HERE IS THE STRAIGHT FACTS AND MATH.
All of the impacts that were on the table in this meeting were as follows: environmental, all marine life, skyline visibility and overall aesthetics (which no one wants to see when looking out at the ocean), taxpayer costs, maintenance, hurricane damage and noise.
The deck was stacked early at the meeting in Ocean City Maryland as they strategically loaded their speakers early for the first three hours so locals wouldn't have a chance to speak.
They were trying to convince us that we need to go green now, as if we are all against it, attempting and trying to create two sides, pro and con.
The fanatical environmentalist (not the real environmentalist) stated we are in a catastrophic crisis and we should just do it anyway at the expense of anything and everything to save us from drastic climate change saving our children and grand children's futures.
They insisted that turbines must be approved now, even 10 miles offshore and in plain view to save the future generations and Ocean City.
The argument was made that water levels are rising and Ocean City will be under water any day now if we don't approve this now.
One person said he would love to see them bigger, the bigger the better even if they are in his back yard.
Most of those people making those statements not only are not from the Eastern Shore, they're not even from Maryland.
The others that were a part of the stacked deck said they were for it as they all had a financial gain to make.
One ironic thing is the one gentleman making these claims left right after his cataclysmic climate change speech to drive back to where he's from and left his trash on the floor beside his seat.
Some people are even pushing to just vote for it now as it is politically charged to go green without educating themselves of all green options available.
SUMMARY
-We are all for all forms of green energy. There wasn't one person there against that statement.
-We need to reduce our carbon footprint. However, we need to apply which green energy option makes the most sense to achieve our goals. (All the gains with the least impacts)
-The truth is that the ocean is rising at 3 mm per year, per NOAA. -After several years of these measurements, it became apparent that the rate of rise in the global mean sea level (GMSL) deduced from satellite measurements averaging more than 3 mm/yr per NOAA's navigation charts are the elevations.
-We can utilize each form of green energy and simply pick one that best suits each situation.
-The turbine proposal is permitted to use 73 square miles of space or 46,595 acres.
-We heard 120 megawatts (MW) was to be installed. However, the math adds up differently to thirty two, 853 ft tall 12 MW turbines which equals 384 MW!
-We heard that they were going to be installed at 12 miles, 19 miles and then 26 miles but their permit says they can install them as close as 10 miles off shore as that is Federal water. Which is it? At 26 miles the turbine would look like the tip of your thumb. At 10 miles it will look like your entire finger.
-It was even stated that once they get past these hearings Marylander's don't even have a say as it will get approved anyway. It's out of our jurisdiction and in Federal waters.
BOTTOM LINE
-We all want to go green.
-We all don't want global warming.
-We all wants all forms of green energy.
-No one wants to see it from land.
-No one wants the negative impacts.
OPTIONAL SOLUTION.
-Would it make sense to still achieve the same MW generation with ZERO potential impact from above??
-Achieve all of the positive impacts and address all the concerns of everyone except those who stand to benefit financially
-Going green.
-Less Global Warming
-Skyline preserved.
-Saving the marine life.
-Saving the fisherman.
-Greencoast.org -Solar Farm Acres per Megawatt
For example, for a 1 MW solar power plant installation, the solar farm land requirements would be around 4 acres, when using a crystalline technology. When we use thin-film technology, a 1MW plant will require an average of 4.5 to 5 acres of land.
-Do the math. 384 MW times five acres equals 1,920 acres.
-You can install a complete operational 384 MW solar farm in under 2,000 acres, (not 46,595 acres), 3.13 square miles not 73 square miles. (The turbine site is over 23 times larger than a solar site)
FINAL ANALYSIS.
-We are all for wind. However, if they can't move it beyond the impacts of the shore line where it is not visible and work to resolve the additional issues, then it's not the correct green energy option.
-Solar would be the better solution and achieve the same output without any of the impacts/concerns in everyone's testimony.
Keep in mind, it is an Italian company who is doing this project but they call themselves US Energy.
Who's benefiting from the energy???
There were people from New Jersey who came to the meeting and said, if you don't think it will visibly impact Ocean City, come to our back yard and see for yourself.
After 6 hours of testimony, no one came up with another solution which we have provided here with FACTS.
Bottom line, The Mayor and Council of Ocean City, Marybeth Carozza, Wayne Hartman and Andy Harris firmly agree with the following, We are all for wind. However, if they can't move it beyond the impacts of the shore line where it is not visible and work to resolve the additional issues, then it's not the correct green energy option.
So I must ask, what politicians are lining their pockets on this project?
The cost to create the same MW project in solar would be five hundred million dollars, including the cost of the land.
The wind turbine project proposed will cost taxpayers over TWO BILLION dollars.
But a spokeswoman said the panel has the authority to rescind or amend its order granting the wind farms ratepayer subsidies — money that is key to financing projects that together will cost more than $2 billion.
So I ask, why on God's Green Earth are we even considering wind turbines?
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So I must ask, what politicians are lining their pockets on this project?
The cost to create the same MW project in solar would be five hundred million dollars, including the cost of the land.
The wind turbine project proposed will cost taxpayers over TWO BILLION dollars.
But a spokeswoman said the panel has the authority to rescind or amend its order granting the wind farms ratepayer subsidies — money that is key to financing projects that together will cost more than $2 billion.
So I ask, why on God's Green Earth are we even considering wind turbines?
Other SBYNews related stories:
55 comments:
bingo! it's never been about saving the planet! It always about the cash! the only thing green about this fiasco is the dollars that will be taken from maryland residents and deposited in a few people pockets including damn near every crooked democrat politician they can find! and you the rate payer will take it up the ass as usual!
STICK them in front of Dems houses.
Somerset County citizens learned years ago the environmental and economic damage placing wind turbines in their county would bring. Fortunately, even though County Commissioners, Danny Thompson with Economic Development, and Senator James Mathias supported it along with all state agencies, it was by the efforts of hard-working locals, Congressman Harris, and representatives from Patuxant Naval Air Station, they were able to stop its construction.
When locals had their day in Annapolis, the wind company paid scores of nonlocals to testify in favor of it making it seem like locals were for it.
Nobody is emphasizing the fishing impact and the unnecessary death of birds caused by turbines. Those things matter just as much.
It would be one thing if the energy companies were paying for this out of their own pockets. Unfortunately, there are millions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies necessary to make this happen. Wind power would be nice if it could pay for itself but in this case it does not. Why send good money down a rat hole for nothing?
Some liberal tyrants from across the bridge appointed their cronies the bureaucrats who rule over us. So much for "democracy".
These meetings serve only to give the appearance that others have input and weight to the decisions, fact is they'll do what they want anyway, md government has been applying these theatrics for years. The only way to stop these theft schemes is to bring accountability, punishment for those pushing and supporting them.
Hey Joe,
Please repost the story about the windmill here on Delmarva that was decommissioned after about 10 years because it was too expensive to restore it.
Without subsidies and tax credits, most of these green technologies are not economically viable. The promoters get the booty up front and are long gone afterwards, leaving Joe Taxpayer holding the bag.
The Public Service Commission could stop all this but the Governor really does not have control over this entity even though he should. Whatever they want they get because the Governorn is not knowledgeable on this subject and relies on others. Guess who controls the others?
$$$$$$$!!
ALL Politics revolve around whats in it for me? DAMN - its 2020, you cant tell me there is NO way to follow the money. The FBI and Law Enforcement have experts on Auditing. Every freaking politician should have microscopes up their anus and as a tax payer, they should have to account for every Million Dollar they have.
Let’s consider the fact that without millions of dollars of tax money none of the green energy scams would survive. We can argue esthetics and the detrimental impact of such projects, however the bottom line is look for the source of revenue promoting and sustaining them.
Once again it seems to be a fool’s errand to think that we (mankind) have the ability to modify or change the climate by disregarding that the Creator just may be in control of what is happenw and what will happen.
GO NUCLEAR
I’m honestly not being confrontational but...who cares if you can see them from land? Big deal. You see ships, buoys, piers..etc. I just don’t understand why it’s such a big deal that they are visible. If they save money and energy, who cares if you can see them?
These folks representing the windmill companies are just not trustworthy. They lied to the good people of Somerset county a few years ago but the folks were smart enough to just reject the whole project. They will say anything to get approval of their plan. According to them Somerset would be in bankruptcy by now if the windmill project didn't get approved and collect their tax money. Well we are doing just fine without them. I just saw that the county has a surplus again this year. Don't believe what they say, believe your own research.
real reason is its expensive, wont produce enough for the cost, and costs way too much to maintain lets look at the real reasons
749 I'm still curious exactly how this is supposed to negatively impact fishing. I keep hearing the claim but not getting the info. Serious question.
10:50, The pounding into the ocean floor for 32 bases for the windmills. Then there's the throwing off the sonar for whales, dolphins and so forth. Mind you, I'm a bit surprised you are only concentrating on the fishing end of this. There are so many additional negative reasons as to why these shouldn't be constructed. While the liberal party slams these projects down taxpayers throats, why are they ignoring the FACT that the lubricants by the barrel load must be purchased from the Italian company and not any other source at whatever rate they so choose. Why are liberals not paying any attention at the power companies being forced to purchase ALL of the energy produced at a 400% increase over other sources of green energy? Governor O'Maley screwed Marylander's on this project and it needs to be stopped in its tracks immediately. WHY aren't our elected officials who claim they are against this exposing the negative impacts of this to their constituents? Keep in mind, if the power companies are being forced to buy the power at a 400% increase, WHAT TE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT? Use your heads people.
As I recall this subject got over a thousand comments when they were pushing this down the throats of the people of Somerset county. That was probably a record for this site. Bottom line is Somerset rejected the boondoggle project and rightly so.
We can argue back and forth all day about this and any other "green" options designed to reduce our carbon footprint and it will make no difference. The reason it will make no difference is because no matter what we do to "save the world" for our children and grandchildren, it will not be enough. The reason it will not be enough is because even if we were magically able to completely eliminate the USA's entire carbon footprint, it will have no effect. Remember, the environment encompasses the globe. The sad fact is any and all of our efforts will be completely negated by the massive carbon footprint being stamped upon the world as we know it by India and China. We should first focus our efforts on applying political pressure designed to force those nations to clean up there S*#t! Literally! We need grass roots campaigns designed to educate the people of those nations because their own governments continue to keep them in the dark thus denying them the knowledge which would prompt them to apply their own pressure on their own government. Being able to see a wind turbine off the coast of Ocean City while laying on the beach enjoying vacation should be the least of our concerns.
Environmental fixes are just the first step in a long journey. Unless , like gun fanatics, you are unwilling to see
How come everybody wants green energy and then condemns the process? How come nobody wants to talk about HYDRO POWER? This was tested in the 1960's by the Navy and nothing came about, since it was so efficient but the electric companies would be put out of business. HYDRO POWER is produced by the movement of the waves in the ocean. Everything is on the oceans floor and not visible and creating no harmful noise for aquatic life.
What REALLY matters is if there is a platform big enough to fish off of.All I need is enough space to put my bait & tackle & a good place to sit down.After I've filled up my cooler I'd contact my water uber & head back to OC.
9:21 you can thank your elected government for that. A shift to renewable energy sources means no more trading American blood for oil in the middle east, no dependence on foreign governments. The government has and will continue to favor oil giants because they are invested in their futures personally. It's all profit, profit, profit.
Wake me up when these idiots come up with a viable option for going green!! This is merely another Annapolis money grab and they've finally got two local idiot mayor's in Meehan and Day that will blinded open up our once treasured natural resources to be defiled
No windmills!!!! This would be a huge mistake! I’ve seen other landscapes ruined by these monstrosities!
11:44, Worry about your concerns AFTER you and everyone else stop this windmill project. Your type always want to misdirect attention away from the important topic at hand. Everyone needs to rally together and stop this project immediately as it is an farce on the good paying taxpayers of Maryland. FORGET the view from the beach. It's a financial scam right out of the gate and THAT is what needs to be addressed.
The governor is not knowledgeable on any subject
Remember just like the climate control activists only a handfull get rich off this and all of us pay more because of it.
Put them off Cape Cod.
Talk to people who live near them in West Virginia.
They are an eyesore on the landscape and the constant noise and vibration have caused people health problems. It's bad for tourism both here and in mountainous regions of this country where people go to escape and be a part of nature. Wind turbines need constant upkeep and repair to keep them running. The bearings wear out quickly and in the salt air I am sure it will have to be maintained constantly to keep them running efficiently. I don't think they are putting them far enough off the coast. It's going to be an eyesore and will disrupt the ocean floor and destroy wildlife in the process. I'm all for other alternative energies like wave and solar as well as old fashioned hydroelectric from waterfalls. There are other ideas of putting orbiting satellites to harvest solar energy and beam it to earth to collectors on the ground. This is already in place in Nevada right now.
Maybe I'm just oversimplifying things so pardon me. Why don't they simply move the site slightly south off of Assateague or even off VA eastern shore? Why don't the public utilities administration simply put a legal cap on the cost of electricity from this project so that the company can't hose consumers in order to meet any unexpected expenses. Allow the company to take this regulation into consideration and then they decide whether they want to move forward. Moving south will likely also take the site out of shipping lanes for the charter captains going off shore. That takes care of the major cost and interruption of commerce issues. Folks worried about fish and dolphins all of a sudden should actually consult the research before spouting off.
https://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/columnists/frank-keating-i-signed-wind-industry-tax-breaks-and-i/article_3d48e13b-a64e-53e6-a53a-b12c932dea80.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdpyPa83IIw
Owened By a Italian Company But Call theirselves US ENERGY ! Bingo ! ... ENOUGH SAID !
Can't understand why you would want to put them off the shore of ocean City and jeopardize the two thing the city depends on, it's fishing industry and overall tourism. I personally wouldn't want to spend thousands of dollars on a summer vacation to relax on the beaches staring out at this garbage.
Can anyone PROVE that global warming/climate change exists? Hello NO you can't. This has been a LYING set up for Many years and it has become a CULT...Much of the, so called, tests were fabricated, distorted and deceptive. We the people were NOT getting Truth from these Globalists and they knew it. Bottom line...they want OUR Dollars and want to completely CONTROL us in our energy sector, housing, food, clothing we wear and so much more. Kick these idiots out of our region and Never let them back on our soil (or in our waters) Are you awake yet???
Love Keating. Able to admit a mistake and apologize. People should listen to him.
All the uneducated need to do is search Ocotillo wind turbine destruction on FB and and Arkwright NY on google to see the reality and the lies.
They are just 2 examples of communities screwed over by the wind scam.
its very costly to build and maintain them. The eyesore is bad enough but its about the costs to the taxpayers. Follow the money, who is going to be getting big donations and paydays out of it? Fake Day is all for it.
Without enormous subsidies, and mandated 'green' purchases by utilities very few windmills or acres of solar projects would be built. Existing customers will be gouged to offset the financial inefficiencies of these albatrosses.
The speculators behind these things have no realistic plan to maintain them or to pay for their dismantling when they fail. The failed windmill in Wye Mills was modest in size but repairs would have far exceeded the value of the 'savings' it generated so it was scrapped, at additional expense.
I understand the North Sea is littered with abandoned windmills. Let's learn from that.
In closing, there is nothing inherently good or bad about wind or solar as adjuncts but projects need to stand or fall on their financial merits, as well as technical merits. More nuclear is actually the best answer to meet our ever burgeoning electrical usage demands.
Turbines wreck havoc on military and weather radar. This patch of Ocean is in close proximity to our nations capital. Filling it with turbines would provide cover for our enemies.
Tracking Atlantic storms keeps people safe, why are wind turbines even being considered. One named storms will take them out.
Solar is cost effective long term.
Want to talk real eyesores? How bout Rickies painted water towers all throughout our town? Cost for painting and repainting is costly. Advertising generates $$$$, we all get that. Know what else is costly in our town...when repaving takes place on coastal highway and to cut costs (time) manhole and other electrical covers are paved over and OC DPW then comes in and rips up the mistakes. Another eyesore? That damn fence down coastal highway to save drunks from playing frogger out front of Leyton's bar. People still crawl under or over it during the summer. Newer ideas from locals AND owners need to be heard and recognized. Yes Rickie, owners who don't live here under OC's exact definition of year round also pay taxes too. Your lucky they cannot vote....under current rules. Windmills boobies and downtown parking meters are the only things important to City Fail. They generate crappy publicity and little return on investment.
Sad but true.
Gun fanatics understand that guns are the only thing that will keep this country free and unlike the countries not allowed to voice there opinions on a site like this.
11:58 Don't you know how much hydro-electric dams pollute? Look at all that pollution going into the Chesapeake Bay from the Conowingo Dam. They are huge polluters. Lol
Wind mills are e VERY expensive fix for as non existent problem.
1113
Thank you
11:58 Don't you know how much hydro-electric dams pollute? Look at all that pollution going into the Chesapeake Bay from the Conowingo Dam. They are huge polluters. Lol
January 22, 2020 at 2:58 PM
Oh come on now you know that dam has nothing to do the pollution, its all the Eastern shore chicken farmers that have been harming and destroying the bay for years. Never mind all the pollution that Baltimore throws in there from the waste water etc. (i was being sarcastic) in actuality you are spot on between Baltimore and the dam and coming from Pa & NY down the Susquanna.....
I don't understand why people get sucked in to the false narrative.
There is NO NEED for wind turbines to generate electricity as they DO NOT reduce CO2.
There is NO NEED to reduce CO2 as is has a minuscule effect on the climate, and the man made contribution is even smaller.
The "Warming" of the earth is natural and has been occurring for about 300 years.
Building wind turbines will not have ANY effect on this natural phenomenon.
Mars is also warming, will the wind turbines cool Mars?
January 26, 2020 at 9:40 AM:
"not understanding" is usually a result of a lack of education or knowledge. Also, having a closed mind will keep one from "understanding."
I have a question, as I don’t know anything about these things. Who takes care of it when it breaks? What happens when it reaches its end of use? What chemicals are needed to keep it operational? How does the presences of these things, along with all their maintenance effect the environment? I’m guessing these are questions that the company proposing this really don’t have good answers for. As far as I have learned, solar is much safer, cheaper and more readily accessible. Also, if these things are moved out to sea further, wouldn’t the energy they produce cost more? If it costs more, is solar cheaper?
11:32
Cite something in the comment that is wrong please.
Oh yeah that conawingo dam is a beautiful thing no pollution or Environmental damage with that.🙄🤣🤣🤣
AND THE MARYLAND TAXPAYER IS GOING TO FUND IT, PAY FOR IT IN THEIR BILL, BEACSUE THE STATE WILL MANDATE DELMARVA POWER CHARGE FOR IT IN SUPPLY, AND SOMEONE ELSE WILL MAKE MONEY ON IT, NOT IN md
January 26, 2020 at 12:57 PM:
Why does someone like you. who knows nothing, need to know? You say you have a question, then ask four questions, not one. Not one minute of a hearing should be wasted on such meaningless questions. They say there are no stupid questions, but in your case I will make an exception.
January 26, 2020 at 1:08 PM:
How about there is not a truthful comment on the list, that is backed up by science or empirical evidence. Nothing that he says has any validity. Nothing but opinion and conjecture. That's all it is. You're welcome.
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