LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]



Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Wind power backers full of hot air 

Credit:  Grand Forks Herald | www.grandforksherald.com 2 October 2012 ~~

I sympathize with workers in Grand Forks who have received pink slips from LM Wind Power, but I take issue with U.S. House candidate Pam Gulleson and others who immediately would roll over and extend the tax break for wind power manufacturers.

These “tax incentive” advocates should check into the current contract that MinnKota Power signed with the developer of the Langdon (N.D.) wind farm.

The MinnKota board, in its infinite wisdom, signed a contract agreeing to pay the developer 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour for power produced at the wind farm. Unfortunately, the electricity market “went south” in 2008 (along with a lot of other things), and MinnKota now is getting in the area of 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour when they sell the power on the open market.

This translates into a huge annual loss that is being passed along to all of the rural electric cooperatives that make up MinnKota plus several other regional private utilities, who also are passing this loss onto their customers.

Our REC electric bill has seen a huge 74 percent to 125 percent jump in cost of supplemental electric heat.

Our cooperative at first showed the increase as a “surcharge” but now simply folds the increased cost into one bill.

“Too bad, but things will get better,” some readers might say. Unfortunately, the MinnKota board signed a 25-year contract for the purchase of that wind power!

So, as a North Dakota electric consumer and taxpayer, I am a bit tired of hearing about the need for an incentive for wind power manufacturing firms.

Wind power developers have been milking the system, and the consumer cannot continue to pick up the tab for their double-dipping.

Mike Connor

Starkweather, N.D.

Source:  Grand Forks Herald | www.grandforksherald.com 2 October 2012

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon