byte&chew

It's a damn duck!

In another month this blog will celebrate its 2nd birthday. After 23 months we've received roughly 64,000 hits. BYTE&CHEW was born out of frustration at the lack of discussion about the mill property. Remember back then, the City Administration had taken a hands off (see no evil, hear no evil) position and the mayor who was a PSNH employee had given NADC and anybody else who wanted to exploit Berlin, the key to the City. Even today, we have a core group of both residents and professionals who believe that industry, any industry, is in a communities best interest, regardless of the negative impact. Most often these folks are quite insulated from the negative impacts an industry might have on a community or fail to understand the consequences until it's too late. Any development, residential, commercial or industrial has negative impacts on a community, what needs to be weighed are the benefits, needs or risks of the development. The argument we hear right now about how we tolerated the pulp mill for years while we question the benefits of the Laidlaw project is comparing apples to oranges. The Burgess Mill at one time employed almost 2,000 people on that property and at the time, all earning the best wages in New Hampshire. I'm the first to admit that a biomass plant won't carry all the liabilities the pulp mill carried, but it doesn't even come close to providing a fraction of the benefits either. The other factor that the pro Laidlaw folks don't want to admit is the fact that the biomass plant closes the door to a variety of other developments that would be more labor intensive and provide more than the fictitious 40 jobs Laidlaw promises. I say fictitious because there isn't a biomass plant anywhere that employs that many people, most have 20 to 25. I save my last reason to oppose the Laidlaw project because it's the least understood issue of all, it's what the sight of that boiler and stack will do to the potential of the community and its residents. What Berliners need to rid themselves of the most is their ugly duckling mentality and outlook and I ask, how do you do that with that ghost in the middle of town?  (I would not want the prisons or the Clean Power project where that boiler sits either). Ask the Laidlaw supporters to show you proof from Babcox & Wilcox (boiler company) what the noise level of this fluidized bed boiler will emit. Take a minute next time you drive down Main Street and stop in front of Northern Lights Housing or St. Regis and imagine what it's going to be like living there. If I owned either of these properties I would be extremely concerned about the negative impact to the health and quality of life of the residents and so should we. Contemplating the mill property becoming a biomass plant site is like watching your pretty and intelligent daughter dating the town drunk, she/we can do so much better!

Root of evil?

Oh how I wish we could talk about something else than Laidlaw Energy! At a time when Berlin should be defining its future, all of our time and efforts are being spent debating the merits of the Laidlaw project. With the world economies on the verge of collapse, where having a biomass plant or not is almost irrelevant, we're fighting amongst ourselves over the virtue of an old boiler that may never see the light of day as a viable energy project. The reality is that although we wave the American flag when we celebrate the virtues of free enterprise, the Laidlaw project can only succeed if it receives a tremendous amount of public (tax) incentives and direct public grants. Laidlaw wouldn't even be in Berlin if it wasn't for the fact that it received public assistance from the State of New York in the form of a $1,000,000.00 energy grant.   What a strange world we live in when the Chinese government is keeping our own government afloat and in turn our government is keeping folks like AIG and Laidlaw afloat while we, the average guy, struggles to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. Put in perspective, the Laidlaw issue is irrelevant. The Laidlaw project if it ever happens will not save Berlin as a matter of fact it keeps it's residents in servitude for the life of the boiler by closing the door on a more progressive and positive path to a new economy. Saddest of all are the well intentioned residents who out desperation and ignorance are willing to do business with companies who do not have their best interest at heart. Money may not be the root of all evil, but right now it sure seems like it.

Brady - Grenier - Judd

 Reading the newspapers these days, makes you wonder why the County Commissioners have come out from under their rock?  Out of the clear blue sky the Commissioners have become instant experts on many issues. Such transformations don’t happen in a vacuum and this awakening is happening for reasons that go way beyond the issues they raise. Now mind you, I appreciate the fact that the Commissioners have joined the living, but I wish they woke up for the right reasons and did research before they express their concerns and make their pronouncements. First was their recommendation that funding for the Coos Economic Development Corporation be cut from the County budget. That action was not about saving money, but was a deflected shot at Peter Riviere the executive director of CEDC. Why? Because Peter and the Board of Directors of CEDC did not endorse a plan to have taxpayers pay for upgrading PSNH transmission lines known as the Coos Loop. Now mind you, they didn’t oppose the idea, they just didn’t publicly support it.  Also keep in mind that the Commissioners have a seat on the CEDC Board, but I’ve been told that they almost never show up for meetings. Now the Commissioners send a letter to the Governor supporting any and all power plants in Coos County including the Laidlaw plant in Berlin. This in spite of the City having serious reservations about the Laidlaw biomass plant and, I’m sure without knowing any of the details of past Laidlaw actions in other communities or results of State wood studies. Today I read where the Commissioners in their infinite wisdom know how to convince the Federal Bureau of Prisons to connect the new prison in to the city’s sewer system. Now all of these opinions and pronouncements are coming from people with no background information about what’s going on ….except for one individual, Mr.Paul Grenier of Berlin, a former councilman with an eye on being Mayor. Grandstanding is nothing new for Mr.Grenier, he has a history of making noise to bring attention to himself. To a political animal like Mr.Grenier being quoted in a newspaper article is…”being the light in the darkness”, it matters little if it makes sense, is right or wrong or reflects the truth about the issue. My guess is that Mr.Grenier is going to continue saying and doing dumb things that make a lot of noise, that’s what you do when you have political ambitions and there’s an election in the fall. Being perceived as a prophet is valued in politics, it’s up to us to make sure it’s not a false prophet.

A Perfect Storm

Last week saw several postings here on this blog and also in several newspapers disclosing a variety of information about Laidlaw Energy and their CEO Mr. Michael Bartoszek. (Take a look at D. Rano's cartoon in the photo album of this blog) What's emerging is a fairly ugly picture of an ambitious CEO of a worthless penny stock company who is very clever and who surrounds himself with high profile  individuals who are politically well connected. Here in New Hampshire Mr. Bartoszek's pick was Charlie Bass, a well known former Congressman who has connections all over the State and who can tap in the pool of former supporters/cronies for endorsments or influence, at the drop of a hat. It's now quite obvious that Mr. Bartoszek is not a bona fide power plant owner/operator, but a promoter.  At the operator/owner level he again  surrounds himself with people who have some experience in the power generating business and which gives Laidlaw Energy some level of legitimacy. Here in New Hampshire it includes Mr.Louis Bravakis and Mr. Raymond Kusche. There's no question in my mind that Berlin is in for a long tough fight in opposing Mr. Bartoszek and Laidlaw, not that the Berlin plant is a done deal. What we have is a perfect storm of sorts in the energy producing world and, Laidlaw is in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the chaos and frenzy. Starting at the top, the national push/politics for renewable energy is a hot topic. At the State level the Governor's 2025 effort plays right into Mr. Bartoszek and Bass hand. Then you have PSNH who has several reasons to push for the Berlin project, from tax credits to carbon credits and who needs to "connect" with a renewable energy source to fulfill some of its obligations. Then at the local level, you have a once  expensive, ready made boiler and stack acquired for penny's on the dollar in a community whose economy has been devastated by the mill closures and hungry for jobs. As during any storm, the time for clear thinking and strategic decision making is in short order. The storm is far from over having just begun a couple years ago and its duration is unknown as witnessed by the four year ordeal in Ellicottville NY where critical answers are still in the future. What concerns me the most is the fact that the present City administration will be challenged at the next elections by characters from the past and who have already  displayed their ignorance of energy issues. Folks, this storm has all the ingredients to become ugly!

The road out of town

I believe that the past week has disclosed more information about the culture and history surrounding Laidlaw Energy and its CEO Michael Bartoszek than at any time since we've learned how to spell the name B-A-R-T-O-S-Z-E-K. I think that we all owe Jon Edwards a debt of gratitude for the time he has spent over the past few months researching the goings-on of Mr. Bartoszek and his "make believe" energy company. The very best description I can put on Mr. Bartoszek is that, he's been on a mission of becoming an energy guru for several years now, but his lack of technical expertise and basic business ethics keeps tripping him up with every project he tries to get off the ground. The old saying that "we're our own worse enemy" certainly applies to this ambitious Wall Street type. As we've all learned recently, Wall Street types live in their own little but powerful world of financial fantasy, hidden from systems that would make them accountable for their actions. All wearing shirt and tie and business suits, they appear to be one step above the average person, knowing and doing things that appear to be mysterious to most of us. Keeping that culture in mind, is it so surprising to witness Mr. Bartoszek ignoring the realities of the wood surveys, power line capacity, or the right of people and communities  to question the wisdom of having a biomass power plant in their downtown?  Mr. Bartoszek has sued the town of Ellicottville New York over that very issue. He has sued that small town for $10 million basically because he claims his civil rights have been violated, meaning that he believes that his "for profit" project has more merit than the collective wishes of the Ellicottville Community!  I hope that the citizens of Berlin wake up to the threat that has taken root in the heart of our community, that the longer we ignore the long term implications of this threat to our future well-being, the more costly the cure will be. Two to three years ago the cure would have been cheaper and less painful than today and the cure next year will be more messy and costly than today. Like a rotting tooth that began with a simple cavity, the time comes that a full extraction is the only option. The time has come to make it clear to Mr. Bartoszek that Berlin will not provide the cover for his dubious financial ambitions. The semblance of legitimacy of Laidlaw Energy as a viable energy producer has been challenged and, in my opinion, has failed! Once the facts about Laidlaw Energy is known by the majority of citizens, the road out of town will be the only option for this type of operation.