Also see: Earth Day: Cape Cuts Wind
Cape Wind Clean Up
Yeah, I thought something stunk.
"Wal-Mart challenges Cape Wind’s high prices" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | June 17, 2010
The high cost of power from Cape Wind is being challenged by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest company yet to voice complaints about the price it would have to pay for the wind-generated electricity.
In filings with the state, Wal-Mart said the high prices set by Cape Wind’s first contract to sell electricity will lead to higher costs for the retailer. Wal-Mart already pays more than $2 million a year to power 28 Massachusetts stores served by National Grid, which negotiated the deal with the offshore wind farm.
The contract gives Cape Wind, which is expected to begin generating electricity in 2013, a starting price that is more than double the current basic residential rate for conventional power. The agreement is subject to approval by the Department of Public Utilities, which held the first public hearing on the deal last night in Bridgewater....
Some advocates believe the extra cost of Cape Wind power is a reasonable price to pay for cleaner energy....
Renewable energy advocates say Wal-Mart’s challenge to the contract raises questions about the retailer’s commitment to clean energy. Wal-Mart has promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions and said it would push suppliers to “green’’ their operations. Wal-Mart recently installed wind turbines of its own at a new store in Worcester.
Dan Bakal, director of electric power programs for the green investment coalition Ceres in Boston, said it is typical for large companies to express concern about electricity rates. Wal-Mart’s filing was surprising, he added, because of the company’s previous attention to environmental issues.
“It is a bit of a disconnect around their commitments to efficiency and renewables and their supply chain,’’ he said.
Wal-Mart lied? No way!
Mark Rodgers, spokesman for Cape Wind, said Wal-Mart’s filing was “unfortunate’’ for the company’s reputation as a supporter of renewable energy.
“They have, with great fanfare, introduced a lot of initiatives to try to green up their corporate image,’’ Rodgers said, “and, I think, by coming out against the contract for the highest profile clean energy project in the country, that really sets them back.’’
Hey, a PR POLISH really doesn't cost them anything at all!
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So how do the PEOPLE that LIVE THERE feel?
"Community debates $3b Cape Wind deal; Utility says project is essential, but costs worry some" by John Dyer, Globe Correspondent | June 17, 2010
Opponents and advocates debated the first contract to buy power from Cape Wind at a public hearing in Bridgewater last night. It was the first opportunity for energy executives, concerned citizens, and environmental advocates to voice their support or opposition to a $3 billion agreement seen as vital to the success of the controversial wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound.
Most proponents of the project at the hearing stressed its ecofriendliness and the jobs it would create. Detractors said the contract was a deceptive giveaway to big business that would result in exorbitant electricity rate hikes....
Yes, that SEEMS to be what is happening.
Don't you wish they TOLD YOU THAT as they were PUSHING the AGENDA, ratepayers?
Mashpee resident Richard Elrick said critics of the project just didn’t want it in their backyards, and should consider the plight of Gulf Coast residents. “There are some backyards that are being affected by fossil fuels,’’ he said. “We have an obligation, I’d argue, a fundamental obligation, to choose a different future.’’
Don't use BP's NEGLIGENCE against us, a**hole!!!!
So who else is all for it?
"Cape Wind gets a boost from CEOs" by D.C. Denison, Globe Staff | July 1, 2010
The giant retailer Wal-Mart and one of the state’s largest business groups may have expressed concern about the high cost of Cape Wind’s electricity, but several chief executives say they are willing to pay more for clean energy....
Yeah, they will just pass the costs on to you as they collect their eight figure salaries.
Cape Wind developer Jim Gordon said wind energy would reduce the military costs of defending Persian Gulf oil supply lines....
Why don't we make deals with people the way the Chinese do instead?
Executives at the session raised few objections to the higher energy costs....
And the PEOPLE, Globe?
Thomas May, chief executive of NStar, the state’s second-largest utility, in an interview with the Globe earlier this year, said, “Clean energy isn’t cheaper energy.’’
Then give me whatever costs less.
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"Critics get say on wind farm rate deal; Backers will also be able to weigh in" by Erin Ailworth and Beth Daley, Globe Staff | July 10, 2010
Wal-Mart and other critics of the cost of electricity from the proposed Cape Wind energy project won the legal right yesterday to weigh in as the state Department of Public Utilities decides whether to approve a price contract.
The decision by the DPU allows 13 groups as diverse as the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, the project’s most vocal opposition group, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, which is in favor of the project, to call witnesses, conduct discovery, and ultimately appeal any decision the DPU makes in coming months about a deal struck by Cape Wind and National Grid, and whether it is in the best interests of consumers....
They sold this thing saying it was!!
Cape Wind has asked state utility officials to expedite their decision to ensure that the project meets a deadline to be eligible for federal tax breaks....
Oh, so THAT i$ what thi$ i$ ALL ABOUT!
Your guiding star, Bay-Staters:
"Cape Wind not among NStar’s contracts" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | July 10, 2010
The utility company NStar has made deals to buy electricity from three Western Massachusetts wind farms — but not Cape Wind, a controversial offshore wind farm that is the state’s largest renewable energy project....
The three wind farms with NStar agreements are the Douglas Woods Wind Farm in Douglas, the Hoosac Wind Project in Monroe and Florida, Mass., and the Brimfield Wind project in Brimfield. All are land-based....
So WHO is looking out for you, ratepayers?
"AG seeks Cape Wind’s profit estimates; Coakley questioning consumer benefit" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | July 9, 2010
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is demanding that Cape Wind’s developers disclose cost and profit estimates for the energy project and is questioning whether power from the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm would be a good deal for consumers....
Answer: it is not.
The price would not cause customer bills to increase dramatically, because power from Cape Wind will be a small portion of the electricity National Grid sells. But customers’ bills are still apt to increase, reflecting the costs built into the contract....
As if you could afford it.
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And who is going to benefit off all this?
A filing with the state from Cape Wind officials identifies several companies interested in participating in the controversial energy project....
The filing, made Friday by attorney David S. Rosenzweig, argues against Attorney General Martha Coakley’s attempt to review cost and profit estimates for the proposed offshore wind farm....
The filing includes letters of support from a division of the Spanish firm Iberdrola; Siemens Energy Inc., which has an agreement to provide the turbines for Cape Wind; the insurance advisory firm Willis of Massachusetts Inc. that is hoping to become Cape Wind’s insurance broker; and a joint venture called Kiewit/Weeks/Cashman that is hoping to help construct the project.
In May, the utility National Grid agreed to purchase power from Cape Wind, which recently gained federal approval to build turbines in Nantucket Sound. The agreement was seen as a crucial step to attract financing to build Cape Wind. The contract agreement is subject to approval by the state Department of Public Utilities. As the state’s advocate for ratepayers, the attorney general is reviewing the deal.
Coakley argues that the cost and profit estimates she requested are necessary to determine whether power generated by the 130-turbine wind farm is cost effective — one of the criteria state officials must consider.
Guess what? It is not.
--more--"Time to vote: Would you pay extra for green energy?
