Jim LaBreque Comments To PUC About Aqua Ventus , Dr. Dagher Falls On His Sword

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Comment by Barbara Durkin on February 23, 2018 at 10:03am

Thank you for sharing this compelling testimony, Dan.  

The offshore wind lead federal regulator is BOEM deemed “a culture of ethical failure” by the US Office of Inspector General.  MMS is BOEM with a name change after the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster under MMS watch. MMS employees were also identified doing cocaine with and accepting gifts from oil and gas industry execs with whom they had sex by the US Office of Inspector General.  Soooo, at the top tier in regulatory review of $56 billion planned US offshore wind projects is a culture of ethical failure.  That clearly indicates no reasonable expectation should be held that public interest will be served.

The federal culture of ethical failure is evaluating this culture-

Dear Mssrs Chairmen and members of the Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard Commissions:

I consider that Vineyard Wind might be considered a Development of Regional Impact, DRI, likely under your purview.

Please use due diligence in vetting wind developers. There’s too much at stake to assume the state has adequately considered the business histories and has properly vetted offshore wind developers.

Vineyard Wind is 50% owned by Avangrid that is Iberdrola of Spain-

Iberdrola that is Avangrid has a long history of fraud and corruption charges.

Iberdrola is Biggest Stimulus Winner-
2009
“The biggest winner was Spain’s Iberdrola, the world’s biggest renewable-energy utility. Iberdrola snapped up grants worth $294 million for five wind farms.”
https://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/09/01/clean-energy-...

May 9, 2017 · A major player in the international renewable energy market is joining the race to erect a wind farm off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. Avangrid Renewables has purchased a 50 percent stake in Vineyard Wind, one of three ...
http://www.mvtimes.com/2017/05/09/vineyard-wind-announces-new-partn...

‘Investigation underway into allegations of market abuse by Eversource, Avangrid’
Posted: Oct 17, 2017 2:38 PM EDT

“According to a press release by the Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), a recent investigation was initiated in response to a recent report that was conducted by various university researchers who were working with the Environmental Defense Fund.

PURA says local gas distribution companies run by Eversource and Avangrid (Yankee, CNG, and SCG) deliberately created shortages so they could charge more.

A report from researchers working with the Environmental Defense Fund alleges the companies drove up electric and natural gas rates, costing utility customers around New England billions of extra dollars in higher prices.

If the allegations are true, then some of the state's largest utility companies could owe hundreds of thousands of customers an apology and maybe much more...”

http://www.wfsb.com/story/36618008/investigation-underway-into-alle...

11/18/17
[A U.S. District Court filed Class Action] “lawsuit alleges that 14.7 million customers in New England were affected by “a unique monopoly” between Eversource and Avangrid that resulted in $3.6 billion in over charges...”
https://www.pressherald.com/2017/11/17/lawsuit-alleges-energy-compa...

“Iberdrola has had five recent cases of fraud and corruption around the world, with millions of dollars in fines, tens of millions in proposed fines and a worldwide ban on World Bank financing.”
https://graftonwindhamwind.org/2015/11/06/iberdrola-fraud-corruption/

Hartford Courant
October 29, 2015

“The Spanish company buying United Illuminating has a recent history of fraud and corruption charges.”
http://www.courant.com/business/dan-haar/hc-haar-iberdrola-united-i...

United Illuminating Buyer (Iberdrola) Has Multiple Fraud And Corruption Cases In Europe
By Dan Haar, Hartford Courant

The proposed, $3 billion takeover of United Illuminating and Connecticut Natural Gas Co. by Iberdrola SA was already stacked with concerns when another hot issue brought some high drama to a regulatory hearing this month.

Clip-Addressing Iberdrola-
Arthur House, chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority:

“We have five instances of international fraud and corruption,” House said at the hearing, according to a transcript. “This authority would be derelict in its duties if it did not look into your past and assume it was possible that your future might resemble what you’ve done in the past.”
https://graftonwindhamwind.org/2015/11/06/iberdrola-fraud-corruption/


In December 2015, former Maine Governor John Baldacci became Vice Chairman of Iberdrola's wind division, Avangrid.

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/john-baldacci-s-avangri...

December 16, 2013
Iberdrola SA, Spain’s largest utility owner, has appealed a 25 million-euro ($27.3 million) fine from the nation’s National Markets and Competition Commission that accused the company of market manipulation in 2013, Chief Executive Offer Jose Ignacio Sanchez Galan said.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-16/iberdrola-appeal...

“Regulatory Capture” and the “Revolving Door” are exhibited by ME Governor Baldacci, regulator who became the regulated, VP of Inberdrola; and by former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer at First Wind, Kurt Adams, who had served as Chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission and former Chief Legal Counsel for ME Governor Balducci.

Adams, according to Naomi Schalit of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, “…negotiated a pretty sweet deal for himself about a month before leaving the state's employ, with first-year compensation at the firm totaled $1.3 million, which included $315,000 in salary, $658,000 in stock, $29,000 in "other" compensation and $315,000 in "non-equity compensation." Source: ‘Revolving door the norm in D.C. but rare in Maine’ by the Editorial Board of the Sun Journal [4/23/10].

*REGULATORY CAPTURE and FIRST WIND in MA-

UPC First Wind CEO was appointed by former Governor Patrick to help craft renewable energy mandates as Advisor to then MA Executive Secretary of Energy and Environment Ian Bowles under the Global Warming Solutions Act. Boston-based First Wind CEO worked with the MA Secretary to restructure the MA energy market to favor renewables in First Wind’s marketplace as a renewable energy developer.

Energy Secretary Ian Bowles of Massachusetts left office to join First Wind as Director.

During April of 2017, First Wind filed for bankruptcy with up to $10 billion in liabilities.
https://www.inforuptcy.com/filings/nysbke_273736-1-17-bk-10941-firs...

Thank you for your consideration of Vineyard Wind’s partners’ business history. The best indication of future performance is past performance. Energy market manipulation and class action lawsuit against Avangrid/Iberdrola should be monitored. So should charges of corruption and fraud by Avangrid/Iberdrola be evaluated by Regional Permit Granting Authorities.

I request this communication be entered into the public Record of proceedings relating to Vineyard Wind.

Thank You,

Barbara Durkin

Comment by arthur qwenk on February 23, 2018 at 9:26am

Concerning wind power, you may be able to  fool most of the people most of the time, unless you have people like Jim LaBrecque!

Jim LaBrecque is a wonderful  advocate for  the  energy concerns of Maine citizens.

Mainer's need more people like Jim LaBrecque

Comment by Penny Gray on February 23, 2018 at 8:19am

Wow.  It would seem MAV thrives on secrecy.  Jim Lebreque's comments must have them all squirming.  Excellent testimony.

Comment by Steve Thurston on February 22, 2018 at 10:52pm

Brilliant analysis and testimony by Mr. Lebreque.  Anyone who thinks offshore wind is the answer should read this testimony.  Thanks for posting this Dan.  

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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