EXTRA...

Quiting jobs to save homes; RI to lead nation in wind power; Water warning

Worried homeowners share their high-interest stories
National effort to battle lenders hits Jamaica Plain

Tyrone Lobo, 34, quit his job last month as a deputy in the Barnstable Sheriff's Department so he could cash in his pension and use the roughly $30,000 to save his house. He and his fiancée hoped that the drastic decision would buy time and keep them afloat, anything to prevent their four-bedroom Cape-style home in Falmouth from being auctioned off.

Yesterday, the couple and more than 50 other Massachusetts homeowners at risk of losing their properties shared their stories at a meeting at the state headquarters of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America in Jamaica Plain. The gathering was part of a national effort by the nonprofit community advocacy and homeownership organization to form a grassroots campaign against subprime lenders. Similar meetings occurred in 32 other NACA offices around the country.

Lobo and his fiancee, Melissa Hergt, 39, had seen their monthly mortgage payment jump from just under $800 in 2002 to $2,700 last fall because of previous refinancing to stave off a previous foreclosure, they said... Read th rest oif this Globe story here.  Leave a comment
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Rhode Island set to lead the nation in wind energy

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have climbed to $2.80 a gallon, and they’re forecast to go higher.  The cost of electricity, whether generated by oil, natural gas or coal plants, spikes and slips with the volatility of the energy markets.  And burning fossil fuels has more people than ever worried about greenhouse gases, global warming and damage to the environment.

All that makes the timing right to enact a serious plan to create sources of alternate energy.  One serious study commissioned by Governor Carcieri came out last week and found that 15 percent of Rhode Island’s electricity needs could be met by developing wind farms off the state’s south coast.

It makes sense.

Now, however, I’m waiting for the objections and the excuses about why capturing the wind to create energy is a bad idea. There will be people who will argue that wind turbines spoil the view of Narragansett Bay, or the turbines will affect boat navigation or hurt the tourism industry.

We’ve heard it all before, when the Cape Wind project was proposed for Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod. Protesters howled that the windmills would be built in the wrong place at the wrong time. The opponents have delayed that project for years.

It’s time to get serious in Rhode Island. Our dependence on foreign fuels weakens our country and its security, damages the state’s business climate and economy, and saps the buying power of consumers.

Doing nothing is no longer an option...  Read the rest of this Providence Journal story here.   Leave a comment
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Offshore wind turbines are under study by state

body> ody> Aquidneck Island's shores are prime spots for wind farms, according to a wind-power siting study commissioned by the state and released this week.
s in 45 square miles off the Aquidneck Island and Little Compton coastlines, in waters predominately under state control, the study said. An onshore wind farm could be built on 3,000 acres in Little Compton.

Wind power could provide a predictable source of electricity, plus environmental benefits and an economic boost through construction jobs, the study found.  But just how Ocean State residents would perceive wind-farm proposals is yet to be seen.

The study, ordered by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri as part of the state's RIWINDS initiative, found that the state has viable wind resources to meet the goal of generating 15 percent of the state's energy from wind power in the next five years.

The study added that the nine offshore sites - including ones off South Kingstown, Westerly and Block Island - and the Little Compton site would be economically feasible over the 20-year turbine life spans.

Applied Technology & Management, the study's author, ruled out turbine sites that were deemed potentially too expensive or too close to residential or environmentally-sensitive properties.  Carcieri created the Office of Energy Resources more than a year ago.

"My goal was simple," Carcieri said in a prepared statement. "I wanted to encourage Rhode Island's energy independence through the use of a renewable resource. This study shows that we can make that goal a reality. In fact, it makes clear for the first time that Rhode Island enjoys enough wind to achieve five times that amount of electricity generation."

He added, "We are not looking to load up all these areas with wind turbines, but rather to select the best areas where we can proceed. This will take a lot of community, expert and stakeholder input."

There are some challenges though, to proceeding with the study's recommendations. If built, the offshore wind farms would be the first in the country.  Public acceptance is crucial, but "hard to predict," the study said.

The Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, for example, has been met with considerable public resistance.  Carcieri said he plans to create a community stakeholder group to determine where wind turbines could be built.

Eight Rhode Island communities, including Portsmouth and Tiverton, have expressed interest in wind power in their areas.  The Portsmouth Town Council this month awarded a contract to Applied Technology & Management to conduct a study on the community's wind resources and the feasibility of siting turbines on school property.

Portsmouth is considering building turbines at the high school, middle school or both, and is inspired by the success of the 164-foot-tall wind turbine installed last summer at Portsmouth Abbey School, where it is exceeding energy-saving expectations.

That turbine is the state's first.   Leave a comment
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BOSTON – With spring-like weather finally forecasted for the weekend, Coast Guard recreational boating specialists advise boaters, paddlers and fishermen to use extreme caution if they plan to boat or paddle on any of the rivers, streams, creeks and coastal waters of the Northeast.

Heavy rains during the last few days, combined with runoff from snow melt from higher elevations, have caused many waterways to flood and pushed tides to near-record levels. This has created stronger-than-usual currents and unexpected water turbulence that could last through the weekend. Gale-force winds have also stirred up branches and debris that create hazards above and below the water that have serious consequences for unsuspecting paddlers and small boaters.

Al Johnson, the First Coast Guard District Recreational Boating Safety Specialist warns boaters and paddlers to be “high-water wary.”

“When a heavy deluge pushes water levels to the flood stage, it drastically alters the characteristics of the flow,” Johnson said, “and moving water at this time of year is fast, frigid and unforgiving.”

High water hides hazards and, along with storm-gererated debris beneath the surface, creates "strainers" or funnel effects that can easily capsize a small boat, canoe or kayak and trap a person if they're thrown into the water. Such conditions contributed to the loss of a 15-year old girl near Albany, NY Monday . She was not wearing a life jacket when her canoe capsized on a rain-swollen creek.

Johnson advises all early-season boaters and paddlers to be aware of the danger and be prepared for sudden cold-water immersion. He said inland and coastal water temperatures are in the 39, 40-degree range and a sudden spill into frigid waters will incapacitate most people within minutes.

Johnson stresses the need for boaters and paddlers to always wear life jackets and reminds paddlers that wearing life jackets is mandatory in Massachusetts until May 15.

Boaters, paddlers and fishermen venturing out on the water should check water conditions at the U.S. Geological Survey Real-Time Water Data website here and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hydrologic Information Center – River Stages website here.