Quixotes Last Stand links to a Law and Economics Prof studying the implementation of Ontario’s Green Energy Act. Read the study. To call it damning of Ontario Premier McGuinty would be generous.
This is a sorry and sobering story of how a combination of unreflective environmental fundamentalism, a massive feeding-frenzy by corporate rent-seekers, and political hubris has the makings of an economic disaster for a province already in serious fiscal difficulties.
Another one of those pesky Profs who use real numbers. Bastards.
Interestingly enough, the study is for Energy Probe Research Foundation. They are described in the study as:
Energy Probe is the consumer and energy research team at EPRF, active in the fight against nuclear power, and dedicated to resource conservation, economic efficiency, and effective utility regulation.
This seems to differ from how they describe themselves on their web page.
Part of the conclusion:
The environmental assessment process for industrial wind turbine projects fails to meet all of these preconditions and hence justifies, with little or no qualification, the cynical view of the regulatory process. Only the role of the courts in policing administrative due process in this context remains to be tested.
h/t: pkuster
Is anyone surprised by yet another smitterman disaster?
Drax, clear explanation please or go away.
Smitherman was the Minister for Energy when the Green Energy Act was passed in 2009.
Where would you like me to start?
Perhaps I can start with correcting my typo, that should be yet another smitherman disaster..
There is Ornge, the e-health boondoggle, and of course the green energy act.
Are you suggesting that we should not hold the politician responsible for acts that occur when they hold that portfolio?
I would agree that McGuinty also holds responsibility for these messes as well.
I just wondered who SMITTERMAN was. Never heard of him before.
PS- I doubt SMITHERMAN had the results we are seeing in mind when he introduced it. Yes, he was a typical politician-kissing the asses of the environmental mob.
Anyone with an IQ of greater than room temperature who didn’t foresee the economic disaster of green energy from day 2. ( I’ll give everyone a day to think it through) is a fool or knave.
More obvious an economic and technical disaster is harder to imagine.
Smitherman was also the guy in charge when the e-health scam formed I believe.
Robert, Smitherman WROTE the Green Energy Act. (Gaylord, please take notes.) He also created the EHealth Agency. He was also the Minister responsible for cancelling the first few gas plants prior to the Mississauga fiasco. He mismanaged the Portland project at Hearn and cancelled the first gas plant proposed in Oakville, as well as the one north of Toronto near Markham.
Just to cap it all, he scrapped the long term power plan developed by the OPA and made a complete shambles of new nuclear power plant acquisition in Ontario. ON his watch, the number of government agencies in the electricity supply went from four to seven. In short, whatever Furious George touched he turned to complete crap. The inverse Midas Syndrome, if you will.
There was only one reason George was in the provincial cabinet, to secure the homosexual vote in Toronto.
The most damning portion of the report is the fact that Ont AG noted in 2010 that 86% of wind electricity was produced when already in a net export position, and that the power was dumped at half the price Ont paid to generate it. The loss on these transactions alone from 2005-11 was $1.8 B These staggering figures and there are many more, demonstrate the depth of incompetence and corruption of the McGuinty Liberals.
And the solution? McGuinty is full speed ahead to construct as many more turbines as possible before being voted down or forced to retire.
Since none of the wind energy was actually needed, wind turbines are the answer to exactly what problem?
cgh, thanks for the summary of Smitherman’s disasters. The only more incompetent in the current Ontario government is McGuinty for appointing this looser.
In the end the voters of Ontario are responsible for the green energy mess. They kept voting in McScumbag and his merry band of incompetents/crooks. Let the fools suffer. The people of Ontario are getting exactly what they deserve.
You are aware that David Axelrod was McGuinty’s chief campaign consultant.
Aren’t you?
He only dabbles in fellow travelers.
Martin, it’s even worse than that. The GEA requires wind to have first access to the grid. This has meant powering down reactors and spilling water from hydro dams during the past spring. Bruce alone had an average of 100 reactor operations per week at some points during this past spring. This was all for power that was islanded by wind where there was simply no transmission available at all.
For nuclear, it’s hard on the equipment to keep running it up and down. And spilling water? That’s just plain insane. In just 20 short years, Ontario has gone from one of the lowest cost electricity jurisdictions in North America to one of the highest with correspondingly vile effects on Ontario’s manufacturing base. And it’s all McGuinty’s doing.
Ken, it shows how truly dismal the efforts of the Tories were in the last election that despite everything, McGuinty squeaked through.
FYI Smitherman also ran against Rob Ford for mayor of Toronto. Media party consensus still is that he would have been the better choice(!)
It’s probably just a coincidence but, Mike Crawley, the President of an internationally-owned, Ontario-focused wind developer,is the president of the Liberal party of Canada.
Smitherman probably want to screw the Ontario tax paying public and anyone else in the general public.
Make note of his political positions and his sexual predelictions … and YES … the two things DO matter in this case.
Misanthrope.
Know your enemy.
ahem … wanted to …
As in did so to the best of his abilities and opportunities presented.
In any case … misanthrope.
wally @ 10:34, sure, I agree. 🙂
Yes, I read the study.
We’re being bombarded with Ontario Progressive Conservative (if ever there was a worse oxymoron) contribution requests recently, if Hudack doesn’t grab this study and run with it, he and Ontario are toast with or without any donations from this household.
I’m sticking a sign on the tailgate of my truck:
There’s a sucker born every minute – and they all vote for McGuinty.
Cgh:
As I said, many more examples of insane business plans. Dumping water over hydro dams about 3 c kwh to be replaced by wind at 13.5 c. Critics of the Liberal government just couldn’t make this up.
And still the media and many green enthusiasts think this is sound energy planning by McGuinty.
Martin … 13.5 cents/kWh …. nope … double that.
“massive feeding-frenzy by corporate rent-seekers”
The people behind these companies need to be named and shamed.
22.7 cents in the last study out of the US I saw Martin, and Scott, you are so right. Here in Calgary we have Enmax flogging some limp wristed millie sounding guy named Keating on the radio, telling people to be the first idiot on their block to generate solar power by tacking panels all over their roofs. Some conditions apply, yea like you will maintain these white elephants forever more, with a leaky roof, to get that sanctimonious leftie feeling like you just donned your Suzuki cape and saved the “planet”. This is insanity and it seems everyone is to stupid to see the results and examples of this green lunacy that is on display in Europe and the USA. Politicians and companies that continue to take taxpayers money for this need to be named and shamed like you say Scott.
IIRC 80 cents per unit for solar
And this is the part where I get to show my favorite picture of McGuinty again.
http://quixoteslaststand.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/untitled2.png
As a rural Ontario resident, I get to see windmills and solar panels sprouting up like dandelions. I am allowed not input or questions, my Municpality is muzzeled by this Act – the Minister cannot be questioned! What I then get is the Hydro crews moving in to build transmission lines from this minor power site in the country which does not need the power all the way to an urban center which does! The highest cost on my electric bill TRANSMISSION!
Lance, I posted a couple of comments on Sunday night at the Lawrence Solomon article on the deteriorating relationship between Jewish voters and the Democratic Party, to which you and others can refer without my repeating them.
That Energy Probe Research Foundation (Mr. Solomon founded Energy Probe) would produce a report of this nature is not in the least surprising, in my experience. The criticisms of the Green Energy Act appear to mirror Energy Probe’s criticisms of nuclear power in Ontario in many ways — both demand the attention of conservatives.
For my part, I hope that this report signals that EPRF and/or Energy Probe will resume its leadership position in favour of energy regulatory reform in Ontario and the privatization of Ontario Hydro’s successor companies.