Better Plan, Wisconsin

From Texas

ANOTHER WIND TURBINE SPARKS UP SOUTHWEST ABILINE

By Denise Blaz

SOURCE: Abilene Reporter-News, www.reporternews.com 

October 3, 2011 

“I would gather that the turbine was spraying out debris up to three football fields,

Energy officials say they are taking down a charred 260-foot wind turbine to determine the cause of a fire that began Sunday evening in a rural area west of U.S. 277 and County Road 618, the second turbine blaze to hit the area in the past six weeks.

Sunday’s fire occurred less than a five-minute walk from the country home of state Rep. Susan King.

In an interview with the Reporter-News, King said the fire lit up “like the Paramount sign,” and was akin to a “Roman candle, with balls of fire flying out and onto the ground.”

She said she and her husband, Dr. Austin King, were just about to return to Abilene around 10:30 p.m. that night when they saw the fire erupt and reported it to authorities.

Volunteer firefighters from the Elm Creek Citizens Association, Buffalo Gap and View worked to put out the blaze, which fire officials said sparked a grass fire.

The fire on the wind turbine itself was not able to be extinguished because of its height, said ECCA Fire Chief Gary Young.

Young said firefighters faced hazardous conditions as the turbine began scattering debris on the ground.

“I would gather that the turbine was spraying out debris up to three football fields,” Young said. “Especially in an area like that, it was challenging because of the rough terrain. By nature, those are not good conditions for a fire.”

Young said fire crews remained on the scene until 4 a.m. to ensure that no flare-ups would occur under cedar trees, which are known to build a carpet of needles on the ground.

The fire is the second in the past six weeks in the Callahan Divide wind farm, which contains 74 turbines.

A previous blaze was reported Aug. 25 in the same area.

A spokesman for NextEra Energy, the company that owns the turbines, called the fires unusual.

“We have had two fires in a relatively short period of time,” said Steve Stengel, the NextEra representative. “Fires of this nature are very unusual. This week we expect to have a crane at the facility to take down the turbines to try to finalize things.”

Stengel said that after the turbines are down, the company will be able to complete an investigation as to the cause of the fires.

The rest of the site, Stengel said, continues to operate.

He said on-site technicians regularly maintain the turbines.

The Callahan Divide Wind Energy Center went into service in 2005 and operates on a 6,000-acre site in Taylor County, roughly 12 miles southwest of Abilene.

ONTARIO WIND POWER FACES TEST OVER PROPERTY VALUES

by Dave Seglins and John Nicol,

SOURCE CBC News, www.cbc.ca

October 4, 2011 

Ontario’s wind power strategy will go under the microscope Tuesday in Eastern Ontario in what could be a precedent-setting case over the impact wind farms have on local property values.

Edward and Gail Kenney, retired civil servants who’ve lived on Wolfe Island for 48 years, are appealing their property tax assessments, set at $357,000, arguing that the 86 wind turbines erected around their home have driven down their property values and should be acknowledged in their tax bills.

“We figure we’ve lost 40 to 50 per cent of the value of these places,” Edward Kenney told CBC News as he looked out at the stands of turbines installed several years ago, some within 400 metres of his home — a distance no longer allowed by the Ontario’s environmental regulations.

The municipality of Frontenac Islands is fiercely contesting the case, fearing that if the Kenneys are successful it could have far reaching effects on tax revenues for the small, largely rural, lakeside community of just 1,300 people.

Tax officials watching case closely

In fact, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), a Crown corporation in charge of assigning values to properties for tax purposes, has twice offered to settle the case.

And though the Kenneys would welcome the end of this costly 30-month battle in front of Ontario’s Assessment Review Board (ARB), MPAC and the municipality insist on making no reference to the wind turbines as a factor in offering the deal.

Because of that insistence, the Kenneys are prepared to stand up without legal representation against the lawyers for the other side, solely on principle of the public’s right to know.

“In this small community,” said Edward, 72, who built the house there in 1965, “we’ve had enough of the secrecy, and the divisions it has caused, and we won’t have any part of that.”

Added his wife Gail: “The people affected by these turbines have the right to know.”

The Kenneys argue that there have been virtually no real estate sales in the last three years near the turbines on Wolfe Island.

“And the three that have been sold,” said Edward, “had been advertised for long periods of time and they sold at sizeable losses.”

The debate comes down to competing experts.

“There is no negative impact on property value, by virtue of the proximity to wind turbines,” argues Tony Fleming, lawyer for Frontenac Islands, which commissioned a consultant’s report by a certified real estate appraiser, Rayner & Associates. It concludes that based on existing sales data and comparisons of various properties on the island “the wind farm has had no measurable impact on value…over the last four years.”

Edward Kenney said he doesn’t think much of the report. “What other issues do we have? The turbines are our issue.”

Rose McLean, director of legal and policy support for MPAC, acknowledges this case could prove to be an important precedent. Though MPAC is studying the issue, she says “there is no evidence across the province that wind turbines drive down local property values.”

McLean says there’ve simply been too few sales of properties adjacent to wind farm turbines for MPAC to change its policy. Currently assessors are directed to deny any appeals or ‘requests for reconsideration.’

“There are not a lot of sales across the province of properties right next to turbines,” says McLean, “Less than 20 in the whole province, if my memory serves. So there’s not a lot of evidence yet one way or another.

“We’d certainly welcome some guidance on this (from the ARB).”

Only one tax reduction so far

To date, only one property owner in Ontario has had their tax assessment reduced due to wind turbine issues. It was in Melancthon, northwest of Toronto, home to 133 turbines in Ontario’s first and largest scale industrial wind farm. In that case a property adjacent to a transformer suffered consistent noise problems.

The only property owners close to turbines routinely enjoying a property increase are those who’ve leased lands to host the turbines themselves. The revenue from those lease agreements have added value to those properties as the turbines provide an annual source of income.

Edward Kenney, though, rues the fact the turbines have created a divided countryside — those for the turbines, who benefit financially, and those who suffer the noise and other negative effects.

The Kenneys’ appeal — along with an appeal by a second property owner in Amaranth (close to the Melancthon wind farm) — could have far reaching implications for municipal tax coffers in communities hosting wind farms if landowners are granted cuts to their taxes.

NOTE: The World Health Organization has set 35 dbA as the decibel level for healthy sleep. Each increase of 10 decibels doubles the noise output.

From New York State

NOISE FROM HERKIMER CO. WIND TURBINES TO BE STUDIED AGAIN

By BRYON ACKERMAN,

Observer-Dispatch, www.uticaod.com

October 3, 2011

For the second time this year, a study will be conducted to address concerns about sound levels at the Hardscrabble Wind Farm.

After 37 turbines began operating on Jan. 31 in the Herkimer County towns of Fairfield and Norway, some residents started complaining about the turbines producing too much noise.

A study conducted earlier this year found that the noise level in some instances went above the 50-decibel level required in the permits for the turbines, Fairfield town Supervisor Richard Souza said.

Another, more extensive study will be conducted starting in late October or early November, Souza said.

“We’ll have a better idea of what the noise level is, and we’ll be able to sit down with the company and get it corrected,” he said.

The wind project developer Iberdrola Renewables paid for the first study to be conducted earlier this year at the request of town officials and landowners. The second study also will be paid for by the developer, town and company officials said.

A noise level of 50 decibels is often compared to the sound from a refrigerator motor running. The decibel level of a “normal conversation” is about 60 decibels, according to information provided by Iberdrola.

The first study showed noise levels reaching 60 to 65 decibels in some instances, and the permits restrict the decibel level from going above 50 – including the turbines and background noise combined, Souza said.

But the instances in the study when the noise levels were higher than 50 decibels were primarily when there were extreme wind speeds, Iberdrola spokesman Paul Copleman said. The sounds were largely due to other factors from the wind speed such as the rustling of leaves, he said.

“We didn’t consider that to be attributable to the wind farm,” he said.

That means the developers believe they’re not in violation of the wind ordinances, but the issue does warrant further studying, Copleman said.

Fairfield resident Jimmy Salamone, who lives near turbines on Davis Road in Fairfield, said the noise level has become an ongoing problem for many people in the area.

“The noise is really bad on Davis Road – very hard to live with,” Salamone said. “It’s way too loud, and it gets louder at night for some reason.”

But Salamone thinks that instead of conducting another study, something should be done to address the noise levels found in the other study earlier this year, he said.

Donald Dixon, 75, who has two wind turbines on his property at Route 170 in Fairfield, said he doesn’t believe a noise study is necessary.

“To be honest with you, I don’t even notice them,” Dixon said.

Dixon believes the people complaining about noise are the same people who complained before the turbines were put up and that they just want to continue with their complaints, he said.

Souza said he has dealt with “quite a few” complaints scattered throughout the town. It should take about three weeks to complete the study once it begins, he said. The angle and speed of the turbine blades could potentially be altered in response to the results if necessary, he said.

The first study looked at three sites in Fairfield and one in Norway, Souza said. The new study will review five sites in Fairfield and one in Norway, while also looking into more details about the time of the day and factors in the noise levels, he said.

SUSAN KING REACTS TO WIND TURBINE FIRE ON HER TAYLOR COUNTY RANCH

Credit:  By Cassandra Garcia

SOURCE: KTXS News, www.ktxs.com

October 3, 2011

“I’m watching a turbine on my land on fire, throwing fire balls on my property. I think it needs to be very clearly delineated: if you have property and machinery that is the source of a fire that damages someone land or uses someone’s resources who is responsible for the cost,” said King.

ABILENE, Texas — Texas State Representative Susan King is speaking out about the fire on her Taylor County ranch that was sparked by a wind turbine.

Just after 10 o’clock Sunday night, Buffalo Gap, View and Ecca Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a fire at the Taylor County ranch of Texas House Representative Susan King.

They used eight trucks to quickly contain the fire to about 2 acres.

Monday, King said it’s that timely response that has her looking at how their services can be repaid.

“They leave their families in the middle of the night. They’re willing to do it for zero. They do assist them from time to time but in no way is it enough. I think with the drought we need to take a hard look at how we pay these people, not with their salaries, but paying for fuel or access to water and equipment,” said King.

Now, she’s looking into how she can take last night’s scary experience and shed light on what she calls “silence” in a very young energy sector.

“I’m watching a turbine on my land on fire, throwing fire balls on my property. I think it needs to be very clearly delineated: if you have property and machinery that is the source of a fire that damages someone land or uses someone’s resources who is responsible for the cost,” said King.

Volunteer fire departments do not bill for the cost of these types of accidents but always urge companies to donate.

KTXS spoke to Next Era Energy Monday who told us in a statement “We have supported each of these volunteer fire departments in the past financially to help them purchase needed equipment because we recognize the important work that they do.”

We wanted to find out more, so we asked Ecca Volunteer Fire Department about those donations, they told us that they haven’t gotten help from Next Era in about 4 years.

Dr. Nina Pierpont, M.D. (Johns Hopkins), Ph.D. (Princeton), interviews Falmouth, Massachusetts resident Mark Cool about how his health has been impacted since a 1.65 MegaWatt Vestas Wind Turbine was activated near his home. He said it took months of headaches and other congnitive changes before he began to realize it wasn't just him, other neighbors nearby curiously had developed odd symptoms at the same time. Dr. Pierpont asks pointed questions about his health and how his his life has changed post turbine in search of answers about the new environmental malady Wind Turbine Syndrome.

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