiative, which is being handled administratively by the New York Power Authority. Comments are being taken on the proposals until July 31, with the Energy Highway task force to then prepare a report for the governor.

While the Rochester-based developers reference a "public private partnership," they forgot to mention how much this venture will cost you, the Finger Lakes taxpayer.

The proposal said about finances: “ENTECCO and its financial partners have done extensive research into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) for CSC. We propose to create a Special Purpose Entity (SPE) to build, own, and operate the facility over a 20 year period. We have also developed mechanisms to share the risk and rewards associated with a project of this type such as specialized and alternative Power Purchase Agreements (PPA).”

We tried to learn more about this ENTECCO outfit, but, like the Rochester D&C, could find no info.  We await swarms of Ithaca-based protesters concerned about the huge energy production operation's effects on the Depot's white deer and Seneca County's vital tourism industry.

65 miles an hour

Who didn't have one of those boxy Camrys?  Still a good deal for the working man!

Bob explains Obama'a finacial reforms

Democrats to pound another nail into Upstate's coffin

Next time you hear double-dipper Bob Duffy gassing about creating jobs in Upstate New York, ask him how this helps.

State lawmakers are in talks over a plan to lower New York's cap on carbon emissions, a move that would likely boost costs for coal-fired power plants and revamp the state's participation in a regional climate-change program.

Under pressure from environmental groups, lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office have discussed lowering the limit through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a nine-state cap-and-trade program in which carbon allowances are auctioned off to power producers.

Let's think about this for a moment.  If you're a struggling Finger Lakes homeowner, your second-highest-in-the-US electric rate will go up again.  If you're a swell who's invested in carbon credits, however, your net worth will increase.

"One of the most serious things that has been looked at this year is adjusting the cap, and by adjusting the cap the credits themselves will regain value," said Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, a Kingston Democrat who chairs the chamber's energy committee.

And if you happen to still have a job in a coal fired power plant, don't worry.  

The legislation would likely have a significant impact on the state's coal plants, particularly financially troubled facilities in Lansing, Tompkins County, and three others in western New York.

You and your fellow taxpayers will be forced to hand over more cash to your local government, which by the tortured logic of the state legislature, will make it all better.

Current discussions, however, center around providing state aid to municipalities should a power plant close, according to the bill language. Forty percent of the additional revenue from the emissions auctions would be earmarked for communities that are "substantially adversely impacted by the loss of property tax revenues" or a payment in lieu of taxes agreement "due to the closing of a major electric generating facility."

Fighting food facism

Glenn Reynolds quotes James Lileks on Michael "Mikey Donuts" Bloomberg:

A culture that redefines food choices as moral issues will demonize the people who don’t share the tastes of the priest class. A culture that elevates eating to some holistic act of ethical self-definition - localvore, low-carbon-impact food, fair trade, artisanal cheese - will find the casual carefree choices of the less-enlightened as an affront to their belief system. Leave it to Americans to invent a Puritan strain of Epicurianism.

We've had enough of the food fascists ourselves, and so has Professor Reynolds:

Let me be clear. These people are not well-meaning do-gooders who have just gone a bit too far. They don’t actually “mean well” at all. They don’t mean well, they mean to be in control. They are power-fetishists, drunk on the joys of bossing the little people around. They are not good people. They are evil. They should be ashamed of themselves, but shame — like taxes — is for the little people.

They don't like you.

Ohio solar heist was an inside job

Obama labor secretary Hilda Solis tours W&K, 2011

Back in April, we told you about another solar energy crime family, the W&K gang in sunny Ohio.  In addition to ripping off Italian investors, the green gonifs also got away with fifteen million dollars taken from Ohio taxpayers.  We feel bad for the Italians, who should have done due diligence before they parted with all those lira.  But why would the government of Ohio, a state whose economy was already swirling down the rust belt commode, allow its taxpayers to be hornswaggled?  Hadn't they heard about Solyndra?

Breitbart reports that the Toledo Blade has found the answer:  Ohio's then governor, Democrat Ted Strickland, was on the take.

So, as governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland saw that WK Solar was in trouble after the state loaned them $5 million. Why on earth would he make the decision to flush another $10 million of Ohians money down the toilet?

In 2010, WK Solar executives — including CEO Michael Cicak and president James Appold — donated almost $25,000 to Gov. Ted Strickland’s re-election campaign. Cicak also donated to Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher’s US Senate campaign. Fisher served as director of the Department of Development under Governor Strickland.
Later that year, in July of 2010, the Department of Development lent WK Solar an additional $10 million in taxpayer dollars. Strickland’s administration also approved multiple deadline extensions for required financial reports, as well as deferrals for required loan repayments. [emphasis added]

What a deal for "WK Solar executives" - a measly $25K to "green jobs" scammer Strickland got them a cool $15 million, coerced from Ohio families. 

We don't know if ex-governor Strickland is in the running to replace Steve "Ten bucks a gallon" Chu as Obama's energy secretary, but when it comes to "Strickland" and "energy," we'll stick with Strickland Propane.

Mitt gets it

Listen to Mitt Romney explain Obama's scheme to steal half a billion taxpayer dollars. We're pleased that Mitt has the guts to say it.  We understand, Mitt understands, now make sure your friends and neighbors understand.

Hit 'em where it hurts

Mitt Romney Visits Solyndra Amid Attack on Obama Jobs Record

Nozzolio: force NY taxpayers to subsidize Virginia millionaire

AES Cayuga

The combination of an anemic Upstate economy, fanatic environmental regulations, and the abundance of cheap, clean natural gas being produced in neighboring states has resulted in hard times for the AES coal powered generator on Cayuga Lake.  In fact, AES had made the difficult business decision to enter bankruptcy, and has shut down operations at its AES Cayuga plant.  The facility's landmark steam plume has disappeared from Cayuga's shoreline, except for for brief periods this winter when the plant, which has no heating system, had to be operated to prevent freezing. 

As we've previously reported,  financial difficulties at AES have sent shock waves through local governments in the Town of Lansing, Tompkins County, and the Lansing Central School, all of whom have feasted on the millions in property tax revenues paid every year by AES.  An economist might point out that all those millions actually came from Finger Lakes residents, who pay the highest electric rates in the continental US.

Tax addicted local governments, terrified that they might loose some of their historic ability to coerce gold plated pay and benefit packages from struggling peasants, however, can rest easy this morning.  "Republican" State Senator Mike Nozzolio has decided to use the power of government to force taxpayers to buy AES' otherwise unsaleable product.

This proposed legislation, titled S.6842, recommends the establishment of a power purchase agreement with the New York State Power Authority. The legislation would ensure that the AES Cayuga plant reopens and remains operational for a minimum of three years.

Power produced under Nozzolio's little experiment in serfdom will be doled out, not to Finger Lakes homeowners, but to politically connected fats cats.

Under the legislation, energy purchased from the AES Cayuga plant would be directed to supplement the state's ReCharge NY program. The ReCharge NY program allocates low-cost power to New York State employers.

Harker

And while local taxing entities are thrilled that their cash cow will be spared, let's not forget Victoria D. Harker, CEO of AES and the real beneficiary of Nozzolio's generosity with your money.   Despite the recent problems with her coal burning operation, and unlike many of her Upstate ratepayers, Vicki will still be able to afford dinners out.  Forbes reports Ms. Harker's total compensation from AES in 2010 was $2,661,548.00, with an additional $142,578.00 provided in director's fees from Darden Restaurants.



Updates:  

The well compensated Ms. Harken's actual title is "Chief Financial Officer and President of Global Business Services."   Vicki is reported to be planning to be out the door this summer.

For the truth about New York' s feudal "ReCharge NY" program, see One of Nine.

Where our electricity comes from

From Gannett, yesterday.

Young people from around New York state are heading to the Capitol to call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban “fracking” for natural gas and lead the state toward a clean energy economy.

From our NYSEG bill, today.

Fuel Sources Used to Generate Your Electricity...

Biomass Less than 1%
Coal 11%
Hydroelectric 16%
Natural Gas 44%
Nuclear 25%
Oil 2%
Solar 0%
Solid Waste Less than 1%
Wind 1%
Total 100%

It's going to be difficult to charge those iPhones, kids!

"An economic suicide pact"

If I wanted America to fail, I'd start with energy...