The Wind Scam legacy of MA former Gov Deval Patrick public comment

February 19, 2014

Secretary Mark Marini
Department of Public Utilities
One South Station
Boston, MA 02110

RE: DPU order #13-165 Best Practices for siting wind energy projects in MA

Dear Secretary Marini:

With respect to my oral comments offered in person to DPU Commissioner and Attorney Robert Shea, at the Gardner, MA DPU Public Hearing, regarding wind turbine siting practices and the Governor Deval Patrick Administration’s desire to diminish local control in siting of wind projects, these are my written comments with supporting documentation. Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony.
Health and Safety are compromised by wind turbines—the state should call for a moratorium.

Citizens are potentially criminally being harmed by wind turbines in the state of MA as victims of a human experiment. The state has yet to identity the appropriate set-back for wind turbines from where humans congregate, to protect the public health and safety. “First do no harm.” Yet, thousands of MA residents have been harmed by operating wind turbines operating in 21 communities, because the state government is aligned with industry working against the interests of citizens’. The public has been denied the facts reasonably known to the state about the physical, emotional and economic harm done to humans and property, respectively, by wind turbines operated by UPC First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor. UPC First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor is the green policy Advisor appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to inform the Executive Secretary of Energy of MA and the MA Department of Environmental Protection regarding green policy measures.
Boston-based wind developer First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor is Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s appointed Co-chair of “The Climate Protection Advisory Committee” under the Global Warming Solutions Act. First Wind Paul Gaynor is also co-chair of the Mass Department of Environmental Protection Advisory Committee “Low Carbon Energy Supply Subcommittee.”
http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/committee/cpsubcom.htm#5\
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/eea/energy/2020-clean-energy-plan.pdf
http://www.mass.gov/governor/pressoffice/speeches/termonespeech/070...

It is demonstrable fact that Governor Patrick’s appointed green policy Advisor, UPC First Wind CEO Gaynor, had foreknowledge, before wind turbine installations occurred that have caused declining health for citizens in 21 communities who have filed complaints, and who suffer property devaluation. Wind turbines harm human health and diminish property value as Defendant Paul Gaynor of UPC First Wind well knows.
On March 27, 2007 UPC First Wind began operation of the Mar’s Hill wind project in Maine. On the 27th day of March, 2009. PETER S. KELLEY, ESQ. and ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFFS Filed suit: "Mars Hill residents' suit against First Wind et al." On March 30, 2009, Governor Patrick appointed First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor as green policy Advisor to the State under the Global Warming Solutions Act.
https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/mars-hill-residents-suit-again...

The questions must be asked:

Why did Governor Patrick appoint UPC First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor as Advisor to EOEEA Secretary and DEP on green energy policy?
Does Gaynor know how to rig the energy market of MA for exploitation?
The MA energy market was restructured seven times under MA EOEEA Secretary Ian Bowles.

April 25, 2007, (UPC IS FIRST WIND):
Complaint Filed With the Department Of Justice Under the Sherman Antitrust Act By Concerned Citizens From The States of New York, Vermont, Maryland, and California (filed April 25, 2007)
A complaint against "UPC Wind Management LLC: "an American subsidiary of UPC Group", formerly known as Wind Management LLC, founded by Brian Caffyn for U.S. developments.", is filed with the U.S. Department Of Justice. The complaint filed under the Sherman Antitrust Act by 94 concerned citizens alleged a cartel was engaged in Market Allocation, Price Fixing, Big Rigging in Wind Farm Developments in New York and Vermont, as well as other states across the nation.
http://concernedcitizens.homestead.com/files/windfarms/antitrustcom...

July 15, 2008, First Wind served with a civil subpoena by the New York State Attorney General seeking documents to substantiate First Wind’s alleged improper benefits to public officials. First Wind is under criminal investigation by NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for allegations of improper dealings with public officials and anti-competitive practices.
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2008/july/july15a_08.html

July 15, 2008
The Press Republican
"We've had a number of complaints from counties all over the state, from Franklin all the way over to Erie," said John Milgrim, spokesman for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.”

“Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne was among "DAs from eight counties, public officials and citizens" who bombarded Albany with complaints about Noble and Massachusetts-based First Wind, formerly known as UPC Wind, he said"
https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/16/noble-wind-energy-firm-u...

As reported on July 16, 2008 by Wall Street Journal:
"New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has opened a probe of two companies that develop and operate wind farms over allegations of improper dealings with public officials and anticompetitive behavior. Mr. Cuomo said his office has subpoenaed First Wind -- formerly UPC Wind -- and Noble Environmental Power LLC, which has filed with the Securities and Exchange ..."
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB121617758961057329

First Wind projects continue to make people sick, and harm property value-
This is the case being brought forward on the behalf of Mike Gosselin from Mars Hill, Maine.
Mike Gosselin refused to join in the settlement First Wind made with 18 families in Mars Hill, ME. All signed gag orders. Mike took his case to the ME Supreme Court and lost. He is now asking the US Supreme Court to hear his case.

Statement of the case. 2/2/14

To: The US Supreme Court; these statements are to the best of my knowledge, Michael P. Gosselin.

The history of the project is a sad story! Mars Hill was the first commercial ''so-called'' wind farm in Maine! Because of this early encounter the town's officials did not know what they were setting the people of the town up for! The town manager, Raymond Mersereau, phone no. of town office 207-425-3731, contacted Evergreen Wind Power L.L.C. and ended up somehow partnering with Evergreen Wind Power in the commercial wind powered generator project? Which may be illegal for a town to partner with a company and promote the projects lies as well? Raymond continued to talk strongly to residents for the project and even rented rooms to the workers of the wind project, I would say a major conflict of interest was going on regularly in several ways!

Evergreen passed out papers and stated out loud, and I can get a tape recording with their statements, that there would be no noise at all at the bottom of the mountain! So why should we worry? By hiding the truth they did much harm to local people, and the Federal Gov. paid them for their accomplishments! The big money and power went to their heads and they told the same lies to other towns in Maine and around the country and it is finally caching up with them and their lies will pave their pathway out of The State of Maine! Maine is to small for many generators and is not a state with much wind, it is all just about free money from The Fed. that cost us all more then we can afford!

The problems started early on with the project, no representation from local or state departments! Then the blasting started, etc.! I asked if they could set off a horn before blasting so the people could prepare for the shocking blast, that did not happen, which is one reason why my horse I was leading reacted the way it did! If I had warning that the blast was coming I would of been prepared for the shocking surprise, and not been injured! The problems are to many to list as you can imagine! I lost time with family and had to give my two dogs away because between the blasting and the generator noises they would bark all the time when the generators were being a noisy nuisance! The dogs could hear the high and low waves. I spent to much time at the doctors, both mental and physical doctors because of the project! Then I had to build a special insulated room to mask somewhat the intrusive noises from the 28 wind powered generators.

Evergreen would not settle out of court so I signed a contract with Peter Kelley and he presented to case to The Superior Court in Maine! Little physical evidence was presented and the case was turned down for lack of evidence! As stated in another statement Peter would not take the case any further because he told me he was a officer of the court and could not take the case! This statement ,as far as I have been told by other lawyers in Maine, is not true! So, I thought truth and justice was enough to prove my case at the next level! I couldn't find a lawyer to represent me so I simply as possible filed to The Maine Supreme Court with little guidance, my mistake I guess?

The Supreme Court of Maine also turned down the appeal because they were not familiar with the evidence about the problems with high pressure waves, infra-sound, from the wind powered generators, that Evergreen Wind Power now First Wind, submitted against me in the WHO report, World Health Org. This report actually proves my case for me that low frequency waves, infra-sound, is harmful at the levels being driven my way by the wind and the 28 commercial wind powered generators belonging to the once named Evergreen Wind Power L.L.C. now First Wind L.L.C. and they also had a name change between the two names mentioned.

I hope all the exclamation marks are not distracting, I guess I am just showing a little frustration with how uncontrolled power can lead some people, in financial need or greed, to justify diminishing social rights of people at the cost of their own conscious, in my opinion. To sum up we can not, on our watch, let people break the law and use the law to get away with it! We need to get back to the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth and if the truth has been hidden or used and abused, in any way, then the proof of burden should be on the party that has compromised their rights by using half truths and untruthful statements! Another good reason to view this case is because these types of cases, involving thousands of people, will be coming in front of you on a more regular basis. I would think it would be a good investment of your time to investigate more to further understand more about the harmful waves being made by a truly unusual source, like no other sounds from nature or made by human hands!
Truly yours, Michael P. Gosselin

‘Grafton wind forum covers home values’ (First Wind is the developer of Sheffield)

By BRANDON CANEVARI / Manchester Journal
Posted: 01/21/2014 03:00:00 AM EST

(clip)
Near the end of the forum, Executive Director of Vermont for Clean Energy and moderator of the forum, Annette Smith, recounted the experiences of Steven and Luann Therrien who live near the Sheffield Wind project. They had lived in their home -- which Smith said is not far from the Interstate -- for 17 years. However, since the turbines have been built they begun experiencing physical symptoms.
"That turbine noise and the infrasound has made them so sick they can't work. They're on anti-depressants. They're on sleeping medications. Steve is on motion sickness pills. He often wakes up in the morning throwing up," said Smith.

The Therriens have sought help from the town of Sheffield, First Wind -- the developer -- and several other entities so that they can abandon their home and find a better place to live, Smith said -- so far to no avail.
http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_24953133/grafton-wind-forum-co...
The Union Leader
April 6, 2009
clip-

“According to a March 26, 2008 report by the Daily News in Bangor, Maine, UPC Wind president and CEO Paul Gaynor said the company would do a better job in the future about letting local residents know what to expect from wind farms.

“I know there was an expectation (in Mars Hill) about what these were going to sound like,” Gaynor told the Daily News. “These are big structures and they do make sound.”

Shortly after Gaynor spoke to the Maine newspaper, the firm changed its name to First Wind. It was formerly known as Global Winds Harvest/UPC.”

Original link, non-functioning: http://www.the-leader.com/homepage/x1931060317

A working link provides The Union Leader archive for this news report:
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_multi=LNYBB|&p_product=LNYBB&p_theme=gatehouse&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=%28First%20Wind%20%29%20AND%20%28UPC%29%20AND%20date%284/6/2009%20to%204/7/2009%29&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=4/6/2009%20to%204/7/2009%29&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=%28First%20Wind%20%29%20AND%20%28UPC%29&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no

April 1, 2009 by Jack Zigenfus
Summary:

“Cohocton, NY permitted First Wind (formerly UPC Wind) to construct two wind energy facilities in the town on private land. Noise complaints started almost immediately after the turbines became operational. Windaction.org has been notified that the below letter was sent by Cohocton's town supervisor to First Wind.”

http://www.windaction.org/documents/20702

The questions must be asked:

"Why did Governor Patrick’s appointed green policy “Advisor”, First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor, fail to disclose that noise and health complaints have plagued his wind projects?

Had Falmouth Town Boards been apprised of these complaints and lawsuits related to declining health of citizens living near Governor Patrick's Advisor's wind projects, would Falmouth, or Fairhaven, or other MA towns, have installed wind turbines and assumed this known risk on behalf of their residents?

Hundreds of other families in MA suffer because either the State, or Governor Patrick's appointed Advisor on green policy, failed to disclose facts known about the physical and emotional harm caused by wind turbines--before the fact--installations of wind turbines in Falmouth, and elsewhere in MA.

NOISE AND HEALTH COMPLAINTS CONTINUE TO PLAGUE FIRST WIND

January 27, 2014
'NEIGHBOR FILES SUIT OVER NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF SHEFFIELD WIND PROJECT' (Sheffield is a First Wind project)
http://vtdigger.org/2014/01/27/neighbor-files-suite-negative-impact...

Paul Brouha, resident of Sutton, Vermont, today filed suit in Caledonia Superior Court against Vermont Wind, Northeast Wind Partners II, and First Wind Holdings over the Sheffield Wind Project. The filing states that the noise from and the visual impact of the project are out of character with the surrounding area, continue for extended periods, and constitute a nuisance.

The suit alleges these impacts are substantial and cause him and others in the community stress and annoyance and have compromised their ability to enjoy activities such as working outside, gardening, eating outside, walking, hiking, observing and hunting wildlife, and enjoying views of their properties and the surrounding countryside. The noise is also evident inside his home when low frequency noise and vibrations penetrate the walls and also when noise comes in through open windows.

“When my parents fled the German advance in WWII and came to this country they settled here because of the natural beauty, the remoteness, and the peace and quiet of the place. All my life growing up and now retired here, right up to the time construction of the project started, we were able to enjoy these activities” stated Brouha. “Now we experience long periods of time when the noise from the turbines continues with no let up and the flashing blades and blinking lights catch the eye – we’ve lost our quiet, our natural countryside, and our peaceful night skies and now live in the midst of an industrial energy generation facility.”

The nuisance created by First Wind’s construction and operation of the project has caused significant harm and damage to Mr. Brouha. “As evidenced by the inability of owners to sell properties in the area, it is clear no one wants to buy or develop a property near the wind power project. As a result of project impacts and the loss of use and enjoyment of the property its salability has been compromised and a substantial reduction of value has occurred,” he stated.

[End]
More on Governor Patrick's appointed green policy Advisor's wind projects, noise and health complaints that occurred before Falmouth wind turbines were installed:

Windmills a sound investment?
By Mary Perham
Corning Leader
Mon Apr 06, 2009, 12:11 AM EDT
Bath, N.Y. -
Editor’s note | This is the first part of a two-part look at developing concerns over wind farms in parts of Steuben County.

In early January, the blades in the 53-turbine First Wind project in the town of Cohocton began to spin. It was the first project in Steuben County to generate renewable energy and one of five under consideration in the county.

Within weeks, dozens of Cohocton residents went to the town board in neighboring Prattsburgh to warn that the machines were proving to be noisy and harmful.

“Don’t let (the developers) buffalo you,” Cohocton resident Hal Graham told the Prattsburgh Town Board in late February. “You know, I wanted to do something for the environment. And now I can’t sleep at night.”

Photo by Jason Cox | The Leader
A wind turbine is seen from Hal Graham’s window on Lent Hill in Cohocton.

Graham initially supported wind farm development.

Prattsburgh is the site of two wind farms planned by developers First Wind and EcoGen. Other projects have been proposed in the towns of Hartsville and Howard.

Since wind farms in Steuben County were first proposed in 2002, developers have admitted it’s hard to miss seeing the 400-foot-high turbines, but insisted they sound no louder than a refrigerator’s hum.

The projects have been promoted throughout the largely rural county as a quiet, inexpensive and environmentally-friendly way to provide renewable energy.

Environmental studies for Cohocton and Steuben County led to restrictions of the turbines’ sound to a maximum comfort level of 50 decibels. Setbacks were established to assure both noise and other potential dangers such as shadow flicker and flying debris were lessened.

Yet the promised “refrigerator hum” of the turbines was a falsity as residents began to compare the sound to the roar of a jet engine, according to Graham.

The Cohocton residents are among a growing number of people across the nation complaining the noise made by wind turbines is intrusive and disturbing. Medical professionals have compiled studies showing the noise can pose health hazards.

And the wind industry is beginning to take notice.

In Maine, where the state welcomed renewable energy, the Mars Hill project has been widely criticized for being noisy.

According to a March 26, 2008 report by the Daily News in Bangor, Maine, UPC Wind president and CEO Paul Gaynor said the company would do a better job in the future about letting local residents know what to expect from wind farms.

“I know there was an expectation (in Mars Hill) about what these were going to sound like,” Gaynor told the Daily News. “These are big structures and they do make sound.”

Shortly after Gaynor spoke to the Maine newspaper, the firm changed its name to First Wind. It was formerly known as Global Winds Harvest/UPC.

Local officials said they have relied on the best information available and worked to ensure the safety of residents.

Steuben County Industrial Development Agency Exec-utive Director James Sherron said the agency has regulatory standards based on data from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and state Energy Research Development Agency.

The Steuben County IDA has established minimum distances that wind turbines can be to a residence, called a setback. There are also limits on decibel levels.

But Sherron said he has heard reports of 110 decibels in Cohocton -- twice the accepted limit – and added any violations would go through a process of sound studies to decide the best way to solve the issue.

“We have a responsibility with the developers, they have to meet the criteria,” Sherron said. “They could be asked to slow down the turbines, find alternatives. It could mean the unit would be removed.”

Sherron said another factor in the noise may be the model of machine used in Cohocton.

While SCIDA initially reviewed 1.5 megawatt turbines, the five wind farm developers looking to do business in the county indicated they would be installing 2.3 megawatt turbines. The larger turbines were approved because SCIDA’s consultants said there was no significant difference in their impact, Sherron said.

But all models under consideration are capable of exceeding 100 decibels at a maximum speed of 30 feet per second, according to a report to SCIDA by developer EverPower.

Typically, the blade rotation is reduced to lower speeds.

Yet some sound experts charge the current “acceptable” range of 45-50 decibels is excessive, and twice as loud as some background rural noise recorded at 20-25 decibels.

Acoustical engineer Richard James warned the noise is not only nerve-wracking, but poses health risks now being studied in the U.S. and in Europe, where wind farms have operated for nearly 20 years.

James likened the potential long-term effect of wind farms to the now-notorious region near Buffalo, where officials paved over the toxic waste which later poisoned residents.

“This is like Love Canal,” he said.
http://www.the-leader.com/homepage/x1931060317

http://www.sheffieldwind.com/UserFiles/File/regulatory_sheffield/Cr...

First Wind "gag order" Sheffield settlement has been posted in its entirety, here, with Adobe link to the actual document, names redacted: http://www.windaction.org/documents/25867

Complaints are being generated by residents in 21 MA communities to local boards, and/or to the state, and the state has been grossly apathetic in its response to these complaints—for approximately four years in the case of Falmouth.

UPC FIRST WIND CEO PAUL GAYNOR, GOVERNOR PATRICK’S APPOINTED GREEN POLICY ADVISOR IS TIED TO THE LARGEST EVER ASSET SEIZURE IN MAFIA HISTORY

It is a fact that the Patrick Administration was alerted about the noise and health complaints generated by wind turbines installed by UPC First Wind on June 25, 2009, before Falmouth's wind turbines were installed. These are my online comments to the MA EOEEA that are public and published:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/renewables/wind/public-comments-l...

I believe it is significant that UPC First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor is by appointment of Governor Patrick the Co-chair of The Climate Protection Advisory Committee under the Global Warming Solutions Act. Gaynor is also co-chair of the Mass Department of Environmental Protection Advisory Committee Low Carbon Energy Supply Subcommittee. Gaynor, in my view, is encumbered as an Advisor and Public Official to disclose adverse health impacts caused by wind turbines his company has installed from ME to Hawaii. Had he done so, residents of Falmouth would likely have been spared emotional and physical agony and financial losses incurred due to this green policy Advisors' failure to disclose these problems exist with his wind projects.

My June 25, 2009 comments on the Wind Bill http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/renewables/wind/public-comments-l... to the MA EOEEA state:

The Union Leader on April 6, 2009 reported:
“According to a March 26, 2008 report by the Daily News in Bangor, Maine, UPC Windpresident and CEO Paul Gaynor said the company would do a better job in the future about letting local residents know what to expect from wind farms.
“I know there was an expectation (in Mars Hill) about what these were going to sound like ,” Gaynor told the Daily News. “These are big structures and they do make sound.”
Shortly after Gaynor spoke to the Maine newspaper, the firm changed its name to First Wind. It was formerly known as Global Winds Harvest/UPC.”
http://www.the-leader.com/homepage/x1931060317

April
1, 2009 by Jack Zigenfus
Summary:
“Cohocton, NY permit ted First Wind (formerly UPC Wind) to construct two wind energy facilities in the town on private land. Noise complaints started almost immediately after the turbines became operational. Windaction.org has been notified that the below letter was sent by Cohocton's town supervisor to First Wind.”
http://www.windaction.org/documents/20702

My comments of June 25, 2009 to the MA EOEEA continue:

"Who is Paul Gaynor? WPI article 2005:

As president and CEO of UPC Wind Management, located in Newton, Mass.,Gaynor was tapped to bring the success of the parent company, UPC Group, to North America. In Europe and North Africa, UPC affiliates including Italian Vento Power Corporation have raised over $900 million in financing and installed some 900 utility scale wind turbine generators (WTGs), with a total capacity of more than 635 megawatts. UPC subsidiary companies, positioned across the United States and in Toronto, are currently pursing some 2,000 megawatts in projects from Maine to Maui.”

My June 25, 2009 comments further state:

UPC in Italy:
"UPC personnel had extensive experience in the U.S. with wind energy development, ownership and operation. Avv. Oreste Vigorito has been the Managing Director of IVPC and its subsidiary companies from inception and has become a partner with UPC in its Italian
activities. Avv.Vigorito has continually provided the IVPC companies with strong Italian and local management experience."
http://home.btconnect.com/tipiglen/foreigners.html
My comments of June 2009 to the MA EOEEA continue:

FOX NEWS
Report: Mafia Invests in Sicilian Wind Farms
Tuesday, May 05, 2009

The Mafia may be going green.

Sicilian prosecutors are cracking down on Cosa Nostra involvement in the numerous small firms that build wind farms on the Mediterranean island, the FinancialTimes reports.

What's the attraction for organized crime? The best of intentions, of course. The European Union and the Italian government heavily subsidize the construction of alternative-energy facilities, and the operators are guaranteed high rates to maximize their profits. A few wind farms that broke down because of lousy construction still received subsidies, prosecutor Roberto Scarpinato told the Financial Times.

"This is the amazing thing--that developers got public money to build wind farms that did not produce electricity," he said.

Furthermore, locally built wind farms are often bought up by multinational energy firms from other parts of Europe, none of which know the true identtities of the original owners.

"A handful of people control the wind sector," said Scarpinato. "Many companies exist, but it is the same people behind them." Eight arrests have already been made."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519000,00.html

These above are clips of my June 25, 2009 comments that can be viewed entirely, here: http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/renewables/wind/public-comments-l...

Five months following my comments of June 25, 2009 to MA EOEEA, during November of 2009, Oreste Vigorito Director of Italian Vento Power Corporation, IVPC, subsidiary and affiliate of UPC (First Wind), whom I had identified both by name to the MA EOEEA in my comments, was arrested for wind energy fraud. This wind fraud case has evolved to the largest asset seizure in Mafia history.

“The Windfather” – Another report finds wind and renewable energy projects controlled by organized crime to launder money
By Christine Duhaime | July 12th, 2013
Europol report ties mafia to renewable energy
By Christine Duhaime, B.A., J.D.

This week, Europol released yet another report tying the financing, development and operation of renewable energy projects, particularly wind energy infrastructure projects, to organized crime in Europe.
The involvement of organized crime in wind energy and renewable energy generally, poses significant legal, reputational and financial risks. The latter arises from, among other things, the potential forfeiture of assets acquired in whole or in part from suspected proceeds of crime, whether directly or indirectly.

The latest Europol report follows on the heels of an earlier one, the “Serious & Organized Crime Threat Assessment 2013″, which similarly found that organized crime is involved in, and in some instances controls, renewable energy financings and project developments for the purposes of laundering proceeds of crime.

Lord of the wind
This despite the fact that the alleged mafia and kingpin of wind energy, the so-called “Lord of the Wind”, Vito Nicastri, is still effectively under house arrest in Italy and €1.7 billion in corporate assets that he controlled were recently permanently forfeited to the state. Mr. Nicastri hasn’t been convicted of an offence in connection with the forfeited assets, and he doesn’t have to be for the state to seize assets that are suspected of being proceeds of crime.

The assets forfeited included shares in 40 companies, 100 properties, including wind farms and the assets thereon, 66 bank accounts, life insurance policies, seven exotic sports cars and luxury yachts.

Former convictions
It is surprising that Mr. Nicastri’s companies, or companies in which he was affiliated, qualified to build wind farms involving EU subsidies. According to an EU fraud report, Mr. Nicastri has a criminal record. In 1996, he was convicted of wind farm fraud in connection with improper payments of €15 million and of bribing public officials to obtain contracts. That should have been a red flag in the transactional due diligence process and a bar to any EU or national procurements or approval of any government licenses. Mr. Nicastri is believed to be a member of the Cosa Nostra.

The Camorra mafia are also alleged to be involved in renewable energy to launder proceeds of crime. In Europe, the Camorra are reported to have large and profitable criminal operations in France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands (in addition to Italy). In the U.S., they are one of 4 designated “transnational criminal organizations” (on the same scale as the Zetas in Mexico), having infiltrated the U.S. financial system to launder proceeds of crime from drug trafficking and other serious crimes.

In 2009, the Boston Herald reported that Italian Vento Power Corp. (“IVPC“) one of the wind energy companies forfeited to the Italian state that was associated with the alleged boss of the Cosa Nostra, Oreste Vigorito (who was allegedly associated with Mr. Nicastri), was formerly connected with a shareholder and director of two Boston-based wind energy companies.

Generous subsidies are attractive to organized crime
Organized crime is attracted to wind energy for three reasons: (a) generous government subsidies and feed-in tariffs; (b) corporate tax credits; and (c) the ease with which they can launder proceeds of crime as a result of the lack of knowledge of the mafia, money laundering and forfeiture risks on the part of financing and governments participants in the wind and renewable energy sectors.

In the current global market, organized crime is uniquely situated in that they have an abundance of cash that they need to invest (hence, launder) at a time when credit is hard to come by for corporations. The renewable energy sector provides the perfect money laundering vehicle to legitimize criminal operations because of the multi-layered corporate and financing structuring required, and the lack of money laundering awareness within the sector. Given that renewable energy is expected to grow by at least 20% by 2020, the problem is expected to get worse not better.

Other countries affected
The problem of organized crime infiltrating and controlling the wind energy sector, and generally, renewable energy, is not limited to Italy.
According to reports from ISA Intel, organized crime in Greece is actively engaged in laundering proceeds of crime through wind and other renewable energy projects.

And the Financial Intelligence Directorate for Bulgaria’s Agency for National Security reported a few days ago that according to its studies, renewable energy companies in Bulgaria act as a front for money laundering. In the Bulgarian cases, offshore companies (usually in tax havens) are used by organized crime to build and operate energy projects and finance related entities that bid on, and build energy infrastructure projects.

Lax auditing of EU Structural Funds
Renewable energy and wind energy projects are funded in the EU from the Structural Funds through its European Regional Development Fund (“ERDF“), which has allocated €295 billion in grants for renewable energy. The ERDF is used to support regional development primarily through infrastructure projects, and in particular through public-private partnerships.

Regulation No 1080/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Regional Development Fund requires that each member state have an audit authority in place to verify the legality and regularity of recipients of funding within three months. Unfortunately, the member state auditing function appears to have been left by the wayside. No one appears to have verified the legality or regularity of the mafia involvement in wind farms in Europe. An estimated 50% of the subsidies paid by the ERDF for wind energy related infrastructure projects involved fraud and other irregularities.
Mitigating the risks for governments and banks
The use of wind and renewable energy projects to launder proceeds of crime is a relatively new development in money laundering law. From a money laundering perspective, it may be appropriate to consider wind energy projects as high risk and therefore subject to enhanced and independent due diligence.

Know your customer procedures
Financial institutions and other participants should have sound know your customer (“KYC“) procedures in place. They help flush out money laundering and protect the reputation and integrity of the participants in a project by reducing the likelihood of any one of them becoming a vehicle for financial crime and suffering the consequential reputational damage.

For banks and other funding groups, KYC procedures constitute an essential part of sound risk management by providing the basis for identifying, limiting and controlling risk exposures in assets and liabilities, including assets under management.

Reputational and other risks
The inadequacy or absence of KYC standards can subject participants in a project to serious customer and counterparty risks, especially reputational, operational, legal and concentration risks. All these risks are interrelated. However, any one of them can result in significant financial cost to an organization.

In respect of banks, law firms, or government agencies, reputational risk poses a major threat, since by their nature, they each must maintain the confidence of, as the case may be, shareholders, rating agencies, creditors, the marketplace, tax payers or the public.
In respect of legal risks, participants can become subject to lawsuits resulting from the failure to undertake due diligence commensurate with the project risks, and can suffer suffer fines, criminal liabilities and special penalties.

And there is also the risk to the investment itself, namely of civil or criminal forfeiture of the asset, an outcome that is entirely avoidable by the exercise of competent anti-money laundering due diligence.
Government agencies especially should be alive to the issue of being able to demonstrate to the public in the face of a potential money laundering scandal that the requisite precautions were taken to minimize taxpayer exposure. Money laundering through wind farms on the scale allegedly conducted by Mr. Nicastri is rarely limited within national borders and there are likely cases similar to his that will come to light in North America.

The Wind Father illustration is borrowed from The Global Warming Policy Foundation.
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Christine Duhaime, Corporate Money Laundering, Energy & Money Laundering, Environmental Crime, Europol, Money Laundering & Banks, Money Laundering Charges, Money Laundering Europe, Money Laundering News, Money Laundering Trends
http://www.antimoneylaunderinglaw.com/2013/07/lord-of-the-winds-ass...

Paul Gaynor of UPC First Wind is a MA Public Official as an Advisor appointed by Deval Patrick on green policy, AND the 'Hawaii Wind developer tied to Largest-ever asset seizure by anti-Mafia police' (for wind energy fraud). I personally distributed a copy of this article in New Bedford to Deval Patrick's head of offshore wind, Bill White, of the Patrick Administration, within one week of its publication. I explained that the significance of this article is that Govenor Patrick has appointed UPC First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor as Advisor on green policy to the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary:
‘Hawaii Wind Developer tied to the Largest-ever asset seizure by anti-Mafia police’
http://hawaiifreepress.com/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/ID/4008/Hawaii-Win...

Hawaii Wind Developer tied to Largest-ever asset seizure by anti-Mafia police
By Andrew Walden @ 1:05 AM Energy

by Andrew Walden
Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind stood comfortably with Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie, Rep Mazie Hirono, and HECO CEO Dick Rosenblum at the grand opening of the Kahuku Wind energy project on Oahu’s North Shore Thursday. As he should.
First Wind–formerly known as UPC Wind--got its start in wind energy by launching Italy’s IVPC--a company now subject to a record breaking asset seizure by Italian police. The Financial Times September 14, 2010 explains:
Italian anti-mafia police have made their largest seizure of assets as part of an investigation into windfarm contracts in Sicily. Officers confiscated property and accounts valued at €1.5bn belonging to a businessman suspected of having links with the mafia.

Roberto Maroni, interior minister, on Tuesday accused the businessman – identified by police as Vito Nicastri and known as the island’s “lord of the winds” – of being close to a fugitive mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro.

General Antonio Mirone, of the anti-mafia police, said the seized assets included 43 companies – some with foreign participation and mostly in the solar and windpower sector – as well as about 100 plots of land, villas and warehouses, luxury cars and a catamaran. More than 60 bank accounts were frozen.

Until his arrest last November, Mr Nicastri, based in the inland hill town of Alcamo, was Sicily’s largest developer of windfarms, arranging purchases of land, financing and official permits. Some projects were sold through intermediaries to foreign renewable energy companies attracted to Italy by generous subsidy schemes….


The renewable energy sector is under scrutiny across much of southern Italy. Some windfarms, built with official subsidies, have never functioned….

Mr Nicastri sold most of his windfarm projects to IVPC, a company near Naples run by Oreste Vigorito, also president of Italy’s windpower association. Mr Vigorito was also arrested last November on suspicion of fraud and later released. He denied wrongdoing.

Of course the folks who started IVPC know nothing about any of this. Reacting to an earlier round of arrests, First Wind founder Brian Caffyn told the November 15, 2009 Boston Herald: “I read about it in the papers, and I was very surprised.”

Will Hawaii’s windfarms actually work? The “Clipper Liberty” wind turbines installed at Kahuku are made by a company founded by a former Director of Enron Wind. Clipper Liberty Vice President of Engineering is also an Enron Wind veteran.

Gaynor and Caffyn were once much more public about their corporate ties to Vigorito’s IVPC. First Wind was originally known as UPC. The UPC Solar website touts “Mr. Caffyn personally oversaw the establishment and construction of the largest wind energy company in Italy — Italian Vento Power Corporation.”

IVPC’s english-language website states: “The Group came to light in 1993 from an idea of Oreste Vigorito who formed the company I.V.P.C. S.r.l. on behalf of UPC, an American company which operates in the wind sector in California.” (Emphasis added.)

The UPC Solar website explains: “UPC’s earliest wind farm developments were built in 1995 in Italy. At the time UPC sold IVPC, its Italian wind business, in 2005, it had built approximately 650MW of capacity representing over 50% of the total installed Italian wind capacity.”

The Worcester Polytechnic Institute News Summer, 2005 reports on the activities of WPI alumnus Gaynor:

"...As president and CEO of UPC Wind Management, located in Newton, Mass., Gaynor was tapped to bring the success of the parent company, UPC Group, to North America. In Europe and North Africa, UPC affiliates—including Italian Vento Power Corporation—have raised over $900 million in financing and installed some 900 utility-scale wind turbine generators (WTGs), with a total capacity of more than 635 megawatts. UPC subsidiary companies, positioned across the United States and in Toronto, are currently pursing some 2,000 megawatts in projects from Maine to Maui..."

In March, Gaynor secured financing for a $70 million project on the island of Maui. [The project is a joint venture with Makani Nui Associates, which owns 49 percent.] The 30-megawatt wind farm at Kaheawa Pastures will be Hawaii’s first utility-scale project to be put into service since the 1980s. Plans call for 20 towers, 180 feet tall, with 1.5-megawatt General Electric turbines. Construction is expected to begin this summer, and the project should be completed by the first quarter of 2006. When operational, the wind farm will supply up to 9 percent of demand to customers of Maui Electric Company.

The Kaheawa Pastures site is situated on state conservation land, between Ma’aleaea and Olowalu, at elevations ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 feet.

Makani Nui is also a partner in the Kahuku Wind project.
Business Week reports that Caffyn is a Director or Partner in dozens of Limited Liability Corporations tied to wind energy projects. These include Hawaii’s Kaheawa Wind Power, LLC, Kaheawa Wind Power II, LLC, Hawaii Wind Construction, LLC, and UPC Hawaii Wind O&M.
Caffyn is also listed as a Director or Partner of Italian Vento Power Corporation (IVPC), Srl, IVPC 4, Srl. (Italian Vento Power Corporation), IVPC 6, Srl, IVPC 2000, Srl., IVPC Energy B.V., IVPC Energy 3 B.V., IVPC Energy 4 B.V., IVPC Energy 5, B.V., IVPC Energy 6, B.V., IVPC Energy 7, B.V., IVPC Gestione, Srl, IVPC Management, Srl, IVPC Management 2, Srl and IVPC Marche, Srl. Mr. Caffyn served as Director or Partner of IVPC Marche 2, Srl., IVPC Puglia, Srl, IVPC Service, Srl, IVPC Service 2, Srl, IVPC Service 3, Srl, IVPC Service 4, Srl, IVPC Service 5, Srl, IVPC Service 6, Srl, IVPC Sicilia, Srl., IVPC Sicilia 2, Srl., IVPC Sicilia 3, Srl., IVPC Sicilia 4, Srl., IVPC Sicilia 5, Srl., IVPC Sicilia 6, Srl., IVPC Umbria, Srl., IVPC Wind, Srl.

The UK Independent September 16, 2010 reports:
After decades of drug-running, extortion and prostitution, the Mafia appears to have found a rather more ecological way of laundering their money: green power.

And if the assets of the Italian police's latest target are any indication, the Mafia is embracing the renewable energy business with an enthusiasm that would make Al Gore look like a dilettante. The surprising revelation of organised crime's new green streak came as Italian police said yesterday they had made the largest recorded seizure of mob assets – worth €1.5bn (£1.25bn) ($2.1bn US) – from the Mafia-linked Sicilian businessman Vito Nicastri, who had vast holdings in alternative energy concerns, including wind farms.

Organised crime in Italy has previously been notorious for trading in environmental destruction – principally earning billions of euros by illegally dumping toxic waste. But most of the newly seized assets are in the form of land, property and bank accounts in Sicily, the home of Cosa Nostra, and in the neighbouring region of Calabria, the base of the rival 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

So naturally, First Wind is very comfortable with Hawaii politicians and business leaders.
---30---
THE FUTURE: Wind Energy's Ghosts
The list First Wind owned companies (some inactive) registered in Hawaii includes the following:
• FIRST WIND CONSTRUCTION, LLC
• FIRST WIND ENERGY, LLC
• FIRST WIND ENERGY MARKETING, LLC
• FIRST WIND HAWAII
• FIRST WIND O&M BATTERY SERVICES, LLC
• FIRST WIND O&M FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, LLC
• FIRST WIND O&M FACILITIES MANAGEMENT LLC
• FIRST WIND O & M, LLC
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER II, LLC
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER II, LLC
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER, L.L.C.
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER, LLC
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER, LLC
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER, LLC
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER, LLC
• KAHEAWA WIND POWER VENTURES, LLC
• KAHUKU WIND POWER II, LLC
• KAHUKU WIND POWER II, LLC
• KAHUKU WIND POWER, LLC
• HAWAII HOLDINGS, LLC DBA FIRST WIND HAWAII
• HAWAII HOLDINGS, LLC DBA HAWAII HOLDINGS, LLC (NV)
• UPC HAWAII HOLDINGS, LLC
• UPC HAWAII HOLDINGS, LLC
• UPC HAWAII WIND
• UPC HAWAII WIND CONSTRUCTION, LLC
• UPC HAWAII WIND O & M, LLC
• UPC HAWAII WIND PARTNERS II, L.L.C.
• UPC HAWAII WIND PARTNERS II, LLC
• UPC HAWAII WIND PARTNERS II, LLC
• UPC HAWAII WIND PARTNERS, L.L.C.
• UPC HAWAII WIND PARTNERS, LLC
• UPC KAHUKU WIND POWER, LLC
• UPC KAUAI WIND POWER, LLC
• UPC WIND MANAGEMENT, LLC


http://hawaiifreepress.com/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/ID/4008/Hawaii-Win...

Paul Gaynor is appointed by Governor Patrick as Co-chair of The Climate Protection Advisory Committee under the Global Warming Solutions Act. Gaynor is also co-chair of the Mass Department of Environmental Protection Advisory Committee Low Carbon Energy Supply Subcommittee. Whose subsidiary and affiliate is Italian Vento Power Corporation (IVPC), with Director Oreste Vigorito tied to Vito Nicastri "Lord of the Wind".

The Public Prosecutor at the Court of Italy has arrested the president of ANEV Oreste Vigorito together with other lords of the wind in a criminal investigation for conspiracy to commit a fraud on the subject of government grants in favor of wind farms.

Asset seizures in Italy related to wind fraud bear the seal of DIREXIONE INVESTIGATIVA ANTIMAFIA, and represent the largest seizure of Mafia assets in the history of the Mafia that include:
1.3 billion euros ($1.7 billion) connected to renewable energy farms. According to the AP, local police seized 43 wind and solar energy companies and 66 bank accounts belonging to Vito Nicastri — known as 'Lord of the Wind' for his role in developing his energy businesses.
The mega confiscation of goods is covering western Sicily, Lombardy, Lazio and Calabria. The seals were affixed to the assets attributable to Vito Nicastri, 57 years of Alcamo (Trapani), a leading entrepreneur in the field of photovoltaic power generation and wind power. Nicastri, involved, say the investigators, in many events, including criminal implications, it would be "reported consistently with members of Cosa Nostra." The economic and financial surveys, conducted by Dia, allowed, according to the prosecution to establish that the leading position in alternative energy from the entrepreneur was acquired thanks to the "conscious and constant proximity to the interests of crime organized. " Nicastri according to the Anti-Mafia Investigation Department "through a tumultuous dynamics of business has relations with Luxembourg companies, Danish and Spanish." For investigators "this close to the most well known Mafiosi, favored its transformation from a contractor electrician specializing in the development of power plants from renewable sources, giving it a leading position in the regions of the South." (Reuters).

The bitter irony is that UPC First Wind continues to seize public assets in the U.S., while Italian Police seize UPC First Wind affiliates' of record, Italian Vento Power Corporation (by UPC testimony) assets for wind fraud.

Reference--
The Italian Parliament Senate of the Republic -125- Chamber of Deputies: (Energy page 10 forward)
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://...

STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS PRESENTS BIASED STUDIES TO ADVANCE WIND

The DPU process is predicated upon the Mass Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) so called ‘Health Impact Study’. The process MassDEP employed and the document produced are seriously flawed. A biased panel reviewed cherry picked materials. Among the most egregious flaws are the following: the panel only met two times, did not follow the scope document, did not review all materials submitted to MassDEP from the public (which included peer-reviewed scientific articles and evidence of direct links between wind turbines and adverse health impacts) and did not conduct a field trip to interview people in MA within one hour of Boston who are experiencing health problems since wind turbines were constructed nearby.

MA Energy and Environment Secretary Richard Sullivan’s September 2011 comment foretold the study findings of no harm before the process commenced.
http://www.planning.org/mobile/news/story.htm?story_id=163602509

Cape Cod Times 9/16/11:
While the panel's work will be valuable in the creation of setbacks and other standards for wind energy projects, the Patrick administration does not believe at this point that there are major health affects from turbines, Sullivan said.

Berkshire residents claim the Patrick Administration cannot be trusted to act in the public interest when it comes to siting wind projects, Berkshire Eagle 1/28/14. I so agree.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/ci_25006521/berkshire-residents-...

A biased panel reviews of literature is challenged by MA residents who cite the lack of objectivity of this health report-
• Mass: Wind turbine critics question panel’s report on health impacts
By Kyle Cheney / State House News Service
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 –
http://fiwn.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/mass-wind-turbine-critics-ques...

• Enterprise
Residents Call State Turbine Study Faulty And Biased
http://www.capenews.net/communities/region/news/1672

• January 21, 2012 • Massachusetts
Wind farm critics slam health study; Patrick standing by controversial report
Credit: Christine Lee, 22News State House Correspondent,

WWLP, www.wwlp.com 20 January 2012 January 21, 2012 • Massachusetts
• Falmouth turbine foes reject state study
By JON OFFREDO
joffredo@capecodonline.com
January 24, 2012 2:00 AM
Crony Capitalism and Corporate Welfare drive MA green energy policies to the detriment of citizens forced to fund these initiatives
Second Wind (Patrick appointed Advisor First Wind Paul Gayno)r's Vice President Michael Jacobs worked as a sales manager at Second Wind, Inc., and held the position of utility analyst for the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

“Second Wind received a $500,000 loan from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust to help develop the Triton.”
http://www.masscec.com/index.cfm/cdid/11697/pid/11150
Second Wind is partnering with WindPole Ventures-
http://www.mass.gov/Eoeea/docs/eea/restructuring_roundtable_2010.pdf
In Somerville, Second Wind, which makes equipment to measure wind speeds and generate other data, has already had orders delayed or canceled and has laid off workers as result of uncertainty about the tax credit, Kerry and the company said.
http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-24/business/31091359_1_cape-wind...

DeepWater Wind (Patrick Appointed Advisor) Paul Gaynor Board of Managers) and Chief Executive Officer of First Wind; Michael Alvarez Board of Managers of DeepWater and President and Chief Financial Officer of First Wind, former Vice President of Strategic Planning at Edison International and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and General Counsel at Nexant, and President of Kenetech Energy Systems
From this SEC link see First Wind "Investment".
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1434804/000104746910008574/a...
SunPower Director and 10% Owner Patrick Wood III is Director of TPI Composites, and Director of First Wind,
SunPower: Twice As Bad As Solyndra, Twice As Bad For Obama
Congressman's son lobbied for failing solar panel company
by Neil W. McCabe
10/11/2011

How did a failing California solar company, buffeted by short sellers and shareholder lawsuits, receive a $1.2 billion federal loan guarantee for a photovoltaic electricity ranch project—three weeks after it announced it was building new manufacturing plant in Mexicali, Mexico, to build the panels for the project.

The company, SunPower (SPWR-NASDAQ), now carries $820 million in debt, an amount $20 million greater than its market capitalization. If SunPower was a bank, the feds would shut it down. Instead, it received a lifeline twice the size of the money sent down the Solyndra drain. Cut continues, here-
http://www.humanevents.com/2011/10/11/sunpower-twice-as-bad-as-soly...

The Wind Turbine Technology merits the investigation of the MA Attorney General, and the MA Office of the Inspector General. As the sole beneficiaries of this $40 million dollar public investment in the blade testing facility are MA Public Officials who skim ratepayer dollars to compensate themselves!

'Studies cite gains in Mass. > renewable energy industry' [9/17/13]
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/09/17/boston-tops-energy-e...

…refers to a Report by the MA Clean Energy Center about the success of the MA Clean Energy Center's investment of ratepayer dollars into renewables.

Page (1.), of this Report shows an image of the Wind Turbine Testing Facility in Charlestown, MA.

From the Federal Government's Recovery Tracker we know the ³Total Award Amount $24,752,779", and this stimulus funding is in addition to a $2 million US Department of Energy grant awarded as well as $13.2 million in grants and loans from the state's Renewable Energy Trust, now called MA Clean Energy Center MACEC.

Wind Turbine Testing Center "Jobs Created 0.00". However, the "Top 5 Officers and Compensation" at the Testing Center amounts to $798,937.00 paid to executives of the MA Clean Energy Center collecting ratepayer surcharge money.
https://connect.data.com/directory/company/list/u_z4d-XOA8XUlWiQYbZ...

The first customer of the Testing Center “was” Clipper Wind. This wind turbine manufacturer is now out of business, and their online auction for equipment and real estate was launched a few months ago. So, what does the public have to show for our $40 million investment in just one example?

We've provided Patrick Administration Public Officials with high paying green jobs.

HOW MANY HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR CITIZENS FUNDING THIS PROJECT?

"Project Location - City Boston (Charlestown area) Jobs Created 0.00" >

NEW INFORMATION NEW SITE— American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ARRA

http://www.recovery.gov/arra/News/featured/Pages/RecoveryActSeedsGr...

Wind Turbine Testing Center executives working at the MA Clean Energy Center!

"Project Location - City Boston (Charlestown area) Jobs Created 0.00" >


Top 5 Officers and Compensation
Patrick Cloney
$190,000.00
Carter Wall
$168,500.00
Rahul Yarala
$150,000.00
Roberto Ramirez
$148,000.00
Greg Watson
$142,247.00

The Testing Center’s first customer, announced on May 18, 2011, is Clipper Wind, formerly the supplier of wind turbines to UPC First Wind. First Wind unsuccessfully sought a writ of attachment of $60 million against Clipper Wind that First Wind claimed did not deliver wind turbines that First Wind had contracted to purchase.

Clipper Wind is out of business-Clipper Wind online auction- http://www.hilcoind.com/sales/sale.asp?SALE_ID=2615&SALE_REFERE...


May 18, 2011, 2:49pm EDT Mass High Tech-

Boston wind turbine center opens with Calif. client
Kyle Alspach
A California-based wind turbine maker, Clipper Windpower Inc., will be the first company to utilize the new Wind Technology Testing Center in Charlestown, officials announced Wednesday.
The center is operated by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and is the first in the U.S. to offer testing for the largest-scale wind turbine blades, which measure up to 90 meters in length.

Executives from the wind power industry and government officials on Wednesday celebrated the opening of the center, which cost about $40 million to build. Funding included a $24.7 million award from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, announced in May 2009, along with $13.2 million in grants and loans from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. The building of the center had used 300 jobs in construction and engineering.

In the announcement, Clipper Wind executive Craig Christenson said the wind industry has previously relied on European blade test laboratories to qualify new blade designs. “With a state-of-the-art, world-class blade test center, America has strengthened its capability to compete in the global wind energy sector,” Christenson said in a statement.

The center will provide the ability to test three blades simultaneously, 100 tons of overhead bridge crane capacity and a “full suite” of certification tests for turbine blades, including static and fatigue testing, blade material testing, dual axis static or fatigue testing and quality testing, according to the announcement.

The center also plans to offer turbine blade testing and prototype development methodologies, research and development partnerships, blade repair capabilities and hands-on workforce training.
The office of Gov. Deval Patrick noted that TPI Composites of Warren, R.I., will also be a customer of the Wind Technology Testing Center. TPI in August announced plans to opened a wind blade R&D and prototype manufacturing facility in Fall River, partly as a result of the center.
The second customer of the Wind Turbine Testing Center is-
TPI Composites Director of TPI Composites is Director of First Wind Patrick Wood III.

TPI Composites’ Statement On Award of More than $9 Million In Recovery Act Manufacturing Tax Credits from the Obama Administration. http://www.tpicomposites.com/press-room/press-releases/tpi-composit...
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has awarded TPI a $250,000 grant http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/20936
“After all, TPI Composites has also received accolades from Barney Frank, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and President Obama. Iowa companies have received more than $160 million in Department of Energy stimulus grants. How unfortunate that some Republican contenders chose to endorse more of the same instead of taking the opportunity to explain the senselessness of such a system. One would think that the Iowa Straw Poll would have been the optimal event to explain the free market perspective rather than acquiesce to the demands for more corporate welfare…”
http://biggovernment.com/jgriffith/2011/08/25/wasserman-schultz-and...

Thank you for your review of comments and evidence that suggest that renewable energy initiatives in MA serve the interests of MA public officials to the detriment of citizens funding these projects. This is not the time to advance the interests of crony capitalists thriving on public funding. It is time for the Patrick Administration to serve the interests of citizens by initiating investigations into renewable energy projects we have funded that undermine public interest—Public Officials in MA have restructured the MA energy market to require us to purchase the goods and services that they provide.

To punctuate my concerns about crony capitalism and corporate welfare driving MA the renewables sector in MA, please note the revolving doors in MA that undermine public interest--.

Epsilon Associates Director of Regulatory Affairs is Deerin Babb-Brott Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Coastal Zone Management and Director of the Office of Coastal Zone Management in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. In that role, he led the development of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan, a first-in-the-nation comprehensive state ocean plan that designates wind energy development areas
EPSILON: Deerin will lead Epsilon’s work on off-shore energy projects and bring his considerable expertise to bear on Epsilon’s active coastal permitting practice.
http://www.ebc-ne.org/index.php?id=75&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=34...
Rhumb Line Energy: Founder and Managing Director of Rhumb Line Energy is Ian Bowles.
Five months after Leaving Office Rhumb Energy was founded by Ian Bowles and his former undersecretary PHIL GUIDICE was named MANAGING DIRECTOR. Bob Keough, who once served as the energy department’s head of public affairs, is listed by Rhumb Energy as “PARTNER” as is Vivek Mothta, former director of energy markets at the state’s Department of Energy Resources.
http://www.rhumblineenergy.com/who-we-are-2/
http://articles.boston.com/2011-05-06/news/29517350_1_energy-resour...
http://www.rhumblineenergy.com/2011/06/former-state-environmental-c...
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2011/05/former_st...

WindPole Ventures (see Second Wind)

EnerNOC NASDAQ: ENOC former VP Phil Giudice undersecretary to Ian Bowles EOEEA:

State energy agency awards $10M pact to chief’s ex-firm

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/20100416state_ene...

“State energy commissioner Phil Giudice’s former employer, EnerNOC Inc., was recently awarded a $10 million economic-stimulus contract by Giudice’s own department, raising ethical questions from a top government watcher.”

Susan F. Tierney former Assistant Secretary by US Department of Energy, Secretary-Environmental Affairs by State of Massachusetts Dr. Susan F. Tierney is Independent Director at EnerNOC, Inc., She also served on the board at Evergreen Solar, Inc

At $10 million, the Enterprise Energy Management System (EEMS) contract represents nearly 20 percent of State Energy Program funding awarded to Massachusetts by the U.S. Department of Energy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The EEMS contract calls for tracking energy use at 33 state-owned sites encompassing 470 buildings throughout the Commonwealth. EnerNOC will install and monitor state-of-the-art energy meters to measure the performance.
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eoeeapressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&a...

http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/enoc/insiders?pid=75538444

I am willing to provide additional information and clarification, or to participate in the hopeful review of these comments by the MA Office of Inspector General and/or the MA Attorney General.

Thank You,

Barbara Durkin


Cc; MA Office of Inspector General
MA Office of Attorney General
U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz District of MA
Senator Bruce Tarr
Senator Harriett Chandler
Representative Harold Naughton
Representative Matt Beaton
Representative Bradley Jones

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Comment by Frank Haggerty on November 4, 2018 at 9:58am

Falmouth Massachusetts Wind Turbine TKO

News Media Reports 8-Year-Old Gearbox Turbine Can Make Town 5.7 Million? Leaves Out New Location Still Break The Law By "A Few Decibels"

Falmouth Massachusetts USA Nov 4, 2018
 
Comment by Barbara Durkin on September 9, 2017 at 5:59pm
Thanks, Gary, very much. And, for all you do and have done, along with so many others @ WTF. (Lol! Is this intentional?), I'm most grateful.
Comment by Gary Campbell on September 9, 2017 at 4:44pm

Barbara, YOU ROCK! Thanks for all you do.

Comment by Barbara Durkin on September 9, 2017 at 2:06pm
I was prompted by a great letter to post this testimony today.

Letter: Savoy wind turbine study is junk science
Posted Friday, September 8, 2017 6:21 pm
To the editor:
To the editor:

I am a mathematical economist. I have studied alternative green energy sources as a faculty researcher at MIT and have taught energy and environmental economics as an associate professor at Boston University and the University of California at Berkeley.

Voters in Savoy will soon decide whether to allow taller wind turbines in the town. In the discussion leading up to the relevant vote, the Minuteman Wind representative told the town that "there is not scientific consensus" about sound issues (Eagle, Aug. 25), citing a submitted noise study. She was likely referencing a state-sponsored January 2012 wind turbine study. Her assertion is a complete mischaracterization of the scholarly research.
Cut- continue reading-
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/letter-savoy-wind-turbinestud...

 

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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We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

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 -- Mahatma Gandhi

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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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