John Droz, Jr. sends this new item
In October of 2013, a major wind project was targeted for coastal North Carolina. I decided to use this as a test case for AWED’s model wind ordinance.
The results were excellent from the get-go.
For example, with no money and no organization behind this, we were able to:
— setup an informative website,
— get the media to oppose the project,
— get the majority of local citizens to oppose the project,
— get several major local organizations (e.g. Chamber of Commerce) to oppose the project,
— get essentially all our local and state legislators to oppose the project.
— get the two involved communities to draft comprehensive ordinances.
etc.
Note that none of this was easy, as there were numerous substantial obstacles to overcome. For example the Sierra Club conducted a major statewide campaign to support the wind project, and to discredit me and our efforts.
Despite the challenges we persisted.
This coordinated effort was too much for the developer, and last night they officially threw in the towel. (Here is a newspaper article.)… It took just 3± months of a focused campaign to win.
This came about because of two fundamental reasons:
1 – the developer realized that the involved communities would impose quality protections for citizens, businesses, the environment and the military, and
2 – the developer saw that there was very strong community (and thus legislative) support for those protections.
The protections (and the words for them), are spelled out in AWED’s model wind ordinance:
— 1 mile setbacks to property lines,
— 35 dBA turbine sound limits, at property lines, 24/7,
— a simple but powerful Property Value Guarantee,
— community controlled environmental tests,
— proper decommissioning funds and conditions, and
— an escrow account to pay for town expenses, maintained at $50k for the life of the project.
Probably the greatest frustration in my 35± years of environmental/energy work, is that when faced with such intrusions, that almost every community worldwide seems to basically try to reinvent the wheel.
I’m passing this on to you because I hope you can profit from our experiences. This was a community victory, and a superior example of what can be done elsewhere, when citizens work together in a constructive, productive way.
Consider this final thought: NC passed an RPS in 2007 mandating renewable (wind) energy. A half dozen major wind projects have been proposed since then. We have aggressively fought each of these, using AWED methodology — with no money. As of today there is not a single industrial wind turbine in the entire state.
Draw your own conclusions. See MUCH more at WiseEnergy.org.
regards,
John Droz, jr.
Physicist & Environmental Advocate
Morehead City, NC
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“with no money and no organization behind this, we were able to…”
“This was a community victory, and a superior example of what can be done elsewhere, when citizens work together in a constructive, productive way.”
Eureka. Community is stronger than money and establishment organizations. Bravo and bravo. Government and organized crime both hate the community. It’s the only thing that can do them in, stymie their efforts, shut them down.
John Droz, Jr
I have just borrowed my son’s hat so that I can take it off in
recognition of your achievement.
This is a very inspiring story and should be disseminated
to as wide an audience as is possible.
Many many congratulations.
Excellent! Kudos too you.
Good for you!
Here in the UK people seem to have been less successful. The problem is that project approval is the government supported position, so even successful local opposition is over-ruled by the tame “inspector”. It is a government backed tyranny.
But, offshore wind power is so economical and easy to maintain,………
Making them do it well makes it uneconomical for them to do it. Even with mandates and credits. Such an economic boondoggle and – for what? No electricity before it’s time.
David Ball says:
February 1, 2014 at 7:30 am
But, offshore wind power is so economical and easy to maintain,………
———————————————————————————————
…until the first, really big container vessel suffers an engine failure in the vincinity of an offshore wind park and gets jammed between the turbines by the wind/a current/you name it, like into a giant minefield.
As soon as this happens for the first time, watch insurance premiums for wind parks go through the roof…
From the referenced article:
According to this reference :
The big three electricity sources for the state were nuclear, coal, and natural gas, and the bulk of the “renewables” category was hydroelectric. In 10 years according to this mandate, the state must more than double the 2011 renewable sources percentage.
So if the state can’t pretend to meet this requirement with windfarms, what other scheme will they embrace instead?
If someone could manage to get the NC legislature sufficiently “prepared” with booze, hookers and cocaine to amend the mandate and qualify thorium breeder reactors as “renewable”, some good might yet come of it.
I remember Morehead City, I used to be stationed at Cherry Point. That C-130 that used to buzz you years ago? That was me.
Thanks John Droz, Jr. Great story. Great hope and inspiration for those of us who oppose industrial wind turbines for environmental reasons.
I think “community controlled environmental tests” is the most important part of AWED’s model wind ordinance. The birds killed have to be known.
Thank you! Coastal North Carolina is wonderful.
Your story doesn’t have enough detail to answer this question: After weighing the positives against the negatives, was this project a good idea overall, or was your effort just another NIMBY success story. I’m sensitive to this after watching the enviros stir up anti-fracing sentiment along the front range of Colorado. The great majority of the anti-fracing information spread by the the anti-fracers, like the Sierra Club, is false information, half truths, and exaggeration, designed to scare the local residents. My general observation about wind power is that it does carry with it local environmental impacts which are not greater than other energy production ventures, overall. My objection to wind energy is that it is not economically viable unless subsidized by taxpayers. I don’t appreciate paying for it through either taxes or higher utility rates.
Reblogged this on Power To The People and commented:
Green energy like Wind Turbines are more harmful to the environment than fossil fuel. Wind turbines and solar require rare earth elements to produce which need to be mined for is devastating to the environment in China where it is being produced. click here
The blades of wind turbines are killing thousands of eagles, birds and bats and is harmful to the health of humans who live near by. click here
The planting of Biofuel crops are destroying virgin forests where rare birds and other animals are being killed off to make way for them. See Climate Crimes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5igyXyJKL_0
The bottom line is renewables provide a fraction of the energy fossil fuel does, are unreliable and intermittent thus require a fossil fuel back up to exist, are high cost which hurts the poor the most and to add insult to injury are more harmful to the environment than fossil fuel is.
It seems to be a law of human nature that ‘each man kills the thing he loves’, and so we have environmental groups whose main aim appears to be ensuring that previously banned large scale industrial developments of hitherto unspoiled areas are permitted.
I don’t know if there is evidence for Global Warming, but there is lots of evidence for Original Sin.
“Here in the UK people seem to have been less successful.”
And that’s why my ancestors moved over here. The issues may change, but the Song Remains the Same.
I’m actually a fan of Windmills. I think they look cool. But, only as a private venture for someone interested in generating his own personal power, maybe along with solar. No government money. Not those huge mega-wind farms, which in a few years are likely going to be derelict eyesores.
The remark about the 35 decibel at the property line caught my attention. I’ve used a decibel meter at work, and found in a quite room with no obvious mechanical noise that the decibel level is much higher than that. If you live anywhere near the ocean or a lake you likely have a constant decibel level higher than this from the action of the waves on the shore.
This sort of reminds me of the fact that Nuclear plants often have to maintain a background radiation level that is lower than many natural levels found in nature.
Congratulations, what an inspiration for the rest of the country.
Alan Watt, Climate Denialist Level 7 says:
February 1, 2014 at 7:47 am
__________________________________________________________________________
NC Division of Air Quality and EPA got into a spitting contest in 2011-2012 that shut down permitting of biomass energy projects for a year or more. It could have been un watching it if your application was waiting for resolution of that disagreement. They are making some progress toward that portfolio goal but it takes a lot of 0.5-2MW landfill gas projects to move the percentage.
Just use airborne turbines instead.
Ralph Kramden,
That’s was me at 12 waving and jumping up and down!
Mogamboguru:
Never mind a container vessel, near here it is more likely to be a very large crude carrier or a gas tanker – those will REALLY put the wind up people – and no pun intended either.
But the developers say that they have done their homework …… .
Just curious. Was Torch planning to sell the electricity to Cherry Point NAS utilizing some of the billions the DOD has set aside to subsidize wind and solar.
Excellent results. The left has been doing stuff like this to fight projects they hate (usually things that are good for our country). This throws it right back in their face.
peter says:
February 1, 2014 at 8:15 am
“If you live anywhere near the ocean or a lake you likely have a constant decibel level higher than this from the action of the waves on the shore.”
I’m not sure about the decibel scale being used – they may be different. But, in any case, there is a big difference between general white noise and a steady thrumming – the former can be masked by our brains, but the latter imposes itself and actually causes physiological response. The tedium of a repeated series of beats can drive one batty – think “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” or “She’s So Heavy” – I can only stand the abridged versions.