Alerts
These postings are provided to help publicize the efforts of affiliated groups and individuals related to industrial wind energy development. Most of the notices posted here are not the product of nor are they necessarily endorsed by National Wind Watch.
Economics, Environment, Health, Ontario, Petitions •
Source: Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Support a Wind Turbine Moratorium
FIT subsidies for wind are helping drive the cost of power up in Ontario. In January, Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore said wind turbines destroy more jobs than they create and lead to higher energy prices.
The Auditor General of Ontario reported in December 2011 that billions of dollars of new wind and solar projects were approved “without many of the usual planning, regulatory, and oversight processes.”
We are forced to buy intermittent wind power before other sources of energy, and we are producing surplus power and we’re forced to export it to the United States and Quebec at a loss.
The Green Energy Act has stripped municipalities of local decision making powers, pitting neighbours against each other in communities across Ontario.
No independent physical, social, economic, health or environmental studies have been done on industrial wind turbines.
Ontario’s largest farm organization, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, has called for the suspension of further industrial wind turbine projects until several shortcomings are fixed.
Go to ontariopc.com/petitions/support-wind-turbine-moratorium and sign the petition.
Save Gallitzin State Forest from Industrial Wind Development
To be delivered to: The Pennsylvania State Senate
Vote “NO” on SB 1425. An industrial wind project should not be sited in Gallitzin State Forest.
Pennsylvania’s state forests should be managed for pure water, recreation, scenic beauty, plant and animal habitat, and sustainable timber. Industrial wind turbine projects should not be constructed on state forest lands. While Gallitzin State Forest in Cambria and Somerset Counties does have areas that were mined, many trees have been planted to reclaim this damaged land. Plant trees, not turbines!
Go to signon.org/sign/save-gallitzin-state?source=s.tw&r_by=2700719 and sign the petition.
NWW’s Eric Rosenbloom and David Roberson on Wind Wise Radio – Sun, Mar 4, 2012 07:00PM
Listen at Blog Talk Radio.
Call in at (213) 943-3683.
Wind Wise Radio is honored to be joined by the president and vice-president of National Wind Watch, Eric Rosenbloom and David Roberson, for an hour of conversation about their experiences at the center of the struggle against Industrial Wind in the U.S.
Since 2005, National Wind Watch (NWW) has been an indispensable resource providing a central clearinghouse for information and assistance to individuals and local groups seeking the facts about industrial wind power.
Eric Rosenbloom is a science writer and editor. In 2001 Eric and family moved from New York to northeastern Vermont, where he founded his own company, Kirby Mountain Composition & Graphics. Eric has been involved since 2003 when he learned that there were plans to erect wind turbines on the ridge behind his house. At first, he was a cautious supporter of the development, but as he learned more his opinion shifted. In 2005, he started up the excellent site aweo.org, which he continues to maintain and where you can find much of his writing on the subject of IWT. He also blogs at kirbymtn.blogspot.com.
David Roberson is a gallery owner in Shelburne Falls (jewelry, fine handcrafts, décor, books, gifts) and a small-scale farmer. David lived off the grid for 12 years in Hawley, Massachusetts, before moving to Rowe, where he lives with his “wife, dogs, cats, goats, geese, and chickens.”
In December of 2003, his seminal article, Questioning the Faith of Wind Power, was published in Shelburne Falls Independent. The article broke new ground on a host of issues, argued cogently against the rush to wind without rigorous, thorough analysis, and should be required reading for all those interested in these issues. In 2005, David organized the first gathering of interstate wind opponents, a weekend-long conference with participants from 10 states. He was the founding president of National Wind Watch and has served as its Vice-President since 2006.
We also encourage our audience to call in to the show to ask questions, comment, and join in the discussion. The call-in number is (213) 943-3683.
Industrial Wind Impacts in Shelburne: Declining Property Values and Noise Pollution
Memorial Hall, Shelburne Falls, MA
Michael McCann, CRA
Nationally recognized real estate appraiser with over 30 years experience
presents
The Negative Impact of Industrial Wind on Property Values
Since 2005, Mr. McCann has evaluated over 20 wind energy projects with regard to impacts on neighboring residential and agricultural property values. Expected declines of 25 – 40% and even total abandonment of homes have been reported. Mr. McCann will provide insight to residents of Shelburne and surrounding communities as it relates to the proposed Mt. Massaemet wind project.
Robert Rand, Rand Acoustics
Member of Institute of Noise Control Engineering
presents
Wind Turbine Noise and Adverse Health Effects
In 2009, Robert Rand (and his colleague Stephen Ambrose) became concerned about the negative comments from residents living near wind turbine sites. Their studies confirm that large industrial wind turbines can produce real and adverse health impacts. Robert Rand will discuss his findings at Memorial Hall.
Andrew Wells, Chair of Ashfield Wind Turbine Bylaw Advisory Committee – Moderator
There will be time for questions and answers.
Please attend if you can. And bring others!
Each presentation is complete in itself and adds a vital piece to the puzzle.
This Informational Event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Event Sponsored by Friends of Mt. Massaemet
friendsofmtmassaemet/gmail.com
For more information visit: www.shelburnewind.info
Friends of Mt. Massaemet present a FREE screening of WINDFALL
WINDFALL
Sunday, March 18 – 4:00 pm
Memorial Hall, Shelburne Falls, MA
Wind power . . . It’s green . . . It’s good . . . It reduces our dependency on foreign oil.
But does it? Or, is it merely a highly profitable financial scam for the many wind energy developers looking to erect industrial wind turbines in a town near you?
Laura Israel’s documentary, WINDFALL, looks at both sides of wind energy development when the residents of a rural upstate New York town consider going green.
Action alerts, Economics, U.S. •
Source: Industrial Wind Energy Opposition
Stop the PTC in the U.S. Senate
Call the congressional switchboard at: 202-224-3121.
Please vote AGAINST S.2204, the bill submitted by Senator Menendez which extends the Production Tax Credit, Investment Tax Credit, and “Section 1603” Treasury Grant Program for wind energy for 1 year.
Together, these programs cost taxpayers more than $14 billion annually. In return, communities have been left divided, landscapes degraded, and natural habitats destroyed — with no measurable positive change in our energy situation.
Again, I urge you to vote AGAINST any extension of the Production Tax Credit, the Investment Tax Credit, and/or the “Section 1603” Treasury Grant Program.
Note: The American Wind Energy Association has dedicated several million dollars to press legislators to extend their tax credits and grants. They have created a “war room” to attack the “special interests” fighting wind. Through their WindPAC, along with the PACs of individual developers, they have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Congress members. We do not have multinational corporations backing us or money to pay to be listened to. All we have is our voice: loud and clear and manifold. Our special interest is only that of private citizens fighting to protect our homes and landscapes from predatory development — for a technology that doesn’t even work.
Update, Mar. 29: At 11:16 a.m. EDT, the U.S. Senate voted 51-47, failing to pass a cloture motion on S.2204, meaning that no action is now likely to be taken on that bill.
Update, Mar. 25: Robert Menendez of New Jersey has introduced S.2204 to extend the production tax credit, the alternative investment tax credit, and the Section 1603 grant program for 1 year. This bill was scheduled for debate on Tuesday, Mar. 27. It may be voted on Thursday, Mar. 29. (Note: S.2204 claims to pay for the renewable energy subsidies by ending oil and natural gas subsidies (the only part of the bill being generally reported), but according to the Congressional Budget Office, 78% of energy-related tax preferences in 2011 went to renewable energy and energy efficiency and only 15% to all fossil fuels (including coal as well as oil and gas).)
Update, Mar. 16: Chuck Grassley of Iowa has introduced S.2201 to extend the renewable energy credit (i.e., the Production Tax Credit) for 2 years after it expires at the end of 2012. This bill is now with the Senate Finance Committee. The Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Subcommittee held a hearing on Mar. 27 — statements for the record can be submitted by mail for receipt up to 2 weeks after the hearing.
Update, Mar. 13: At 2:49 p.m. EDT, the U.S. Senate voted 49-49, failing to pass the Stabenow amendment.
Update, Mar. 8: The Senate is scheduled to vote on Tuesday, Mar. 13, on the Stabenow amendment 1812 to S.1813, submitted on Mar. 7 by Debbie Stabenow and including extensions of both the Production Tax Credit and the “Section 1603” Treasury Grant Program for 1 year. Contact your Senators! Call the congressional switchboard at: 202-224-3121.
On Feb. 17, Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado and Jerry Moran of Kansas submitted amendment 1709 (and again on Mar. 5, amendment 1790) to S.1813, the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” Act (MAP-21), or the “Surface Transportation Act”, to extend for 1 year the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) on which big wind depends to attract investors (i.e., with the promise of taxpayer funds going into their accounts). It is being considered in the Committee on Environment and Public Works:
| Democratic Committee Members Barbara Boxer (Chairman) Max Baucus Thomas R. Carper Frank R. Lautenberg Benjamin L. Cardin Bernard Sanders Sheldon Whitehouse Tom Udall Jeff Merkley Kirsten Gillibrand |
Republican Committee Members James M. Inhofe David Vitter John Barrasso Jeff Sessions Mike Crapo Lamar Alexander Mike Johanns John Boozman |
Contact any or all of these senators (click their names above for their web sites), as well as those from your state that are not on the committee, because SA 1709 may instead be decided by the Senate as a whole. Tell them to reject amendment 1709 to the MAP-21 transportation bill, S.1813. This is urgent!
If SA 1709 is to go before the entire Senate, as a “nongermane” amendment it is up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in negotiation with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, whether it will be included in debate and presented for a vote. Contact Reid (202-224-3542) and McConnell (202-224-2541) to tell them to reject nongermane amendment 1709!
Meanwhile, President Obama’s news budget proposal includes making the PTC a permanent part of the tax code. And H.R.3307, to extend the PTC another 4 years, was introduced in the House of Representatives on Nov. 2, 2011, and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, where it still sits.
Controvento. Il tesoro che il Sud non sa di avere
Against the wind: The treasure the South doesn’t know it has — What hides behind the great wind power affair —
Nella vita di Antonio Colucci entrano un giorno, ospiti scomode e inattese, le pale eoliche. Nel suo mondo arcaico quelle pale si muovono senza un perché. Del resto è una ricchezza improvvisa e sconosciuta apparsa nel Sud dell’Italia, dove le pianure non danno da vivere. Ai sindaci il vento piace perché rappresenta una piccola pensione sociale collettiva. Pochi soldi, ma cash, ora che le casse sono vuote. E grazie a quegli industriali che fittano terreni (e coscienze) c’è una fatica in meno da fare: pensare, organizzarsi, cercare il partner, produrre in proprio. È troppo complicato, troppo impegnativo sviluppare un’economia locale fondata sull’energia sostenibile e rinnovabile. Meglio appaltare tutto in cambio di un obolo. Lo Stato ha semplicemente abdicato al suo dovere. Senza mai indicare, valutare, ammettere o respingere, proporre e magari mitigare l’impatto ambientale, dire no qualche volta alle pale. No, qui no. Lì invece sì. Senza cura per il bene di tutti, senza amore per il territorio. Lo Stato ha semplicemente chiuso gli occhi davanti al più grande scandalo di questo inizio secolo. Antonello Caporale, attraverso alcune storie esemplari, in cui si alternano duri toni di denuncia e accenti lirici, ci propone una ricostruzione lontana da ogni forzatura ideologica, dove le vicende dell’eolico finiscono per rivelare la malattia endemica dell’Italia e più ancora il destino a cui è condannato il Sud: bruciare la propria ricchezza senza nemmeno averla riconosciuta.
Into the life of Antonio Colucci one day came uncomfortable and unexpected guests: wind turbines. In his archaic world the blades move without reason. The rest is a sudden wealth that strangely appeared in southern Italy, where the plains do not provide a living. Mayors like the wind because it represents a small collective social pension. A little money, cash, now that the coffers are empty. And thanks to the industrialists who transform the land (and consciousness) it is less difficult to think, organize, search for partners, produce for themselves. It’s too complicated, too difficult to develop a local economy based on sustainable and renewable energy. Better to outsource all in exchange for a handout. The State has simply abdicated its duty. Without ever evidence, evaluation, to accept or reject, propose and perhaps mitigate the environmental impact, to say no sometimes to the blades. No, not here. There instead, yes. With no cure for the good of all, no love for the land. The State has simply closed their eyes in the face of the biggest scandal of the beginning of this century. Antonello Caporale, through several illustrative stories, alternating between a tough tone of denunciation and lyrical accents, proposes a reconstruction far from any ideological force, where the vicissitudes of wind ultimately reveal the endemic disease of Italy and even its fate which has condemned the South: to burn their own wealth without even recognizing it.
