Letter: Stop throwing money at windmills

To the Editor:

Amelia Schoeneman wrote endorsing continuing tax credits for wind energy (R-E, Sept. 29).

Wind energy is not "clearly a winner in Minnesota." The Production Tax Credit or PTC should not be extended.

I thank Rep. John Kline for signing a letter stating the wind PTC needs to end. His actions are responsible and grounded in reality.

Wind hand-outs need to stop. Wind has not proven itself, has negative impacts, and is costly. We can’t repeat mistakes Europe already made giving no oversight to massive subsidies that harmed their people and damaged their economies.

We need facts and analysis. An abbreviated listing shows that wind:

• is not dispatchable on demand;

• is produced and sold at off peak times when not needed;

• is so highly subsidized and mandated, its artificial pricing causes cost to be passed on to rate payers;

• has health, environmental, and property impacts;

• has no mitigation plans for migratory flyways and radar disruption causing great risk to vulnerable targets;

• subjects communities to predatory developers tied into Wall Street schemes.

I urge readers to study this issue in greater depth. The outrageous statement that wind has the potential to provide 25 times Minnesota's energy needs" is irresponsible. Developers here have unveiled faulty plans while state agencies cheerlead for developers. Minnesota has been hijacked by Florida Power and Light and other reinvented Enron entities, their attorneys, and lobbyists. Iowa PSC applications for rate increases don’t make wind “free” there, either. It is dangerous to continue spending endless public dollars for decades more.

End artificial support for unrealized “potential.” It’s corporate cronyism. We can better afford careful research and development, better accountability for public dollars, and more conservation — all far more beneficial.

Respectfully ask Congress to stop throwing away your money on the wind bailout. (Lobbyists are working hard for extensions.) Simply call your congressmen and say you want to go on the record to stop the wind PTC.

Marie McNamara

Goodhue

Tags: opinion, letters