Green Daily

Just like mining contracts and railroads in the frontier days, wind farms are bringing the promises of new jobs and prosperity to rural areas all over the US. Unfortunately, just like those fabled days, the latest round of rural development is apparently filled with the same type of shady land grabs and backroom deals. According to wind power opponents in upstate New York, the rush to build windmills is making for an ugly stampede of intimidation, anti-competitive negotiations, and official corruption.

According to a report in the NYT, Burke Town city officials were negotiating private leases to wind power companies at the same time they were working on new zoning ordinances for windmills. One official had apparently struck a deal with the developers to sell them concrete to anchor the turbines through his own private concrete company. How's that for insider deal-making?

Opponents of the wind farms report that they've faced serious intimidation -- like having their windshields smashed in. In the words of Franklin County's DA Derek Champagne: "It really is renewable energy gone wrong." Shameful.