by jboullion | Jul 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
In his latest anti-wind publicity stunt, State Senator Frank Lassee (R-De Pere) brought a few of his constituents to Madison to ask the PSC for relief from the supposed impact of the Shirley Wind Farm on their lives.
In response to Lasee on Madison’s WKOW-TV, RENEW’s Michael Vickerman said:
“Sen. Lasee has been waging an ideological war against wind power for a long time,” said Michael Vickerman of the green energy group Renew Wisconsin.
Vickerman believes that is what is really behind Sen. Lasee’s crusade, adding that no credible studies have found what the people from Shirley are claiming.
“The one prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health specifically says ‘we cannot find any foundation for a set of symptoms that is called Wind Turbine Syndrome,'” said Vickerman.
Additionally, Vickerman made the following rebuttals during the entire interview:
1. The Shirley project was approved five years ago by the Glenmore Town Board. The PSC had nothing to do with that project. The PSC has no jurisdiction over this facility. The statewide siting rule took effect after the Shirley project was placed in service. This is political grandstanding, pure and simple.
2. Sen. Frank Lasee has been conducting an ideologically driven war against windpower for years. Supporters of his anti-wind crusade include the WI Realtors Association (WRA) and several wealthy landowners living in Brown and Calumet County.
3. The adverse health effects claimed by Sen. Lasee were scrutinized by a group of independent health experts under the aegis of the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health. The experts concluded that there is no scientific basis for concluding that wind generation impairs public health.
4. There is absolutely zero evidence substantiating WRA’s contention that wind generation has reduced property values in Wisconsin.
5. Sen. Lasee has two other wind projects in his district, both in Kewaunee County. These two installations, placed in service in 1999 and totaling 31 turbines, are the oldest continuously operating windpower projects in the state. No one in Kewaunee County has reported any kind of health effects from these turbines. Yet Sen. Lasee refuses to acknowledge that fact. Nor does he acknowledge the degree of community acceptance there that has evolved over the projects’ 13 year-lives.
6. I characterized the wind opposition as a small but vocal minority that either does not exist in neighboring states or is less well organized there.
7. Lasee’s tireless advocacy on behalf of forces opposed to windpower has caused nationally prominent wind developers to leave the state in search of greener pastures.
by jboullion | Jul 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
In his latest anti-wind publicity stunt, State Senator Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) brought a few of his constituents to Madison to ask the PSC for relief from the supposed impact of the Shirley Wind Farm on their lives.
In response to Lasee on Madison’s WKOW-TV, RENEW’s Michael Vickerman said:
“Sen. Lasee has been waging an ideological war against wind power for a long time,” said Michael Vickerman of the green energy group Renew Wisconsin.
Vickerman believes that is what is really behind Sen. Lasee’s crusade, adding that no credible studies have found what the people from Shirley are claiming.
“The one prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health specifically says ‘we cannot find any foundation for a set of symptoms that is called Wind Turbine Syndrome,'” said Vickerman.
by Ed Blume | Jul 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
In his latest anti-wind publicity stunt, State Senator Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) brought a few of his constituents to Madison to ask the PSC for relief from the supposed impact of the Shirley Wind Farm on their lives.
In response to Lasee on Madison’s WKOW-TV, RENEW’s Michael Vickerman said:
“Sen. Lasee has been waging an ideological war against wind power for a long time,” said Michael Vickerman of the green energy group Renew Wisconsin.
Vickerman believes that is what is really behind Sen. Lasee’s crusade, adding that no credible studies have found what the people from Shirley are claiming.
“The one prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health specifically says ‘we cannot find any foundation for a set of symptoms that is called Wind Turbine Syndrome,'” said Vickerman.
Additionally, Vickerman made the following rebuttals during the entire interview:
1. The Shirley project was approved five years ago by the Glenmore Town Board. The PSC had nothing to do with that project. The PSC has no jurisdiction over this facility. The statewide siting rule took effect after the Shirley project was placed in service. This is political grandstanding, pure and simple.
2. Sen. Frank Lasee has been conducting an ideologically driven war against windpower for years. Supporters of his anti-wind crusade include the WI Realtors Association (WRA) and several wealthy landowners living in Brown and Calumet County.
3. The adverse health effects claimed by Sen. Lasee were scrutinized by a group of independent health experts under the aegis of the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health. The experts concluded that there is no scientific basis for concluding that wind generation impairs public health.
4. There is absolutely zero evidence substantiating WRA’s contention that wind generation has reduced property values in Wisconsin.
5. Sen. Lasee has two other wind projects in his district, both in Kewaunee County. These two installations, placed in service in 1999 and totaling 31 turbines, are the oldest continuously operating windpower projects in the state. No one in Kewaunee County has reported any kind of health effects from these turbines. Yet Sen. Lasee refuses to acknowledge that fact. Nor does he acknowledge the degree of community acceptance there that has evolved over the projects’ 13 year-lives.
6. I characterized the wind opposition as a small but vocal minority that either does not exist in neighboring states or is less well organized there.
7. Lasee’s tireless advocacy on behalf of forces opposed to windpower has caused nationally prominent wind developers to leave the state in search of greener pastures.
by jboullion | Jul 6, 2012 | Uncategorized
Click to enlarge image.
by jboullion | Jul 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by S.C. Johnson:
Racine, Wis., (June 21, 2012) – SC Johnson continues to build its legacy as an environmental champion with the announcement that it will build two wind turbines at its largest global manufacturing plant, Waxdale, located in Mt. Pleasant, Wis. The company received clearance to begin construction on the turbines, which will put wind power behind trusted brands such as Windex®, Glade®, Pledge®, Raid® and Scrubbing Bubbles®. The turbines are expected to be operational by the end of 2012. . . .
Waxdale, the size of 36 football fields, is SC Johnson’s largest global manufacturing facility. The wind turbines will generate approximately eight million KWH of electricity per year, the equivalent of powering more than 700 homes annually, and reduce carbon emissions associated with powering Waxdale by six thousand metric tons annually. The turbines are expected to be approximately 415 feet high.
The wind turbines are the latest in a series of renewable energy production investments at Waxdale. In addition to the practical energy and sustainability benefits, the investment in the company’s Waxdale facility continues SC Johnson’s commitment to manufacturing in the Racine community.
Wind Turbines – The Facts, Benefits
A few facts about the wind turbines at Waxdale include:
• The company expects the wind turbines will produce approximately 15 percent of the electrical energy used at Waxdale.
• The remaining approximately 85 percent of Waxdale’s electrical energy requirements can be produced by two co-generation units installed during the last decade that produce electrical energy and steam. Approximately 27 million KWH per year or 45 percent will be renewable energy from landfill gases used by co-generation unit one; on average, the remaining 23 million KWH or 40 percent will be from methane/clean energy used by co-generation unit two.
• The electricity generated will be the energy equivalent of more than 600,000 gallons of gasoline every year, equal to an average amount of gas used by more than 1,100 cars annually.
• This effort will reduce annual carbon emissions associated with powering the Waxdale plant by six thousand metric tons.
Reducing Resource Use
Sustainability has been a focus for SC Johnson for decades. In late 2011, the company was recognized with a Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their commitment and contribution to the advancement of the nation’s voluntary green power market.
