Deval Patrick & Paul Gaynor: Crony Capitalism At First Wind
Taxpayer dollars gone with the wind.
Paul Gaynor CEO of First Wind (left) and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
---
Boston's First Wind Suffers Major Setbacks at Kahuku Project in Hawaii
By Green-Energy Analyst Barbara Durkin
The third fire at First Wind’s Kahuku Wind project since operations began in March of 2011 spewed lead and lasted for three days. The publicly-funded multimillion dollar Xtreme Battery storage facility filled with toxic smoke, and 12,000 batteries were completely destroyed. Hawaii News Now reports some fear this environmental threat will be repeated at First Wind’s other projects.
Hawaii Free Press provides a grim prognosis for Kahuku Wind:
“Recent developments reduce the chances that First Wind will ever be able to repair the defective turbines which were supposed to power the burned batteries at Kahuku.”
Boston-based First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor is Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’sappointed green policy advisor under the Global Warming Solutions Act. Gaynor is alsoappointed co-chair of the Mass Department of Environmental Protection Advisory Committee “Low Carbone Energy Supply Subcommittee.” First Wind has benefitted by a $117 million loan guarantee for (12) Clipper Liberty wind turbines at Kahuku despite atrade secret between Clipper Wind and First Wind executed to obscure from the public information about structural and mechanical problems ongoing with Clipper wind turbines.
Cash-strapped-Clipper, founded by Enron’s James Dehlsen, was recently dumped by the parent company United Technology Corporation UTC to Platinum Equity of CA that expressed no interest in providing remedy to Clipper’s $300 million costs in unscheduled maintenance. First Wind has deployed Clipper Liberty wind turbines in projects across the US according to court documents, with 12 newly installed but idle at Kahuku Wind, by loan of $117 million backed by the public.
You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!
Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine