House of Representatives Energy Committee February 13, 2007 CWW Letter by James Hall

[Cohocton Wind Watch - Interactive Community]

February 13, 2008

Honorable Congressman
House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

RE: Reintroduction of industrial wind credits

Dear Representative:

Cohocton Wind Watch has a national membership of concerned citizens that seek realistic solutions for effective and efficient alternative energy. The original House Stimulus Bill excluded tax credits for industrial wind. This was the correct and appropriate decision. Since the signing of the Stimulus Bill by President Bush, the dreadful news that the Democratic leadership in the House will be seeking to pass a wide-ranging, $17.5 billion renewable energy bill has been reported.

Under the bill, Congress would extend for three years, until Dec. 31, 2011, tax credits for investments in wind-power developments. CWW ardently opposes the inclusion of tax credits to industrial wind projects in any future legislation.

Industrial wind projects provide intermittent power, at best; which requires conventional power stations to operate and remain in service. Most of the electricity from wind turbines is produced at night in cold months, not on hot weekday late afternoons in July and August when electricity demand reaches peak levels.

The inconsistent wind patterns in many of the regions slated for destructive industrial development means that wind projects can only provide negligible useful electricity. Yet, large scale use of wind turbines requires upgrading of the electricity grid, more complex grid management, and operation of additional thermal power stations to protect against power cuts in time of supply failure. These effects increase the cost of electricity supplied by the grid in addition to the capital, maintenance and operating costs of this inefficient technology.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) cannot be justified for an uneconomical wind industry. REC prices should be adjusted based on a project's actual supply of electricity not energy capacity (i.e. time of day, time of year, and location adjustments).

The presence of ex-Enron executives, foreign ownership and questionable business practices has lead to the filing of an Anti-trust complaint, DA criminal probe and an AG investigation into the wind industry in New York State. The pattern of a culture of corruption is at the core of the numerous bribe allegations and political payoffs. This has lead to scores of legal actions in every state where the wind industry has encroached upon residential areas. Inadequate turbine siting places public health and safety at serious risk.

CWW urges you to exclude the industrial wind projects from any future tax credit legislation. We also request that House members hold hearings on the consistent pattern of Anti-trust violations that is systemic within the industry. Cohocton Wind Watch has hundreds of member supporters and a prominent web presence.

Regards,

James Hall for CWW

[Tom Tanton]

James, just FYI--RECs are adjusted, calculated based on actual energy production--not on capacity. I think your letter is great, but for this slight technical error. While RECs are calculated and 'awarded' based on annual energy production, tthat does treat time of production (time of year, day anad hour) completely wrong. Note for other readers: RECs (renewable energy credits) are not the same as renewable energy tax credits (via production tax credits nor variouis state level subsidies)