Kudos to Patriot Renewables response

To the Editor:

I applaud Patriot Renewables LLC representative Tom Carroll for taking the time to respond to my letter to the editor. I would like to note that he is a paid employee for Patriot Renewable LLC so his response on their behalf is most likely censored by his employer and would have to favor the company.

For example, a car salesman is not going to tell you anything bad about the car they are selling or they would not make the sale. I don’t believe Mr. Carroll for one second when he stated 80 percent of Mainers support wind power. I’ve read the contrary indicating more and more Mainer’s who are educating themselves on the issue of industrial wind power are opposing wind power.

That said, I have the research papers and information to support the comments written in my letter to the editor. Anyone that would like to see them can always contact me. I have seen reports that show figures of wind energy being sold at double the cost of gas and hydro energy.

Is Patriot Renewables LLC prepared to release their average sales price of energy sold out of state? I have information regarding the production tax credit (PTC) which is our tax dollars and how this subsidy is used by wind companies to assist in funding their projects. I also have a copy of a letter sent to appellants in Carthage from Mike Kelley; Patriot Renewable LLC employee offering a “buyout” of their properties or a payment to “remove their names from a permit appeal” regarding the Saddleback Ridge project. The landowners did not solicit this buyout Mr. Carroll, Patriot Renewable LLC offered it to them.

As far as being impartial regarding votes on wind power, my response is I will do what the majority of the citizens of Dixfield ask of me in conveying and respecting their desires and concerns and expressing their voice. I grew up, live and have raised my family in Dixfield and will support what I feel is best for this town, however as I have said to other selectmen, it does not matter what I want, what matters is what the majority of the town wants, period. I am sure my commitment and interest in doing what is right for the Town of Dixfield runs far deeper than Mr. Carroll’s.

Tom Carroll suggests that as a law enforcement officer I should be familiar with legal matters, which I am, however my profession deals primarily with criminal law not civil litigation and I never mix my professional obligations with outside involvements. When I asked Tom Carroll how their company addresses people who have noise complaints he stated they sometimes “compensate” them but then stated the complainants initiate that discussion.

Three years ago, I was a believer in the “clean/green” ideology of wind power and its promised economic benefits. I also desperately want to reduce CO2 emissions in the air and reduce our reliance on foreign oil. I too want to protect and preserve our environment. However I did the research on what information was out there and kept finding more and more negative issues surrounding these projects and the fallacies in wind power theory.

I will agree with Tom Carroll on one point in his article and I have said this to everyone I discuss this matter with, education is the key. Please educate yourself on the issues of industrial wind development, do your own research, don’t just take my word for it, or the wind companies for that matter.

Hart Daley,

Dixfield