Thursday, December 24, 2009
Whales Die On Beach
Twelve pilot whales beached themselves close to Bartlett Beach, Digby County, on Canada's southwest shore in Nova Scotia. Apparently only one survived. The bodies of those that died were removed and taken away on a flatbed truck, according to local sources. There is no word yet on an apparent cause for this tragic event.
Lake Michigan Wind Farm Lease Proposal
From oceanaheraldjournal.com
Developer wants counties to co-lease for Lake Michigan wind farm
By John Cavanagh
Herald-Journal Writer
Scandia Wind Offshore CEO Steve Warner wants Oceana and Mason counties to join him when the wind turbine developer goes to the state for a lease for a 1,000 megawatt wind farm in Lake Michigan.
“We are proposing to jointly apply with a riparian (water property) owner for a lease to the State of Michigan.” Warner told the Herald-Journal Dec. 18. “That’s our way of gauging local support of the project, and their voice will be expressed through an agreement like that.”
The company and its Norwegian partner, Havgul Clean Energy, is proposing to construct 100-200 wind turbines to create the wind farm in Lake Michigan from Silver Lake State Park north to Consumer Energy’s Ludington Pumped Storage Facility in Mason County.
The proposal is for the facility to be 3.7 miles off shore at its north end, but closer to shore as it extends south toward Silver Lake State Park. It would connect to the electrical system grid through the Ludington Pumped Storage Facility. Warner said he wants to apply for the lease sometime in the first quarter of 2010.
“The reason for that is this process takes a long time,” Warner said. “It takes years. We’re not in any way trying to accelerate the process.”
Oceana County’s Lake Michigan property includes the Cedar Point County Park between Silver Lake and Pentwater in northern Golden Township. Warner said the company would need to use some property for onshore equipment such as substations depending if the pumped storage facility is involved, but no property in Oceana County is under consideration now.
Developer wants counties to co-lease for Lake Michigan wind farm
By John Cavanagh
Herald-Journal Writer
Scandia Wind Offshore CEO Steve Warner wants Oceana and Mason counties to join him when the wind turbine developer goes to the state for a lease for a 1,000 megawatt wind farm in Lake Michigan.
“We are proposing to jointly apply with a riparian (water property) owner for a lease to the State of Michigan.” Warner told the Herald-Journal Dec. 18. “That’s our way of gauging local support of the project, and their voice will be expressed through an agreement like that.”
The company and its Norwegian partner, Havgul Clean Energy, is proposing to construct 100-200 wind turbines to create the wind farm in Lake Michigan from Silver Lake State Park north to Consumer Energy’s Ludington Pumped Storage Facility in Mason County.
The proposal is for the facility to be 3.7 miles off shore at its north end, but closer to shore as it extends south toward Silver Lake State Park. It would connect to the electrical system grid through the Ludington Pumped Storage Facility. Warner said he wants to apply for the lease sometime in the first quarter of 2010.
“The reason for that is this process takes a long time,” Warner said. “It takes years. We’re not in any way trying to accelerate the process.”
Oceana County’s Lake Michigan property includes the Cedar Point County Park between Silver Lake and Pentwater in northern Golden Township. Warner said the company would need to use some property for onshore equipment such as substations depending if the pumped storage facility is involved, but no property in Oceana County is under consideration now.
Green Holiday Tips
From Live Earth
Green Holiday TipsSubmitted by jgeeslin on 22 December, 2009 - 13:45
How can you celebrate, but make your holidays as green as they can be? Read about how to make your own wrapping paper, make tasty eco-friendly holiday dinners, share the ride, and recycle your tree on the holiday edition of our blog!
How can you make your holidays as green as they can be? Here are some great ideas:
Make Your Own Wrapping Paper
Most mass-produced wrapping paper you find in stores is not recyclable and ends up in landfills. Instead, try using creative ways to be eco-friendly. Wrap presents with old maps, the comics section of a newspaper, or children's artwork. Or use a scarf, attractive dish towel, bandana, or some other useful cloth item. If every family wrapped just three gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.
Buy Energy-Saving Holiday Lights
Now you can decorate your house with LED lights that use 90% less energy than conventional holiday lights, and can save your family up to $50 on your energy bills during the holiday season! LED lights are now available at many major retailers, like Target.
Use Organic and Local Foods to make your Holiday Meals
Check out your local famer’s markets and co-ops. Support those local farmers who grow sustainable meat and produce. Not only does it taste better, but you'll be doing your part for the planet too.
Give a Gift the Gives Back!
Help support all those wonderful charities that are working to make the world a better place for others.
Click here for more.
Recycle Your Christmas Tree
Each year, 10 million Christmas trees end up in the landfill. While your tree won't fit in the recycling bin with your newspapers and bottles, you can recycle your tree: many cities offer programs to turn your tree to mulch or wood chips. Check out www.earth911.org to find the tree-recycling program near you.
Try soy or beeswax candles
They are cleaner and gentler on the environment but are every bit as beautiful and fragrant. Plus they last longer!
Carpool to the Party
If you’re the one entertaining, don’t let all your guests drive separately to the party! Include a carpool suggestion on the invite. Or register your event with Ride Amigos! They take care of everything from arranging carpools, rideshares, taxi shares and even calculates the CO2 saved by rideshares in offsetting the carbon footprint of the event.
Thermostat Smarts
Turn down your thermostat a few notches before your guests arrive. As more and more guests arrive, the room’s temperature will rise to a comfortable but not stuffy level and people won’t be sneaking outside for fresh air.
Check out these eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas from our friends at Your Daily Thread:
jgeeslin's blog
How to Recycle Christmas Decorations
How to Use Green Gift Wrap This Holiday Season
Go Green This Memorial Day!
Green Holiday TipsSubmitted by jgeeslin on 22 December, 2009 - 13:45
How can you celebrate, but make your holidays as green as they can be? Read about how to make your own wrapping paper, make tasty eco-friendly holiday dinners, share the ride, and recycle your tree on the holiday edition of our blog!
How can you make your holidays as green as they can be? Here are some great ideas:
Make Your Own Wrapping Paper
Most mass-produced wrapping paper you find in stores is not recyclable and ends up in landfills. Instead, try using creative ways to be eco-friendly. Wrap presents with old maps, the comics section of a newspaper, or children's artwork. Or use a scarf, attractive dish towel, bandana, or some other useful cloth item. If every family wrapped just three gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.
Buy Energy-Saving Holiday Lights
Now you can decorate your house with LED lights that use 90% less energy than conventional holiday lights, and can save your family up to $50 on your energy bills during the holiday season! LED lights are now available at many major retailers, like Target.
Use Organic and Local Foods to make your Holiday Meals
Check out your local famer’s markets and co-ops. Support those local farmers who grow sustainable meat and produce. Not only does it taste better, but you'll be doing your part for the planet too.
Give a Gift the Gives Back!
Help support all those wonderful charities that are working to make the world a better place for others.
Click here for more.
Recycle Your Christmas Tree
Each year, 10 million Christmas trees end up in the landfill. While your tree won't fit in the recycling bin with your newspapers and bottles, you can recycle your tree: many cities offer programs to turn your tree to mulch or wood chips. Check out www.earth911.org to find the tree-recycling program near you.
Try soy or beeswax candles
They are cleaner and gentler on the environment but are every bit as beautiful and fragrant. Plus they last longer!
Carpool to the Party
If you’re the one entertaining, don’t let all your guests drive separately to the party! Include a carpool suggestion on the invite. Or register your event with Ride Amigos! They take care of everything from arranging carpools, rideshares, taxi shares and even calculates the CO2 saved by rideshares in offsetting the carbon footprint of the event.
Thermostat Smarts
Turn down your thermostat a few notches before your guests arrive. As more and more guests arrive, the room’s temperature will rise to a comfortable but not stuffy level and people won’t be sneaking outside for fresh air.
Check out these eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas from our friends at Your Daily Thread:
jgeeslin's blog
How to Recycle Christmas Decorations
How to Use Green Gift Wrap This Holiday Season
Go Green This Memorial Day!
Whales Beach Themselves in Digby County
More whales reportedly stranded
Thu. Dec 24 - 4:46 AM
DFO fisheries officer Dwayne Muise of Meteghan and Jonathan Hynes of Tusket try to turn a whale around.
YARMOUTH — Federal fishery officers were on their way to another reported beaching of pilot whales late Wednesday.
Officers headed to Bartletts Beach in Digby County, where six whales were said to be on the beach.
A report came in after 2 p.m. that the whales had stranded themselves, said Howard Blinn, who works in the Meteghan office of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
It was not immediately known what condition the whales were in or what officers would be able to do to help the animals return to the sea.
Four pilot whales beached themselves Tuesday at nearby Port Maitland Beach, Yarmouth County, and along another rocky beach near Beaver River.
Eight fisheries officers managed to return some of the whales to the sea but at least two died, said Mr. Blinn.
Two whales were roughly four metres in length and each weighed about one tonne, while the smaller ones each weighed about 360 kilograms or less, fisheries officers said Tuesday
Thu. Dec 24 - 4:46 AM
DFO fisheries officer Dwayne Muise of Meteghan and Jonathan Hynes of Tusket try to turn a whale around.
YARMOUTH — Federal fishery officers were on their way to another reported beaching of pilot whales late Wednesday.
Officers headed to Bartletts Beach in Digby County, where six whales were said to be on the beach.
A report came in after 2 p.m. that the whales had stranded themselves, said Howard Blinn, who works in the Meteghan office of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
It was not immediately known what condition the whales were in or what officers would be able to do to help the animals return to the sea.
Four pilot whales beached themselves Tuesday at nearby Port Maitland Beach, Yarmouth County, and along another rocky beach near Beaver River.
Eight fisheries officers managed to return some of the whales to the sea but at least two died, said Mr. Blinn.
Two whales were roughly four metres in length and each weighed about one tonne, while the smaller ones each weighed about 360 kilograms or less, fisheries officers said Tuesday
Dan Mills re: Digby Neck Wind Farm
Subject: Environment Critic
I attended MLA Andrew Youngers' session on renewable energy on Tuesday. A capable young man,he made all feel at ease and responded handily to all concerns expressed.
A good part of the discussion centered on large Wind Rigs soon coming to a spot near you on Digby Neck.
The word, compromise, was never uttered, but there were overtones and undertones of it throughout.
Compromise is fine, but not at the expense of truth. Beware, people, those who wag forked tongues!
May I illustrate? In my former life I wore many hats. One was that of marriage counsellor. Sometimes it was a case of infidelity by one or other spouse. Let's take the case of a husband, away from home all week, is found out to be involved with another lady each of six nights that's he is away.
Should he proffer compromise and agree to reduce his visits to his paramour by half, do you think his wife would agree? I think not! That would be a compromise worth nothing! And so not a compromise at all!
When the Wind folk begin playing with our minds and with figures, it may not be truth they speak, but rather manipulation to con us into believing that they are walking the extra mile.
My advice: don't let measurements be the guide. Try truth instead! The peer reviewed author, Dr.Nina Pierpont proposes medical truths that intelligent people should take seriously. Don't be duped by fifty meters here or there, or a move of a Wind Rig to another place.....That may well be a sham which leaves shame on our face.
Daniel Mills
9396 Waterford
RR 4, Digby NS
BOV 1A0
I attended MLA Andrew Youngers' session on renewable energy on Tuesday. A capable young man,he made all feel at ease and responded handily to all concerns expressed.
A good part of the discussion centered on large Wind Rigs soon coming to a spot near you on Digby Neck.
The word, compromise, was never uttered, but there were overtones and undertones of it throughout.
Compromise is fine, but not at the expense of truth. Beware, people, those who wag forked tongues!
May I illustrate? In my former life I wore many hats. One was that of marriage counsellor. Sometimes it was a case of infidelity by one or other spouse. Let's take the case of a husband, away from home all week, is found out to be involved with another lady each of six nights that's he is away.
Should he proffer compromise and agree to reduce his visits to his paramour by half, do you think his wife would agree? I think not! That would be a compromise worth nothing! And so not a compromise at all!
When the Wind folk begin playing with our minds and with figures, it may not be truth they speak, but rather manipulation to con us into believing that they are walking the extra mile.
My advice: don't let measurements be the guide. Try truth instead! The peer reviewed author, Dr.Nina Pierpont proposes medical truths that intelligent people should take seriously. Don't be duped by fifty meters here or there, or a move of a Wind Rig to another place.....That may well be a sham which leaves shame on our face.
Daniel Mills
9396 Waterford
RR 4, Digby NS
BOV 1A0
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Turbines No-Go on Rural Properties
From the Associated Press
Minn. agency rejects New Ulm wind energy project
(AP) – 1 day ago
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has rejected a permit for New Ulm's proposed wind-power project.
But New Ulm City Attorney Hugh Nierengarten says the project is not dead. Nierengarten says city officials will regroup with staff and discuss alternatives.
By a vote of 5-0, the PUC voted Monday to deny New Ulm's request to place five wind turbines on rural properties just across the Minnesota River from the city.
New Ulm wants to put up the turbines to meet the city's energy needs. Farmers opposed the idea, saying the land should be used for agriculture.
Minn. agency rejects New Ulm wind energy project
(AP) – 1 day ago
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has rejected a permit for New Ulm's proposed wind-power project.
But New Ulm City Attorney Hugh Nierengarten says the project is not dead. Nierengarten says city officials will regroup with staff and discuss alternatives.
By a vote of 5-0, the PUC voted Monday to deny New Ulm's request to place five wind turbines on rural properties just across the Minnesota River from the city.
New Ulm wants to put up the turbines to meet the city's energy needs. Farmers opposed the idea, saying the land should be used for agriculture.
Offshore Turbines and the Fishery
Local Maine fishermen concerned about turbine site
Concerns raised over state's plan to test wind power in region
COURTESY PHOTO Waters off Boon Island are a proposed location for a wind turbine demonstration area. Many local fishermen oppose the project because they say the turbines will disrupt the lobster, shrimp and fishing industries.
By Susan Morse
also by Deborah Mcdermott
news@seacoastonline.com
December 23, 2009 2:00 AM
YORK — Local fishermen have raised a number of concerns about the state's plans to use Boon Island as a demonstration site for offshore wind turbine testing.
The turbines would take away prime fishing, lobstering and shrimping areas, according to lobsterman Pat White of York, who initiated two recent meetings on the issue at the York Senior Center.
At least a dozen fishermen and lobstermen attended each.
White represents fishermen on a governor's task force, serves on the Maine State Lobsterman's Association and is president of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation.
"It seriously disrupts the lobster community because the guys that fish there will have to move over into someone else's territory," he said.
The state on Tuesday, Dec. 15, chose three sites for wind turbine testing. Those sites are located in the waters off Boon, Damariscove and Monhegan islands.
In theory, said Mark Robinson, spokesperson for the turbine project, the wind turbines will be in Maine waters for two to three years. After that, they would likely move farther out to sea into federal waters.
State geologist Robert Marvinney said the state listened well to the fishermen and lobstermen at the two meetings in York — and will continue to listen to them if and when a commercial turbine company expresses interest in placing a prototype at Boon Island.
A company is only allowed two turbines at Boon Island by law, and before anything is placed in the water there will be meetings with the local Department of Marine Resources lobster zone council and affected towns.
If the prototypes indicate a turbine farm would be successful, it would be located farther offshore, in federal waters, said Marvinney. By law, the farm can not be at any of the test sites, he said.
"If it's a lot farther offshore, it would have less impact," said White. "Eighty percent less impact."
This is because lobstermen wouldn't be displaced by the turbines in deeper waters, he said.
The turbines will eventually affect fishermen from other states, once the sites are moved farther offshore, said New Hampshire fisherman Erik Anderson, who promotes eating local at NHseafood.com.
"If it moves forward, it's going to have some effect on the fishing industry, whether it's lobstermen, ground fishing, shrimp," he said. "It's going to the affect the industry somewhere."
Concerns raised over state's plan to test wind power in region
COURTESY PHOTO Waters off Boon Island are a proposed location for a wind turbine demonstration area. Many local fishermen oppose the project because they say the turbines will disrupt the lobster, shrimp and fishing industries.
By Susan Morse
also by Deborah Mcdermott
news@seacoastonline.com
December 23, 2009 2:00 AM
YORK — Local fishermen have raised a number of concerns about the state's plans to use Boon Island as a demonstration site for offshore wind turbine testing.
The turbines would take away prime fishing, lobstering and shrimping areas, according to lobsterman Pat White of York, who initiated two recent meetings on the issue at the York Senior Center.
At least a dozen fishermen and lobstermen attended each.
White represents fishermen on a governor's task force, serves on the Maine State Lobsterman's Association and is president of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation.
"It seriously disrupts the lobster community because the guys that fish there will have to move over into someone else's territory," he said.
The state on Tuesday, Dec. 15, chose three sites for wind turbine testing. Those sites are located in the waters off Boon, Damariscove and Monhegan islands.
In theory, said Mark Robinson, spokesperson for the turbine project, the wind turbines will be in Maine waters for two to three years. After that, they would likely move farther out to sea into federal waters.
State geologist Robert Marvinney said the state listened well to the fishermen and lobstermen at the two meetings in York — and will continue to listen to them if and when a commercial turbine company expresses interest in placing a prototype at Boon Island.
A company is only allowed two turbines at Boon Island by law, and before anything is placed in the water there will be meetings with the local Department of Marine Resources lobster zone council and affected towns.
If the prototypes indicate a turbine farm would be successful, it would be located farther offshore, in federal waters, said Marvinney. By law, the farm can not be at any of the test sites, he said.
"If it's a lot farther offshore, it would have less impact," said White. "Eighty percent less impact."
This is because lobstermen wouldn't be displaced by the turbines in deeper waters, he said.
The turbines will eventually affect fishermen from other states, once the sites are moved farther offshore, said New Hampshire fisherman Erik Anderson, who promotes eating local at NHseafood.com.
"If it moves forward, it's going to have some effect on the fishing industry, whether it's lobstermen, ground fishing, shrimp," he said. "It's going to the affect the industry somewhere."
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