ALEX FASULO: That's probably why there are dozens of state endangered and threatened species that rely on grasslands to survive our state's own Department of Environmental Conservation admits the number one reason all of these animals are endangered or at heightened risk of going extinct is because they don't have habitat.

New York State has very smartly created a system where it financially rewards environmental nonprofits that prioritize “climate resiliency” over the actual physical environment and endangered species of the state. Here is one such example. If you’re looking for a new side hustle, turns out forming an environmental nonprofit to do everything BUT protect the environment is very financially lucrative. Just make sure you say “we believe in renewables” to all news reporters that approach you. The @NYSDEC will reward you for your obedience.

— Alex Fasulo (@alex_fasulo) October 13, 2026

Boy, it's a pretty good financial gig if you start an environmental nonprofit in New York state and do everything but protect the environment because the state will reward you with money if you prioritize climate resiliency.  We're going to look at the example of the Grassland Bird Trust which is the other Environmental non-profit on the scene here at Fort Edwards Solar, or rather they were before they took a settlement payment from the Canadian Corporation set to destroy one of the last grasslands of its kind throughout the entire Northeast.  That wasn't the only way the Grassland Bird Trust financially benefited from turning their backs on grasslands, which is quite literally in their name.  So let's look at three different ways this non-profit made money this year by allowing foreign corporations to fragment grassland habitat which they might need a reminder of this.  Grassland habitat doesn't function if it's fragmented.  That's probably why there are dozens of state endangered and threatened species that rely on grasslands to survive our state's own Department of Environmental Conservation admits the number one reason all of these animals are endangered or at heightened risk of going extinct is because they don't have habitat.  I just covered back in the fall of 2025 that our state very smartly okay I'm never saying these bureaucrats aren't smart very smartly has created Financial programs and incentives through our DEC that if these groups prioritize climate resiliency you know by clearing forests and grasslands of course they will be financially rewarded well wouldn't you know it in 2026 the grassland bird trust was just awarded $30,295 to not protect grasslands.  From a FOIA we submitted, my attorney and I we also found through the ORES custodial fund, which is intervener funds, a.k.a., managed opposition, they took home $24,897 for their attorney.  Except the Grassland Bird Trust never planned to actually challenge the final siting permit for Fort Edward Solar and at the last second folded and took money from Boralex instead. But they still got $25,000 to make it seem like they might for a split second care about those species and right before ORES issued its final siting permit to Fort Edward Solar, Grassland Bird Trust announced that they had gone into a nice partnership a financial settlement with Boralex, partnership which is now Brookfield Asset Management, an even larger multinational Canadian conglomerate that has ties to its current sitting prime minister who's actually been brought before their parliament in question about the influence he currently wields over Brookfield Asset Management.  We don't get to know how much money GBT took home from this arrangement.  I'm sure it was a pretty penny though. This is the ecosystem New York State has set up to get its tentacles into every single Environmental Group here so that they knew when it was time to clear tens of thousands of acres of protected habitat for solar and wind experiments they were counting on having no opposition in doing it.  That's why I've never accepted a single cent from New York State or one of these corporations.  Non-profit groups should not be able to triple dip into the very projects they should be standing up to.  That is how we have ended up in this situation in our state right now, that and having a commissioner appointed to the DEC by our governor, our sitting governor, to make sure that solar and wind is prioritized over the actual physical freaking environment.