Skier Wind Turbine Concerns

Posted by Heather Burke  March 6, 2012 09:14 AM

As a skier, I am saddened by what I see happening in our New England mountains. As I drive to Sunday River or ski down the slopes at Saddleback or Sugarloaf, I see long expanses of giant white wind turbines on previously pristine mountaintops. Ironically, the huge rotors are often not moving, but they are always not pretty - in my opinion.

For years environmentalist fought ski areas over putting one lift up to a summit for thousands of skiers and riders to enjoy. Now some of these same environmentalists support desecrating entire ridge lines with heavy-duty roadways and giant wind turbines towering 400 to 450-feet with wing spans greater than a 747. I do not get it. How do these big white erections pass as "green"?

Have you been to Rangeley or Big Rock in Maine lately, or seen the ski area turbines at Bolton Valley, Burke or Jiminy Peak? Sunsets in ski country used to be just you and alpen glow, the rising moon and stars, maybe an occasional groomer headlights sweeping the snow on the slopes. Now these monstrous turbines light up at night across entire mountain ranges which were previously dark and undeveloped.

There has been no meaningful reduction in fossil fuel use per unit ever documented with wind energy, according to Wind-Watch.org. I have heard that wind energy output is as much as four times more expensive than traditional energy. Additionally, the longevity of these expensive, expansive wind turbines is dubious. The ultimate irony is that when the wind blows too much, the turbines must be locked down or they will blow apart. If the wind does not blow quite enough, they are still and useless (and always unsightly).

Some ski resorts claim to run on wind energy, but that does not mean they provide their own self-sufficient power plant with their turbine. Since wind energy cannot be stored, and is only effective in optimum wind speeds, ski areas sell their surplus of kilowatts when and if the wind blows, and they buy their power from the grid with those wind credits. As for the jobs created by wind-energy, those are largely our tax dollars spent on government subsidized grants and employment, many are overseas jobs. I will not even begin to dissect the health concerns for folks living within the shadows of these huge blades, the noise and the flicker effect, check out wind turbine health concerns on youtube.

The rest is here.

http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/specials/ski/blog/2012/03/sk...

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Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

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(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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