Category:
Impact on Space
British and French campaigners have defeated plans for a wind farm at the famous battle site.
Plans to transport windfarm components through a Powys town by lorry have been criticised by the local county councillor.
Stephen Hayes, Powys County Councillor for Montgomery, said he is concerned at plans to transport parts for the proposed Llanbadarn Fynydd Windfarm through the market town of Montgomery.
The proposed windfarm will have 17 turbines which will be 126.5 metres from the ground to the blade tip. And Montgomery is one of a number of towns which could be affected. ..."I'm concerned about people living here," he said, "their houses are right on the street. To come up here they will have to clear all the traffic on the road which will cause disruption.
"I am also concerned about damage to the fabric of Montgomery, it is one of Montgomeryshire's most spectacular towns in terms of architecture."
Eric Rosenbloom reports:
"The data are gathered mostly from news articles, some from government and company documentation. The list includes proposed (and possibly rejected) as well as operating facilities. Ridgeline facilities described only by length instead of the whole area taken are not included. "
The California Desert Coalition, which formed to oppose the proposal, took out a newspaper ad that urged residents to wear red to display their anger. Many did so, wearing red shirts, hats, scarves, and even tiny rubber bands to hold back their hair. They said they weren't against a quest for renewable energy but wanted it done without harm to their homes and the environment they hold dear.
"We have a lot to protect here; we have a lot to fight for," said April Sall, a coalition leader.
Russell Betts, a Desert Hot Springs city councilman, said one transmission route would economically harm the town by slicing through a proposed commercial zone. He suggested that Los Angeles officials are expecting desert residents to "absorb the cost of their operation."
As Virginia wrangles over the visual impact of 400-foot towers on nearby historic properties, a similar situation in West Virginia resulted in a $10,000 grant offer from a wind energy company building 23 wind turbines overlooking some 18 historic places in Mineral County.
Not everyone agrees it's an appropriate solution, but Pinnacle Wind Force LLC offered to make that amount available for historic preservation efforts after the West Virginia Division of Culture and History (the State Historic Preservation Office) found its wind project would have an adverse impact on historic resources nearby.
In yet another congressional maneuver that could kill a wind farm proposed off Cape Cod, a conference committee is considering language that would prohibit wind turbines within 1.5 miles of shipping and ferry lanes.
Comments submitted to Santa Barbara County Energy Division, California, by the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) regarding the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Lompac Wind Energy Project.
The Resource Management Act states clearly in section six of ‘purposes and principles' that matters of national importance include the protection of historic heritage and outstanding natural features and landscapes from ‘inappropriate subdivision, use and development'. Both the consent authority's commissioned Landscape Architect Ben Espie and Planner David Whitney thought so, suggesting formally that Project Hayes should be declined. Barrister John Matthews, who chaired the Hearing panel and issued a dissenting decision recommending that Hayes be turned down, thought so too. Yet the All-of-Government submissions in support of Hayes evidently held sway, for Project Hayes was given consent in November 2007, with the decision ‘owned' by Central Otago District Council.
Attached are complete land lease and lease options from Zilkha, Enron, Green Light, and Ecogen wind developers. Also attached is a summary written by Save Upstate NY that describes some aspects that all four have in common. Subsequent to the posting of these items an example of a PPM Energy lease for the Flatrock Wind Farm (i.e. Tug Hill) was added.
Public footpaths through a popular beauty spot could be redirected to make way for a massive eco-village powered entirely by four wind turbines.
Claymoss Properties wants to build the UK’s first eco-friendly holiday camp at the Maer Hills site at Whitmore, near Newcastle.
The 159-hectare development includes plans for 800 timber lodges among existing woodlands, two hotels, a golf course, two lakes and a central village area with amenities.
The plans have sparked outrage, and now residents fear woodland walks used for decades could be lost to the development.
Dr. Richard Truly, Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dear Dr. Truly:
It has come to my attention that an employee of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Mr. Larry Flowers:
1. Asserted, during public “forums” on wind energy held on March 25, 2003, in Ludington, Michigan, that I am in some way associated with the coal industry and, therefore, my analysis and writing concerning wind energy should not be considered credible. Over 150 people attended these public forums.
2. On March 27, 2003, distributed via email to one or more participants in the Ludington forums the attached undated, unsigned paper which questions the independence of my work, questions the truthfulness of my claim that my work on wind energy is self-financed, and makes other false and misleading statements. Mr. Flowers’ email forwarding the paper includes the following statement: “MI wind colleagues: here is a brief piece written in response to Glen [sic] Schleede misinformation. I suggest you distribute this to participants in the Ludington meeting…”
The idea of an energy efficient design is laudable. However, in this case, a countryside location is totally inappropriate and would be contrary to the locational policies of the development plan.
"Notwithstanding the distinctive merits of the scheme, sustainability objectives would be best served by locating the development in an existing service centre.
"This would be a better way of reducing the need to travel by placing the housing and employment closer to key services and amenities, as well as near to a labour pool. The countryside would also be protected from unrelated development."
Their foundations date back more than a thousand years, to the times when the Vikings invaded Scotland's remote islands. But now campaigners fear that dozens of historic shielings – tiny stone dwellings used by crofters and farm tenants – could be damaged or even destroyed on the Isle of Lewis.
In the next two years, a Virginia company hopes to pump upward of $400 million into what could be Colorado's largest wind farm on private grazing land near Grover.
Why did you petition to become an intervenor in this matter before the NH SEC?
With New Hampshire’s recent reinstatement of PILOT agreements and legislative efforts to a Renewable Portfolio Standard, the regulatory groundwork is being laid for more wind facilities to enter the state. Yet, New Hampshire, like many states, has no consistent regulatory process in place for reviewing these projects to ensure our environmental, societal, and economic interests are protected. The work the NH SEC has agreed to undertake in reviewing this application is precedent setting. How the committee approaches its review and the weight it places on arguments presented by all sides will impact other developments in the State as pertains to renewable energy projects.
There are a multitude of conflicting issues at play when considering any wind project. My commitment to this process is to help provide, to the best of my ability, valuable and timely information that will assist the Committee in making an informed decision on this application.
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