Press Herald: Wind Power Scam Angus King Television :30 Spot Breaks on Airwaves - Supported by $600,000 Media Buy

Comment

Comment by Barbara Durkin on September 14, 2012 at 10:43am

If merit was the driver, there would be no more tax farms.  Wind energy shifts the public economic and natural resources to multinationals and crony capitalists-so it need not function, or deliver reliable energy that is commercially reasonable.  That's why wind is the greatest, most cruel and environmentally damaging hoax of the 21st Century. 

The politically connected First Wind...excerpts-

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/07/23/obama_...

After First Wind Hired Larry Rasky's Lobbying Firm, The Close Personal Friend Of Biden Helped The Company Secured Over $500 Million In Loans And Grants

Obama Fundraiser Alan Solomont Said Of Rasky "Larry Rasky Is In A Unique Position, He's Very Close To (Vice President-Elect) Joe Biden. Certainly Larry Is Someone Whose Voice Will Be Heard." "Jockeying across New England is intense because local Democrats haven't been up for the well-paid federal posts since 1992. Early Obama support from the state's top politicians - Gov. Deval Patrick and Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry - means Massachusetts will have more clout than usual, Solomont said. Other behind-the-scenes elves in the federal jobs sweepstakes include politically wired PR gurus such as Larry Rasky and Tom O'Neill, son of U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. 'Tip' O'Neill Jr., observers say. 'Larry Rasky is in a unique position, he's very close to (Vice President-elect) Joe Biden. Certainly Larry is someone whose voice will be heard,' Solomont said." (Hillary Chabot, "Crowning Achievement; Mass Dems Have Influence Over Obama's Picks," The Boston Herald, 12/26/08)

Larry Rasky Is An Obama Bundler, Having Pledged To Raise Over $500,000 During The 2012 Election Cycle. (OpenSecrets.org, Accessed 7/18/12)

• Rasky Is A "Close Associate And Former Spokesman" For Vice President Joe Biden. "Sen. Joe Biden has received $5,300 from politically wired Hub lobbyist Joseph Baerlein, whose firm, Rasky/Baerlein, is co-owned by Biden's close associate and former spokesman Larry Rasky. The lobbying/public relations firm, which is registered federally and in Massachusetts, organized fund-raisers in Boston for Biden during the Democratic presidential primary." (Dave Wedge, Dems In Denver; Lobbyist$ Paid Off For Sen. Joe Biden," The Boston Herald, 8/28/08)

First Wind Hired Larry Rasky's Firm To Lobby On Its Behalf; Rasky Baerlain Strategic Communications Registers On January 5, 2009. (Data.gov, Accessed 7/18/12)

• First Wind Paid Rasky Baerlain $405,000 Between The First Quarter Of 2009 And The Third Quarter Of 2011. (Data.gov, Accessed 7/18/12)
• Julia Bovey, First Wind's Director Of External Affairs, Was Formerly Director Of External Affairs For Obama's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission From June 2009 To June 2010. (Julia Bovey, LinkedIn, Accessed 7/18/12)

Since Obama Took Office, Lawrence "Larry" Rasky Has Visited The White House At Least 21 Times. Three Times On September 23, 2009; December 14, 2009; December 15, 2009; February 23, 2010; March 29, 2010; May 5, 2010; July 12, 2010; August 17, 2010; February 2, 2011; February 16, 2011; April 27, 2011; June 17, 2011; Twice On July 20, 2011; July 28, 2011; November 4, 2011; January 10, 2012; February 16, 2012. (Data.gov, Accessed 7/18/12)

On July 27, 2010, First Wind's Kahuku Wind Farm In Hawaii Received A $117,330,968 Loan Guarantee From Through The 1705 Program. (Recovery.gov, Accessed 7/18/12)

• Since Obama Took Office, First Wind's Projects Have Received Over $452 Million In Grants Through The Stimulus' 1603 Program. The Grants Went To First Wind's Stetson Wind Farm In Maine, 40,441,471; Cohocton Wind Farm In New York, $52,352,334; Dutch Hill Wind Farm In New York, $22,296,494; Milford Wind Corridor Phase I In Utah; $120,147,809; Milford Wind Corridor Phase II In Utah, $80,436,803; Rollins Wind Farm In Maine; $53,246,347; Sheffield Wind Farm In Vermont, $35,914,864; Kahuku Wind Farm In Hawaii, $35,148,839; Steel Winds II Wind Farm In New York, $12,778,751. ( Department Of The Treasury, Accessed 7/18/12)

D.E. Shaw Was Also An Investor In The Kahuku Wind Farm. "Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asked Chu whether his decisions had been influenced by several specific people tied to the administration, including former National Economic Council Chairman Larry Summers, who before joining the White House worked as a part-time managing director at D.E. Shaw, a New York-based investment firm that has an ownership stake in the Kahuku Wind project." (Darren Samuelsohn, "Steven Chu On Solyndra: enough Already," Politico, 3/20/12)

In Late 2011, Former Obama National Economic Council Chairman Larry Summers Rejoined Hedge Fund D.E. Shaw As A Consultant. "It hasn't been widely reported, but late last year Summers rejoined the firm, this time as a consultant. According to a person familiar with Shaw, he is spending about five to ten per cent of his time working for the firm, largely in an advisory capacity. Asked what sort of things Summers does, this person said he addresses standard macroeconomic questions-such as the likelihood of a revaluation in the Chinese currency-and also advises the firm on how to limit risk." (John Cassidy, "Summers And The World Bank: Is Obama Serious?" The New Yorker, 3/22/12)

• In 2008, Before Joining The Obama White House, Summers Was Paid Over $5 Million From Hedge Fund D.E. Shaw. "Larry Summers made a lot of money last year, and boy is it voyeuristically impossible to resist looking through his disclosure to see who paid him what. The really big money, unsurprisingly, came from DE Shaw: a salary of $1,432,497 (weird amount, that), along with partnership distributions of $3,756,126, for a total of $5,188,623. But just because he was earning $100,000 a week from DE Shaw doesn't mean he wasn't earning lots of money elsewhere, too: his speaking engagements alone came to another $2.8 million or so." (Felix Salmon, "Larry Summers's Millions," Reuters, 4/4/09)