This
is a great simple summation of the battle over the negative health impacts of
industrial wind turbines.
The
Bayshore Regional Sewage Authority (BRSA) is defying the will of the mayor, the
town council, and the majority of local citizens in its efforts to erect a 1.5
MW
GE industrial wind turbine (IWT) at its facility in Union Beach, New Jersey on
the shores of Raritan Bay. Monmouth County, Union Beach, Keyport, Hazlet,
Matawan and Holmdel have all passed resolutions opposing its construction. The Hazlet
Area Quality of Life Association and the Bayshore
Regional Watershed Council are also opposed.
The
turbine blades will reach 386 feet. That's 81 feet taller than the Statue
of Liberty and 113 feet taller than the Twin Lights in Highlands. In our
opinion, it will be an eyesore ruining the aesthetic beauty of our Bayshore
region and likely lower property values significantly. If you were looking
to buy a home in the NJ Bayshore area, would you consider one in the shadow of
this turbine?
There
are potentially serious health and public safety issues for people living close
to industrial turbines (see links below). Many localities require IWTs to
be set at least 1.25 miles from the nearest home.The BRSA turbine will be 1,080 feet from the start of a
densely populated community, and thousands of homes in Union Beach, Hazlet
and Keyport are well within the 1.25 mile radius. We are also very
skeptical that the promised savings on the BRSA's sewer bills will ever come to
pass. Besides, the promised savings mostly rely on the retirement of their
bond debt, not the turbine.
Please
take some time to view the informational links below. IWTs are currently
planned for many New Jersey bay and oceanfront towns. They will be visible
for miles, ruining scenic vistas of NJ's precious waterfront and intruding on
environmentally sensitive areas. You must act now and contact our local,
state and federal reps. Join
The Surge!
JUST
IN!
http://bst.sagepub.com/content/current
Here's a special issue of the Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society (a peer-reviewed scholarly journal) devoted to industrial wind turbines and
their impacts on human health. The abstracts are free to read. These articles
speak truth to power...wind power.
Report: Wind turbines dont cause health problems
"The panel did not do original research, nor did it investigate reports of health problems among residents living near any particular turbine installation. Instead it reviewed existing studies." And those were the same existing studies that
BRSA and the like already have used to claim abutters to wind turbines are merely
experiencing psychosomatic symptoms. No panel member traveled to Massachusetts towns like Falmouth to do field research, let alone experience the noise and flicker for themselves. Simply reviewing older studies is not science, it's a book report. The fix was in on this once again and a panel of "experts" was paid to reach a predetermined conclusion.
http://saveourseashore.org/?p=1792
The CEO of Vestas (major wind turbine maker) complains about Denmark's proposal on low frequency noise from
IWTs.
"...changes to the wind turbines so that they produce less noise...is not technically possible."
The lie behind turbine noise models
Why, with...an extensive body of evidence showing turbine noise is causing deleterious impacts on people living near the towers, was Herkimer County fooled into thinking it would be spared? The answer is simple: Herkimer County residents were lied to.
Why pro-wind studies often use a 10 km radius by Alec Salt PhD
"So, within 2 km (the two innermost bands) of the turbine, the area is 3.1 + 9.4 km2 (=12.5 km2) which would represent 1.2 households." It's worth noting that, unlike this example in the article, Union Beach,
Hazlet and Keyport have thousands of households within 2 km of the proposed wind turbine site. And yes, the
BRSA's own studies on property values uses this very same statistical trick.
The
Independent: BRSA awaits permits for turbine transport
The BRSA is putting the pressure on via the press. They know they are in real
danger of losing the battle in court and are desperate to truck the wind turbine
to their plant. It is a huge and irresponsible gamble with ratepayer money on
their part. If they lose, the court may make them truck it back out and they may
also be subject to a class action suit.
Holmdel Patch: BRSA prepares for delivery of
huge turbine parts
The BRSA had to close their deal with GE by 8/31 to get their Stimulus money from Uncle
Sam. But as Judge Tassini warned them, delivery of the turbine cannot be used as
a defense in court. If they try it, they just might have to have it removed, all at ratepayer expense.
Energy in America: Dead Birds Unintended Consequence of Wind Power Development
"There's a big, big hypocrisy here," Sue Hammer said. "If I shoot an eagle, it's a $10,000 fine and/or a vacation of one to five years in a federal pen of my choice."
Then the wind industry advocates gave their usual response to this issue.
http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/lewesturbine/
You can monitor the power output of the 2 MW wind turbine at The U. of Delaware in Lewes at any moment at this website.
It's a good way to compare the nameplate capacity of 2 MW against what it actually generates.
FYI: 1000 kilowatts = 1 megawatt. At best a wind turbine will average out
to about 20% of capacity, often much less. During July's heat wave with
peek electric demand the efficiency will be very low as the wind doesn't blow at
the hottest time of day. You can refresh your browser to get timely
readings.
Bangor
Daily News: Wind turbines fail to live up to claims
This is exactly what will happen in Union Beach as the BRSA and this area of Maine are both in a "Marginal Zone" according to the US Dept. of Energy Wind Map which can be found below.
http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/8_3_10_Stimulus_III_Report.pdf
U.S. Senators Tom Coburn and John McCain included the planned BRSA turbine on their list of "100
Stimulus Projects That Give Taxpayers The Blues." It came in 63rd. The fact
that we made this list out of the hundreds of thousands of
projects is amazing. I'm sure Robert Fischer, Frank Wells and the other
commissioners will call our distinguished senators "fearmongers and outsiders who are not
qualified experts." Actually, Robert Fischer called us "fearmonger-ers."
Alternative
Energy: The Bloom Box - 60 Minutes/CBS News Video
There are new green energy technologies coming to market now that may make wind energy obsolete.
This fuel cell technology uses methane, and sewage plants and landfills sure
make enough of it.
Alternative Energy: Cellulosic ethanol finally arrives
Large refiners like Valero are investing in cellulosic ethanol biorefineries, which have recently become
viable. Cellulosic ethanol holds the promise of providing 16 times the energy used to make it,
unlike ethanol from corn, which even Al Gore says was a mistake.
http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/ben-hoen-on-need-for-property-value-guarantee/
Ben Hoen is the main author of the Berkeley Lab study that the BRSA touts to try
to prove there's no impact on property values. Here, Mr. Hoen acknowledges that homeowners
living close to turbines should be compensated. It blows a big hole in the BRSA's claim.
http://www.wind-watch.org/ww-noise-health.php
At this website you can listen to a GE 1.5MW wind turbine recorded inside an entry vestibule at midnight
1,500 feet downwind from the turbine.
Your speakers need to be on. The sound should play automatically when you click on the
link, and the audio player is at the bottom of the page. Set the volume to the
loudness of a calm speaking voice. If it doesn't play, please try a different browser.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT http://www.ge-energy.com/content/multimedia/_files/downloads/wind_energy_basics.pdf
On page 5 of this GE wind turbine document, under Siting Considerations, GE
states: "Siting wind turbines and assessing the feasibility of a proposed location must consider factors such as: (6)
Community acceptance and compatibility with adjacent land uses. Depending on setback requirements tens of acres might be necessary to house a single GE 1.5MW
turbine. Hence, megawatt-scale wind turbines cannot be located in densely populated areas."
Well, there's very little community acceptance, there's a densely populated area
1,080 feet away, and it would damage the plant in the event of fire or collapse.
Safety
Regulations for Operators and Technicians "Do not stay within a radius of 400m (1300ft) from the turbine unless it is necessary.
If you have to inspect an operating turbine from the ground, do not stay under the rotor plane but observe the rotor from the front.This is from
a manual for a Vestas 3MW wind turbine, which can be as tall as 420 feet. HOWEVER, under NJ law, the minimum setback would be 1.5 times that height or 630 feet, less than half the distance Vestas considers a dangerous hard hat zone!
http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/wind-turbines-minimum-distances-from-residential-premises-bill/
The UK: A Bill To Make provision for a minimum distance between wind turbines and residential premises according to the size of the wind turbine.In England, a turbine the size of the BRSA's would require a setback of 1.24 miles rather than 1,080 feet.
There's a link at the bottom of the page to the actual bill.