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Submitted by Mr. Anthony James Leatham

Deadline to sign up by: 09 September 2009

n response to a recent petition about minimum setback distance from wind turbines , the Government’s reply used old surveys carried out by Hayes McKenzie, a firm of accoustic engineers deeply embedded in the wind industry.

Unsurprisingly, the outcome was a foregone conclusion: there are no problems.

This was highly irresponsible of the government. Hayes McKenzie are not health specialists so asking them their opinion on the impacts on turbines is as meaningful as asking David Beckham to comment on quantum physics.

It’s also a bit like asking the poacher to turn game keeper.

The methodology adopted by the Government should have been to embrace the work of medical experts actively engaged in dealing with the harmful effects of living in close proximity to wind turbines: sleep depirvation, vibro-acoustic disease and wind turbine syndrome.

I call upon them to investigate the full impact without an a priori agenda to determine an outcome favourable to their deeply flawed energy policy, and to act in the best interests of the citizens of this country who are forced to live next to industrial sized turbines.

Note from Angela Kelly, Country Guardian:

Campaigners should be aware that requests for a specific 2km set back can infer that industrial wind turbines are acceptable at any distance which is set back further than 2km.

However, after much thought, I personally , have concluded that that it is better to sign this petition as otherwise the BWEA and the government will doubtless use lack of signatories as public acceptance of wind turbines in general.

We are up against master ‘spinners’, political and professional — people who actually earn a living by promoting this destructive industry. Consumers and taxpayers are forced to subsidise this national disaster. Unfortunately most of them have no idea of what is being perpetrated in their name until it hits their own backyard. These government petitions are merely a ruse to be seen to be interested in public opinion. However many sign up to such anti-wind petitions can be dismissed as a “minority” as it still does not affect the great majority. One petition against cars being monitored through satnav — signed by tens of thousands – drew a bland response from the government.

Politicians are more interested in short term ‘fixes’ than long term solutions.

In spite of all the above, I hope with all my heart that this petition will be successful.

The last 2km set back petition reached about 4,000. We must try and make this one at least 10,000

Aldridge Electric has built a wind turbine within 250 ft of residential property lines. It is very disruptive to our lives. It is obtrusive, incessant, loud and a nuisance.

For reasons of health and safety associated with noise, shadow flicker and other concerns, wind turbines should not be built any closer than 1 mile or more from residential property lines. We agree and ask the town of Libertyville to repeal the current ordinance and adopt one that provides this safe setback for the protection of all residents in our township.

Citizens for the Protection of Libertyville

Click here for Libertyville news.

Click here for global petition for 2-km setback

[ad run in newspapers in 3 states]

Click here for global petition for 2-km setback

They were surprised and shocked to see 8 windmills turning and flashing at 10 kilometers to the north and 10 others at 10 km to the south. They considered it to be a desecration. Since then 14 other machines have been erected to the north and 14 to the east of the Caen Plain. More are to be built since this region of Lower Normandy has been chosen to house the wind farms – anything between 200 and 500, no-one is sure of the numbers.

Here in France a lot of wind farms are being built everywhere and especially anywhere without taking into consideration historic sites. We feel we are again invaded as we were by the stakes (then called “Rommel’s Asparagus”) driven into the ground by the German Army to fend off the allies. Today the offending stakes are replaced by wind farms.

Consequently, we would be most obliged if you would write a letter expressing how grieved you are to learn that the Caen-Falaise Plain forever connected with the memory of the Canadian armed intervention is to be entirely desecrated by a massive industrialized complex. This project cannot be justified either from an economic or an ecological point of view. …

Download the complete document, including more background and photos, as well as addresses to write to:

English
French

Association Basse-Normandie Environnement
Member of the Fédération Environnement Durable (FED) and of the European Platform Against Windfarms (EPAW)

Download original document: Ira wINdFO, vol. 1, no. 1

Por este medio, la resistencia al Mega Proyecto Eòlico Trasnacional en el Istmo de Tehuantepec, Oaxaca. México, informamos, que en significativa fecha, es decir el 15 de septiembre de 2008, a 198 años de la masiva insurrección del Pueblo de México contra el invasor, la trasnacional empresa española, Energías Renovables Preneal, decidió cancelar otros 30 contratos mas de arrendamiento de tierras en el municipio de Unión Hidalgo.

Estando presentes comuneros y comuneras afectados del municipio Unión Hidalgo, Oaxaca, en las oficinas de la empresa en la Ciudad de Juchitan de Zaragoza, dimos otro significativo paso, consistente en la cancelación unilateral y adelantada por la empresa PRENEAL de otros 30 contratos de arrendamiento a 60 años y a 150.00 pesos 15 USA Dólares por hectárea al año, habían hecho firmar con engaños a comuneros indígenas zapotecas, de esta comunidad, recuperando con estas acciones mas de 350 hectáreas. del territorio zapoteca. PRENEAL, esgrimió los mismos argumentos de hace una semana con los primeros tres contratos cancelados “el viento no es susceptible de aprovechamiento” en dichos terrenos.

La alianza empresas transnacionales PRENEAL, UNION FENOSA, ACCIONA, ENDESA, GES, GAMESA, EURUS, IBERDROLA, etc, y los Gobiernos Federal, Estatal y Municipales en turno, ante la movilización y resistencia, sufrieron un revés, dada la nulidad de estos primeros 33 contratos, pero su devastador proyecto lo seguirán impulsando, por lo que redoblaremos los esfuerzos hasta lograr que la justicia y el derecho que asiste a los Pueblos Originarios en el Istmo de Tehuantepec, prevalezca.
La resistencia continúa, aún están pendientes más de 120 demandas de nulidad de contratos con empresas como Unión Fenosa y Gamesa y el Poder Judicial de Oaxaca, a través del Juzgado Civil en Juchitan , no quiere dar seguimiento a las demandas interpuestas. En breve, comuneros presentarán demandas penales por afectaciones contra la C.F.E. en el Parque Eólico LaVenta II, así como por las afectaciones que la empresa EURUS, esta realizando sobre las tierras fuera del polígono de lo que será el parque Eólico La Venta IV. en la comunidad de La Venta, municipio de Juchitan, Oax..

By this means, the resistance to the transnational wind energy megaproject on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, México, reports that, on a significant date, September 15, 2008, marking 198 years of the massive uprising of the people of México against the invaders, the Spanish transnational company Energías Renovables Preneal decided to cancel another 30 contracts over lease of land in the town of Unión Hidalgo.

… PRENEAL, esgrimió los mismos argumentos de hace una semana con los primeros tres contratos cancelados “ el viento no es susceptible de aprovechamiento” en dichos terrenos. Preneal put forward the same arguments as a week ago with the first three canceled contracts: “the wind is not susceptible for harnessing” in these areas.

The alliance of transnational companies Preneal, Union Fenosa, Acciona Endesa, GES, Gamesa, Eurus, Iberdrola, etc. and federal, state, and municipal authorities in turn, with the mobilization and resistance, suffered a setback due to the annulment of these first 33 contracts, but their devastating project will continue to be pushed, for which we will redouble efforts to ensure that justice and the rights of aboriginal peoples on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec prevail.

The resistance continues, with more than 120 requests pending for annulment of contracts …

In short, community members submitted claims for criminal damages against CFE in La Venta II wind park, as well as damages that the company Eurus inflicted on land outside the site of what will be known as La Venta IV wind park in the community of La Venta, municipality of Juchitan, Oaxaca.

This is a special mailing that I’m sending you this as you may be interested in what is going on in NYS regarding wind energy.

Attached is the NYS Citizens’ Questions document (PDF) that was submitted yesterday to NYSERDA concerning their proposed Wind Power meeting. [The cover letter is the last two pages of the document.]

(NYSERDA is the NYS Energy Research Development Authority — the main NYS agency that oversees wind projects. Read the History section of the document for some background as to how this meeting came about.)

This document is the result of hundreds of inputs from NYS citizens regarding questions, suggestions, layout ideas, editing corrections, etc.

Despite its 25 page length, the end product was a substantially reduced compilation of the queries sent. The fact is that I ended up with ELEVEN PAGES of additional questions that were not included.

There are also many more people who support the document, but it was decided to keep that list to one page.

My opinion is that this document is something of a manifesto of the concerns of the citizens of NYS, regarding the energy policies of our state.

Make SURE to pay special attention to the “Section B: RPS” part of the document. It explains how NYSERDA’s own reports show that NYS citizens will be spending some $500,000,000 in taxpayer & ratepayer money, with essentially ZERO dollars in return. (A strong case can be made for negative return.)

One head NYSERDA person had told me: “No RPS = No Wind Power.” That’s what it boils down to.

No matter what your state or country, exposing the RPS as an expensive boondoggle with trivial (if any) benefits) should be one of your main strategies.
————

I hope that you find that the questions are quite comprehensive and thought provoking. The fact is though, that we are NOT doing this to get answers to these questions — as (for the most part) we already know the answers.

The main theme I am trying to convey is that almost ALL of these issues would be solved by NYSERDA being citizen oriented (i.e. basing their decisions on science rather than politics). We’ll see if that message comes across.

If that key point does get through — and they make some real changes — it would be a MAJOR breakthrough for all NYS citizens concerned about energy.

FYI, to encourage a favorable response my intention is (in a few days) to email this document to some 75 NYS newspapers I have collected email addresses for, and to all NYS legislators.

I appreciate the opportunity for being the coordinator of this document, and take the responsibility for producing a professional product very seriously.

I hope that the end results (appearance, content, organization, etc.) fully meet with your approval.

All suggestions for improvement are appreciated.

Please circulate this email & document to anyone you feel may benefit from it.

regards,

john droz, jr.
Brantingham Lake, NY

N.Y.S. Citizens’ Wind Energy Questions

The governor and legislature are moving quickly to pass a bill to promote industrial wind development in every community within the Commonwealth. It targets the Berkshires and Highlands of western Massachusetts, and the coastal areas.

The legislation, titled the Wind Energy Siting Reform Act, will remove local zoning control and veto power over onshore wind power plants of 2 megawatts (MW) or more. This means that anyone who wants to construct a single 2 MW wind turbine or 100 wind turbines could be permitted to do so regardless of local bylaws. Associated roads and transmission lines on private and public property will also be exempt from local zoning.

Under this Act, the power to permit industrial wind turbines will shift from local zoning boards to the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, which has never turned down a power plant application, according to records in its online database.

This Act will also open constitutionally protected public lands to industrial wind development. These include state forests, reservations, and parks.

If enacted, this Act will have disastrous consequences for our regional economies, which depend upon tourists, second-home owners, and residents who choose these places for their scenic beauty, rural nature, and cultural character. Our communities will be hostage to every wind developer who wants to blanket our mountains and coastlines with massive turbines. In a few years, under the governor’s goal to build nearly 2000 MW of wind turbines in the next 11 years, we could see more skyscrapers on our scenic areas than in all the cities of New England.

This Act is an outrageous power grab by the state, and the only chance we have of stopping it is by bringing huge numbers of citizens together in strong opposition.

Please sign our petition at www.greenberkshires.org

Just as important, please forward this email to everyone you know who might be alarmed by this power grab by the state.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email or phone, 413 528-9363.

We must act quickly! Please sign the petition now. Thank you.

Eleanor Tillinghast
Green Berkshires, Inc.

Click here to download the new language of the “Wind Energy Siting Reform Act”.

American Wind Energy Association

Vestas American Wind Technology

Cape Wind Associates

Horizon Wind Energy

Southwest Windpower

Iberdrola Renewables

E.On Climate and Renewables

American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)

25×25 Alliance

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Action Fund

Clean Energy (T. Boone Pickens)

–Carstensen Contracting, Inc., ad in April 2009 North American Windpower