CapX transmission economic benefits???
Another little birdie reminded me of the CapX push about all the great gobs of dough that this project brings to communities. OK, fine, we know what we are, and let’s discuss the price.
From the CapX 2020 website, here’s a blurb that I’d missed somehow, propaganda extraordinaire:
From Wisconsin, in a March article on board candidates for New Holland Township, this report:
When asked what were there 3 most important subjects, Naegle gave the following answer. His answer illustrates the degree of impact the above board bribe can have, perhaps did have, in weakening local government resistance to the line.
NAEGLE: CapX2020. The project will be starting soon. We need to be aware of what is being done and to protect the town of Holland. The town of Holland will be receiving $615,540 as a one-time payment in mid-2013, which is to be used for parks and environmental projects. The town will also receive $72,800 annually beginning in 2014 with no specific designation. It is important to spend this money wisely. I think some of this money should go to paying down town debt. Paying on loans for the new fire truck and Holland Sand Prairie would be my priority.
Roads and sign repairs. The town is behind on road repair work for many of our town roads. Town speed, stop and street signs are also in need of repair or replacement. This is state mandated. There is a timeline to get this work done. This could be one place we could use the CapX2020 annual payment of $72,800 in the future.
The Parks Committee would like to improve our parks by putting in more equipment, shelters and signage. I would propose using the one time CAPX2020 money in the mount of $615,540 to help improve parks. To keep taxes down, a portion of this money should also be used to pay off the Holland Sand Prairie.
And in the paper in Minnesota (and while reading this, don’t forget the Xcel smashing success in slashing utility personal property tax in half or more since the 1994 Prairie Island agreement, grrrrrrrrrrrrr). from the St. Cloud Times:
I couldn’t help but realize the irony in this article, as I view the powerline trucks parked along my road today, with men tromping over my property (like they own it), destroying any resale value of my property. In a few short weeks, my property value and our beautiful landscape will be destroyed forever. We will be able to look at these monstrous towers, listen to their hum, watch the lines swing in the wind and live under their electromagnetic field, while residing a few hundred feet away. The irony here is: We are being blessed with all of these “powerline perks”, while NOT BEING COMPENSATED ONE DIME. How ironic is that? Maybe instead of the commissioner wondering about how he was going to spend all of that money, he should offer some compensation to the real victims of this unnecessary project.