Windmills on Ice Mountain - Gamesa Wind Turbines

[sandstone]

Earlier this month, Council VP Bill Latchford asked Tyrone Borough Council to revisit the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's offer of a conservation easement on Ice Mountain, paying the borough to preserve Ice Mountain in its natural state.

Unfortunately, most of the Tyrone Borough Council members were NOT interested in this offer.

Here's a story about a 640-acre property on Brush Mountain near Altoona that is The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) newest preserve. It's an image of what might have been on Ice Mountain, had the Tyrone Borough Council been interested. Read the story and watch the video.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/north ... 26881.html



BTW, this new TNC preserve is less than a mile from my house! :thumb:

[Something to say]

Unfortunately the video didn't work for me....but great idea, and its a shame council wouldn't consider this option for Ice Mountain. Sandstone....all of Brush Mountain is safe from the turbines, correct? I certainly hope so...I could not imagine having to look at those monstrosities every time I stepped out my door.

[My2Cents]

Whoa, sandstone... that is absolutely fantastic !! Thank God for people, such as you and others... intelligent, educated, common sensed individuals, who care enough for, and do something about, preserving the beauty.... trying to save our very earth and all that live within. Above all, educating people and getting them to understand why !!!! WHY we need to do this.
It makes me sick, knowing what we have right here, in our very own back yard, and it is being totally ignored !! Most is taken for granted and not apperciated. How could this WPC offer be ignored by our very own council ?? Does the general public know about this ?? How could anyone not consider this?? This offer is the cream of the crop, what more could we ask for ?? I absolutely do not understand it !!
Makes me wonder... was this presented and explained to the council fully and accurately by Latchford ?? Does he know enough about this endeavor to even present it accurately ?? If he is for turbines why would he go out of his way to get this very important point across ?? Is council fully aware of the efforts and the results put in by the WPC on Brush Mountain ?? Does council really understand fully what the WPC could do for us, our community and Ice Mountain ??? Did they see the Brush Mountain results via video and/or slide show ?? Makes me wonder, was this subject thrown out quickly because he said he would "mention" it at a council get together?? Was it laughed off and cast aside as quickly as it was mentioned ??

[sandstone]

Sandstone....all of Brush Mountain is safe from the turbines, correct? .

Yes. Brush Mountain is designated as a Blair County Natural Heritage Area in the Blair County Natural Heritage Inventory. All the municipalities in which Brush Mountain is located (Antis, Tyrone, Logan, and Frankstown Townships) prohibit industrial wind turbines in Blair County Natural Heritage Areas. :flag: :thumb:

[sandstone]

How could this WPC offer be ignored by our very own council ?? Does the general public know about this ?? How could anyone not consider this?? This offer is the cream of the crop, what more could we ask for ?? I absolutely do not understand it !!
Makes me wonder... was this presented and explained to the council fully and accurately by Latchford ?? Does he know enough about this endeavor to even present it accurately ?? If he is for turbines why would he go out of his way to get this very important point across ?? Is council fully aware of the efforts and the results put in by the WPC on Brush Mountain ?? Does council really understand fully what the WPC could do for us, our community and Ice Mountain ??? Did they see the Brush Mountain results via video and/or slide show ?? Makes me wonder, was this subject thrown out quickly because he said he would "mention" it at a council get together?? Was it laughed off and cast aside as quickly as it was mentioned ??

I don't know the details because Councilman Latchford presented it to council during executive session.

Only the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) was contacted and only the WPC's offer was discussed. The Brush Mountain Preserve is a project of a different conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, which is an international organization. Other conservancies include the Clearwater Conservancy, based in State College, and the Trust for Public Land, a national organization. None of those conservancies were contacted.

[salaman]

A Puff of Green Air
Why is it that when he talked about the first of “the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future” and to our very “survival” — namely, energy — he invoked policies that will increase the economic burden on all Americans? ...Obama may be serious about creating millions of jobs for solar-panel installers and wind-turbine manufacturers. But that probably owes more to wanting to satisfy the demands of constituencies like organized labor. Whether Obama is truly serious about meeting America’s energy-supply challenges is another question.
February 25, 2009 in National Reveiw Online
Obama's cotton-candy approach to energy would raise costs and solve no problems.

‘The state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others,” said Pres. Barack Obama in his address to a joint session of Congress last night.

Indeed it is. So why is it that when he talked about the first of “the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future” and to our very “survival” — namely, energy — he invoked policies that will increase the economic burden on all Americans?

The one specific energy policy preference the president mentioned amid a haze of green generalities was a call “for Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution.” On its face, Obama’s cap-and-trade program aims to raise costs, specifically by raising the price of energy generated from fossil fuels.

Americans use coal for half of their electricity, and natural gas for another 20 percent, precisely because these fuels produce power at a third to a fifth the cost that such celebrated green sources as wind and solar can. Think of cap-and-trade as a price-protection racket for inefficient technologies. It’s the same logic behind the renewable portfolio standard the Obama administration is pushing: A nationwide RPS would simply force energy companies to generate more power from renewable sources. Naturally, the inefficiencies get passed along to consumers, raising prices not just for electricity, but for everything.

Don’t take my word for it. Take the president’s. A year ago, during a meeting with the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board, Obama proved to be an unusually candid candidate. “Under my plan of a cap and trade system,” he said, “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” Skyrocketing prices. That’s the point. (Inexplicably, the Chronicle straight-news reporters who wrote about the meeting didn’t find those eye-popping words sufficiently newsworthy to merit their publication. The comment only was discovered in the final days of the presidential campaign, by which point Obama’s victory was in the bag.)

The rest of the supposedly critical energy section of last night’s speech was filled with green fluff, and even that fluff disintegrates like cotton candy in the rain. Obama aims to “harness the power of clean, renewable energy” as the means to global supremacy, he said. He didn’t mention that there is a lot less power to be derived from clean, renewable energy sources than from those our economy prefers — renewables pack a weak punch when you consider the space they need. To generate electricity at a rate of 1,000 megawatts, as coal-fired and nuclear power plants do regularly, you need a utility-scale wind plant using 60,000 acres of land. You would need about 11,000 acres of photovoltaic cells to generate the same amount from solar energy. And don’t even get into the question of those technologies’ intermittent reliability.

Comparing fuel density provides an even better contrast. Biomass has far less energy density than other fuels. Pound for pound, coal stores twice as much energy as wood. On the same comparison, oil is twice as energy-dense as coal; it packs the same amount of energy into half the weight and space. Nuclear power, though, wins this test by a landslide. A single gram of uranium-235 packs the same punch as four tons of coal or eight tons of wood.

As much as anything, that explains our current energy economy right there. It also explains why today’s trendy green technologies can’t hope to compete without having politicians rig the market. Neither the physics nor the economics work in their favor. To hear the president tell it, however, there is only upside. He paints a picture of a future full of green jobs and clean skies.

But can we really meet a future of lower (or nonexistent) greenhouse-gas emissions while providing the supplies of energy a thriving economy will require? Not under anything Obama discussed last night. Curiously, he avoided mention of the one energy source that can provide huge volumes of power while giving off no pollution or carbon dioxide: nuclear power. It already provides a fifth of America’s electricity (wind and solar generate about one half of one percent — combined). And nuclear energy can provide steady, baseload electricity, which notoriously intermittent sources like wind and solar cannot do. Of course, many environmentalists (a crucial constituency for Obama’s Democratic party) are reflexively opposed to nuclear power, a misguided hang-up that dates back to 1960s and 1970s protests against atomic weapons.

Obama may be serious about creating millions of jobs for solar-panel installers and wind-turbine manufacturers. But that probably owes more to wanting to satisfy the demands of constituencies like organized labor. Whether Obama is truly serious about meeting America’s energy-supply challenges is another question. Until he begins to seriously discuss nuclear, one can guess that he probably is not.
Web link: Max Schulz "

[salaman]

Turbine noise dissected; Expert says low frequencies are produced
"It's clear that the majority of sound energy from a turbine is in the low-frequency range, but none of the information from a wind developer ever describes that fact," Mr. James said. "None of the data for the lower frequencies is collected or figured as part of their tests." Mr. James said communities should have their ambient-noise levels tested by qualified engineers before a wind farm is developed.
February 27, 2009 by Nancy Madsen in Watertown Daily Times
LAFARGEVILLE - At its meeting Tuesday night, the Orleans wind committee got confirmation from an expert that turbines produce low-frequency noise and could cause health problems.

The committee held a conference call with Richard R. James, principal consultant at E-Coustic Solutions, Okemos, Mich. Mr. James has more than 35 years' experience and worked on revising the International Electrotechnical Commission's standard for measuring turbine sound levels. He worked with George W. Kamperman, consulting engineer in acoustics at Kamperman Associates Inc., Wisconsin Dells, Wis., on creating a guide to siting wind turbines for local governments.

Mr. James said low-frequency sound and infrasound, the lowest-frequency sound, are felt, not heard.

"Typically, they are not even measured," he said. "They are not very common in nature, but a few examples are distant thunder and tornadoes."

In creating guidelines for siting, Mr. James reviewed noise standards and studies from around the world. Many noise regulations for wind turbines are based on measurements that weigh audible noise, or dBA.

"But there are still hundreds of complaints of low-frequency noise annoyance in those communities," Mr. James said. "We decided we needed to include a low-frequency noise measure in the standard."

In their siting guide, Mr. James and Mr. Kamperman said audible sound from turbines should not exceed 5 decibels above pre-construction ambient noise levels. Low-frequency noise should not exceed 5 decibels above the pre-construction measurement. Those limits, they said, should be met at nonparticipating landowners' property lines.

"It's a standard for communities that could be enforced with instruments that most acoustic engineers have access to," he said.

He said walls and windows block audible noise well but do not block low-frequency sound.

Mr. James also said low-frequency noise causes health problems.

"We've known since the 1950s that sound outside the home can cause sleep disturbance," he said. "We also know noise, sleep and health are related."

He said that sleep disturbance, vibro-acoustic disease and wind turbine syndrome have been connected with low-frequency noise.

"It's clear that the majority of sound energy from a turbine is in the low-frequency range, but none of the information from a wind developer ever describes that fact," Mr. James said. "None of the data for the lower frequencies is collected or figured as part of their tests."

Mr. James said communities should have their ambient-noise levels tested by qualified engineers before a wind farm is developed.

The committee next will meet at 7 p.m. March 10 at the town office, when Keith D. Pitman, president and chief executive officer of Empire State Wind Energy, will present information on wind development and Charles E. Ebbing, facilitator and retired acoustic engineer with Carrier Corp., will talk about low-frequency noise and annoyance.
Web link: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/arti ... 79982/0/OP"

[My2Cents]

Salaman, thanks for ALL the above. How can Mr. James, a professional in the know (with more than 35 years of experience around the world.... not just the ridge tops of our beautiful state) be ignored ?? He is an expert , has been studying the noise effects of turbines for years, which includes his expertise in the low-frequency noise and the effect it has on human health as well as wildlife.
It is almost certain that the folks living up in the Hollow's will be somehow effected by all this... no one is paying attention. A lease has not been signed. Now, is the time to stop this intrusion. Clean energy is a must... a sure way has to be defined,and defined soon, throughout the world. Nuclear and solar will be the wave of the future. If they could just find a way to "store" solar, we would be on a roll right now !! Nuclear.... is expanding and much improved. Patience is what we need. We do not need turbines that has to be plugged into the already established electrical grid in order for them to "function." That is more weight on the grid, an already functioning electrical system.
Too much wind, they click off... too little wind, nothing... their function around here, very little. To operate they have to click onto that already establish grid... those extra on and off clicks will cause utility bills to sky rocket.If there is a blackout, they too will go down, for they need the electrical grid to function.
Pickens has the right idea... he is in the right place, at the right time... his thoughts, along with where he plans to build wind turbines are right-on. Besides, they will be built in the right place, in the right time. They, along with all the people and parts that goes with them, will be " Made inThe USA." :flag:
Ice Mountain is not the place for turbines. Our community has always pulled thru. We have a lot established in our little town and there is still a lot more to be desired. We can do it. We do not need these people coming in here and telling us where to spend their money. We do not need this kind of money. There is so much at stake here !!

[Ice Man]

Did you read Kris Yaniello's (Tyrone Daily Herald) recent interview with Frank Maisano? Maisano is a Washington D.C. wind industry lobbyist.

Hey Kris!! Do you think that interviewing an inside-the-beltway wind industry lobbyist will bring objective information to the Ice Mountain debate?

Hey Kris!! Maybe you should have asked Frank Maisano about this:

Until it folded in 2002, Frank Maisano worked for the Global Climate Coalition, an industry front group fighting against reforms to slow down and prevent industry pollution contributing to global climate change. He was a member of the Potomac Communications Group, whose other clients include Con Edison, the Edison Electric Institute, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was then media strategist and spokesman for the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council (ERCC), an anti-EPA lobby group for coal-burning utilities. He has also apparently worked for MTBE manufacturers. In April, 2006, E magazine interviewed Maisano, reporting that he is now working with Bracewell and Giuliani, whose clients have included the ERCC along with energy giants Enron, Chevron-Texaco, Pacific Gas & Electric, Dynegy, and Southern Company. Since 2005, Maisano, representing Bracewell and Giuliani, has provided PR work for industrial wind energy developers in the mid-Atlantic states, particularly those targeting the Allegheny Front in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?ti ... nk_Maisano

Talk about a hypocrite!!!!! Frank Maisano just goes wherever the money-source leads him. Maybe the Tyrone Daily Herald does, also.

[Something to say]

Did you read Kris Yaniello's (Tyrone Daily Herald) recent interview with Frank Maisano? Maisano is a Washington D.C. wind industry lobbyist.

Hey Kris!! Do you think that interviewing an inside-the-beltway wind industry lobbyist will bring objective information to the Ice Mountain debate?

Hey Kris!! Maybe you should have asked Frank Maisano about this:

Until it folded in 2002, Frank Maisano worked for the Global Climate Coalition, an industry front group fighting against reforms to slow down and prevent industry pollution contributing to global climate change. He was a member of the Potomac Communications Group, whose other clients include Con Edison, the Edison Electric Institute, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was then media strategist and spokesman for the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council (ERCC), an anti-EPA lobby group for coal-burning utilities. He has also apparently worked for MTBE manufacturers. In April, 2006, E magazine interviewed Maisano, reporting that he is now working with Bracewell and Giuliani, whose clients have included the ERCC along with energy giants Enron, Chevron-Texaco, Pacific Gas & Electric, Dynegy, and Southern Company. Since 2005, Maisano, representing Bracewell and Giuliani, has provided PR work for industrial wind energy developers in the mid-Atlantic states, particularly those targeting the Allegheny Front in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?ti ... nk_Maisano

Talk about a hypocrite!!!!! Frank Maisano just goes wherever the money-source leads him. Maybe the Tyrone Daily Herald does, also.

Wow... Maisano.... Against/For....Against/for. HYPOCRITE! You hit the nail on the head in that statement, Ice Man.

Both the Herald and the Mirror along with WTAJ have been reporting biased propaganda throughout this whole ordeal. They should be ashamed of themselves for only reporting articles that support their own personal opinions.



I just can't help but to think this town believes they are going to become filthy rich. It seems they're not caring about the fact that they are selling out a Natural Heritage Area for a PIDDLING amount of money... Three- five million over a 30 yr period???

(Its been noted the life span of a turbine is 8 yrs....can you imagine the condition of the roads, and the erosion each time they have to be replaced or fixed? ) And how much change do they ( council ) really believe they're going to make in Tyrone on an annual amount of money which is slightly higher than the median income of 2 Tyrone families?

I understand the need for economic development. But raping the mountains is not going to increase the standard of living in Tyrone.

You won't see any change in your light bills. There is not a huge decrease in the usage of fossil fuels. I've traveled back and forth to Virginia a few times the past couple of years to visit inlaws. I see more and more turbines on the ridgetops each and every trip. Our government is not going to be happy until they desecrate the Allegheny Front.


Why don't they erect these turbines in the areas that use up more energy than the rest of us? Why aren't we seeing turbines on top of the HUGE buildings in the BIG CITIES who use up more energy than many rural areas combined? Why doesn't every building top in NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, PHILADELPHIA etc...etc....house a roof-top turbine? Why not put them in the medial strips between the massive highways leading into those cities?? Abandoned strip mines....the desert.....places where nothing grows and nobody goes. They're preying on small towns.....destroying our scenic view and taking what nature gave us....all in the name of going green. If you're destroying green to go green, how can you call that progress??? It makes no sense to me.

If you all believe that all these windfarms are going to decrease our dependency on foreign oil or fossil fuels...I've invented a new gadget that actually goes to the bathroom for you .....

It's a shame that the local media hasn't reported studies of the detrimental effects ....studies provided by others who are NOT working for the wind industry. I just hopeTyrone Council Members won't jump on a bandwagon of destruction...because they were told to do so. It's apparent Rendell never anticipated anyone in rural Pennsylvania to say NO.....I guess he is aware of how needy small town Pennsylvania is afterall. He's depending on it. Be stewards of Ice Mountain...and SAY NO.

[Bill Latchford]

I understand the need for economic development. But raping the mountains is not going to increase the standard of living in Tyrone.

I only picked out part of your comment "SomeThingToSay" only because I am pointing out one thing....How many of you have driven up I-99 lately and have seen the mess on the front of the mountain now? Talk about raping a mountain...That looks absolutely awful.

[salaman]

[quote="Ice Man"]Did you read Kris Yaniello's (Tyrone Daily Herald) recent interview with Frank Maisano? Maisano is a Washington D.C. wind industry lobbyist.

Hey Kris!! Do you think that interviewing an inside-the-beltway wind industry lobbyist will bring objective information to the Ice Mountain debate?

Hey Kris!! Maybe you should have asked Frank Maisano about this:

This is why I will never buy another Daily Herald (started this months ago). Through this entire lease process, over the last three years, they have not done any fact checking of Gamesa's outrageous claims. The Daily Herald still sends me the free Saturday edition. I will be calling them to tell them to stop doing that too. I do not have a wood burner or pet bird and my dog is house broken. Therefore, I have no use for their paper.

BTW Gamesa stock has hit a new all time low today.

Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica SA (GCTAF)
CustomizeGCTAF quote (Other OTC Issues Exchange)
12.10 down -0.15 -1.24%fyi
Previous Close 12.25 Bid NA
Open 12.15 Bid Size NA
Day's High 12.15 Ask NA
Day's Low 12.10 Ask Size NA
Volume 1,625 52 Week High 56.20
Avg. Daily Vol. (13 wk.) 3,021 52 Week Low 12.20

GCTAF Intraday Chart
Intraday Chart
5d 1m 3m 1y 3y 5y 10y

Beta 1.48
Dividend & Yield 0.23 (2.32%)
Earnings/Share 1.84
Forward P/E NA
Market Cap. 2.92 Bil
P/E NA
Return on Equity 18.86
Total Shares Out. 241.24 Mil
Quotes delayed 15 min unless otherwise indicated
Last trade 11:08 AM ET Financial data in U.S. dollars

[sammie]

Did you read Kris Yaniello's (Tyrone Daily Herald) recent interview with Frank Maisano? Maisano is a Washington D.C. wind industry lobbyist.

Hey Kris!! Do you think that interviewing an inside-the-beltway wind industry lobbyist will bring objective information to the Ice Mountain debate?

Hey Kris!! Maybe you should have asked Frank Maisano about this:

Until it folded in 2002, Frank Maisano worked for the Global Climate Coalition, an industry front group fighting against reforms to slow down and prevent industry pollution contributing to global climate change. He was a member of the Potomac Communications Group, whose other clients include Con Edison, the Edison Electric Institute, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was then media strategist and spokesman for the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council (ERCC), an anti-EPA lobby group for coal-burning utilities. He has also apparently worked for MTBE manufacturers. In April, 2006, E magazine interviewed Maisano, reporting that he is now working with Bracewell and Giuliani, whose clients have included the ERCC along with energy giants Enron, Chevron-Texaco, Pacific Gas & Electric, Dynegy, and Southern Company. Since 2005, Maisano, representing Bracewell and Giuliani, has provided PR work for industrial wind energy developers in the mid-Atlantic states, particularly those targeting the Allegheny Front in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?ti ... nk_Maisano

Talk about a hypocrite!!!!! Frank Maisano just goes wherever the money-source leads him. Maybe the Tyrone Daily Herald does, also.

Here is the article. I think it was in the paper in mid February (13th maybe). A double wammy showing why Americans are not getting the truth about important issues: 1. lack of good investigative journalism, and 2. hired corporate "misleaders".

Rep. from Mid-Atlantic wind developer coalition talks wind energy, economy, and Ice Mountain's proposed project

By KRIS YANIELLO
Staff Writer

Tyrone Borough hangs in limbo over a Gamesa Energy USA wind farm proposal that seeks to place 10 to 15, two megawatt, wind turbines on the borough's 3,900 acre watershed property atop Ice Mountain. In January, borough council voted on the proposal, which resulted in a tie, therefore eliminating the motion until it's brought back to council through another motion.

Council members Mark Kosoglow, Steve Hanzir, and Mayor Jim Kilmartin voted down the project. Kosoglow and Kilmartin both said that their reason was not because of the windmills, but due to the fact that they felt there could be more money generated into the borough from Gamesa or perhaps another wind company once Gamesa's five-year agreement ends in 2011.

As the lease agreement presently states, the borough would receive $3 to $5 million over the 30-year life span of the project - equaling out to $7,000 per windmill per year, but Gamesa has increased the ante, as well as agreeing to help fund a community project of the borough's choosing. The company has not stated if it is willing to increase the per windmill per year total any higher.

Opponents of the Ice Mountain wind farm have stressed concerns of potential harm to migrating raptors and eagles, defragmentation of the forest, as well as water resource contamination. The borough hired a geology firm, Casselberry & Associates of State College, to conduct a watershed protection study, which showed a wind farm would produce "minimal" risk to water resources as long as stringent erosion and sedimentation controls were used.

During the April 2008 primary that drew much attention from voters, the borough conducted an informal and non-binding survey outside of the voting stations to gather the registered borough voter opinion of Gamesa's proposed wind farm. A little over 1,000 people took the survey, showing 55 percent of voters were in favor of the project.

Frank Maisano represents a coalition of wind developers in Pennsylvania and throughout the Mid-Atlantic states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. He is a Michigan native who graduated from Hillsdale College in Michigan and received his MBA from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Maisano works out of Washington, D.C., specializing in energy and environmental issues, and the communication within those fields. He also teaches at Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School.

Maisano took the time to answer some relevant questions about wind energy, the economy, and Tyrone Borough's proposed project with Gamesa.

The Daily Herald: How has the present economy impacted wind companies? Is the market still strong?

Maisano: The U.S. wind industry shattered all previous records in 2008 by installing 8,358 megawatts of new generating capacity, enough to serve over two million homes, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), which also warns of an uncertain outlook for 2009 due to the continuing financial crisis. The massive growth in 2008 swelled the nation's total wind power generating capacity by 50 percent and channeled an investment of some $17 billion into the economy, positioning wind power as one of the leading sources of new power generation in the country today - along with natural gas. At year's end, however, financing for new projects and orders for turbine components slowed to a trickle. It is clearly a difficult market, but renewable projects remain at the front of the line given today's focus on clean energy and reducing emissions linked to global warming.

The Daily Herald: Since you work with many wind companies in PA and the Mid-Atlantic, do these companies follow what's going on with other projects, like Tyrone's? Are the companies aware of the struggles Gamesa has had with Tyrone in trying to get their proposed wind farm passed?

Maisano: The wind industry is a close community, especially in Pennsylvania. They work in partnership on many things like the recent Wind Energy Voluntary Wildlife Cooperative with the PA Game Commission. Developers often partner on research, siting guidelines, and best management practices. Wind energy companies and representatives at all levels - state and national - have followed the Tyrone case, and really began to focus on it after the borough sponsored a voter survey during PA's influential primary. Remember, that is when your voters turned out to support the project by a significant margin. After that, the recent board vote was a bit of a surprise, given residents gave them their broad support for the project, and independent studies showed the wind farm would have minimal environmental impact.

I think this project also shows that when you sample an entire community, you find that oppostion to projects really does come from a vocal minority - and usually from folks who live outside the community - while the majority of local residents understand the importance and value of the project and support its development.

The Daily Herald: Would other wind companies be hesitant to venture into Tyrone Borough to propose a wind farm project after Gamesa? Why do you think alot of municipalities struggle with passing wind development when it's supposed to be helping the environment?

Maisano: I know Gamesa has been working with the borough for about three years. And, again even after the show of residents' support and the backing of independent studies, the project hasn't moved forward. I can't speak specifically for anyone, but I can say generally that most developers might look at a situation like this and have serious concerns. For example, there have been three years of starts and stops, negotiations with no final outcome, and a constant moving of the goal posts by some - and still plenty more work ahead. That is a hard business model to endure and afford.

More importantly, because of the current leases, another company couldn't even acess the site until 2011, and would then pretty much have to start from scratch, including their own wind resources studies. It is hard to imagine that any company would be able to look five years into the future for this site.

Moreover, the community is risking putting off the economic development opportunities of an operating wind project. Today communities throughout our region are atually embracing the economic and environmental benefits that wind farms provide. This is a new industry, and people may be concerned about it, But the more people learn about wind energy and its job, environmental and economic benefits, the more support projects have.

The Daily Herald: Tyrone's project was originally slated at $5,000 per two megawatt turbine per year, and now it is at $7,000. How does that compare with other wind companies in the Mid-Atlantic? Do these numbers vary because of potential wind generation for an area?

Maisano: Companies usually try to keep their lease offers private, because this is still a competitive market. Based on those amounts, though, I would say that the offer is at least commensurate with industry standards, and maybe even a bit above going rates for the Northeast region. The best comparison may be to look around that area. I know that the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm in Cambria and Blair Counties is an extremely productive wind farm in an area with some of the best wind resources in PA, and I think Tyrone payments are slightly higher than that project's payments. As I recall, that project was about $5,000 per turbine.

Wind Farms operate on small margins so you do reach a point where payments can get so high as to devalue the whole project, making it difficult and too costly to develop. This is true not just with wind farms, but in any development project that requires leasing.

The Daily Herald: The economy is tough right now, and a small community like Tyrone could always use additional revenue. In your opinion, what advice would you give Tyrone Borough Council in their proposal with Gamesa? Is it worth waiting around to hope more money will be placed on the table?

Maisano: It is not my place to offer my opinion to the council. This is really a local decision. But keeping with an industry perspective and speaking generally, it is hard to imagine any community turning down long-term, guaranteed revenues in this economy for a hope that you may get a better offer a few years from now.

I know football is in your soul up there with Happy Valley and the Steelers. I'm sure you're still celebrating the Super Bowl and the good Penn State season, but it reminds me of an old football adage - "you don't take points off the board." It would be one thing if a great deal of research was still needed, or if community support wasn't there - but that is not the case here.

Residents voted in favor of the project, studies commissioned by the borough proved it would have little impact, and after three years, everyone is really fully engaged and informed. It really does seem like a win-win situation, which is why it's tough to explain why there isn't any resolution yet.

[My2Cents]

Whoa... this IS getting to be ridiculous !!
Also, am I missing something ??
The beginning of his 3rd paragraph... "As the lease agreement presently states...." What lease agreement ??!!
There was a 5 year whatever, but.... there wasn't a lease !!!
I guess they think, throwing out "Football, Happy Valley, Steelers, Penn State" will get their sentiment...
There are people around here who were not born yesterday !!!

[sandstone]

I understand the need for economic development. But raping the mountains is not going to increase the standard of living in Tyrone.

I only picked out part of your comment "SomeThingToSay" only because I am pointing out one thing....How many of you have driven up I-99 lately and have seen the mess on the front of the mountain now? Talk about raping a mountain...That looks absolutely awful.

No doubt about it! Crossing Bald Eagle Ridge from Bald Eagle Valley into Nittany Valley used to be a scenic drive. Now it is an unmitigated eyesore.

The really sad thing is that it will remain that way. And that's the gateway to State College. What a sad first impression!!


Interestingly, one of the reasons given by the Logan Township Planning Commission and the Logan Township Board of Supervisors for denying Gamesa's demands to expand that township's windplant zone was that the municipality wanted to protect the viewscape that serves as the gateway to Altoona.