December 2017 Blog Posts (88)

There remains much to do in 2018. But the crony energies–those dependent on special government favor–are on notice that their time may be running short. Consumers and taxpayers come first in a free and prosperous commonwealth.

https://www.masterresource.org/trump-donald/energy-victories-2017-note/

One has to pay NOT to have these miserable meters.

CMP’s $200 million smart-grid communications network, designed to improve outage communications and storm recovery, failed the first full day into the storm.…

Yesterday, the Land Use Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny NextEra's request to expand the expedited wind area by 25000 acres to accommodate their proposed industrial wind farms (Moose and Alder Stream Wind) in western Somerset and Franklin counties. The denial is a huge setback for NextEra's bid for a 20 year renewable energy contract with MA as part of their MA Clean Energy RFP. NextEra will have to go through the legislature to get the EWA expansion. Given the solid opposition…

Most US economists do not worry about US trade deficits to a large degree. They claim trade imbalances are affected by a host of macroeconomic factors, including the relative economic growth rates of countries, the value of their currencies, and their saving and investment rates.

However, they often fail to acknowledge, US trade deficits could also be due to the US having negotiated bad trade agreements for decades, that enable “trading partners” to limit…

“The vast majority of the public have never been near the mountains so they have no real idea of the damage that wind farms can do the the landscape,” said Mr Gibson.....“There have already been too many windfarms constructed – or will be built – that have irrevocably damaged the landscape, or will do when they are constructed.”…

Fulfilling yet another campaign promise, the Trump administration has eliminated “climate change” from its list of national security threats, preferring instead to “embrace energy dominance.”

Trump Administration Removes ‘Climate Change’ from List of National Security Threats

In his Rose Garden speech in which he announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord,…

The most detrimental and insidious aspect of the the wind scheme IMHO is the loss of citizen rights and usurpation of local control and even state constitutional provisions w/o do process, as contrived by the wind industry, lobby, and politicians they own. If they can't win, they just change the laws with inside influence. The average citizen is in a serious fight to maintain their Constitutional RIGHTs, which the wind lobby works at  changing  for their benefit constantly,…

EXCERPTS:

Rather than divide communities, they said their projects improve the lives of all residents..........Landowners often overlook potential problems until it’s too late. Many who sign contracts can’t terminate the agreements, even if they later beg for relief from what they deem intolerable living conditions........Elected officials tasked with voting on these developments have, in many cases, signed their own contracts with the wind companies, raising…

Some of the more important articles in this issue are:

Six-Month Investigation: In the Shadow of Wind Projects

Peer-reviewed study: Why Wind Turbine Sounds are Annoying, and Why it Matters

Court Finds Wind Turbine Noise Exposure a ‘Pathway to Disease’

Are Big Wind Firms Actually “Subsidy Miners”?

Final US Tax Bill is favorable to Wind Energy

France: 1.2 to 3.3 million bats destroyed by wind turbines

Massachusetts Offshore Wind Project…

A pretty good pro and con article on the buildout of wind "farms" in the US and some of the problems they have caused. At least we are getting a sort of fair and balanced report. 

The only important paragraph in this whole article is this: 

" Today, more than 1,000 exist. Much of the growth has been funded by American taxpayers. BILLIONS of dollars in state and federal incentives have made wind farms so profitable that companies are racing to develop…

Presumably it will be valid if it is emailed by midnight and thus timestamped Dec 18.

Please take a few minutes and email any comments you have by tomorrow, Monday, December 18, 2017.

Maine Wind Energy Act Standards: Public Comment Deadline: Dec 18, 2017

Agency contact:…

Sad indeed.

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/final-tax-bill-amends-beat-provision-to-keep-ptc-and-itc-value#gs.E8si2wI

The safety setbacks from property lines have been increased from the existing standard of 1 ½ times the distance to the tip of the fully extended blade, to 1 ½ times the hub height plus rotor diameter.

The applicant must provide evidence of the project’s effect on electrical rates directly attributable to the project. The impact of any single generation source on electrical rates in Maine is a complex undertaking that requires sophisticated modeling and assumptions about future operation of the electrical grid, future energy mix and prices in the region, and a myriad of other factors. Importantly, in enacting the Wind Energy Act the Legislature made specific findings on the positive effect…