LongLine

Feel free to use anything I've written about those things Tom B. (LongLine)

Yes, an interesting article. The Europeans have admitted the cost from offshore turbines is much greater than onshore, but that doesn’t seem to deter NYPA as they obviously figure us taxpayers have all kinds of money to give them. I found it interesting that the article uses costs from mounting towers on steel pilings, yet current offshore farms off Denmark use huge concrete bases. (see previous posted video for how they are really constructed.) The NYPA request for proposal excludes water deeper than 150 ft. It’s very sad that the Governor and his Public Service Commission and the NYPA have not included energy efficiency nor conservation in their electric energy strategies. Tom B. (LongLine)

My response to the D&C Editorial on Friday: Shame on the proponents of wind turbines on Lake Ontario for not researching the limnology of the lake. The Rochester Embayment that the NYPA is targeting for turbines stretches from the Genesee River to Braddock’s’ to Pultneyville and is all mud & sand. It is classified by the US EPA as an impaired Class B Area of Concern. Dredging is restricted to run-off only as the sediments are heavily contaminated with heavy metals, phosphorous and algae. That’s why there are year round health advisories and we have beach closings during the summer. Excavation for transmission lines and turbines, that are much larger than their land based cousins, will liberate pollutants in the underlying sediments and the natural currents of Lake Ontario will carry them past Sodus, Fair Haven, Oswego, the Salmon River, Henderson and into the Thousand Islands. US Executive Order 13340 declared the Great Lakes a national treasure and a $7 billion/yr Sportfishing industry has developed due to the Federal, States and Canadian governments’ restoration of native species. Many communities along the shore depend upon fishing/tourism for economic survival. Look how popular boating & fishing has become locally out of Irondequoit Bay & the Genesee River. Transmission lines will be more disruptive to freshwater fish & aquatic life than other wildlife. The US Army Corps of Engineers is trying to prevent migration of the Asian Carp into the Great Lakes with electricity. Lines will fragment the habitat. The ecology is frail enough without underwater transmission lines. Turbines creating jobs is also bogus. Lowville just lost their state status for Empire Zoning because the state says they’re a “shirt-changer.†Additionally Lewis County is going to receive less than 25% of what was promised from the windfarm for their 2010 budget. Proponents of windfarms on Lake Ontario talk a good story but don’t realize how valuable the dwindling supply of the worlds freshwater is becoming during this era of climate change. Offshore windfarms on Lake Ontario are a major ecological mistake and it will be tragic if we let power companies, that weren’t allowed rights to Long Island Sound, pillage the treasures of Western and Upstate New York. Tom Bishop Rochester NY Let's see if they have the B@lls to print it. Feel free to copy paste any/all of it in letters to your local papers. If any of you can find links to specific plans i.e. " The XYZ construction copany will install XXX turbines in YYY FOW off ABC county for XXX money", PLEASE post them. Tom B. (LongLine)

Here's my letter: (feel free to copy/paste) I’m writing to inform you that I and many Lake Ontario fishermen, boaters, property owners & environmentally conscious citizens are totally against locating offshore windfarms along the shores in Lake Ontario for which the NY Power Authority is currently seeking proposals. From aesthetic, ecological, recreational, and economic viewpoints this is not a good area to install turbines. The Great Lakes were declared to be a national treasure (Presidential Exec. Order 13340 of May 18, 2004). They are a valuable freshwater resource that many governments, agencies, organizations and conservation groups have been trying to restore and protect, especially in this time of climate change that is seeing our freshwater ecology challenged and the world’s freshwater supply dwindle. 1. Aesthetically: Windmills will be a clearly visible eyesore from all points on the south shore and higher buildings inland. There will be no hills or trees to hide them. Offshore windmills are larger than their land based cousins and will fill the 50 to 150 Ft of water band along the south and eastern shores. NYPA is seeking proposal for the construction of up to 500 Megawatts of electrical production. This will require 1,250 turbines rated for 1.6 MW each which operate at a typical 25% efficiency, worldwide. Rochester has plans to develop the harbor area for recreational purposes; Oswego and the Salmon River area have already become well known for their recreational activities especially the world class fishing and hatcheries there. 2. Ecologically: The Rochester Embayment extends from Braddock’s Bay to Pultneyville from the shoreline out to over 200 ft of water. It has a thick sand and mud bottom due to thousands of years or erosion and is listed as a Class B Area of Concern by the U.S. EPA due to the sediments containing very high levels of heavy metals and phosphorous. Impairments listed by the USEPA include: restricted dredging; degradation of benthos; loss of fish and wildlife habitat; and beach closings, among others. Foundations for offshore turbines are much larger than land based units as they also have to withstand water currents and wave action. Excavation for installation and decommissioning, (after only a 20 years life expectancy) offshore turbine towers and transmission lines will disrupt heavily polluted sediments that have settled to the bottom and are beginning to be covered by cleaner sediments from the last few years. The underwater currents and the natural gyre that travels from West to East in Lake Ontario will carry liberated pollutants and impair areas all along the southern shore and into the Thousand Islands. Every aquatic life form in the Great Lakes is dependent upon the nearshore environment at some stage in their life, whether it’s zooplankton, prey or game fish. It is a very frail ecology, especially with the recent colonization of that zone by invasive species such as Zebra & Quagga mussels. Turbine foundations, interconnection and transmission lines will cause aquatic habitat fragmentation and disrupt nesting sites. Studies have shown that fish can sense and are affected by electromagnetic fields. The US Army Corps of Engineers is trying to stop another invasive species (Asian carp) from entering the Great Lakes at the Chicago Sanitary Canal with electricity. Avian fatalities are also a major concern. Especially for migratory birds and water fowl that have established routes through the area to resting places such as at Braddock’s Bay, Irondequoit Bay, wetlands in the area, and even the Montezuma Wildlife Preserve. 3. Recreationally: Boating collisions occur every year. The sought after proposal will add over 1000 more nautical obstacles for all types of watercraft. Government agencies will create exclusion zones around the turbines and transmission lines for reasons of safety and national security. This will greatly reduce and partition the area where boaters and fishermen frequent. 4. Economically: Effort by the Great Lakes states, US and Canadian governments and their agencies to restore fish populations and habitat has put money into the local economies. It has lead to the establishment of a documented $7 Billion/year Sportfishing industry on the Great Lakes. Windfarms will diminish this. The Lowville windfarm is currently entering a legal battle with NYS as it was recently classified as a “shirt-changer.†Flat Rock/Maple Ridge did not create the additional jobs that its proponents claimed it would. Lewis County is only going to receive 25% of what of was projected for its 2010 budget from that windfarm project. The view of the lake will be ruined and property taxes will be lost as values of the most valuable residential properties in the area will go down. People do not want to live with windmills in view, unless they are getting easement monies for turbines on their land. Individuals will not get easement money if the turbines are located offshore. Electricity generated by wind is more expensive than other means due to construction, maintenance and transmission: The Long Island PA (headed by Mr. Kessel) terminated the proposal for only 40 turbines in the Long Island Sound when they found out that re-bid construction costs would exceed initial estimates by $114M. Access issues for servicing turbines will contribute to increased expenses of electricity. The waves on Lake Ontario are much steeper than on the Baltic where they acknowledge access issues with wave heights above 1 meter. (We have that frequently.) Additionally, although Lake Ontario doesn’t generally freeze over, the Welland Canal and the St Lawrence Seaway are closed over the winter and ports such as the Genesee River and Oswego do freeze over. Site choices are based on average yearly wind speed and the day to day and even hourly winds are ignored. Lake Ontario sailors know how the winds suddenly changes in these areas. Brownouts & surges will become more frequent & severe as the area becomes more dependent on technology that is based upon our unpredictable weather. I.E. “Lake effectâ€. (Worldwide, without Lake effect, they only operate at 20-25% of name plate capacity.) I urge you to say “NO†to windfarms on Lake Ontario. Although proponents claim “green†w.r.t. air, they casually brush off issues with water. Lake Ontario is too valuable a freshwater resource to risk. Thank you, As I said, feel free to copy/paste, Tom B. (LongLine)

Here's an interesting site with a video of the construction of the 72 turbine Nysted offshore farm in Denmark. http://www.dongenergy.com/Nysted/EN/Abo ... ction.aspx Tom B. (LongLine) Can you say “pollution�