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:
