Wind Power News: Letters
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Proponents of wind farms full of hot air
Lake Forester readers would benefit from knowing what is being touted in a sister publication, the Lake County News-Sun. In an OUR VIEW commentary published in the News-Sun on Jan. 31, it was related how Waukegan Mayor Robert Sabonjian “may be on to something when he speaks of the future and a wind farm off the city’s Lake Michigan shoreline.” A little over two weeks ago, Mayor Sabonjian suggested that the project was a great use of the lake that . . .
Rural Ontario needs a unified voice now
Ontario has to thank the OFA for stepping up to the plate on the Industrial Wind Turbine issue. They join the Christian Farmers Federation also calling for a halt. Now the National Farmers Union needs to speak out clearly as well. Now more than ever rural Ontario needs a unified voice. It’s becoming clearer daily that the Green Energy Act is very flawed. Whether it’s the recent Auditor General’s report that blasted the gov’t for billions wasted with no cost . . .
Liberty at stake in Frankfort
In reference to Mr. Orlando E. Delogu’s recent opinion piece about the Frankfort wind ordinance: This is not the first time we have seen this man’s biased, personal views backed up by reference to his position at the University of Maine. As a taxpayer and Maine resident, I am disgusted. As for the Frankfort ordinance, Mr. Delogu’s opinions aside, there are really only two legal questions: First, does the ordinance comply with the constitutions and statutes of the United States . . .
Wind turbines unnecessary, and not worth annoyance
At the recent Cape Cod Commission hearing on the New Generation Wind project, lawyers, consultants and owners spoke glowingly about the many benefits of wind power. High-ranking state officials echoed their comments, saying wind power is necessary to reduce pollution and save the world from global warming. Studies have found that wind energy does not save fossil fuel, and fails to reduce pollution. Unlike conventional power sources on the grid, wind turbines, whose energy output changes with the wind, need . . .
Wind farms and health: who is fomenting community anxieties?
TO THE EDITOR: By his deployment of ad hominem arguments, outdated or industry-sponsored research, comparison to an unrelated phenomenon, and a biased selection of case studies and research reports, I fear the pro-wind-industry opinions expressed by Chapman[1] will only serve to exacerbate the psychogenic and sociogenic processes he laments. Wind turbine noise must be treated like any other source of community noise, and its association with renewable energy must not excuse it from public health guidelines. The emergence of large . . .
Report noise from turbine
Dereck Wade is not alone in reporting Glyndebourne turbine noise problems (‘Celebrity launch for wind turbine’, January 20). There are other unsolicited, independent, credible reports. Some relate to Sunday, January 15, when people were in their gardens during the first period of reasonable weather since commissioning. However, problems are not associated with a single wind direction and seem to include all those from SE to SW. On turbine ‘launch’ day Mr Christie, Glyndebourne’s chief executive, explained on Radio Sussex that . . .
‘Rural communities are being torn apart by wind farms’
Wind farm developers are being encouraged by the Scottish Government to offer “community benefits” – some might say bribes – to local communities when submitting planning applications. Communities are being invited to negotiate “benefits” with developers in advance of planning decisions. This is a threat to the impartiality of our planning system. Rural communities in the Borders are already being torn apart by wind farms. As developers rush to make substantial financial gain, often with scant regard for the impact . . .
Windmills not as safe as you may think
If you think a 400 foot machine, weighing 164 tons, with enormous moving parts, isn’t a safety hazard, then you have simply been misinformed. Wind turbines are colossal. The rotor diameter is nearly as large as a football field. Each turbine holds about 200 gallons of hydraulic oil. When they catch on fire, you have to wait for the fire to burn out. (You can see this happening around the world on your computer.) That becomes an issue when the . . .
Tidal energy better bet than wind farms
After reading the article “Professor: Wind projects could boost Maine’s economy” in the Jan. 23 Portland Press Herald, I do not understand why the University of Maine has not devoted more time and money from grants to further developing tidal power as an energy source. The university has spent a tremendous amount of effort to promote wind energy, which is not nearly as efficient as, and much more costly than, tidal energy. The $20 billion effort to build a wind . . .
Bowcock misrepresenting turbine opponents
In his tirade (in his letter to the editor first published in the Standard Times on Jan. 27 and also published above), Brian Bowcock described the wind forum crowd as hostile. But in a report on the 25th titled “Fairhaven Wind explains project to civil crowd”, Beth Perdue (in The Standard-Times) reported that attendees “were both orderly and civil, listening intently to information presented.” Clearly, Mr. Bowcock is misrepresenting turbine opponents as fanatical and hostile to deflect attention from the . . .
