EffieRover's blog

Bethany Open House passes without incident

Thu, 17 May 2007 12:07:16 -0400

(Disclaimer: I speak for myself in this op-ed article, not anyone else).

The Bethany Open House passed without incident last night. Very few residents showed up to view the available report, so there are many copies left at the Town Hall (hint, hint, go get one while they're free).

TAXES

I will say I was unhappy with the cover letter that accompanied the reports last night -- it listed the tax inflation over the next twenty years as being 50%. Well, sure, but due to inflation EVERYTHING will go up 50% over the next twenty years. That does not necessarily mean that we need turbines to survive.

Passed the 50-user mark

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 10:54:01 -0500

I am pleased to see that the LINY network has just passed the mark of 50 registered users. Since the average user-to-reader ration is 1:100, that puts us at about 5,000 readers. I am delighted!

I hope you're finding some good facts and interesting discussion re:wind power generation. If you're lurking here, feel free to sign up for an account so that you can subscribe to a thread or topic and be sent an email whenever an update is posted. While you may occasionally get an email from the leader of any group you subscribe to, I promise you will get no spam.

ORC Macro just called ... do you like wind power?

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:47:13 -0500

Interestingly enough, I just got a call from a NYC-based survey company called ORC Macro. They wanted to know if I supported wind energy generation facilities in my town. I was only allowed to answer if I was a registered voter, so that makes me think that maybe one of the candidates is feeling out the issue.

Anyway, questions...

How familiar are you with wind generation facilities and plans for your town?

Nearby town files letter of protest

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 13:09:03 -0400

I am posting this link here even though it's not NYS because it is an interesting legal precedent. I have not seen this before.

In short, a town which does not want wind turbines is filing a protest against surrounding towns, demanding that turbines be at least 1.5 miles from the border. Very interesting.

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/10/12/news/doc452db74f895a3575662579.txt

Sheldon's Turbines are HERE

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:09:10 -0400

As I stood in my living room, talking to my family about something else, I saw a long, white, cylindrical object fly down the road in front of my home.

I jumped to my feet.

"Holy crap! That's a turbine tower section!" I almost yelled at my husband. We discussed it for a bit, couldn't figure out where on earth they would be heading that had already approved the monsters (at least in that direction) and decided it must be a cell or water tower section instead.

Fruit of the Spirit

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 13:54:30 -0400

The sermon at our church this week was on the 'fruit of the Spirit': love; joy; peace; patience; kindness; goodness; faithfulness; gentleness; self-control. As I listened to the words, I couldn't help but think of the wind turbine meetings I've attended. None of these qualities are practiced or present in these meetings and I think that, more than anything else, is tearing the towns apart.

We need a little love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control at these meetings. We really do.

Kindly do your research

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 14:43:29 -0400

When I first heard that wind turbines were heading for Genesee County, I was thrilled. Understand, I am a card-carrying member of Greenpeace, the WWF; and I "own" a small patch of rainforest and a whale through environmental groups. I drive a gas-electric hybrid because it is environmentally responsible. Clean, safe, renewable energy and the preservation of our planet is a goal I've had long before I'd ever heard of UPC, Invenergy or Horizon.

Emptying Out

Thu, 13 Oct 2005 15:19:14 -0400

The Alexander Fireman's Rec Hall emptied both physically and emotionally Thursday night in an absurd informational meeting. I found it distressing on so many levels, I can hardly begin to deal with it.

Let's start with with my brief role as insider on Sunday, when I got a call just hours before a Concerned Citizen's meeting and was asked to attend and collaborate on the format of an upcoming informational meeting as well as to present on that occasion. I arrived at Sandra's house with notes, photos, ideas and some degree of excitement. I know that this group is a closed, select one. They have rejected others who wanted to help – it was for this very reason that I had never tried. I was invited to work with the elite anti-turbine group!

We Need to Look at Facts, Not Opinions

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 09:42:24 -0400

As a wind power proponent and safety advocate, I'm getting really aggravated by folks on BOTH sides of the debate. It's time we started looking at facts, not someone who's "never heard" (read: never bothered to research) problems on the other side of their opinion.

Wind power will NOT significantly reduce our need for foreign oil. Wind power supplies electricity and only about 2% of our national need for oil is used to produce electricity. The vast majority of it goes into our cars. Add China to the picture and this will not significantly help the war or the price of oil.

You blew it, Mr. Swartley

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 12:44:51 -0400

I normally give people the benefit of the doubt until they do something that makes me see otherwise. I gave Chris Swartley a good deal of rope because he's in a tough spot (I wouldn't want to be there!), but boy did he blow it last week. The letter to the editor that he submitted to the Daily had a series of really interesting and debatable statements -- but my favorite was his dismissal of the flicker effect.

Daily Gets Cute; Misses Facts Entirely

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:53:06 -0400

Following is a letter sent to the Daily News. I have addressed these points in various comments (replies) to other articles, but here they are en masse and organized.

In all the years I have lived here (14), I have never seen the Daily produce a complete, accurate story regarding any event I attended first-hand. Be it misprinting numbers, losing or replacing names or just failing to report on the most newsworthy events which happened, I have never seen the attention to detail that should be the reporter's hallmark. The headline Bethany story last Friday was no exception.

Thoughts on the UPC Wind Meeting

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 12:46:05 -0400

I don't have time to write the full response I'd like to, but here is a summary of some of the things that I picked up at Thursday night's UPC wind meeting.

- The proposal is for approximately 40 towers of 450' total height. They must find enough landowners and enough safe land (away from residences, permanent barns, etc) to place at least 30 for the project to go ahead.

- The turbine proposed is GE's 3.0MW turbine, a new model that has not even been deployed in testing yet. They are trying to estimate data on blade speed, ice throw, footer depth and so on by multiplying out current models to that height and capacity. Here is a link to GE's page on their 3.6 MW. http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/wind_turbines/en/36mw There is currently no page for a 3.0 MW turbine.

It used to be beautiful

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 02:50:28 -0400

I drove down to Arcade this week, so I decided to stop by the wind farm in Wethersfield on the way back. My family and I have been there before, in the evening, and it was strangely pretty.

Standing almost directly under them, I was tempted to take a photo -- me and my gas/electric hybrid car under a bank of wind turbines -- that's got to be worth money to someone :) But, alas, I forgot the camera.

Visiting with mom...

Sat, 18 Jun 2005 10:36:37 -0400

I visited with my parents last night (they live in Lockport). My mom doesn't understand my opposition to the windmills. After some discussion, it turns out she thought we'd be getting our electricity for free or at very, very low cost. Bzzzzt, wrong. That is the point at which she puts her foot down and says 'no.'

It is an interesting point of view ... would you put wind turbines in your area if you could get the electricity for free? I wouldn't, knowing what I do about chinese water torture.

Chinese Water Torture

Fri, 17 Jun 2005 12:18:16 -0400

I was talking to my husband the other night about some of the health studies in the UK, where wind turbines have been up for some time.