Windmills on Ice Mountain - Gamesa Wind Turbines

[My2Cents]

Well, its been a while since I have updated my own personal (and sometimes public) experience with Wind Industry. I refuse to call them "wind farms", for it is nothing similiar to a farm where things grow. Also, they are not "windmills", they are very large machines and they continue to have an effect on the communities in which they have been irresponcibly placed. Yes our Noise issue continues and nothing (are you surprised?) definitively has been done by Babcock and Brown, or Gamesa. We actually were hopeful when a B&B representative left our Juniata Township meeting, and came to our property to listen. He was surprised at how loud it was, referring it as a roar, saying he would report this to the Company. Not only did they not repond to a letter sent by our Solicitor, he also didn't bother to attend the next meeting, or have any follow-up. Low and behold this same rep was at the Portage Township meeting (as were we..lol) and when he was questioned, he stated it was an "Industrial Noise", and refused to comment on the volume he heard. So,we waited for him after the meeting to say, can't we work this out? His reponse was that the company (B&B) just wants us "to go away".
There you have it , big business at its best. Make no mistake, they do not care about my family, my neighbors, my home.........or YOU.
I will be at the ice mountain meeting in march, if not only to make sure they know,
I am not going anywhere.

IMBY.... Thank you very much for your input to this forum. From those of us who are trying to understand your situation, our heart goes out to you and your family. We certainly admire your perseverance and hope that somehow, someway, a solution to your dilemma is found soon. Take care.

[sandstone]

The speakers at the SAVE ICE MOUNTAIN public forum are not being paid to give their presentations. Dr. Stan Kotala isn't going to be speaking much at the forum because everyone already knows Juniata Valley Audubon's stance. However, Dan Boone, a wind energy expert, is coming all the way from Bowie, Maryland; Kim van Fleet, an ornithologist with expertise in raptor migration, is coming all the way from Harrisburg; and Laura Jackson, a highly respected environmental educator who has garnered numerous awards and founded Save Our Allegheny Ridges, is coming from Bedford. Their level of dedication and the personal sacrifices that they are making to help other people should not be minimized.

On another note, I ran into Dr. Kotala's daughter at the supermarket yesterday evening and she told me that he had gone to a lecture by the Penn State Department of Nuclear Engineering yesterday and was very excited by what Dr. Brenizer had to say about the future of nuclear energy. I told her to tell her dad to post some of the info on this site this weekend. She said that he's on call today, so we might not see the stuff till Monday.

It's easier for you to listen to it yourself at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/fronti ... e_2008.htm. This video of the lecture is not on the web yet but should be up some time this week. Other lectures in the same series are available also.

I actually was on my way to State College for the Keystone Coldwater Conference, a conference dealing with the ecology of headwater streams. On Saturday morning, just as I was leaving home, I saw a notice for this lecture on nuclear power at University Park and decided to go to it, since it wasn't far from the day-long conference I was attending (at the Penn Stater). This was in the Mirror: Feb. 23: "The Renaissance of Nuclear Power: An Energy Source of the Future" by Jack S. Brenizer, Jr., the J. "Lee" Everett professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering and chair of the Nuclear Engineering Program at Penn State. A renewed interest in nuclear power is now occurring, after almost three decades of controversy and an unofficial moratorium on building new plants in the United States. Advanced designs have been developed and approved, new license applications have been filed, and new plants have been ordered. Learn the reasons why this renaissance is happening, the safety and reliability features of the new designs, and why next-generation nuclear energy is more attractive to both U. S. and international energy suppliers. I apologize for not letting you all know about it, but, as you can see, I just didn't have time to get on my computer. It was a great lecture and I learned a lot. Listen carefully toward the end where Dr. Brenizer says that the most important thing is CONSERVATION.

--"The Renaissance of Nuclear Power: An Energy Source of the Future" is a free public lecture that will be given on 23 February 2008 by Jack Brenizer, chair of nuclear engineering and professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering at Penn State. The event is the fifth of six lectures in the 2008 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science, which has the theme this year of "Running on Empty?: Strategies for Our Energy Future." This free minicourse for the general public consists of six lectures concerning current research on various energy options and the environmental consequences of their use. No registration is required. The lectures take place on six consecutive Saturday mornings from 11:00 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas Building on the Penn State University Park campus.

Brenizer will discuss the world's renewed interest in nuclear power, the safety and reliability features of new power-plant designs, and why next-generation nuclear energy is more attractive to both domestic and international energy suppliers. "The once commonly held perception that nuclear energy is dead or dying is changing and, in truth, nuclear power is growing," Brenizer said.

Brenizer's research has focused on radiation detection, neutron radiography, and neutron activation analysis. He also has worked on research involving aerogel materials and monitoring of nuclear-test-ban treaties. He has published or presented over 100 papers on these topics and is a member of several professional societies, including the American Nuclear Society, Health Physics Society, Sigma Xi, American Society for Nondestructive Testing, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International, American Society of Engineering Education, and International Society for Optical Engineering. He is a board member of the International Society for Neutron Radiography and is the current chairman of the ASTM International's Committee E07 on Nondestructive Testing.

As Penn State chair of nuclear engineering and professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering, Brenizer was the first recipient of the J. 'Lee' Everett Professorship in Engineering, which provides support to a member of the mechanical and nuclear engineering faculty for teaching, research, and service. Brenizer also received the Penn State Engineering Society Distinguished Service Award in 2006 and the American Society for Testing and Materials E07 Charles W. Briggs Award in 1997.

Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State in 1999, Brenizer was on the faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia from 1981 through 1998. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics at Shippensburg State College in 1972, a master's degree in engineering science at Penn State in 1977, and a doctoral degree in nuclear engineering at Penn State in 1981.

At the end of the lecture there was Q + A, and I wrote down a question for the moderator, but she never did get to my question, which was;

Given the catastrophic consequences of global warming and the inability of renewable energy sources to meet baseload demands, shouldn't environmental organizations be embracing nuclear energy as the only realistic solution to the global warming dilemma?

Dr. Brenizer's answer, of course, would have been "yes", but my question was directed more at the anti-nuclear activists in the audience than at Dr. Brenizer. It's a shame that the moderator didn't get to it.

[sandstone]

Well, its been a while since I have updated my own personal (and sometimes public) experience with Wind Industry. I refuse to call them "wind farms", for it is nothing similiar to a farm where things grow. Also, they are not "windmills", they are very large machines and they continue to have an effect on the communities in which they have been irresponcibly placed. Yes our Noise issue continues and nothing (are you surprised?) definitively has been done by Babcock and Brown, or Gamesa. We actually were hopeful when a B&B representative left our Juniata Township meeting, and came to our property to listen. He was surprised at how loud it was, referring it as a roar, saying he would report this to the Company. Not only did they not repond to a letter sent by our Solicitor, he also didn't bother to attend the next meeting, or have any follow-up. Low and behold this same rep was at the Portage Township meeting (as were we..lol) and when he was questioned, he stated it was an "Industrial Noise", and refused to comment on the volume he heard. So,we waited for him after the meeting to say, can't we work this out? His reponse was that the company (B&B) just wants us "to go away".
There you have it , big business at its best. Make no mistake, they do not care about my family, my neighbors, my home.........or YOU.
I will be at the ice mountain meeting in march, if not only to make sure they know,
I am not going anywhere.

Did you see the letter to the editor in the Altoona Mirror last week from Gamesa's project developer Alyssa Edwards stating that their industrial wind turbines are no louder than a refrigerator? Did you see where it said "Gamesa conscientiously sites and properly designs its wind farms and always has and will value residents' input."? Do you agree with that?

Gamesa must think that Blair County residents live in some kind of isolation from each other and the rest of the world. Kay Stephens of the Mirror has reported extensively on the noise problems at the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm. It's THE major issue at the proposed Chestnut Flats Wind Farm. Everybody knows about it, and yet Gamesa now denies that the problem even exists! Even Gamesa's Ellen Lutz at least acknowledged the problem in December! Now the company says that there is no problem!

[My2Cents]

Being "biased" has nothing to do with any of this. Mere "facts," will be presented at this meeting. Facts that have been proven and substantiated, over a long period of time, by respected, well educated, professional individuals. These professionals know exactly what they are talking about.
They will not be here to sell something. They do not have any hidden agendas. They will not be here to sway anyone's opinion. They are not pushing their way in here. They have been cordually invited by folks in this community who still do not fully understand everything, by folks with questions to ask, and by folks who want to hear first hand "facts" on this very important matter, which could effect our town for many years to come.
I'm sure it will not show right away, however, someday our town will be thankful, if not grateful, that we were lucky enough to have these dedicated individuals being concerned about our future. They care about the people in our community, our beautiful mountains, our ridge tops, and all the nature and wildlife within.
Which ever way the final "vote" may go... we will certainly know it was not cast with the community being completely in the dark.

[banksy]

Quite frankly, everyone is biased, it's unavoidable. Everyone comes to a side of a debate with some biased and it is the skill of a great debater to be able to sway someones opinion based on their biased. I am certain the folks of Tyrone are more biased toward the sanctity of their own peace and quiet on their mountains than a French company with Project Manager that lives nowhere near Ice Mountain or Tyrone.

[My2Cents]

Quite frankly, everyone is biased, it's unavoidable. Everyone comes to a side of a debate with some biased and it is the skill of a great debater to be able to sway someones opinion based on their biased. I am certain the folks of Tyrone are more biased toward the sanctity of their own peace and quiet on their mountains than a French company with Project Manager that lives nowhere near Ice Mountain or Tyrone.

I understand what you are saying Banksy. I just feel they will be presenting facts.In turn, the community should then have a better understanding of things. There are still many folks unaware, but, starting to ask questions. After all is said and done, when a vote is finally cast... at least the folks will have heard both sides of the story and not have been blindsided.

[My2Cents]

If anyone is interested... the "National Governers Association" is about to have a meeting on "Energy Issues." It is live and just about ready to start on the C-SPAN TV station. Comcast channel 27.

Another meeting was just had this afternoon (Monday).... was very informative. They discussed various forms of energy... for some reason, wind mills was not discussed (unless I missed it) only a slight hint of them was mentioned. Much discussion on coal, solar and some on nuclear. Long story short, what I can decifer.... this is all new technology and we are barely scratching the surface. Yes, we all have to do "something" and that "something" will be found........ if we can only have patience.

[Ice Man]

Weigh the impact of windmills, just as is done for cell towers

Harrisburg Patriot-News editorial

Monday, February 25, 2008

What's good for communica tions towers should be good for wind turbines, which can be 200 feet tall.

A federal court ruled last week that the Federal Communications Commission must consider the impact that communications or cellular towers have on migratory birds and allow the public time to comment on the environmental findings.

The order of the U.S. Court of Appeals of the D.C. Circuit applies to the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, where many birds migrate, but the FCC is considering a national rule.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at least 5 million and possibly as many as 50 million warblers, thrushes and other birds die every year when they become disoriented in bad weather by the con tinuously burning lights atop towers to alert airplanes. Some of the birds die by mistaking the lights for the stars that guide them and die of ex haustion by circling towers endlessly. Other birds die when they crash into the towers or their guy wires.
The use of white strobe lights could reduce the deaths by 70 percent, studies suggest.

Bird and bat deaths also have been associated with windmills. A 2004 study conducted by the California Energy Commission found that the windmills at Altamont Pass, one of the oldest and largest congregations of windmills in the country, killed between 1,700 and 4,700 birds each year. The fatalities involved as many as 116 golden eagles, 300 red-tailed hawks, 333 American kestrels and 380 burrowing owls.

The owners of the windmills have vowed to reduce the kill by 50 percent, but a story in the Oakland Tribune last month suggests that not enough has been done to achieve that reduction.

There have been reports of significant bat kills at windmill farms in the East, and studies are under way to determine their impact on raptors and other birds. But allowing the building of windmills along known migratory-bird routes down the spine of the Appalachian Mountains is an invitation to bad avian results.
Already the largest wind producer east of the Mississippi River, and with an ambitious goal of increasing wind power in the state 20-fold, Pennsylvania has a special obligation to ensure that each proposed wind farm is subject to environmental review. Such analysis must reject sites that are likely to lead to significant fatalities for birds and bats.

The sooner such a scientifically based process is in place, the sooner the state will have a set of rules by which wind developers can proceed on projects with greater predictability. At the same time, it will provide citizens with the assurance that the commonwealth's rich natural inheritance will not be sacrificed in the name of "clean energy."

[Ice Man]

Wind taken out of turbine project in Georges, Springhill

By Mary Pickels

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Saturday, February 23, 2008

An Oregon-based company is weighing its options after a decision by Fayette County's zoning hearing board earlier this week to deny a request for a special exception to construct 18 wind-powered turbines in Georges and Springhill.
PPM Atlantic Renewable Energy Corp. of Portland planned to use the windmills to produce electricity, part of a project called South Chestnut Ridge Windpower. The company has 10 windmills on Laurel Ridge, overlooking Mill Run.

Board members unanimously denied that request, board Chairman Jim Killinger said Friday, after doing their own research and hearing from numerous county residents opposed to the proposal.

PPM has 30 days to file an appeal with the county Court of Common Pleas, Killinger said.

"We're just evaluating what those options are," said Paul Copleman, communications manager for PPM. "Obviously we've put time and effort into the project so far. We feel it's a good site for the project."
Killinger said public opposition voiced at several hearings included concerns about wildlife, the view and property values.

"People didn't want them next to their property," Killinger said.

In addition, he said, the board's denial was based on height proposals for the towers. The zoning ordinance restricts tower height to 250 feet, while PPM's towers would have reached 262 feet.

The windmills were to be located on land zoned A-1, agricultural/rural.

Killinger called the decision one of the most difficult the board has ever reached.

"We did a lot of research on other court decisions and case law," he said. "We went with a lot of testimony from the feelings of Fayette County residents. The main thing we considered was that the people of Fayette County were strongly against it, at least the ones that testified."

A few people who testified in favor of the project worked for coal companies and thought the windmills would be a cleaner source of energy than power plants, Killinger said.

David Cale, owner of Laurel Caverns, had expressed concerns about the proposed windmills' effects on the area's bats. Laurel Caverns is home to about 1,800 bats, he said yesterday.

"Wind flow in this state is so poor that only the crests of our highest ridges have enough wind flow to make a wind energy site economically feasible. Unfortunately, birds, bats and even insects have used these same ridge lines as their 'interstate highways' for migrations," he said in a statement.

Migrating bats can fly into windmills and be killed by the blade tips, Cale said.

A reduction in their number would create a rise in mosquito and moth populations and increase reliance on pesticides, he said.

"We consider ourselves the caretakers of Fayette County," Killinger said. "We want to make sure future generations can enjoy what we have here today without scarring the landscape and the mountains.

"I know we won't make everybody happy with our decision. However, we feel the right decision has been made in the interest of people who live here and visit here," Killinger said.



Mary Pickels can be reached at mpickels@tribweb.com or 724-836-5401.

[My2Cents]

...and through it all Ice Man.... it still sounds like they do not take "NO" for an answer. I don't understand !!!

[Ice Man]

...and through it all Ice Man.... it still sounds like they do not take "NO" for an answer. I don't understand !!!

Keep your eye on Logan Township. Gamesa's demanding that the township expand its wind energy zone. Nearby residents have heard about it and a real fight is brewing.

[sammie]

Group to file federal suit claiming wind farm will harm endangered bat

February 26, 2008 by Dan DiPaolo in Daily American

The fight to stop the Shaffer Mountain Wind Farm will be pushed to federal court with a claim that the facility will harm an endangered species living on the site, according to John Buchan Jr., an ardent opponent of the project.

Buchan, one of the founders of Sensible Wind Solutions, said the group will send a notice of intent to file suit with federal and state agencies charged with protecting the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalist), which is on the endangered species list.

Sensible Wind Solutions, a not-for-profit group seeking the relocation of Gamesa Energy USA's 30-plus turbines slated for the Allegheny Front, believes the bat has a reproducing colony somewhere on the proposed site, the letter will state, Buchan said.

The letter and potential suit will be prepared by the law firm of Meyer, Glitzenstein and Crystal, a Washington, D.C., firm that specializes in suits regarding the Endangered Species Act of 1973, he said.

The wind farm, which is projected to extend through parts of Shade and Ogle townships in Somerset County and Napier Township in Bedford County, has been the subject of a number of environmental studies, many of them required in order to receive clearance from the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Index.

The index mandates developers to determine whether endangered animals plants and even some insect populations could be affected by the project and are often paid for by the developer.

It was a Gamesa-sponsored study performed last year by Bat Conservation and Management, of Carlisle, and Sanders Environmental Inc., of Centre Hall, that found juvenile male Indiana bats on the proposed project site, Buchan said.

Armed with the results of that study and testimony from Pennsylvania State University professor and bat researcher Michael Gannon, the group hopes to get the project stopped.

According to Buchan, Gannon will testify that the fact that the captured Indiana bats were juveniles indicates that there is a maternity colony close to where they were captured, he said.

It would indicate that there is a breeding, thriving population of Indiana bats, an endangered species, on Shaffer Mountain. "Gamesa has chosen to ignore that. Our science is good. This is not a tenuous potential impact, this is real, documented fact," he said.

Issuing the letter of intent will give the group 30 days with state agencies and 60 days with federal agencies to file suit, he said.

Gamesa's Project Manager Tim Vought said the company could not issue comment on the matter until the letter had been seen and reviewed.

The company has long maintained that numerous studies show the project will have minimal impact on wildlife, habitat and the environment when completed.

Web link: http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2008/02/25/n...

[sandstone]

Group to file federal suit claiming wind farm will harm endangered bat

February 26, 2008 by Dan DiPaolo in Daily American

The fight to stop the Shaffer Mountain Wind Farm will be pushed to federal court with a claim that the facility will harm an endangered species living on the site, according to John Buchan Jr., an ardent opponent of the project.

Gamesa's Project Manager Tim Vought said the company could not issue comment on the matter until the letter had been seen and reviewed.

The company has long maintained that numerous studies show the project will have minimal impact on wildlife, habitat and the environment when completed.

Web link: http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2008/02/25/n...

Gamesa's claim that it selects windplant sites only "after exhaustive wildlife studies and wilderness surveys" are done is absurd. Not only does that windplant developer ignore or dismiss such studies if they prove inconvenient, but it also ignores objective nonbiased studies that were done in the past.

A good example is Gamesa's decision to convert Ice Mountain, a certified Landscape Conservation Area, into an industrial windplant. Ice Mountain and its surrounding area were designated as a County Natural Heritage Area "of exceptional conservation value" (the Inventory's words, not mine) because of its large tracts of forest unbroken by permanent infrastructure. The Inventory, conducted by professional ecologists working for the Blair County Planning Commission in 2001-2003, describes Ice Mountain as "unique" because of this large unfragmented forest.

It is impossible to construct 25 industrial-scale wind turbines with their associated clearings, 14 miles of access and maintenance roads, accessory buildings, substations, and transmission line corridors and still have an unfragmented forest as described in the Blair County Natural Heritage Inventory.

The puny amounts of electricity that this facility could generate, combined with the destruction of this County Natural Heritage Area, as well as fierce local opposition to Gamesa's proposal, make this a bad project, one that the Tyrone Borough Council ought to reject out of respect for its citizens and our natural heritage.

[Something to say]

Sandstone wrote:

The puny amounts of electricity that this facility could generate, combined with the destruction of this County Natural Heritage Area, as well as fierce local opposition to Gamesa's proposal, make this a bad project, one that the Tyrone Borough Council ought to reject out of respect for its citizens and our natural heritage.

I believe that sums it up well.

[Ice Man]

Below is an action alert from PennFuture, which is now coming in to promote the Ice Mt windplant for Gamesa:

Friends:

I wanted to alert you about an upcoming Town Hall Meeting organized by State Senator John Eichelberger on wind energy. Details are below. I will be attending this meeting and hope to speak generally about the benefits of wind and other renewable energy development. For those of us who care about global warming, energy costs, and job growth in Pennsylvania, it is important for us to support wind energy. Blair County and surrounding areas as I am sure you are aware are among the state’s best locations for wind energy.

To be clear, PennFuture has from the beginning favored wind energy development in a responsible manner. We have helped the state develop a model ordinance for local townships to use as a template, if so desired, to help address issues about visibility, noise, setbacks, and the like; we are co-coordinating the Wind & Wildlife Collaborative with Pennsylvania Audubon under the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the collaborative has developed a comprehensive voluntary agreement pertaining to wildlife issues that nearly all wind industry companies working in Pennsylvania have signed; we are working with the collaborative to develop state-level siting guidelines; etc.

Our participation in this Town Hall Meeting is to support generally wind energy, not to support any individual project(s).

I invite your attendance and participation. If you think you will be coming, please do let me know so that I can plan to meet you in person (I so rarely get to put faces with names of our supporters in some parts of the state, and Blair County is one place I’ve spent little time thus far!)

I’m happy to share as much information as you’d like in advance about why wind energy works, and about the various processes that PennFuture is engaged in regarding new wind development.

Best, Heather

Town Hall Meeting

March 4th from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tyrone Senior Center located at 505 Third Street, Tyrone, PA 16686


Heather Sage

Director of Outreach

Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture)

425 Sixth Ave., Ste. 2770

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Phone: 412.258.6681

Fax: 412.258.6685

http://www.pennfuture.org

http://www.pennfuturepodcast.org