Begone with the wind

Daily Point

Long Beach film fest drops Equinor from marquee

How does a company that’s been criticized for not being involved enough in the community with whom it hopes to work become more involved in that community?

One answer has long been to sponsor large gatherings — from street fairs to concerts to film festivals.

So, perhaps it was no surprise that Equinor, the company seeking to build an offshore wind project off the coast of Long Beach, initially sponsored the Long Beach International Film Festival, which ran this past weekend. Equinor had committed to spending $35,000, and its name was listed on festival promotion materials and social media posts.

Then came the backlash.

“You are sell outs to the residents of Long Beach for taking money from a company that wants to pollute our city and ocean,” wrote one resident on the film festival’s Facebook page.

“Anything with their name on it will be boycotted,” wrote another.

Last Wednesday, just hours before the festival’s opening night, the Film Festival announced it was pulling Equinor’s sponsorship. Equinor’s check, a company spokesman said, was “in transit” when the decision was made — and was never deposited.

“We realize that Equinor’s involvement with the 2023 festival upset many people in our community and have decided not to continue with their sponsorship,” the festival posted. “We’re committed to making sensitive and intentional decisions surrounding partnerships along with their social and environmental impact.”

Quickly, those leading the charge against Equinor changed their tune, too.

“If you’re looking for something to do over the weekend, try the Long Beach film festival,” Christina Kramer, who has headed up some of the anti-Equinor efforts, wrote on social media. “It turns out that like many of the people in our communities, they just did not know who Equinor was and what they stand for and how they plan to destroy our beautiful ocean and cause harm to our communities.”

But Adrienne Esposito, who heads Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the Film Festival’s decision set a “dangerous precedent,” adding that the anti-wind voices were a vocal minority.

“They tell the wind company to do more outreach, and then they berate them for attempting to do outreach,” Esposito said.

Those opposed to the project say they’re concerned about high-voltage transmission lines that will be tunneled under the beach and stretch underground to a new substation to be built in Island Park. They’ve also voiced concerns about the impact on homes, businesses and roads, and the effect on birds and whales.

On a Facebook group called “Protect Our Coast — LINY,” the conversation has become intense. One commenter suggested that residents “will hear a disturbing humming noise for the rest of their lives.” Another shared a post saying that wind energy is “100% evil and a cult driven nightmare.”

An Equinor spokesman told The Point the company is “committed to bringing clean energy to Long Island.”

“We are disappointed to hear that our sponsorship was denied as a result of our commitment to provide renewable energy,” the spokesman said. “We remain committed to working alongside the community on achieving the positive social and environmental benefits that will result from our efforts to create a major new source of renewable energy for Long Island, combating climate change and creating new sources of economic development within the region.”

Meanwhile, State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick sent a mailer to her constituents emphasizing her opposition to state legislation that would allow the under-beach cable so the project could move forward.

“The negative effects this project will have on local property values and taxes, our infrastructure and aesthetics, marine life, and our very way of life are REAL and NEED TO BE LISTENED TO!” the mailer proclaimed, adding a QR code to a petition against the project.

But Esposito said those who oppose the project “don’t understand or refuse to understand the necessities for our future.”

“I find it infuriating that they act like we should not do wind and just stay on fossil fuels, as if fossil fuels are benign and not killing the planet and endangering Long Beach City itself,” Esposito said. “Superstorm Sandy was only a decade ago. The devastation and the hardship and the heart wrenching scene it caused for Long Beach can’t already be forgotten.”

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Elephant in the room

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Final Point

Calone's campaign cash

The old phrase ‘putting your money where your mouth is’ certainly applies to the campaign of Dave Calone, the Democratic candidate for Suffolk County executive.

So far this year, Calone, 49, a successful businessman and Harvard-trained lawyer, has lent his campaign a total of $750,000, a whopping personal sum for any local candidate on the stump.

According to the latest campaign filing with the state Board of Elections, Calone provided $250,000 to his campaign. In previous reporting periods earlier this year, Calone lent his campaign $250,000 twice — making the total $750,000.

The idea of a self-financing campaign isn’t new in politics, and the Calone loans are only a portion of his total $2.37 million raised so far — roughly a third. But the aggressive money-raising has helped establish some early credibility for Calone’s bid against GOP county executive candidate Edward P. Romaine, who so far has raised only $1.55 million.

Romaine, 76, the Brookhaven Town supervisor who previously served as a county legislator, is well known throughout Suffolk and is considered the favorite even by some Calone supporters. Though Romaine hasn’t lent his campaign a sizable amount of money like Calone, his largest campaign funding has come from fellow Republican campaign committees and from vendors doing business in Brookhaven Town. Despite Calone’s quick start, Romaine has been raising cash at a faster rate since January.

The Calone camp is quick to underline that Calone’s ability to help self-finance his campaign comes from his success in business, and not through some silver spoon inheritance or family wealth. Calone grew up middle class and went to school in the Port Jefferson and Miller Place area before graduating from Princeton University and going on to Harvard Law.

The key to Calone’s wealth stems largely from two venture capital firms that have invested in numerous startups and other companies. His partner in these ventures has been an old college pal, Jared Polis, who went on to become Colorado’s Democratic governor. In July, Polis was featured at a Manhattan fundraiser for Calone’s campaign in Suffolk, which aimed to collect $100,000.

Calone is going to need every bit of support he can get against Romaine. The Suffolk Democratic Committee provided $10,000 to the Calone campaign, according to the latest filings. How much more will be needed for Calone — and how much more he is willing to lend himself — will likely depend on how close he can get to catching up to Romaine.

— Thomas Maier thomas.maier@newsday.com