Anti wind power bill in US - can't do true!

[David Street]

I found this in another board
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/awea-wind-home/message/21376

I am horrified that there are politicians out there that think that this is the best way forward, whilst they have chaufer driven gas guzzulers and fly thousands of miles at the public's expense claiming that they are doing it in our best interests. How many birds died as a result of their plane journeys and over-zealous use of pesticides!.

Some of the post is here below!

New Bill in Congress: Jail for Installing a Wind Turbine?

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) has introduced legislation that would impose
devastating, excessive, and unworkable requirements for all existing
and future wind projects – including small wind systems - that do
not comply with as yet unwritten onerous siting standards.

This bill's anti-wind energy section, Subtitle D of bill H.R. 2337,
would have to be satisfied by all wind systems of any size to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts on migratory birds and bats
despite the fact that wind turbines cause less than 0.003% of human-
caused bird mortality.

AWEA is fighting this provision and we need your voice to help
defeat it. AWEA's aim is to stop these provisions from becoming
part of energy legislation that may be acted on later this year. To
join the fight against this bill and for more information, see
http://capwiz.com/windenergy/issues/alert/?alertid=9773201&type=CO

Subtitle D of this bill would:

• Impose imprisonment and/or a $50,000 fine for placing a wind
turbine on private property without first gaining approval from the
Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, regardless of whether
used for personal or commercial purposes.

• Require a review of every existing and planned wind installation
and project by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), a mandate
far beyond the agency's resources and capabilities.

• Create invasive inspection requirements for private landowners
and farmers with wind turbines on their property.

Rep. Rahall (D-WV) is Chairman of the House Natural Resources
Committee where he exercises influence over the movement of the
bill, which is scheduled for a hearing as early as June 6. West
Virginia is also a coal-dominant state.

.......

Ron Stimmel
Small-Wind Advocate
American Wind Energy Association

[Ralph Day]

If it looks like a rock, talks like a rock, is as smart as a rock, turn it over and you'll find out what it's covering (up for)!

To paraphrase Charleton Heston "You can have my wind turbine when you pry it from my cold dead hands".:mad:

ralph:D

[Rob Beckers]

Does anyone know what the underlying reasons are for this bill? I somehow can't imagine that birds and bats got someone in office exited enough to spend all this time on writing a bill, expecially since to my knowledge there's no bird and bat kill problem with wind turbines (it's too rare an event compared to, for example, the damage a simple house cat does). There must be more to this than meets the eye....

-Rob-

[Ralph Day]

Rob,

See last paragraph of initial post.:D

[Rob Beckers]

Rob,

See last paragraph of initial post.:D

Ah! I see!
Things suddenly start making sense...

-Rob-

[Joe Blake]

With an election coming up here by the end of this year and the government so far out on the nose that even Pinocchio would be jealous, was chuckling to see some "big cahuna" from the nuclear power industry today busily talking up a "carbon trading scheme" (which our Govt seems to be deathly scared of) so that this make coal-fired power more expensive and make wind and solar more affordable. And oh yeah, nuclear power as well.

Has somebody finally tipped them off that nuclear power is NOT going to be cheap?

Methinks I smelleth a rodent.

Joe

[Ethan Brush]

Now that is ironic. West Virginia is one of the capitals of mountain top removal coal mining, a devestating mining method that has destroyed about 460 mountains in the Appalachians totaling and area the size of the state of Delaware. I don't want to hear any anti-turbine arguements citing bird kills until mountain top removal is outlawed. Perhaps Rep. Rahall should focus his energy on at least closing the loophole that allows mining companies to dump overburden and tailings directly into valley streams.

[Kricnit Not]

5) Determination of project size thresholds or impacts below which guidelines may not apply.

[Kricnit Not]

Large wind farms are pushing for reduction in legislation.

Yes they need to balance things a little, but all out removal of rules is not in the publics best interest. The gov is still working on ironing out the details of the legislation.

The AWEA leaves out the Section 231 statement in the bill:

5) Determination of project size thresholds or impacts below which guidelines may not apply.

They try to scare everyone into believing this bill is finalized in an unmoderated form, and will impact all windmill users to scare up support.

You can review the bill here. Scroll down to Subtitle D
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-2337

[Joe Blake]

Well,

Our election came (and went). The previous conservative Government was tipped out in a landslide. And for the second time in this nation's history a sitting Prime Minister was booted out of his seat.

One of the first things that our new PM did was append his signature to the Kyoto agreement. Not that it's going to do much on its own, but it's removed a fairly strong ally of Dubya from the frame.

And the issue of the environment had a LOT to do with the removal of the previous government.

Perhaps someone should bring this rather salient fact to the attention of lawmakers around the world. Even the Church is suddenly turning a very pale shade of green after 2 millennia.

How long will it take???

(Off my soapbox).

Joe

[Negru Valea]

Does anyone know what the underlying reasons are for this bill? I somehow can't imagine that birds and bats got someone in office exited enough to spend all this time on writing a bill, expecially since to my knowledge there's no bird and bat kill problem with wind turbines (it's too rare an event compared to, for example, the damage a simple house cat does). There must be more to this than meets the eye....

-Rob-

Hi Rob

Please see this ridiculous incident that put a stop to a $220 million wind farm because of a orange parrot
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1727329.htm

we have to many fat politicians with short term goals.....

[Joe Blake]

The 7.30 Report on the ABC last night broadcast an article on the project to save this same parrot.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2169180.htm

In some cases it appears it's not the physical danger to the birds that can cause the problem, but the destruction of habitat, since wind turbines work best with no trees on their windward side causing turbulence. And of course destruction of habitat affects more than just one species of animal.

Joe

[Negru Valea]

The 7.30 Report on the ABC last night broadcast an article on the project to save this same parrot.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2169180.htm

In some cases it appears it's not the physical danger to the birds that can cause the problem, but the destruction of habitat, since wind turbines work best with no trees on their windward side causing turbulence. And of course destruction of habitat affects more than just one species of animal.

Joe
Dear Joe

Here is a quote from your link "
JOCELYN NETTLEFOLD: They'll wing their way to Vic and SA for winter, but it can be tough en route.
Urban and industrial development is damaging coastal salt marshes critical to the bird's feeding, and then there are man made obstacles, like wind farms. In 2006, the Federal Government stalled the Bald Hills Windfarm Project in Vic to ensure better parrot protection. Mark Holdsworth says companies and authorities are now showing sufficient respect to the budgerigar sized bird."

Infact i actually heard the parlament debate between the Liberals and the Labour at that time (1024 am station) statistics showed that the parrot had a 1 in 500 year chance to get hit by the blades of the turbine. Due to this the farm was put in delay.

Politicians get bogged down all too quick in small matters. Wind farm sites are already areas that have been cleared of trees, to date State Parks are off bounds to deforestation....

In terms of trees... well a picture is worth a thousand words
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/data/cdrom2/aus_for.htm

Negru

[Joe Blake]

Infact i actually heard the parlament debate between the Liberals and the Labour at that time (1024 am station) statistics showed that the parrot had a 1 in 500 year chance to get hit by the blades of the turbine. Due to this the farm was put in delay.

Politicians get bogged down all too quick in small matters. Wind farm sites are already areas that have been cleared of trees, to date State Parks are off bounds to deforestation.

Negru,

I don't want to misunderstand you so I'm bound to say I'm not sure I comprehend the point you are trying to make. The politicians who made that decision were thrown out of office very decisively in the last election.

Let's just hope the members of this new Parliament have a bit more sense.

Joe

[Dan Lenox]

David,

I live in WV and there are a number of commercial wind turbine farms here. I have not heard about the legislation you stated, but will look into it.

Very close to where I live (within a mile) a company is doing a study about the possibility of installing another wind farm. I live in a very good wind zone (hence the reason for my 17' turbine) and I for one will be doing all that I can to help make it happen.

There certainly was a stink from a couple of conservation groups about studies done (and their published results) a while back about the number of bat kills. There was not a huge number of dead bats at the turbine bases, but there certainly were some...

It seems that that the thinking is with the large wind turbines that their rotation is slow enough that the bats don't see the blades turning, and fly into them.

I like wind.
Dan Lenox

[Dan Lenox]

David,

I found the specific legislation that you referred to at : http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=summary&bill=h110-2337

I did not see anything close to the information that you had pasted in from the tech/yahoo site. Section D does talk about doing studies about minimizing the impact on wildlife, but nothing specific about any fines, commercial nor private.

It looks like mis-information to me!

Dan Lenox