by jboullion | Apr 13, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Scott Williams in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The National Weather Service has issued a new kind of warning because of a Dodge County wind farm that is disrupting the agency’s ability to monitor storms in southeastern Wisconsin.
The wind farm’s giant turbines – each as wide as a football field and as tall as a 20-story building – are sending false storm signals to the government’s weather radar system.
Weather service officials say they see no significant public safety threat, although they say the wind farm has caused radar interference and could confuse some storm watchers.
Meteorologist Marc Kavinsky said the approaching summer storm season will be the federal agency’s first opportunity to gauge the wind farm’s full impact.
“It’ll be interesting,” he said. “I’m hoping the effects will be minimal.”
Located just outside the Dodge County community of Iron Ridge, the wind farm includes 36 turbines that began operating over the past few months, generating electricity for several surrounding communities. . . .
Weather service officials said they began to notice the problem almost immediately after the Dodge County wind farm began operating.
According to a report on the agency’s Web site, the spinning wind turbines have presented “persistent interference” that mimics storm systems and could “negatively impact warning effectiveness” when real storms move into the area.
Rusty Kapela, the agency’s warning coordinator meteorologist, said officials have tried to adjust the radar system to block out the wind farm readings.
But because it affects such a small geographic area and is easily recognized by the weather service’s trained experts, Kapela said, the situation is not a significant problem. It was posted on the Web site only as an informational report for the general public, he said.
“It’s just interesting science stuff,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s just a minor blip.”
by jboullion | Apr 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a post by Andrew Alt on SmelserTownship.com:
A former supervisor of mine keeps a sign posted in his office to this day. It reads, “In God We Trust; all others bring data.” As a senior engineer at one of our nation’s premiere medical device manufacturers, I have learned the value of these words. Millions of people around the world count on our products to work, leaving no room for errors in judgment when it comes to product quality and reliability. That is why we employ only the best and brightest people who utilize cutting-edge tools and techniques to make informed, data-driven decisions in everything we do.
Using data to make decisions has become second nature to me thanks in no small part to the fine education I received from Saint Rose School, Cuba City High School, and UW-Platteville. That’s why I get frustrated when I see or hear of people from my hometown area making poor decisions based on bad information rather than concrete evidence. Case in point: people against wind energy.
by jboullion | Apr 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Craig Reber in the Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, Iowa):
TOWN of SMELSER, Wis. — Voters returned two of three incumbents in the contentious Smelser Township Board of Supervisors race — an election that essentially put a controversial wind farm proposal on the ballot.
Incumbent Town Chairman Gabe Loeffelholz retained his seat, turning back a bid by challenger Greg Brandt, 204-193.
Incumbent supervisor Arnold Rawson kept his post with 295 votes. He was joined on the board by challenger Robert Droessler, who tallied 199 votes.
Incumbent James Kraus had 172 votes, and Mike Reese received 67, neither garnering enough votes to win the supervisor seats.
“I survived one,” said Loeffelholz, who previously served in the state legislature representing the 49th Assembly District. “I’m used to winning and I’m used to losing. That’s all a part of life — like work, religion and politics.”
Wind Capital Group, headquartered in St. Louis, wants to build about 61 towers in portions of three townships: Smelser, Paris and Hazel Green. The proposed White Oak Wind Farm would have a total capacity of 100 megawatts.
by jboullion | Apr 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a commentary by Mark Hirsch on Smelsertownship.com:
With an eroding tax base and an expected reduction in the state’s shared revenue (county and municipal aid payments) local municipalities and townships will need to adjust their spending or find other sources of revenue to support their operating budgets in 2010 and 2011.
In this dire economic downturn, the good luck fairy has offered to sprinkle the dust of fortune on Grant County in the form of a commercial project that fits very well in an agricultural economy. On top of the nice fit, we have the opportunity to augment our budget shortfall with some newfound and state-mandated revenue.
That newfound revenue would come in the form of the $80,000 a year Smelser Township would receive in lieu of taxes through state requirements enacted in 2003 Act 31. This act guarantees income in lieu of taxes to the host municipalities. In simplest terms, the additional $80,000 would be equal to 23% of the township’s 2008 operating revenue of $350,000.
For Smelser Township though, it seems some local citizens would rather pay higher taxes than embrace the financial windfall the township would receive from the proposed White Oak Wind Project.
by jboullion | Apr 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article on North American Windpower:
Seventy-nine percent of Americans do not believe a large wind farm project is detrimental to their health and welfare, according to the 2009 Saint Index survey of attitudes toward real estate development projects.
Slightly more than one in 10 adults, 11%, say a large wind project could diminish health and welfare.
The fourth annual Saint Index survey involved interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide. The study is conducted by The Saint Consulting Group, which tracks the politics of land use in the U.S, Canada and U.K.
Eighty-two percent of Americans support a wind farm project in their hometown – an increase from 76% a year ago. Opposition to a local wind project dropped to 15%, which is down 5 percentage points from last year, according to the survey.
Forty-three percent of Americans say they support a local power project, an increase from the 38% who expressed support a year ago, and just 23% in 2006.
However, America’s not-in-my-back-yard attitude toward local development remains strong. Nearly three out of four Americans, 74%, stated that they do not want new development in their communities, saying their hometown is fine the way it is or is already over-developed.
