Friday, April 27, 2007

ACE New York Selling Soul For Their Goal?

Wind and Nuclear Should NOT BE sleeping together.
When Remy Chevalier of Rock the Reactors did his investigation of ACE NY, it was alarming enough for him to give me a ring suggesting I have a look. What I have found appears to be an industry (wind power) and a organization or two (ACE NY and AWEA) willing to sell their souls (and the industry) for the end line goal, with no regard for long term consequences.

If you visit the ACE NY website, or speak with their public relations people, the organization's goals, aspirations and agenda sound very admirable, almost as pure as the wind driven snow. Their stated purpose, found on their site states in part, "The Alliance for Clean Energy New York is a group of organizations which share the goal of bringing clean energy technologies to New York." Perhaps some of their members believe in, even embrace that concept, and should be applauded. Sadly though, if you study the component parts of this group and its board, you cannot help but question their stated goals, are left wondering...have they sold their souls to the nuclear industry, prostituted their beliefs, caring not that their means to the end is not worth the price if they are co opting their honor and values by allowing nuclear to green its image by funding a few wind projects and buying a few wind companies, the means does not justify the end if the entire wind energy industry is being absorbed into and becoming one with nuclear energy and the corrupt industry that it is? If you sleep with the devil, you become the devil's demon spawn.

It can be successfully argued, that the cause of soaring electric rates in New York falls squarely at the feet of NYISO, who has created a set of rules and regulations that favor utility industry corporate bottom lines, even encourages utilities to manipulate and mutate the bidding by sitting on their supplies. In short, NYISO basically condones price fixing/manipulation, almost if not, to the point of corruption with consumers taking the hit in a large electron ponzi scheme. No one sector of the utility industry has benefited more from this reality than nuclear energy, who under the new system sells its cheaply produced nuclear energy at the same spot price that say gas produced energy is sold. What does this have to do with ACE NY and wind energy? In two words, Carol Murphy who is the Executive Director of ACE NY, and who before that was the NYISO's chief spokesperson during the 2003 northeast blackout. In 1992 she received the Independent Energy magazine's "Industry All Star Award" for excellence in government affairs and public relations.

Being nice, Carol E. Murphy is a well know member of the Old Guard within the utility industry, and at best sees Wind Energy as nothing more than an addition to the grid, rather than a means by which to remove dangerous electric (such as nuclear from aging nuclear reactors) from the grid. If you read up on NYISO, they are anything but an organization looking out for the publics best interests, and basically support and encourage growth of the utility industry's dark underbelly in the name of driving/creating ever greater profits...Carol E. Murphy as their one time chief spokesperson is not the person to be leading a supposed GREEN CHARGE for clean safe energy, but instead seems to be leading a charge (with a carefully selected board and membership) to A) green the nuclear industry, and B) corner and own (thus control) the wind industry. Based on a conversation with NYISO, the organization only cares about its grid, and having adequate Megawatts on it, and if the electrons are produced and sold by Satan himself, that's fine by them. In fact, they stated they support on going operation of Indian Point because the plant's turbine produced electrons maintain grid stabilty in south east New York quadrant of said grid...the SAFETY or lack there of when it comes to Indian Point is of no concerned to them, only the electrons matter.

One board member intimately tied into the utility industry, and more specifically, the nuclear energy industry does not a scandal make. The problem is, the over whelming majority of ACE NY's board and members seem to have ties (directly and/or indirectly) to the nuclear industry and old money. Groups like ACE NY seem to be creating the perfect storm wherein Wind Energy becomes a complimentary addition to Nuclear Power, rather than an alternative to it.

The next member we investigated was Bruce Bailey, AWS Truewind, LLC-463 New Karner Road, Albany, NY 12205 phone: (518) 213-0044 BBAILEY@AWSTRUEWIND.COM He is also CEO of Glidden REC, so again, an inside player in the electric power industry...so, where does he stand on Nuclear Power, and the failing reactors at the Indian Point site. We are working on that, but can tie him to DOE which is worrisome itself. Perhaps it's overly suspicious, but find it hard to trust any one who has DOE throwing $400,000 in the direction of a report they are working on. Further, there seem to be some very large potential conflicts of interest between his role at Glidden, AWS Truewind, and now his position on the board of ACE NY.

Moving down the list of board members, we next address Patrick Doyle, who is attached to Horizon Wind Energy which was owned by Goldman Sachs before being absorbed by EDP, that has serious business dealings with environmental rapist and major nuclear player GE. More troubling, is that Horizon Wind Energy is owned by EDP Group...another BIG NUCLEAR PLAYER. This is a perfect example of how some of the giants in the utility industry rape mother earth while GREENING THEIR IMAGE THROUGH ACQUISITIONS.

Patrick Doyle started working for Horizon Wind Energy in June 2001. Prior to joining Horizon, he was gainfully employed at GE Power Systems out of Schenectady NY. Prior to coming to the states he seems to have been associated with some of the biggest nuclear players in Europe, working for ABB Power Generation in Zurich Switzerland and for Wartsila of Finland. Patrick was also General Manager of Wartsila North America's Independent Power business, responsible for growing the floating and land-based reciprocating engine power plant business in Central America and the Indian Subcontinent. Patrick graduated in mechanical engineering in 1982 from University College Dublin and received his M.B.A. from London Business School in 1992.


One could assume, that Patrick Doyle is in some fashion married to, or sleeping with the nuclear industry, since the company he was associated with before GE, ABB Power Generation is incestuously linked to the American Nuclear Industry's most corrupt and vile player, TVA:

ABB wins nuclear fuel, service and retrofit contracts valued at more than US$ 100 million Zurich, Switzerland, September 21, 1999 – ABB, the globalized technology and engineering company, has been awarded nuclear service, retrofit and fuel contracts with a total value of more than US$ 100 million from utilities in the U.S. and Germany. The U.S. orders, with a combined value of more than US$ 85 million, were placed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to service and retrofit three of their nuclear power plants.


When one is looking at an organization whose stated goal in speaking to the grassroots movement is "3000 Megawatts of CLEAN, GREEN WIND ENERGY up onto New York's grid by 2015, you do not expect to find under the carefully crafted veneer such a pro-nuclear starting line up. When you speak to Marion Trieste of Trieste Associates the public outreach voice of ACE NY, you get the warm fuzzy feeling of a non-profit organization truly concerned with making the world a better place in which to live...however, a few carefully aimed questions brings the truth out...we only care about our goal of putting 3,000 megawatts of Wind Energy on the grid, and the nuclear industry has money and wants to spend it seems to be the real truth behind ACE NY's carefully crafted campaign. When queried about the monstrous connections to the nuclear industry, Marion quipped, "As long as we stick to our talking points, stay on message, no one is going to care." Don't misunderstand, Marion seems to be truly passionate about wind energy...problem is, maybe too passionate if where the money comes from is of no concern to her.

If you leave out Patrick Moore, formally of Greenpeace, who has sold out to the nuclear industry for 35 pieces of silver, the most worrisome trend is NRDC recent woeing of the nuclear industry which makes the next board member on the list disturbibg as well. Ashok Gupta, of the NRDC Never met a board or title with benefits he did not like.

http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/about/board.php Ashok is the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) Air and Energy Program Director. He leads NRDC's advocacy in the Northeast on climate change, electric utility restructuring, clean air issues, energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable building design, reducing petroleum dependence, and low-income energy issues. Prior to joining NRDC in 1991, Ashok worked with the New York City's Department of Telecommunications and Energy. He currently serves on the board of the Hudson River Foundation, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, U.S. Green Building Council-New York, and the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. Ashok also received Environmental Advocate's 2001 Advocate Award for leadership in support of clean air and energy. He holds a bachelor's degree in physics and math from Georgetown University and a master's degree in economics from American University.

Suppose every organization has its point person that gives them access to old big money, and so we introduce Peter Mandelstam, Arcadia Wind/Blue Water Wind To understand this board member pick, look at his SOCIAL PEDIGREE. 308 West 77th Street Suite 9P New York, NY 10024 Ph: 212/877-4621 Fax: 212/873-4917 Email: pdmnyny@aol.com

Peter D. Mandelstam, Founder and President, and Timothy M. Ryan, Executive Vice President, will describe Arcadia Windpower’s progress in developing and financing on-land and offshore utility-scale wind electricity generation projects in the U.S. and internationally. Established in 1997, privately held Arcadia Windpower and its affiliates currently have over 1000 MW of wind power projects under development, including its selection through a competitive RFP to develop 85 MW in Montana and its selection as one of two finalists to develop a 140 MW wind park off of the South Shore of Long Island. It also has projects in Wyoming and New Jersey. Of course, with no help from Daddy or friends, and sure being on the board of the wind power association that LOBBYS Congress cannot hurt either?

Dawn Ann Drzal, a senior editor at Viking Penguin, the book publishing imprint in New York, was married yesterday to Peter David Mandelstam, the president of Arcadia Windpower Ltd., a wind-energy development company in New York. Justice Anne G. Feldman of State Supreme Court in Brooklyn officiated at the North Salem, N.Y., house of the bridegroom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Mandelstam of New York.

The bride, who is 36 and is keeping her name, graduated cum laude from Williams College. She is the daughter of Joan Veneziale, an owner of the Papillon Travel Agency in Naples, Fla., and the late Walter Drzal, who was an industrial chemist at the Pennwalt Corporation (not environmentally friendly), a chemical manufacturer in Philadelphia. The bride's previous marriage ended in divorce.

The bridegroom, who is 36 and a graduate of Harvard University, is a director of the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, an industry trade group. His mother, Gloria Messinger Mandelstam, retired as the managing director of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in New York. Mrs. Mandelstam is now an intellectual property consultant and an arbitrator in New York. His father is a senior partner in Dornbush Mensch Mandelstam & Schaeffer, a New York law firm.

The bridegroom's father and the bridegroom are owners of Cote Rotie Holding, which owns Domaine de Bonserine, a vineyard in the Cote Rotie region of southeast France. The bridegroom's father is also the president of the company and the corporate manager of the vineyard.


The more carefully one examines the make up of ACE NY's board, the more one is left with an uneasy impression of a Non-Profit whose sole purpose is to make a few carefully chosen people and companies richer, while quietly greening the nuclear industry. That is not what wind power was/is about, and sadly it just gets uglier the deeper one digs. Bill Moore is tied in with PPM, and if you hold to the belief that you are who you do business with, PPM has no problems doing some major business with some unsavory giants tied to the nuclear industry.

Bill Moore, PPM Energy bill.moore@ppmenergy.com PPM apparently will do business with the devil..see below:

PPM Energy, Inc. http://www.tetratech.com/company/stories/commercial_energy.asp This link, read article, and you will see that Tetra Tech while doing a lot with wind companies like PPM is also the largest player in helping to RELICENSE AGING REACTORS!

PPM Energy is a real power player in the energy industry. The company, formerly PacifiCorp Power Marketing, holds the nonregulated North American operations of parent company Scottish Power. PPM Energy primarily develops and operates cogeneration power plants and wind farms; it has an operational generating capacity of approximately 1,600 MW in the Midwest and western US. PPM Energy also markets and trades wholesale energy and offers risk and asset management services. It has natural gas storage and hub operations through its ENSTOR affiliate. The company's customers include public and private utilities, large industrial companies, and other energy marketers.

Disturbing, is PPM's intimate dealings with GE, who is one of the big players in leading the Nuclear Renaissance charge.

GE Wind, PPM Energy Sign One-Year Wind Turbine Sales Agreement

ATLANTA,
GEORGIA (July 1, 2003) — GE Wind Energy has entered into a one-year turbine sales agreement with PPM Energy Inc. of Portland, Oregon, a leading U.S. developer of wind and gas generation projects. Under the agreement, PPM will purchase 1.5-megawatt wind turbines exclusively from GE Wind Energy for qualified U.S. projects through June 2004.

Even more disturbing, is a 23 year deal that PPM signed with First Energy, who has a horrid dirty nuclear past and future:

FirstEnergy's electric generation is primarily from coal and nuclear power plants. The system also includes natural gas, oil, and hydroelectric power plants. FirstEnergy operates the Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse, and Perry nuclear power plants.

FirstEnergy was one of several utilities involved in the 2003 North American blackout . The blackout was caused by the failure of FirstEnergy to trim the trees around their high voltage lines in a certain sector of Ohio; heat and extreme power needs caused the lines to sag, coming into contact with the trees and causing power failure. See 2003 North American blackout for more details.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted on January 16, 2004 to investigate Metropolitan Edison, Pennsylvania Electric and Pennsylvania Power, all owned by FirstEnergy, because their service reliability "may have fallen below established standards".

On Friday, January 20, 2006, FirstEnergy acknowledged a cover-up of serious safety violations by former workers at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, and accepted a plea bargain with the U.S. Department of Justice in lieu of possible federal criminal prosecution. The plea bargain relates to the March 2002 discovery of severe corrosion in the pressure vessel of the nuclear reactor, contained within the plant's containment building. In the agreement, the company agreed to pay fines of $23 million, with an additional $5 million to be contributed toward research on alternative energy sources and to Habitat for Humanity as well as to pay for costs related to the Federal investigation. In addition, two former employees and one former contractor were indicted for purposely deceiving Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors in multiple documents (including one videotape) over several years, hiding evidence that the reactor pressure vessel was being seriously corroded by boric acid. The maximum penalty for the three is 25 years in prison. The indictment also cites other employees as providing false information to inspectors, but does not name them.


If there is one bright shining hope at ACE NY, it is going to be one of two board members. First we have Anthony Pereira, altPOWER, Inc. His web site has the following message on it: altPOWER was founded to provide expertise in the field of renewable energy systems with a focus on solar energy. In consideration of the devastating effect fossil fuels and nuclear power pose on our global environment, both ecologically and socially, the need for a proven source of clean, economical energy is great. Solar Power can provide all of these things. In fact, enough solar energy falls upon the Earth in an area smaller than the size of Lake Erie every three days to provide all the energy humans have used since the beginning of time.

How refreshing to find one lone board member with a real clue about the dangers of nuclear power, and it is hoped that Anthony does not find his vales corrupted with his new found association with ACE NY's troublesome cast of characters. The other hopeful member of the board is Gordian Raacke, http://www.renewableenergylongisland.org

Not sure what to think of Gordian and RELI, since they feature A) Alex Baldwin of the abusive letter to daughter fame, and B) Al Gore, supporter of Nuclear Energy on their website.

At least he has shown some interest (maybe) in closing down Indian Point. http://indianpoint.meetup.com/cities/us/ct/milford/1151579/?ic=sn42

Toss in Fred Zalcman from PACE, and you have the complete picture. Now, ACE NY wants to put 3,000 megawatts up on the grid. Governor Spitzer says he wants Indian Point shut down, but first wants their 2,000 megawatts contribution to the grid replaced...seems ACE NY's goal would solve that problem? When that question was posed to ACE NY, the first answer was, we need more power on the grid, not less, and Wind Power can help in creating that additional supply? It was then pointed out, that 3,000 megawatts of wind power could replace Indian Points 2000 megawatts, and still leave a surplus of 1000 megawatts for the grid. to which I was told, we NEED THEM BOTH, and we are going to stick to our talking points, and avoid discussing and or taking a stand on nuclear power and Indian Point. So, has the wind power industry been bought off and corrupted, or only the board of ACE NY?

Some of the members:
AES-Acciona-NA Has connections to nuclear.

Airtricity Seems GREEN at first blush

Albany Engineering Corporation Primary business is hydro.altPower, Inc. http://www.altpower.com/home.shtml Seem green, but do toss a link to Con Edison.

Arcadia Wind/Blue Water Wind Discussed above. Smell a skunk here, seems like to much of a chance for collusion and back room deals exists.

AWEA See board member Peter D. Mandelstam, and Arcadia just above this entry.

AWS Truewind, LLC They are hiring.

Azure Mt. Power They are not friends with Niagara Mohawk Power.

Babcock & Brown They are just sniffing for dollars...it is what they do.

BQ Energy Seems green at first blush.

BP Alternative Energy NA, Inc. BP's feeble attempts to give their planet raping a green image.

BrookfieldCitizens Campaign for the Environment They are hiring http://www.citizenscampaign.org/jobs.html Their main page link is http://www.renewablenys.org/index.php

Clipper Windpower 805-899-9199

Community Energy, Inc. They seem GREEN Community Energy is committed to supplying the demand for clean, fuel-free energy. Aligned with IBERDROLA - the world's largest wind energy developer - our customers are making a difference by advancing the development of new wind energy generation in the United States.

Constellation New Energy As dirty as they come...Can we say Nine Mile Nuclear Plant.

Delaney Construction Corporation P.O. Box J, Mayfield, NY 12117 Physical Address: 2736 St. Hwy. 30, Gloversville, NY 12078 Telephone: 518-661-5304 Bought out by Tetra Tech, who has their nose so far up the arse of the nuclear industry it's not even funny.

Direct Energy Sleeze ball comes to mind!
In 2003, Direct Energy was fined $157,501 after investigators discovered 21 forged contracts trapping customers into long-term energy deals. According to Paul Massara, then the president of the company, the forgeries took place between June 2001 and April 2002. Both Direct Energy and its U.S. affiliate Energy America have been charged with employing unethical business practices, with Energy America being fined over $500,000 in penalties for enrolling customers without permission and using deceptive sales pitches. The companies have been caught using such unethical business practices in Michigan, Georgia, Texas, Ontario and Manitoba.

DUCE Construction Corporation

Ecogen Wind, LLC Seems associated with DUCE on a windmill project, and not very savvy when it comes to public relations and out reach in rural New York.

Ecology & Environment, Inc. NEVER TRUST ANY ONE ASSOCIATED WITH DOD and DHS!

EDRPC IF YOU CAN AFFORD THEM, THEY DO NICE WORK http://www.edrpc.com

EHN-USA EHN USA LLC. is a wholly owned subsidiary of EHN Northamerica, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Corporacion Energia Hidroelectrica de Navarra, S.A. (EHN), one of the world,s largest corporations devoted exclusively to the development and operation of renewable energy projects. EHN has installed 2,662 megawatts in renewable energy generation, of which 1,474 megawatts is owned and operated by the group.

Enel North America, Inc. Enel North America is a leading owner and operator of renewable energy plants in North America, with plants in 16 U.S. States and 2 Canadian Provinces. Enel North America's roots are in the U.S. company "CHI Energy, Inc," founded in 1985 and focused on development, ownership, and operation of environmentally friendly small hydroelectric projects. In December 2000, CHI was acquired by Enel, the world's largest publicly traded electric utility. In 2003, the company was renamed Enel North America, Inc.

Environmental Advocates of New York They seem GREEN, but want to see their stand on relicensing Indian Point. Thirty seven years ago, New York environmentalists launched a plan that led to ground-breaking progress in environmental protection. As one of the nation's first state environmental councils, these environmentalists established a prototype for environmental advocacy that has been replicated in state capitals across the nation.

Everpower Renewables is an established green field developer of utility grade wind farms in the Northeastern United States. This market encompasses the New York and New England Independent System Operators (NYISO and NEEPOOL) and the Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland (PJM) RTO. Collectively, these ISO’s represent an installed capacity of more than 233,000 megawatts and have among the highest power rates in the United States. The Company also has expanded its development activities to other select markets in which Everpower’s strategic relationships with large landowners or geographic considerations make it feasible to achieve rational growth.

First American Title Insurance Company of New York Just shaking the tree for apples painted dollar green.

GE Energy A nuclear VIPER! just look up GNEP, NuStart and the AP1000 Makes you wonder where this groups real loyalty is.

Green & Seifter, Attorneys, PLLC One of their clients is Reliant Energy...need we say more?

Reliant has been under investigation for its alleged role in the California electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001. Reliant is suspected of gaming the market by decreasing energy production at its large plants, which caused the spot price for electricity to surge. Hourly contracts are based on the average spot market price for that hour, so by doing this, they increased their profits. After the price went up, they would ramp up production so that they would be at the appropriate level when the California Independent System Operator checked their output.

Hiscock & Barclay They love eminent domain, and trust me, not on the side of the average joe either. In 1990, President Bush appointed Barclay to the board of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a federal agency that helped U.S. companies set up joint ventures in developing countries. Do you trust ANYONE with ties to the Bush family?

Horizon Wind Energy All you have to know, is the parent company for this little wind bird is Nuclear ugly.

Hudson Valley Clean Energy, Inc. http://www.hvce.com Clean and GreenInvenergy, LLC GNB would not give this company a GREEN rating.

Law Offices of David M. Wise, PA you know what they say about attorneys.

Malkin & Ross incest rules supreme they say...they represent AWEA of board member Peter Mandelstam fame...how convenient. They also represent NRDC, of which board member Ashok Gupta is a important cog. KEEP IT ALL IN THE FAMILY FOLKS...THE RICH GET RICHER, AND WE CAN EAT CAKE.

McKenna, Long & Aldridge, LLP McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) is "an international law firm comprised of 375 lawyers and public policy advisors with offices in Atlanta, Brussels, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, DC. ... clients are a mix of numerous Fortune 500 firms, mid-size companies, major government contractors, real estate developers and non-profit organizations of all types," according to the firm's web site. WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEIR LIST OF ENERGY INDUSTRY CLIENTS. Raymond B. Biagini, Co-Vice Chairman 2002-2003: "... has risen to national prominence in a number of high profile tort cases, defending companies in the Exxon Valdez litigation; the Cell Phone Radiation Hazards lawsuits; the 'Fen-Phen' litigation; the nationwide Repetitive Stress Injury suits; claims arising out of 'friendly fire' accidents during Operation Desert Storm; and 'war crimes' allegations filed against manufacturers of military weapons systems sold to Israel." In case you are wondering, they support super NuKE, Duke Energy.

Mercer Asset Management Corp. hydro electric

New York Interfaith Power & Light They mean well, but saving earth takes more than changing light bulbs.

Nixon Peabody- Clients include emerging and middle-market businesses, national and multinational corporations, financial institutions, public entities, educational and not-for-profit institutions, and individuals. The firm represents clients such as JetBlue, Constellation Brands, Corning Incorporated, and Gannett Co., Inc, among others. Additionally, the firm has represented parties in the financing of new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees.

NRDC has been suggesting a lean towards being VERY NUCLEAR FRIENDLY.

NRG Systems http://www.vermontguides.com/2001/12-dec/nrg.htm If they are in favor of closing Vermont Yankee owned by Entergy, will give them a green rating.

Noble Environmental Power is a leading wind energy developer with projects in several locations in northern and western New York State and in Michigan. Noble is majority-owned by J.P. Morgan Partners and was founded in 2004 by leaders in the independent power industry in response to public policy initiatives designed to foster the increased use of renewable energy sources. What leaders in the power industry are they working with...that is the BIG QUESTION?

PACEPartnership for NYC, Inc. First thing you see on their web page is Bloomberg...this is another toy for the rich, so they can control everything.

Plug Power, Inc. Not willing to give them any rating.

PPM Energy, Inc. DIRTY, DIRTY, DiRTY.

PV Now this group is in flux.

Read & Laniado, LLP This link says it all. Double dirty in our mind.

Renewable Energy Long Island-organization run by one of ACE NY's board members.

Reunion Power Seem to be snared in a NIMBY battle. There business model seems to be, if you cannot win the fight, join forces with a bigger nastier bully so you can.

Rudy Stegemoeller-seems to be trying to draw to and inside straight.

Stewart Title Insurance Company-fishing for clients.

Sustainable Energy Developments, Inc. If you are looking for investments, they might be worth a look, but would not call them green.

Tamarack Energy, Inc. The picture of thoundands of felled trees proudly displayed on their website tells you EVERYTHING.

Tetra Tech EC, Inc. If you want to find THE DRIVING FORCE behind the wrongful rrelicensing of failing, aged American nuclear reactors, look no further.

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