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

Citizens are entitled to see public documents; Citizens should utilize tools to get public information 

Credit:  Democrat and Chronicle, rocnow.com 19 August 2010 ~~

Recent demands for information on wind turbine proposals in Lake Ontario should act as a good reminder to citizens that secretive governments need to be challenged.

In the case of the wind turbines, both the Democrat and Chronicle and, most recently, state Sen. George Maziarz of Niagara County, are pressing the New York Power Authority to release information under the Freedom of Information Law regarding five bids to erect wind turbines.

Although those requests weren’t filed by private citizens, they were filed on behalf of them. But citizens themselves can and should be more proactive in their pursuit of information. It’s easier than ever, so there’s no excuse not to get engaged.

For example, citizens can e-mail a Freedom of Information request to a public body. They can peruse a local government’s website and find all kinds of information, from minutes of meetings to debris pick-up schedules.

Residents should familiarize themselves with the sites, and if valued information is missing, they should contact their town supervisor, for example, and push for more, such as databases of zoning permits or live videocasts of meetings or blogs written by town officials.

One frustration with public meetings is that often documents handed out to elected officials aren’t shared with the audience. That makes it difficult for the public to follow along with what’s being discussed. A proposed state law would require that copies of such documents be provided at the meeting and posted on the Web.

The state Assembly passed the bill, but it’s stuck in a Senate committee. Its sponsor, Sen. Craig Johnson of Long Island, should make it a priority in the next session.

Too often, citizens take for granted the benefits of democracy. One need only watch the nightly news and see resident uprisings in oppressive countries such as Iran to be reminded of the value of transparency.

Source:  Democrat and Chronicle, rocnow.com 19 August 2010

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