Windmills on Ice Mountain - Gamesa Wind Turbines

[salaman]

Been 'out' for a while. Is Snyder Township having a meeting on April 6th that this topic is being discussed? I have that stuck in my head from 'somewhere'. Would like to attend or get someone I know to attend so I can see what Snyder Townships' decision will be on the watershed area. thanx.

The Snyder Township meeting is next Monday April 6th at 7:00 PM. Gamesa is supposed to ask for a waiver to the ordinance. I hope that there is a good turn out at the meeting against the township granting them a waiver! I'll be there!

[sammie]

Count us in!

Snyder Township meeting, Monday, April 6 at 7 PM.

Directions:

Exit I-99 at the Bald Eagle exit
Go to light at the Bald Eagle intersection and turn left onto old 220 South.
Go about 1.5 miles passing the large truck terminal on the left
Shortly past the truck terminal there will be a restaurant on the right side of the road
The township building is the next building on the same side as the restaurant.

[jumper56]

Oh, Geez, this meeting doesn't coincide with the Tyrone Council meeting does it? So many people are going to the Tyrone meeting and am wondering if the times for each are differant so everyone can attend both meetings. I mean, as long as we got everybody together, hitting both meeting would be wonderful!!

[muttonhead]

Hi all,

I posted here a while ago about the detrimental effects of the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm, and what it's done to the surrounding residents. I'm so sorry to hear about that snake Rendell pressuring the board into allowing these atrocities into your area. Nobody wants to live in a power plant, and that's what they're making people do.

But - I came across a global petition that was started recently, and I encourage all of you that want further setbacks to sign this. I know I did, and I'm posting this everywhere I possibly can. Have a Facebook/MySpace/LiveJournal/etc. account? Post it there. The only way to show these people that we mean business is to band together as neighbors, even though we may not even live in the same town.

Here's the petition. http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/win ... tures.html

And good luck to all.

[salaman]

April 3, 2009 in The Tribune-Democrat

On March 17, the state Department of Environmental Protection rejected for a third time Gamesa Energy's plan to install industrialized wind turbines on Shaffer Mountain. What part of "no" doesn't Gamesa - and Berwind Corp. - understand?

DEP's eight-page "Technical Deficiency Letter" was sent to Timothy Vought of Shaffer Mountain Wind LLC and lists questions that must be answered if the permit application is to be resubmitted.

I am among a lot of people wondering who is really pushing this ill-conceived and ill-thought-out project. Is it Gamesa or the landowner, Berwind?

It would seem that after three years of public outrage - not to mention the many ecological studies pertaining to plant, fish, bird and wildlife, forest, soil and water conservation; and two exceptional-value trout streams - that Gamesa would cut its losses and move on.

This does not seem to be in the cards. 

Why, Mr. Vought?

This rush to green energy in this particular instance smells of the stench of big business, greed, power and politics.

This project would destroy one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the state - an area visited by so many.

This needs to be saved.

It also would compromise, if not outright harm, Windber Area Authority's watershed and recharge area.

Berwind Corp. has devastated and destroyed so much of Somerset County; please leave something for "seed." Leave something for future generations.

As for Gamesa and Vought, if they and Berwind want a wind complex, put it on the Berwind strippings - a stone's throw away from this ill-proposed wind project.
Web link: Joseph J. Cominsky"

[jumper56]

Please someone 'holla' tonight and let me know what happened at this evenings meeting! My understanding was that there were to be some very incisive speakers tonight for the preservation of our Mountains, all of them!! So hoping things went in favor of our precious eco systems and not the way of the dollar. Ya know, that is one of the many reasons I personally prefer the animals to the humans, 'at least they're not screwing each other over for a DOLLAR'. That's not the exact quote from the movie but, you all get my point.

[sammie]

Framel pushed for a waiver of the IBA setback and he wanted a vote tonight. It was tabled until next month. I did not take notes. Hopefully someone else will post and provide the details.

[jumper56]

Thanx Sammie, will keep checking. Will want to know more about next months meeting, I may want to bring very large color glossy photos of some of the 'lovely' work the 'farming' mills already have going for them. Yes, yes, just lovely!! You are totally with me on the facitousness here, right??

[Ice Man]

Thanx Sammie, will keep checking. Will want to know more about next months meeting, I may want to bring very large color glossy photos of some of the 'lovely' work the 'farming' mills already have going for them. Yes, yes, just lovely!! You are totally with me on the facitousness here, right??

Hi folks,

The fate of Ice Mountain rests in uncertainty for one more month, as two supervisors voted to table Gamesa’s request for a waiver. Josh Framel, project director, wants Snyder Township to waive the 2,000 foot setback to the Allegheny Front IBA, so Gamesa can build the Sandy Ridge wind project. Snyder Township has 2 IBAs: Allegheny Front and Bald Eagle. Josh pointed out that he was only asking for a waiver for the Allegheny Front, not Bald Eagle IBA. When a supervisor questioned him about allowing this waiver, which would open the door to future requests of waivers, Josh promised that the only request for a waiver would be for the Allegheny Front.

The supervisors pointed out that they had done a lot of work on the ordinance, that there were compromises already in it, and if they allowed a waiver on this project, they would be expected to waive other projects, as well.

Chairman Charles Diehl suggested that they table the request for a month, thus giving them more time to decide. Jim Burket, supervisor, said that if he were to vote tonight, he would have to say “no”. So, the motion was made to table the waiver request, with Charles Diehl and Jim Burket voting in favor. Robert Nelson declined to vote (which meant no). So, the motion passed to table the vote until next month. The supervisors pointed out that waiting a month would give them more time to research the issue, and that a month more wouldn’t make that much difference in an issue that has been dragging on for 3 years. Framel disagreed, stating that timing was crucial and they need to move forward on the project as soon as possible. He did admit that most of the delay was due to Tyrone Borough, not Snyder Township. Framel also pointed out that Snyder T would receive $48,000 for the project.

Some time was allowed for audience comments. Dave Bonta, VP of Juniata Valley Audubon Society, gave an excellent presentation on the impact of turbines to wildlife. He supported his remarks by reading excerpts from a letter sent by PA Audubon’s biologist, Kim Van Fleet, which pointed out why large, intact forests are so important to our native wildlife. He also explained why the Allegheny Front was declared an IBA by the PA Biological Survey – a group of many scientists who objectively weigh criteria needed to recognize an IBA. Audubon PA’s letter also explained how large, intact forests are essential for many bird species. Dave explained the impact that roads have, from increased predation to nest parasitism, and how the edge effect extends 150 – 300 meters into the forest. Dave presented the letter from PA Audubon to the supervisors.

Charles Diehl pointed out that he knows, from hunting, that animals just move on when a place is disturbed. He pointed out that his comments didn’t mean he was in favor of the project. Robert Nelson’s comments made it clear that he was in favor of wind...we heard the same old stuff: “We have to do something”. He has seen rabbits dying from spraying and smoke from power plants. We need alternative energy, he said. I learned after the meeting that Robert Nelson ran on an “Anti-wind platform” in the last election. I wonder what happened??

About 50 people crowded into the meeting room and the vast majority seemed to be against the wind development. Quite a few others were prepared to talk, but decided to wait until next month, when the waiver will be on the Agenda again – hopefully for the last time.

One elderly lady, who was quite vocal, was a former Planning Commission member named Eleanor. She offered to send the supervisors a lot more reading material, but Charles Diehl declined her offer, as he said they already had numerous publications. (I guess they better spend some time this month actually reading the material!)


Laura

[steelerswally]

Very nice recap, Laura on the meeting Monday night. I sat in because I think this windmill subject is a complicated issue. On one hand, the township residents have to be concerned about the wildlife and the appearance of these monster-looking things. Yet on the other hand, wouldn't it be nice to have almost $50,000/year come back to the township for road improvements, snow removal, possible reduction of taxes, routine maintenance around the community, etc... It's easy to look at one side of something like this, but I ask that we consider both sides - what good it does vs. what harm it does. We heard more about the environmental impact windmills have, but I would like to know more about what impact they have on overall electicity production. They mentioned that the power lines get tied into a "grid" that services many areas around the Allegheny Mountains. Sure, maybe we don't benefit directly from any reduction in electrical costs, but it has to help. The one woman who spoke near the end of the meeting mentioned that the overall electricity produced by windmills is currently only 13% of the total amount generated. Considering she represented the wildlife vs. the windmills, I think she shouldn't have mentioned that. Of course they only produce 13% - there's not many of them out there yet. I would assume they need more so these things can have more of an impact - duh! I look at it this way: A hybrid car uses both electric and gas - If you can afford one. Sure, you still need to use gasoline (especially with the hills we have!), but consider all of the times that the car could run on electric. It's the same with power. Eventually, more and more windmills will reduce how much the Indiana power plant and others we use fire up to produce electricity.
It's a tough call both ways.

[kayaker-one]

I would like to know more about what impact they have on overall electicity production. They mentioned that the power lines get tied into a "grid" that services many areas around the Allegheny Mountains. Sure, maybe we don't benefit directly from any reduction in electrical costs, but it has to help. The one woman who spoke near the end of the meeting mentioned that the overall electricity produced by windmills is currently only 13% of the total amount generated.

let me explain the electricity production in more detail. Each power plant has a nameplate capacity - what it could produce if it were 100% efficient. The amount of electricity that is actually produced divided by what it could produce is its capacity factor. A 2 megawatt (MW) turbine does not really produce 2 MW of power. To determine operating capacity you measure what is actually produced and divide by what is possible to produce. Nuclear power has a very high capacity factor: about 99%. Coal has a lower capacity factor - about 85%. In PA, wind turbines have a capacity factor of about 25 - 30% on the average. In the summer, when we need electricity the most due to AC in the cities, wind turbines' capacity factor is only about 8% - we just don't get much wind in the summer. In the winter, the production is higher. But, we don't need all that electricity in PA - we export about 30% of our electricity to other surrounding states. The PJM grid, which receives the electricity from the turbines, is like a bathtub. The electrons from the power plants flow into the tub, and then we pull out electrons from the tub. Electrons don't move very efficiently through the wires, so yes, some of the electrons produced locally do tend to get used locally.

And yes, wind does help - a little. So now you have to weigh the benefits vs. the harm. Bedford County Planning Commission did an in-depth study on wind power in that county, and they concluded that wind's impact on Bedford County would cause more harm than good. Most of Bedford County's drinking water comes from wells, which are slowly recharged by rain sinking into the ground and mountain runoff dictates the whole process. Turbines on the tops of mountains create a risk to watersheds. Turbines on mountains also degrade historic and scenic viewsheds. It isn't a matter of liking them or not. Their presence creates clutter on the landscape, an impact that is negative to scenic areas, and also creates mental stress to some. Turbines near homes also decrease property values and make it harder for people to sell their homes - unless the wind companies agree to buy them. There are also a lot of noise issues when turbines are built in rural areas, since their low frequencies are very disturbing to people. This mostly occurs at night, when people are trying to sleep. You don't notice this when standing under a turbine.

Everything we do leaves a footprint of impact, of course, but communities need to understand that turbines are being built on forested ridges that should be protected as water sources and wildlife habitat. There are plenty of places in the US to build turbines where a forest does not have to be cut down, where the wind blows stronger and more often, and where people aren't going to be impacted by noise, shadow flicker, and property value depreciation. Why should our mountains be degraded for just a "little bit" of good? Wind has very limited potential in PA,but developers can make big money on the projects and that's why Gamesa won't go away. They are after the money - taxpayers subsidize 2/3 of the projects and then the companies get double depreciation on top of that. That's why most companies sell their wind projects in 5 - 8 years after construction. Another wind company buys it and the double depreciation starts all over again.

It is time to understand that rural people in PA are on the losing end of this development. Yes, $48,000 might sound like a lot of money, but look at what we are losing.

[sammie]

They mentioned that the power lines get tied into a "grid" that services many areas around the Allegheny Mountains. Sure, maybe we don't benefit directly from any reduction in electrical costs, but it has to help.

The grid that services our area is the largest in the world. Check out this map of the PJM grid: http://www.mdwind.org/help/pjm_gridregion.html

The peak demand of our grid is over 144,000MW on a hot summer day. The proposed Sandy Ridge wind plant will be lucky to generate 30% of its rated capacity. Forgive me for not remembering how many turbines they are proposing, but I believe its about 25 of them. Each one is rated at 2MW, but each will actually generate less than .6 MW. That adds up to about 15 MW of electricity.

No where on any grid in the world has even one coal plant been shut down because of the addition of wind turbines. That's because coal, gas, nuclear are reliable sources of energy. Wind turbines are extremely unreliable (only when the wind blows between certain speeds) and pitifully small in their output. They actually require backup at all times from a reliable source, crazy huh?

It is nonsensical to destroy a local natural heritage area of exceptional quality for this bogus, "trendy" energy source.

It is a tragedy that the local media has not been educating citizens regarding the truth behind industrial wind power.

But, if you would like to learn more about the truth, a good site is http://www.stopillwind.org/

And. if you would like to see what your neighbors to the south have been doing to save their piece of the Allegheny Front from unnecessary destruction please take a look at http://shaffermountain.com/

Wish more people like you would take an interest in this before it is too late.

[Fightin' Irish]

The one woman who spoke near the end of the meeting mentioned that the overall electricity produced by windmills is currently only 13% of the total amount generated.

The woman's wrong. In PA industrial windplants account for less than 1% of the electricity produced in our state. PA's largest windplant, the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm, near Blue Knob, produces less than 0.5% as much electricity as the Limerick nuclear plant outside Philly. The Limerick nuclear plant serves 2,500,000 homes.

[Ice Man]

We heard more about the environmental impact windmills have, but I would like to know more about what impact they have on overall electicity production. They mentioned that the power lines get tied into a "grid" that services many areas around the Allegheny Mountains. Sure, maybe we don't benefit directly from any reduction in electrical costs, but it has to help.

Alternative energy sparks rate-hike pleas

April 8, 2009 by The Associated Press in Gazette Times

PORTLAND - Big investments in renewable energy could mean higher electric bills, hitting households and businesses during high unemployment and a weak economy.
Oregon's biggest electric companies, PacifiCorp and Portland General Electric, filed for rate increases last week with state utility regulators.

Both cited renewable energy projects as the reason. If approved by the Oregon Public Utility Commission, the raises would take effect in early 2010, The Oregonian said.

PacifiCorp wants a $92.1 million increase, or 9.1 percent, which would add an average of $5.12 to a residential customers monthly bill, which is at about $82.85 for 950 kilowatt-hours per month.

PGE's investment in renewable energy at Biglow Canyon translates to a request for a 2.3 percent increase for retail customers, totaling $41.3 million.

But PGE's prices might decrease slightly because prices for power are falling, resulting in an offsetting filing for a $46.8 million decrease, PGE said.

Steve Corson of PGE said the impact of the two filings on the average, 900-kilowatt-hour customer would be a few cents a month, to the customer's advantage.

Some groups say rate hikes resulting from the shift to alternative energy sources will become common as utility companies build wind farms and solar systems to meet state guidelines.

Costs associated with renewables, primarily wind, are high, said Michael Early, executive director of Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities, tagged with some of the steepest hikes.

"We have a renewable energy portfolio, but it doesn't come without a cost."

Under PacifiCorp's request, industrial customers would get some of the biggest rate jumps at 13.7 percent.

The rate case is the first for PacifiCorp since 2006, when the electric utility requested an increase of 13.2 percent and got about 5 percent.

Since 2006, Oregon's portion of the company's investments in electric plants and other capital projects has grown by $500 million, said Bill Griffith, director of pricing.

PacifiCorp has invested in two natural gas generating plants in Washington and Utah and three new wind facilities in Wyoming.

Griffith said industrial customers are being asked to pay more because they have the most need for more electricity.

"Their lights are always on," Griffith said. "Most of the cost is generation and transmission, and that's a larger proportion of the industrial customers' bill."

But to Early, who represents 38 manufacturers, the extra burden doesn't match the flat growth of the industrial sector.

"The industrial load is not growing," Early said. "If there's growth, it's coming from other sectors. It's a bad time for any rate increase. The long-term implication for the economy and the manufacturing sector is difficult."

In addition, PacifiCorp wants an increase in its authorized profit margins from 10 percent to 11 percent.

Bob Jenks, executive director of the Citizens' Utility Board, said it was unlikely the state utility commission would approve the profit increase.

"We think it's an outrage considering the state of the economy," Jenks said.

Portland General Electric raised rates by 5.6 percent starting this year. The average monthly bill for a PGE customer using 900 kilowatt-hours of electricity grew from $88.21 to $93.59.

http://www.windaction.org/news/20669

[Ice Man]

Judge upholds most of suit against Gamesa

March 30, 2009 by Kathy Mellott in The Tribune Democrat

HOLLIDAYSBURG - One of a number of claims made by a Portage area couple against Gamesa USA, developers of Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm, has been dismissed, but the bulk of the lawsuit remains intact and is proceeding toward trial.

Blair County Judge Daniel Milliron in a 20-page ruling dismissed claims of negligence and conspiracy made by Jill and Todd Stull against Gamesa, producers of the windmills and developers of phase one of the windmill farm at the Cambria-Blair County line.

Six other objections filed by Gamesa or Allegheny Ridge in response to the Stull's lawsuit were overruled by Milliron.

"We're very happy, a vast majority of our claims have been sustained," said Bradley Tupi of Pittsburgh, an attorney representing the Stulls, who have a Portage address but who live just across the line in Juniata Township, Blair County.

"The case finally gets to move forward, we can proceed into discovery and find out what they really knew."

Milliron refused to dismiss claims of fraudulent misrepresentation against Allegheny Ridge and a similar claim against Gamesa.

The civil suit originally filed in April alleges that noise, described as screeching, is generated by the 400-foot-tall turbines at a level impacting on the Stulls, especially Todd Stull's ability to sleep.

Flash and flicker from the blades has also caused distress and the family suffers from frequent headaches and emotional distress.

The Stulls allege that the developers misled township officials regarding noise made by the windmills and led them into developing an ordinance calling for a minimum of 2,000 feet distance between homes and the windmills.

The Stull's claim that Brian Lammers, Gamesa director of development for the Allegheny Ridge project in May 2005, misrepresented noise levels to Portage Township supervisors as they were developing an ordinance for siting and operation of the farm.

Lammers and Terry Nicol, also of Gamesa, made similar misrepresentations to supervisors in Blair County, the lawsuit contends.

A total of 90 windmills will line the two-county ridgetop when all phases of the project are completed.

Gamesa and Allegheny Ridge have 20 days to respond to Milliron's order.

http://www.windaction.org/news/20563