Locals air turbine fears, hopes

Within two weeks around Independence Day July 4,2009. The Massachusetts legislature is going to bring the "Wind Energy Siting Reform Bill " out of committee. The bill sounds cozy like its going to help us. The opposite is true. This bill allows commercial wind turbine development in every municipality along the SouthCoast,and shifts control over permitting from local zoning boards to the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board.
This will open constitutionally protected lands, Article 97, to industrial wind turbine development. Currently the state is urging towns to identify any town owned land or what used to be refereed to as open space for future consideration. Hundreds of locations have been identified. This could include state parks and land trusts.
Wind facilities can impact priority and estimated habitats of state-listed species, bird populations vulnerable to wind turbine operations, wetland resources, and other ecologically sensitive areas subject to protection under federal law.
Construction related to these turbines, new roads, power lines, sub stations, on public and private property will be covered under this act.
The state still has not set a mandatory setback from residential property. This allows projects that were not approved in the past to be approved as "Municipal Projects."
This Act should alarm all SouthCoast residents we urge you to contact your legislators to oppose it. What happens to your property rights? This takes to much power from local regulatory boards.
Contact : http://www.mass.gov/legis/city_town.htm

Some believe that the wind turbines reduce the beauty of a natural area. I find the turbines aesthetically attractive, and do not feel they take away from natural beauty. Of course this may not hold if thousands of trees were chopped down on one mountain!

sgreen wrote:

Some believe that the wind turbines reduce the beauty of a natural area. I find the turbines aesthetically attractive, and do not feel they take away from natural beauty. Of course this may not hold if thousands of trees were chopped down on one mountain!

AGREED! You are not talking one tower of power here.... you are talking BANKS of windmills. A "farm" of windmills upwards to 20 - 30 of them, all 300 to 400 ft tall. Yeah that'll look good. Lets put one on Duvall Patricks property in Richmond and let's see how he likes it.

sgreen wrote:

Some believe that the wind turbines reduce the beauty of a natural area. I find the turbines aesthetically attractive, and do not feel they take away from natural beauty. Of course this may not hold if thousands of trees were chopped down on one mountain!

and after the trees get chopped down and the roads are built up to the ridgeline, what about the erosion down the roads? What about new home development on privately owned land on hillsides once the roads are in?(state land would not likely see development beyond transmission lines and access roads to the turbines).

I'd like to see as much discussion on energy conservation and efficiency as there is on wind turbines. yes, wind is a promising energy sources, and it will be a part of our energy matrix, but let's do it wisely, please.

sgreen wrote:

I find the turbines aesthetically attractive, and do not feel they take away from natural beauty. Of course this may not hold if thousands of trees were chopped down on one mountain!

Our wind turbines are dramatic among our farmlands & canyons. Crops grow nicely under our wind turbines. With careful cutting, fewer trees have to come down than careless cutting.

Without converting to these low cost- high efficiency windmills the beauty of the Berkshires will fall victim to the ever increasing global warming problem.

(1)You need to see Life Under A Wind Plant by Jon Boone.
(2)These turbines are not economically feasable. Cape Wind will raise electric costs 2x what it is now.
(3) You forget the roads and above ground electric infrastructure needed to transfer the power to the grid.
(4) Last our property rights,who in the state thinks they should be able to take our property rights without compensation ?

We have plenty of oil off shore and in Alaska that we can safely and environmentally use. Nuclear energy is the greenest of all and nowadays is safe too.

Let's not waste our time and money on expensive and inefficient wind and solar schemes!

Before you buy into wind turbines on the hills of the Berkshires, I suggest you go out to Palm Springs/Banning Pass and enjoy what they do for the desert scenery. Not to mention that half or more of them have become dysfunctional derelicts over the past several years.

RJH Seattle

http://www.wind-watch.org/video-meyersdale.ph...

Check this out on U tube

I was in Mass about 2 weeks ago in the Pittsfield area and had seen the windmill on Jiminy Peak. It was a beautiful site. Standing proud and doing it's work. I live in Phoenix now and after many trips to California via I-10 and seeing the Windmill Valley outside of Palm Springs, I have to say Mass is on the right track! I believe that the state will take into account all the areas, habitats etc. and protect the beauty of the state. We have birds hitting planes, we aren't going to stop flying because of birds are we?

omg! Thats such a cool idea Mr. Casey!!! Wow! You are such an influence to me! i want to grow up to be just like you. I currently live in Kansas but i want to move up to Massachusetts and start my own wind powered turbines in Peru!!! that is just SO cool!

Yoga Man wrote:

We have plenty of oil off shore and in Alaska that we can safely and environmentally use. Nuclear energy is the greenest of all and nowadays is safe too.
Let's not waste our time and money on expensive and inefficient wind and solar schemes!

When you burn (OXIdize) the oil (hydroCARBONS), it releases CARBON DiOXIde into the air. That's the cause of climate change!

There may not be a PERFECT solution. But there is a problem that we have to solve. So we have to choose the BEST solution(s).

The Massachusetts legislature is only going to do what the lobbyist want them to do!
One commercial based land turbine with a road, transformer,above ground three phase electric,connection to the grid with engineering specs and permits go for around 5 million.You have got to ask about the commission on the sales and what Beacon Hill legislatures are getting donated to their "campaigns".
All the pressure seems to be on commercial wind turbines Why ??.
When was the last time you saw an add to buy different types of light bulbs (energy efficient), heat exchangers for your heating system,geothermal or photovoltaics.
The answer is your not going to get any public education from the state about renewable energy because as in the past the state legislature has been paid by contractors to push commercial wind turbines.Every contractor that was involved in the "Big Dig " is involved with commercial wind turbines.The decision has been made for you the one that is going to pay double or triple on your electric bill through the renewable energy tax.

The last time my cousin wore his turbin in public he got attacked..

What? oh never mind