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Wind power has turned dangerous with news of an alleged Sicilian Mafia scheme to gain control of wind farms. Police in Trapani nabbed eight people suspected of bribing city officials to invest in local wind farms.
The businessmen with reputed ties to the Cosa Nostra are suspected of orchestrating a multimillion dollar plot to ensure that a Mafia-owned company gained a public wind power contract, which included subcontracts for concrete, carpentry, electric systems and metal.
While the Italian Mafia is mostly known for its forays into construction and drug dealing, the organization has recently lost ground to other organized crime groups and a Sicilian rebellion against extortion.
Corruption or not, Mafia involvement in wind power means that alternative energy has finally hit the big time.
More worried about the U.S. Oil Mafia
I'm more concerned about the U.S. Federal Government's support of the oil industry - and the profits derived by the government from oil.
Between 1974 and 2004, all levels of government have collected over 1.3 trillion dollars (inflation adjusted) in gas taxes. Compare this to the 643 billion dollars in profits for the oil industry over the same period. People think "Big Oil" is the problem, but really the biggest benefactor of the oil industry is "Big Government".
Any wonder that the U.S. Government is willing to spend trillions of dollars in defense expenditures to protect our access to cheap oil?
There may be a concern regarding the Cosa Nostra involvement in wind power, but I'm more worried about the collusion of oil interests right here under our noses in the U.S.