FAX MEMORANDUM FOR: Congressman John W. Olver SUBJECT: Why you should not be “perplexed” about Opposition to “wind farms”

The following statements, referring to you, appear in today’s Berkshire Eagle, in an article entitled “Energy bill burns reps” by Mr. Evan Lehmann: “He seemed perplexed by Massachusetts residents' unwillingness to support proposed wind farms, including one in remote Fitchburg. "’For the environmentally conscious people in Massachusetts, the level of opposition to this is really quite startling,’ he said.” Once the facts are considered, the reasons why environmentally conscious and other people in Massachusetts are opposed to “wind farms” are not difficult to understand. As a former Massachusetts resident, I’m pleased that you have provided this opportunity for an explanation. In summary, the reasons are that the benefits of electricity from wind have been greatly overstated and true environmental and economic costs have been greatly understated. This is a case where the public, media and government officials have been badly misled by the wind industry, its lobbyists and other wind energy advocates. As a result, current federal and state policies promoting electricity from wind are flawed and detrimental to consumers, taxpayers and the environment and, therefore, not in the public interest. Opposition to “wind farms” is not unique to Massachusetts. As the truths about wind energy have emerged where “wind farms” have been built or proposed in the US and other countries, dozens of citizen-led opposition groups have emerged. There are now more than 200 such groups in the US (in at least a dozen states, including ME, NH, VT and MA) and other countries (including the UK, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand). If you or your staff will look closely at the facts, you will discover that: 1. Tax avoidance – not environmental and energy benefits – has become the primary motivation for building “wind farms.” 2. Huge windmills – often taller than the US Capitol -- produce very little electricity. 3. Electricity from wind turbines has less real value than electricity from reliable generating units, and they detract from electric system reliability. 4. The true cost of electricity from wind energy is much higher than wind advocates admit. 5. Claims of environmental benefits of wind energy are exaggerated. 6. “Wind farms” have significant adverse environmental, scenic and property value impacts. 7. “Wind farms” produce few local economic benefits, which are overwhelmed by the higher costs imposed on electric customers through their monthly bills. 8. Various other subsidies shift large amounts of cost from “wind farm” owners to ordinary taxpayers and electric customers. 9. The big “winners” are “wind farm” owners and a few landowners who lease their land. 10. The wind industry’s claim that they deserve tax breaks and other subsidies because other energy sources have received even larger government-imposed benefits is false. I recognize that the people of New England are concerned about the environmental impact of existing generating plants in New England, and concerned that there may not be enough generating capacity in the future as electricity demand increases. These are valid concerns. However, it must be recognized that wind turbines produce electricity only when the wind is blowing in the right speed range. Their output is intermittent, highly volatile, and largely unpredictable. They cannot be counted on to produce electricity when customers need it. Therefore, reliable (“dispatchable”) generating capacity must always be available to “back up” unreliable wind energy. New capacity will have to be added to electric grids as electricity demand increases whether or not wind turbines are built. As a practical matter, this means that electric customers would end up paying twice; once for the expensive electricity from wind and again to provide reliable generating capacity. As you and your staff study the wind energy issue, please recognize that a lot of false and misleading information has been produced and distributed during the past decade by the wind industry, its lobbyists, the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE-EERE), DOE’s National Renewable Energy “Laboratory” (NREL), and a variety of educational institutions and “nonprofit” wind advocacy groups that receive tax dollars flowing through DOE-EERE and NREL. It is important that you, your colleagues and your staff learn the facts about wind energy. In the public interest, you should begin to question severely the information you are given by wind industry lobbyists and other groups named above that have such a strong vested interest in continuing and expanding faulty federal and state policies that promote wind energy. Separately, I will forward to your office three papers that provide more details on each of the above points: · Facing up to the True Costs and Benefits of Wind Energy, June 24, 2004. · Misplaced State Government Faith in “Wind Energy,” March 1, 2005. · “Big Money” Discovers the Huge Tax Breaks and Subsidies for “Wind Energy” While Taxpayers and Electric Customers Pick up the Tab, April 14, 2005. Undoubtedly, you will wonder why I spend time on self-financed analysis and writing about wind energy. You will find the answer on page 11 of the April 14, 2005, paper listed above. Glenn R. Schleede 18220 Turnberry Drive Round Hill, VA 20141-2574 540-338-9958