'contracts'  are as  good as  used toilet paper!

All it take is   bankruptcy,  and  all   previous  agreements  are  null.   

a  very quick  google search will flood your browser  with  bankrupt,  re organized  wind projects.

I'm  right on the edge of  a  large project,  in fact,   they  crossed  some of our land   with the  transmission  lines.  

Thank the LORD  for  Bald eagles!    If it wasn't for a well-placed  nest,  my FiL   was going to get  7-8  towers..   All the  'supporters'  can see are  the  $$.   they  refuse  to ponder the long term effects or consequences. 

Family discussions  about this project have been heated.. to say the least..  and   relations  have  not  improved.

My banker has made  an obvious  observation about this project;     " The folks  who are getting  towers,  seem to support them,  the  ones  who aren't... well,  they are not." (DUH, he'd make a good politician!!) 

  I  look at the  'supporters'  are the ones  who are absentee owners...  THEY DON'T HAVE TO LOOK AT THEM, LISTEN TO THEM, FEAR LIGHTNENING STRIKES, FALLING ICE.... OR THOSE  FRICKING BLINKING LIGHTS  24/7!!!    

I am  in the group that  didn't want any part of them,  but   was  'forced'  with a  'friendly condemnation'  of    ROW  for the   transmission line.  

This is a  'FOR PROFIT'  organization,  which has  full  approval,support, of  US govt.   (because they are  'renewable') ties into the  PUBLIC  owned  grid system..    yes folks,  WAPA (western area power association)   is  the   tie-in  line...  is  owned by  Uncle Sam...   they get  'precedence'.   

      When the  'profit'  leaves the  State,  it's gone.. for good.   The   'rent' payed  to  land owners is  NOTHING  compared to what is leaving the state.   We have given away our  trespassing rights,  we have exposed ourselves to the  teeth of the  assessor, (using a sudden new source of funds is no 'fix' to a budget problem,  they still have a  spending problem)  

Nebraska recently  acknowledged  this problem,  and has  legislation  in place to   get a 25%  in-state ownership in these  projects..   to little, too late. 

My cattle  winter  in a corner of a  irrigated field,  which they hide  in the  north-west corner,  behind a  nice shelterbelt.   Immediately  on the  west side of this shelterbelt,  is  a tower.  Approximately  130 feet from my fence.   

Anyone  ponder how hard a  chunk of ice  hits the ground  after falling   almost 200 feet?    How about   the  lightening rod effect?    These things  make  wonderful  lightening rods.  I have witnessed  several strikes  on this  tower  in just  the past 2 months  since it's erection..   and  they are not just  'normal'  strikes!    'zap'... and  done...  it now  seems like  a  total  cloud is  unloading  on that  tower.      How would you like to have  about  300 cows  huddled up  anywhere  close to that???

My other fields   will have to be watched closely,   if  my irrigation systems  happen to be near  one of these  steel transmission lines during a strike..  they'll be toast too.    I've  one  swing tower  system that uses  underground buried cable for it to follow...  nobody seems to  know if that will effect my transponders.  ( they just energized the line last week, and I am done  irrigating for the  year)

Just recently found out  via  county supervisor meeting....       BHE  (Berkshire Hathaway energy)  doesn't  have to pay  'tax' on any tower that is  'broke down'..  they have it pro-rated  for the year.    so if a tower is  sitting  'dead'  for  3 months,  they only have to pay for 9 months of   'useable machinery'

How would that make YOU feel,   if  you   told your  assessor    that  your tractor was broke down   for a month,  so you are only going to pay on 11 months on  your personal property tax??     not likely!!   Then,  in the same meeting,  the supervisors  told us that  BHE  has the option in  7 yrs.  to  'not  pay any taxes'  what-so-ever.   Nice eh? 

When asked  why they allowed this,  they told us it was  'take it or leave it deal'.      nad-less morons. 

Noise, both   blade tip and  whining of the gen.  (Vestas  website claims  105 db. max for the model they erected here) 

Lightning strikes.     I can confirm they do indeed  attract  lightning.

Falling ice.     

Blinking  lights... all in 'sync'..    can anyone  say  'epileptic seizure'? 

control over who  can cross our land.. gone. 

OH!  almost forgot,  during construction,  approximately 5 acres  are   dozed up for each tower. This is  the access road, and  the pad itself. And of course,  landowner still pays taxes  under that access road and  pad,  without  the use of it!

   So if  you  have  native grass,  it's gone forever. ( and believe me,  it exposed a lot of  sand,  which blew around   a lot this summer)    Sure,   they  promise to   'fix, and replant'.. but   it's not that simple to get a stand of native grass around here!  Nothing  was said about the 10 foot tall  horse weeds  that have grown up... or   next years  weed problem!  I guess I will deal with the  weed seed problem. 

I won't even  talk about  bird strikes, bat strikes..   or  aerial applicator  issues!   we have  several spray plane guys  who must be concerned.  some  might  even  enjoy the  thrill of  pylons to avoid!

All this is  for BHE,    who  sells  the  power to OPPD,   who in turn will send it on down to  the  growing population in the  South, and Southwest US.    Warren Buffet himself  said  these projects  make  'no sense'.. but are  fantastic  tax write-offs!   He  got almost 90 million  credit  on this project  alone.     

The sad part of it.. is   wind power  take precedence.   Even the  Hydro power it's   supplementing on the Wapa line it  shares with.     Why isn't  hydro  considered   'renewable'?      When  these 200+ towers are swinging  full-tilt,  the  switch yard at the tie in point   will  shut off the  hydro generators,  and  connect solely  to  windpower.    when the wind dies down,  the switch yard will  go back to hydro.   Absolutely   no  air  was  'cleaned'  in this endeavor.  But the way  the law is written    the  'green initiative'  loopholes  is going to make someone  a buttload of  money.  And  cost the taxpayer once again.

Be prepared!     BHE  will sit on this project for 5 years.  ( to   maintain their   tax incentive of 90 million)   Then   BHE  will sell  "at a loss"  to  a   outfit..  Take the capital loss for more savings,  and  watch the new company  file for  bankruptcy in  12 months.. and  sold for 10 cents on the dollar.      this is  where all contracts   get flushed down the drain.      This is of course, conjecture on my part..  but it seems like  this is how  business is  done these days. 

lastly,    what's going to keep  the  Chinese from buying these projects?

(bumper sticker 4.png)

bumper sticker 4.png (34KB - 99 downloads)