Documents
Category:
Impact on Landscape
Note: counts do not include items in sub-categories
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Resolution: West Grey Seeks Moratorium on Industrial Wind Turbines
January 29, 2010
by Municipality of West Grey
As Mayor of the Municipality of West Grey, on behalf of the Council and citizens of West Grey, I am calling upon the Province of Ontario to place an indefinite moratorium on industrial wind turbines in the Municipality of West Grey and other Ontario municipalities.
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Canada]
After consulting with the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) of the National Park Service regarding the documented boundary of Camp Allegheny Battlefield, Kathleen Kilpatrick, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR), drafted a letter to John Flora, attorney for Highland New Wind Development (HNWD), on November 17.
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Impact on Views|
West Virginia]
Coalition for Wisconsin Environmental Stewardship initial brief regarding proposed Glacial Hills wind facility
November 24, 2009
by Edward S. Marion Attorney-at-Law
The Coalition for Wisconsin Environmental Stewardship("CWESt") opposes the application of Wisconsin Electric Power Company ("WEPCO") for a certificate of public convenience and necessity ("CPCN") to construct a wind electric generation facility to be known as the Glacier Hills Wind Park ("Glacier Hills"). First, the project would be a threat to human health and safety because of wind turbine noise and shadow flicker. Second, the project would substantially and unfairly reduce real property values.
The Commission may not issue a CPCN without first determining that the project would promote the public health and welfare. Application of Wisconsin Electric Power
Company for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to Construct a Wind Electric Generation Facility and Associated Electric Facilities, to be Located in Fond du
Lac County, Docket no. 6630-CE-294 (2007) (following Clean Wisconsin, Inc. v. Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, 2005 WI 93, ¶ 35). The evidence shows that, rather than promote the public health and welfare, this project threatens it. The full brief can be accessed by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
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Impact on People|
Wisconsin]
Energy sprawl or energy efficiency: Climate policy impacts on natural habitat for the United States of America
September 17, 2009
by Robert I. McDonald, Joseph Fargione, Joe Kiesecker, William M. Miller, Jimmie Powell
Concern over climate change has led the U.S. to consider a cap-and-trade system to regulate emissions. Here we illustrate the land-use impact to U.S. habitat types of new energy development resulting from different U.S. energy policies. We estimated the total new land area needed by 2030 to produce energy, under current law and under various cap-and-trade policies, and then partitioned the area impacted among habitat types with geospatial data on the feasibility of production. The land-use intensity of different energy production techniques varies over three orders of magnitude, from 1.9–2.8 km2/TW hr/yr for nuclear power to 788–1000 km2/TW hr/yr for biodiesel from soy. In all scenarios, temperate deciduous forests and temperate grasslands will be most impacted by future energy development, although the magnitude of impact by wind, biomass, and coal to different habitat types is policy-specific. Regardless of the existence or structure of a cap-and-trade bill, at least 206,000 km2 will be impacted without substantial increases in energy efficiency. ...The possibility of widespread energy sprawl increases the need for energy conservation, appropriate siting, sustainable production practices, and compensatory mitigation offsets.
Also filed under [
USA]
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection scientists have opposed wind energy development in the Delaware Bay, which could cut down an Ocean County firm's plans for 106 wind turbines there.
Delsea Energy continues to push for the project and has applied for the right to measure wind and other bay-related data that could lead to the turbines' construction there.
However, DEP scientists and the Atlantic Flyway Council have raised concerns about the effect the project would have on wildlife. A DEP assistant commissioner wrote last month "that the Delaware Bay is not an appropriate area for development of wind energy."
Scott Brubaker, the DEP's assistant commissioner for land use management, informed Delsea Energy in this Aug. 20 letter "that the Delaware Bay is not an appropriate area for development of wind energy." The full letter with attachments can be accessed by clicking on the link below. Follow-up e-mails between the wind developer and NJ DEP can also be accessed.
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Impact on Wildlife|
New Jersey]
Save The River, the leading grassroots advocacy organization working to protect the St. Lawrence River, submitted these comments to the Town of Cape Vincent, NY encouraging adoption of a one-year moratorium on all wind energy development.
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Impact on Wildlife|
New York]
Smallwood comments 3rd draft Wind Turbine Guidelines of the USFWS
June 24, 2009
by K. Shawn Smallwood, PhD
Windaction.org is grateful to Dr. Smallwood for taking the time to develop these constructive comments in response to the US Fish and Wildlife Service's 3rd draft of its wind turbine siting guidelines.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife|
USA]
Wyoming Governor Freudenthal's letter to the State's Wind Energy Task Force
May 18, 2009
by The Honorable Dave Freudenthal
Wyoming's Governor Dave Freudenthal wrote this letter to the legislative Wind Energy Task Force formed in the 2008-2009 session. The Task Force will be studying various aspects of the legal framework surrounding wind energy development including state statutes related to industrial siting and the authority of the Public Service Commission; federal statutes related to state and county authorities and other issues pertaining to wind energy development and its associated transmission infrastructure. The Governor is very clear that environmental concerns will not take a back seat to wind development and that a balance between land uses is essential.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife|
Wyoming]
Oregon’s high desert and wind energy: opportunities and strategies for responsible development
April, 2009
by Oregon Natural Desert Association
The Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) and five other conservation groups released this report in response to the growing pressure to site renewable energy projects on open desert land in Oregon. While the ONDA supports renewable energy development and believes that such development can help reduce fossil fuel consumption and create sustainable economies for rural communities, the organization sees an urgent need to analyze where wind power potential is the highest and wildlife and social conflicts are the lowest. The analysis is important in ensuring projects can be developed without degradation of desert wildlands and damage to sensitive wildlife populations.
This report was created through the mapping and analysis of the areas identified by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory as having the best wind power potential. This data is compared with sensitive natural resources such as Greater sage-grouse breeding areas. The report includes a narrative outlining the nature of the potential conflicts with wind energy development as well as Best Practices and guidelines to minimize impacts.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife|
Oregon]
US Fish and Wildlife Service comments on Noble Environmental's proposed wind facility in Coos County
March 12, 2009
by Thomas R. Chapman, Supervisor New England Field Office
This letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers details the deficiencies in Noble Environmental Power's application to build a 99-megawatt wind energy facility in Coos County, New Hampshire. The US Fish and Wildlife Service makes a powerful case for why a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be undertaken in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
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