Don Quixote Syndrome

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

            While I thought Timbermill actions followed a secret “Big Wind conspiracy” playbook I didn’t consider actions against my political alignment as coincidence. My editors were fair and logical with my editorials and used common sense, as this book shows. Key takeaways are:

1. Timbermill promised over 150 jobs without explaining that inexperienced locals won’t have the knowledge or equipment to do the work. The Town of Edenton abandoned all application decision making to the Board of Commissioners. A loss of tourist income is expected to be $575,000-$675,000 per year. Upwards of $1.84 Billion energy dollars is expected to be generated and purchased by Google.com, and partly piled on all Dominion Energy customers.
2. The avoided cost is the likely wholesale discount cost Google will pay for Timbermill electricity. Also, the authority of one county burdening NC and VA customers with a utility’s corporate investment responsibility is not legitimate. While NCUC influence may only be technical, currently practical or in the planning stages its clean energy policy focus favors “green” utility providers and wind/solar developers.
3. Socialism folds the real cost of a clean energy into NC Utility Commission (NCUC) mandates and a liberal governor’s socialist agenda. A normal business model should be expected from businesses using the NCUC, but this approach was lost in whatever process they use to evaluate utility rates. A $50,000 escrow account creates suspicious county objectivity.
4. The NCUC favored utility developers with $30 Million rates increases every two years and leans into socialism. Investments supervised by the NCUC don’t need an actual project to be funded. Still, one county is approved to burden all others connected to the winning electric utility hosting the turbines.
5. Net-Zero Capitalism shows wind turbines for electric energy income isn’t a fair environmental tradeoff. Rare earth minerals, manufacturing, construction, transportation costs, etc. produce a negative carbon footprint impact over the life of a wind project even if the only word environmentalists hear is “sustainable energy.”
6. NC’s Clean Energy Plan was contradictory doublespeak from liberal consulting companies. Free green energy money is a misperception. Energy without fossil fuel consumption isn’t “sustainable.” Wind turbine energy is a “manufacturing process,” as it converts wind into electricity. Wind energy does not stand alone as pure “green energy.” Coal power plant backups are required, which implies an industrial facility. Big Wind doesn’t follow fair play rules and accept international standards.
7. The developer low-balled turbine property tax assessments 43% to the county from day one ($400,000 actually became $700,000) while Chowan commissioners considered a seven-year reduction in property taxes. Using larger housing area numbers slanted the developer’s real estate sales interpretation to prove neutral loss influence.
8. The developer manipulated Chowan’s wind ordinance and memorandums. Who adapted the zoning ordinance to allow farmland to be rezoned A-1 from rural-agricultural, not the more accurate industrial or light industrial.
9. All sound data was modeled. Sound modeling is a fine approach to establish industry standards, apparently without supplying enough information to answer application completeness questions. Most developer recommendations were completely independent of opposition debate—the HDR Report, EA, Economic Report, etc. Postponing all state and federal permits until after the CUP hearing did not satisfy CUP application requirements. This misled deciders.
10. The “free” property tax income card is played in nearly every newsprint article and pro-wind opinion piece. Modeled data doesn’t overlap much of the expert data presented during the CUP hearings because there wasn’t any for analysis.
11. Democratic commissioners were so biased in their application support they ignored industry standards. Characterizing commissioners as anti-business shows how unconcerned energy people are. Commissioners queried Apex for local business profit participation and a report on economic losses, which were summarily dismissed.
12. Wind developers go where there’s a weak wind ordinance or county personal that don’t have the ability to evaluate a wind power plant application. Even with that limitation every Chowan decision maker is afraid they’ll be sued for missteps.
13. It’s unlikely the promised 10-15 FT jobs are located at a Chowan Met site because Apex’s national Remote Operations Control Center (ROCC) exists at their corporate HQ. Developers took advantage of locals, holding their hands throughout the application process, especially during the Chowan Wind Ordinance rewrite and then turning their backs.
14. Major bird migration routes and eight National Wildlife Refuges are located within 130 miles of Edenton. Federal or international wind standards are needed so Audubon and Sierra Club execs can oppose clean energy and bird strikes. Many ploys were exercised in the hearing process to establish new precedents rather than follow Euro standards and common sense to protect humans and wildlife.
15. Big Wind is a con to Chowan citizens and a real treat to wildlife and the environment. Given bird kills, sales price loss, unjustified property tax additions, health issues, economic losses to the community, decommissioning losses, unsightly appearance of the turbines, and rare earth radioactive pollutions are the real costs of wind development.
16. Public testimony apparently falls exclusively in the realm of expert witnesses. Fire, environmental concerns including bird kills, health concerns, decommissioning shortfalls, Insurance for turbines, economic liability, zoning, airport traffic conflicts and interference, Chowan’s economic welfare, hurricanes, salt water encroachment, etc., or any citizen opinion doesn’t impact the application process. An opposition expert said turbine concrete bases restrict groundwater flow and cause flooding which will damage crops. Most commissioners didn’t care the project disrupts agricultural land, groundwater and wetlands.
17. High construction and turbine maintenance costs, negative net energy usage, non-turbine energy storage not available for wind down times, bird kills, ice throws, noise pollution, wild animals behaviors, eye flicker pollution, backup generators, radioactive magnets, test results, crop spraying, Life Flight services, etc., were ignored throughout the project. It’s like every caution a TV medicine advertisement offers a patient is ignored.
18. Leaseholders don’t have any power to disclose or oppose Apex decisions regarding their land. Partisan politics rue the day! Technical data for 600 ft. turbines was simulated. Local and NC businesses don’t benefit if manufacturers and installers are out of state or overseas. A socialist march towards globalism is a poor business model.
19. Democrat commissioners chose to ignore lawful ordinance requirements and later voted to extend the initial CUP permit. Rules apparently don’t apply to wind developers or commissioners. Green Energy bias masks a misaligned environmental conscience, outright fabrications and misrepresentations in light of opposition truths. Hiding real cost options are blind spots to most pro-wind proponents.
20. All’s quiet about the carbon footprint necessary to create and construct turbines. Apparently, a trade off of a negative carbon footprint and abundant free energy doesn’t cost real American money. Chowan’s smart commissioners fell for a tried and true Timbermill hustle every time, by always sidelining inconvenient testimony.
21. The FBI should investigate any backers and those renewable energy developers whose projects connect to the grid. Who knows what digital games hackers and terrorists could play using an industrial wind power plant’s interface to the Grid? The developer had free reign during the hearings with studies and comprehensive environmental assessments never required to be made public.
22. Documentation for some money in the Timbermill Economic Report is missing, leaving possible interpretations of bribes, political contributions, kickbacks, under the table transactions, etc. This is potentially the saddest part of the national push for clean energy in economically distressed rural areas. Given the level of developer manipulation there’s no telling what’s truthful from them anymore. Green Energy always results in higher consumer prices whenever it’s established.

APPEXDIX A explores the parallel flights of the classic book Don Quixote and The Don Quixote Syndrome.

APPEXDIX B examines Timbermill’s carbon footprint.

APPEXDIX C analyzes the home sale value of homeowner properties near turbines.

APPEXDIX D explains the real costs of North Carolina going 100% Green.

APPEXDIX E documents NC Utility Commission mandated costs.