Wind farms produce clean energy, but some people consider them eyesores: Photo by fieldsbh at Flickr.com
A new book, Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound, tells the story of efforts to build wind turbines off the coast of Cape Cod to provide clean, renewable energy for the state of Massachusetts. However, some of the wealthy people who live in the area – including some renowned environmentalists – object to the project located so close to their own homes.
This article from the Cape Cod Times describes some of the legal maneuvering that has thus far blocked the project. One objection is that wind turbines kill migrating birds. The reporter did some research and came up with the following statistics:
Human-caused bird deaths
• Domestic cats: Hundreds of millions a year
• Striking high-tension lines: 130 million - 1 billion a year
• Striking buildings: 97 million to 976 million a year
• Cars: 80 million a year
• Toxic chemicals: 72 million
• Striking communications towers: 4 to 50 million a year
• Wind turbines: 20,000 to 37,000Source: National Research Council
Clearly, turbines are not a major threat to birds, while the clean energy they provide would be a major boost to the environment. So why are some environmentalists opposed? The authors of the book say it’s because the turbines, several miles off the coast, would still be visible from their beach-front property. (It is also interesting to note that some of the anti-turbine legislation has been proposed by congressmen from states that just happen to produce a lot of coal.)
For an overview of the issue, read this article from The Boston Phoenix.
This really just seems like more evidence that we should outlaw domestic cats ; )
Them's fightin' words!
While the environmental movement has been boosted by folks following the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) principle it seems this phenomenon has found its opposite. Now we've got people preventing environmental improvements with the Not In My Back Yard approach. They're fine with cleaning up our world as long as it doesn't infringe on their lives in sometimes uncomfortable ways. Until we learn to become a bit less selfish the battle to right our environmental wrongs will continue to be long and slow.
But hey, at least your neighbor to the west (Minnesota) is taking large strides to welcome wind energy to our landscapes.
yes, i believe so.....
My friend Donal sent me this message two weeks ago:
It's true that wind turbines kill bats. And that we don't know why. What I like about this message, though, is that Donal doesn't say, "So let's all stop building wind farms." The message is, "Let's ask a lot of questions, and when we find solutions, let's build them in from the ground up."
The part here that really riles me up is Florida Power & Light preventing research on bats. Any time you see this sort of information blockade I get suspicious. They pretty much admit that they don't know enough about bats and wind power. "This is an area of science that is in its infancy."
Interestingly Minnesota's Xcel Energy did some research at Buffalo Ridge on bat kills in 2003. They found:
While they didn't see enormous bat kills, 849 in 2001 and 364 in 2002, they do say there should be more research into this field. In another part of the study they do state that birds are less affected than bats at the Buffalo Ridge facility.
The fight over the Nantucket Sound wind farm has been brewing for years and years.
It kind of cracks me up, actually. I mean, I love Cape Cod--I've spent many, many summer vacations there--but let's face it: the view from places like South Yarmouth might actually be improved by the wind farm. :)
It's also perplexing to me that people who build these crazy beach houses--which usually feature every possibly luxury, from hot tubs and jacuzzis to Tivo and wi-fi--are also against building the infrastructure (reverse osmosis water treatment plants, electrical generating plants, etc.) that makes those luxuries possible...
No way?! Enormously rich people not thinking about the greater good and making decisions based on their minority situation? Seriously? No way!
what about bats
Post new comment