Renewable Energy Revolution

London to get 1/3 power from new wind farm

Green light for world's biggest windfarm off Wales
Another on Thames Estuary will supply electricity for 1/3 of London

The government has given the go-ahead for the world's largest offshore windfarm to be built off the coast of south-east England.  The London Array windfarm, to be built by a consortium including Shell, will consist of 341 turbines located 12 miles offshore.

While the government has approved the offshore construction of the windfarm, in an area 145 square miles stretching between Margate, Kent. and Clacton, in Essex, the scheme currently depends on an onshore power substation being built in Swale. Kent. ^{(Photo on right of a wind farm off Wales)}

London wind fram will deliver 1.3 GigaWatts of Green Power

The department of trade and industry today also approved a second major scheme in the Thames Estuary, to be built in Thanet. Together the windfarms could deliver 1.3 GW of green electricity - enough to meet the needs of a third of homes in Greater London.

The secretary of state for trade and industry, Alistair Darling, said the decision was "a significant step forward" in providing a greener and clean source of power, claiming that Britain was now second only to Denmark in the offshore wind sector.

He said: "Projects such as the London Array, which will be the biggest in the world when completed, and Thanet underline the real progress that is being made."  The government has set a target, in its energy review, of a 500% increase in UK renewable energy resources by 2020.  The environment secretary, David Miliband, added: "We expect this announcement will be the first of a number of large-scale offshore wind farms in the UK and will provide real impetus for the continued developments in the offshore renewable energy sector that will benefit generations to come."  James Smith, chair of Shell UK, welcomed the decision on behalf of the developer's consortium: "The London Array offshore wind farm will make a crucial contribution to the UK's renewable energy targets."

Local concerns over increased traffic and noise meant that Swale council blocked the consortium's planning application for the onshore substation in July this year.  An appeal was lodged, but development as planned is still dependent on the outcome of a hearing in March next year. However, the DTI said that today's conditional consent was a major step forward and is confident that the windfarm will be built by 2011.

Enviros welcome moves to increase Britain's wind power 5-fold

The RSPB, which is fighting the construction of Britain's onshore windfarm proposed for the Scottish island of Lewis, has also now given its backing to the London Array project, after plans were modified to protect the endangered bird, the red-throated diver.  Friends of the Earth, which has campaigned for London Array throughout, welcomed the decision, but warned that the government "must go further" in cutting carbon emissions.

The £500 million Thanet wind farm will be seven miles from north Foreland on the Kent coast. With 100 turbines, it is expected to be completed as soon as 2008, and should provide electricity for around 240,000 homes. Read the Guardian story here.

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Which state produces the most wind power?

Thomas Friedman in today's New York Times suggests;
Whichever Way the Wind Blows

Time for another news quiz: Which American state produces more wind-generated electricity than any other? Answer: Texas. Next question — this one you’ll never get: Which politician launched the Texas wind industry? Answer: Former Gov., now President, George W. Bush.

Yes, there are many things that baffle me about President Bush, but none more than how the same man who initiated one of the most effective renewable energy programs in America, has presided over an administration that for six years has dragged its feet on alternative energy, used its regulatory powers to weaken efficiency standards for major appliances and stuck its head in the sand on global warming.

I’ll wait for historians to sort that out. But here is some immediate advice I can give the president: If you want to salvage any positive legacy, it will not come from Iraq. There are only tears left there. No, the only way for you, Mr. President, to salvage any legacy is to get back in touch with your green Texas roots and devote the rest of your term to REALLY ending America’s oil addiction, liberating us from dependence on petro-authoritarian regimes and making America the leader in renewable energies that combat climate change.

If this isn’t the core of Mr. Bush’s next State of the Union, he might as well go back to Crawford now. At least there he might be able to contemplate what went wrong with his presidency under lights powered by clean, wind-generated electricity that he promoted.

"Go get smart on wind”  - Governor George Bush

I came down to West Texas, the Saudi Arabia of wind, to find out how it all happened. Pat Wood, a friend of the president, was chairman of Texas’s Public Utility Commission when the push for wind energy started.

“At the end of a meeting on transmission policy in mid-1996,” he recalled, “I was on my way out the door of the governor’s office, when Governor Bush said to me, ‘Pat, we like wind.’ He was at his desk. I said, ‘We what?’ He said: ‘You heard me. Go get smart on wind.’ ”  Read the rest of Friedman's column here.

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What Cape Wind most assuredly won't do

Imagine the reaction to this hypothetical story in the Cape Cod Times --

"YARMOUTH -- Cape Wind President Jim Gordon announced today that unanticipated problems with his proposed offshore wind farm require its turbines to be cooled by vast quantities of water from Nantucket Sound.

"The 130 turbines would draw a combined total of up to one billion gallons of seawater daily and discharge the water back into the Sound at temperatures reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Gordon said he did not anticipate the heated discharge causing any harm to fish, birds or the environment ..."

Is it much of a stretch to imagine the apoplectic reaction of Cape Wind opponents to this announcement? Didn't think so.

But the story is not so hypothetical after all; only the location is. Exactly what I described is taking place -- every day -- at the 1,521-megawatt Brayton Point power plant in Somerset (shown in the photo above, with the Braga Bridge in the foreground), situated amid one of the, ah, "less special" places in the state.

From a story in yesterday's Boston Globe under the headline, "EPA reissue order vs. plant," by Beth Daley --

"Brayton Point, with its four distinctive smokestacks, supplies enough power to meet roughly one-fifth of Massachusetts' electricity needs," Daley writes. "During the plant's cooling process, it draws up to a billion gallons of water a day from the Taunton and Lee rivers and then discharges it into Mt. Hope Bay, at temperatures of up to 95 degrees. As the water is sucked in, it kills billions of fish larvae and eggs each year, federal and state scientists say (emphasis added). The hot discharge can increase the natural temperature of the bay in some places by as much as 5 degrees."

Fish populations in the bay had been declining since 1979, according to federal and Rhode Island environmental officials, but "nosedived after the plant increased its water usage by 45 percent in 1985," Daley writes. "In the last 20 years, total fish abundance has declined between 80 and 85 percent" (emphasis added).

The Environmental Protection Agency, living up to the role suggested by its name, wasn't too keen about this. In July 2002 the EPA ordered Brayton Point parent company PG&E to reduce its water use by 95 percent. PG&E "vehemently denied that the plant had anything to do with the disappearance of the bay's fish ..." -- pay no attention to those flounder floating on the surface! --  " ... and spent more than $4 million in the late 1990s and early 2000s for scientific studies to prove it was not reponsible," Daley writes. "PG&E blamed overfishing, climate change ..." -- ya think? --  "... and the increase of fish larvae predators such as comb jellyfish."

The EPA, unpersuaded by the research duly commissioned by PG&E, has reissued its order. In the interim between the two orders, Dominion energy conglomerate bought the oil- and coal-burning Brayton Point in 2005.

Dominion can appeal once again and almost surely will, and even if an appeals board upholds the EPA's decision, "Dominion could then appeal to federal court, and the process could take years," Daley writes. Much like that alleged rubber-stamp of a regulatory review for Cape Wind.

As for the number of gallons of seawater needed to cool Cape Wind's turbines, then discharged at 95 degrees into Nantucket Sound? Zero (emphasis in the original).

But as shown in a recent environmental report out of Denmark, offshore wind turbines are indisputably problematic in at least one respect. They may create additional "biomass" -- marine life -- around them. 

At the risk of sounding unscientific, isn't that better than killing it off?

(photo credit, asergeev.com; credit for graphic, Boston Globe)

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Coming soon to a bookstore near you ...

"Cape Wind: Celebrity, Energy, Class,  Politics, and a Valiant Battle for Unobstructed Ocean Views on Nantucket Sound," by Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb; set for release in May 2007.

As described by its publisher, Public Affairs:

"This acidly funny account of the battle over an offshore wind farm is both a fascinating window on the business and politics of energy and a scathing portrait of the ruling class.

"When Jim Gordon set out to build a wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod, he knew some people might object. But there was lots of merit in creating a privately-funded, clean energy source for energy-starved New England, and he felt sure people would recognize it eventually. Instead, all Hell broke loose. Gordon had unwittingly challenged politically connected people, and they would fight him tooth and nail, no matter what it cost, and even when it made no sense.

"Cape Wind is a rollicking tale of democracy in action and plutocracy in the raw as played out among colorful and glamorous characters on one of our country's most historic and renowned pieces of coastline. As steeped in American history and local color as The Prince of Providence; as biting, revealing and fun as Philistines at the Hedgerow, it is also a cautionary tale about how money can hijack democracy while America lags behind the rest of the developed world in adopting clean energy.

"Wendy Williams has written for many publications, including Scientific American, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, The Providence Journal and The Baltimore Sun. She has been a journalist-in-residence at Duke University and at the Hastings Center; a fellow at the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado and at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

"Robert Whitcomb is vice president and editorial page editor of The Providence Journal. Before that he served as the financial editor of The International Herald Tribune; and as editor and writer for The Wall Street Journal."

An excerpt:

"Very early on in the annals of the Cape Wind War, in the summer of 2001, long before Jim Gordon had had the opportunity to discuss his proposal with the southern-shoreline crowd, Rachel 'Bunny' Mellon, then in her nineties, began making frantic calls to her Boston white-shoe lawyers. You have to come down here and help us, pleaded Mrs. Mellon, Listerine heiress and the empress of Oyster Harbors. They want to put this wind-farm thing in front of my house.

" 'You're a traitor to your class!' this grand-daughter of a Midwestern mouthwash manufacturer told one distinguished Boston lawyer after he explained that he genuinely liked the project.

"Mrs. Mellon was the Martha Stewart of her socialte crowd, the self-appointed Queen Mother during Jackie Kennedy's reign. Indeed, she had stayed so connected to the Kennedys that she ended up supervising the arrangements around Jackie's death as well. She knew little about the wind farm, but she did have one fact correct: From her many-chimneyed home on the south shore of Oyster Harbors, she would have an absolutely stunning view of Jim Gordon's project.

"Mrs. Mellon enjoyed much self-respect. Her grandfather was Jordan Wheat Lambert, who created and marketed Listerine via the Lambert Pharmacal company, based in St. Louis ... Over the years, the Lambert family would make considerable social progress. From marketing bad breath they would soon assume responsibility for setting the standard for good taste in general. In 1922, Bunny's father started a phenomenally successful New York City publicity agency, which helped the public understand that it needed to buy all sorts of new products in order to become happy ... Eventually Gerard Barnes Lambert devoted himself to sailing and by the 1930s, he was in the running for the America's Cup, a sailboat race requiring a fortune to compete in.

"Lambert was never a particularly competitive sailor, but he did instill in Bunny a strong respect for the kind of social life a yacht could promote."

Authors' note (as posted on the publisher's website):

"We got into the Cape Wind controversy not so much because of our interest in the environment and energy, though we had written about them extensively, as because of the drama of the story of one man and his little company trying to build a spectacular project in the face of opposition from rich and powerful people. And this was happening in a place we had thought we knew quite a bit about -- Cape Cod -- but that in fact was home to a certain alien life form whosse self-absorption and ruthlessness surprised us.

"Who were these people fighting so hard to stop something as promising as a 'wind farm' in windy but otherwise energy-poor New England? And why was it getting so tough to get big new projects done in a country famous for visionary entrepreneurs?

"All this piqued our curiosity about the rise of the American summer resort, the sociology and psychology of great wealth, the development of electricity, and credible and dubious concepts of environmentalism.

"But Gordon's personal battle, and how it changed him, were the biggest draw. That Gordon displayed a surprising naivete about his potential foes when he proposed Cape Wind, and then had to undergo a very painful education in his opposition's sense of entitlement, drove the story for us."

(Blogger's note: the book apparently has two potential titles -- the one shown on the dust jacket above and at the Amazon.com website, and the title, "Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound," as shown on the publisher's website.)

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Show Me The Money

Some very wealthy "grassroots" 

It didn't take long for the Alliance to Save the Sound (ASS) to adjust to the new political reality.  Deval Patrick won the Governor's office with a grassroots organization.  So it is that the Alliance is now touting their newfound grassroots. 

Headline: 80% of the the Alliance's donors contributed $500 or less.,, which, they won't tell you, accounts for less than a $1 million of the $3.5 million they raised last year. Even with their "little" donors, they still raised the bulk of their loot from a handful of $250K, $50K donors, all with Osterville addresses. All tax free, by the way. The list is impressive, if not for the names, but for the fact that most of the rich families donate through their foundations.

I wonder how many of their grassroots supporters have foundations?

Along with the Alliance's long overdue financial disclosure this week, came stupefying political analysis by the head guy, Chuck Vinick, that the election of Deval Patrick had nothing to do with his (the latter's) support of Cape Wind, notwithstanding the fact that Patrick out-polled opponents of the project from both parties, in both the primary and the general, on Cape Cod as well as statewide.

He sounded as if Deval Patrick would have been his candidate of choice too, if, of course, it wasn't for his, the latter's, embrace of the wind farm.  That is if Vinick actually voted here. 

Vinick's financial contributions in the Governor's race, to Christy Mihos, and Tom Reilly before that, has his home address listed as Santa Barbara, California. Given that he only rents a Granny flat in Hyannisport, it's pretty presumptuous of the non-Cape Codder to be explaining the results of the election to the rest of us.

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Cape Wind Voters Guide

Governor's Race:

Being the first candidate for Governor to endorse Cape Wind didn't hurt Deval Patrick (D). Indeed it seems to have propelled him to the verge of winning that office. The day he stood under the wind turbine in Hull, in October 2005, his campaign was transformed. His inspired endorsedment of Cape Wind caught the attention of weary voters across the Commonwealth. He stood in stark contrast to the incumbents that surcame to the narrow local politics that asked them to oppose Cape Wind. And by the time Lt. Gov. candidate Tim Murray (D) got around to stumping on the Cape in January 2006, he was hearing the footsteps of the pro-Cape Wind voters Deval Patrick had stirred, so he wisely side-stepped the issue. 

For making Cape Wind a central theme in his campaign, Deval Patrick is the obvious choice for Governor.

Kerry Healy (R) like Mitt Romney, still opposes Cape Wind and still doesn't get it. Grace Ross (G) the Green Party candidate gets an honorable mention for being a strong advocate for renewable energy. Cape resident Christy Mihos (I) is Co-Chairman of the Alliance to Save the Sound (ASS).  Patrick

Congressional Races:

The staunchest opponent to Cape Wind remains the senior Senator from Hyannisport, Ted Kennedy (D). He is being challenged by Ken Chase (R). Although Cape Wind has not become an serious issue in his race, those loyal to the Democratic scion should feel no less so casting no vote. Others can write-in the name, NIMBY.

The Congressman for the Cape and Islands, Bill Delahunt (D) takes his lead from the Senator. Ignoring the compelling economic development opportunity, IBEW manufacturing jobs that the Cape Wind project would have brought to Quincy, the other side of Delahunt's district, he chose to defend the views of the rich oceanfront property owners on the Cape.  Challenger Jeff Beatty (R) doesn't see the opportunity in the renewable energy project, despite his military background. Peter White (I) does. Peter White's strong advocacy of renewable energy at the local level to prevent foreign intervention based on energy concerns, earns him a check from pro-wind voters. White

Legislative Races: 

The  Cape's State Senate races offer no choice on Cape Wind. Incumbent Sen. Rob O'Leary (D) opposes Cape Wind thoughtfully, while his opponent (R) opposes it rotely.  Sen. Therese Murray (D), running unopposed, but opposed to Cape Wind, has bigger fish to fry as the Senate's likely next presiding officer.  O'Leary and Murray are still strong advocates for the Cape despite their opposition to Cape Wind, so just skip these races.  Skip

The campaigns for the State Representative for the lower and outer Cape features both candidates that support Cape Wind, sort of. Aaron Malloy (R) has strongly endorsed it, while Sarah Peake (D) supports it with reservations. Malloy sees the project as an opportunity for the Cape, Peake sees it as a risk. So is her candidacy. Malloy deserves the vote. Malloy

Rep. Demetrius Atsalis (D) represents ground zero for Cape Wind, the waterfront districts on Nantucket Sound as does Rep. Eric Turkington (D). They are both steadfastly opposed. But so are their opponents, Will Crocker (R) and Jim Powell (R). All are prisoners of their locales so it doesn't matter how you vote. Toss-a-coin

A true champion of Cape Wind, Rep. Matt Patrick (D) who ironicaly represents Osterville, the ATM of the afore mentioned (ASS), survived 2 previous elections turned referendums on Cape Wind. He gets a well deserved free ride this year, running unopposed. Feel free to vote for him, twice. Patrick

Rep. Cleon Turner (D) would like a local referendum on Cape Wind, while his opponent Dick Neitz (R) would like the issue to go away. They both oppose Cape Wind, but Turner deserves credit for his courageous endorsement of Deval Patrick regardless of his strong support for Cape Wind. Turner

County Races:

The only race of consequence is that of County Commissioner. Insurgent Tom Bernardo (D) has gone out of his way to oppose Cape Wind. Incumbent  Bill Doherty (R) has gone out of his way not to.  The County may yet become a player in the Cape Wind saga, as reviews turn into permits at the Cape Cod Commission, and negotiations turn into contracts at the Cape Light Compact. By then, it will matter who is looking out for the County's residents and ratepayers. Doherty will do a better job. Doherty

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The daily's new renewable energy spokeman

From Susan Nickerson to Charlie Vinick to CLIFF CARROLL?
Cape Cod's most important issue in a generation deserves better

othing illustrates the failure of our local "newspaper of record" coverage of the Cape Wind issue as clearly as their current choice for a quotable expert.

Without demeaning Cliff Carroll's expertise at his profession, mortgage brokering, it's safe to say his credentials in the environmental area is noticeable only by their absence, yet our daily newspaper is now touting him as their expert.

Previously during the daily newspaper's five year long  jihad against Cape Wind, they have rolled our spokes-folks who had highly creditable resumes in the environmental sciences, however questionable their current jobs may seem to some of us.

Susan Nickerson, top on right, is a lifelong advocate of clean air and a better Cape Cod whose previous job was as head of the Association to Protect Cape Cod.

Her successor as spokes person was Charles Vinick, in the middle on right, had a career which included stints with Jacques Cousteau's worthy organization as well as his famous, some say infamous, "Save Willy" campaign.

We won't discuss or allow comments here about Cape Wind or anything else. That isn't what this specific column is about.

This is about Cliff Carroll, on the bottom on right, his credentials to be used as a spokesman and his abuse of copyright laws on his web site WindStop.org  where he commits at least two egregious sins; 

1. He violates the copyright laws by copy and pasting almost the entire twenty paragraph Cape Cod Times' story on Friday, September 28, 2006, about the latest radar report on his private web site, and
2. He commits that sin while NOT including the final two paragraphs which quote someone who disagrees with him, Barbara Hill of Clean Power Now.

Shame on you Cliff and those who "lionize" you 

How tacky can you get Cliff? You have managed to prove what the pro wind farm folks say about you. And don't bother to correct it now that you've been exposed, Cliff.

Other environmental sites have made copies of your cheap shot do don't bother to "edit" your site now.

What Carroll left out of his copy & paste 

Barbara Hill's statement in the Times article which Carroll omitted read, 

Barbara Hill, executive director of Clean Power Now, a local organization that supports the wind farm proposal, said additional Defense analysis is important, as long as the process is open to the public and done in a timely fashion.

''This blip on the radar screen is just that,'' Hill said, referring to many hurdles the renewable energy proposal has overcome during the review process. ''We will learn from this and we will get this built.''

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75% of comments support Cape Wind - MMS

US Chamber, Sierra Club, CLF, Natural Resources Council among supporters  

Three quarters of the public comment letters received by the Minerals Management Service after the conclusion of their recent public comment period expressed support of the Cape Wind project.

Several organizations submitted comments supportive of the project proposed for Nantucket Sound including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Wind Technology Center, the Sierra Club of Massachusetts, Conservation Law Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Cape and Islands Self Reliance, the National Ocean Industries Association, and the American Wind Energy Association.

The Minerals Management Service also received, in addition to public comment letters, form postcards asking for an extension of the public comment period and MMS did provide an extension through the end of July.

Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said, “We are grateful that Cape Wind has received such strong support from the general public and from leading business, environmental, trade and labor organizations. We are also pleased that MMS is moving forward - Cape Wind’s review process is back on track."

U.S. Chamber of Commerce comment;
“The Cape Wind Project has undergone some of the most rigorous environmental analyses to date, and has been consistently demonstrated to be environmentally sound as well as to hold great benefit for the communities it will serve.”  – United States Chamber of Commerce

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Carl's cows and Cape Wind

Carl Stone

Winds of Change

The farmlands of our New York State
Are takin' on a change.
It all has happened just of late,
And to most it still looks strange.

There is a brand new crop here now,
Like none we've ever seen.
It isn't some new breed of cow,
And it has no leaves of green.

The crop that I now speak about
Has been with us all along.
It's one we've never been without,
It's presence always strong.

For years I've always fought it,
Rarely considered it a friend.
Until this fella, he just bought it,
Yup, this guy, he bought my wind!

So now up from the fields of corn,
Majestic towers rise,
And mammoth rotors gently turn
Against the bright blue skies.

I think we will see many more
Before we all are through,
But one thing that I know for sure,
It's the right thing for us to do.

It surely beats a plume of smoke
Polluting all our air.
They stand as symbols to all folk
To show that we must care.

For years we all learned to take
From this world placed in our hands,
But now for all our children's sake,
We must make some long-term plans.

So where will they finish with this thing?
I s'pose I'll never know.
I just hope that guy drops by 'fore spring.
Maybe I can sell some snow!

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A skunk by any other name

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Anywhere it's not visible to the Kennedys

"Over the weekend, the Cape's congressman spoke in favor of an offshore wind project in another Bay State coastal town," the brief states. "Delahunt was among several elected officials in Hull to unveil preliminary plans to build a small offshore wind farm."

Finger held firmly aloft to gauge prevailing winds, the intrepid congressman displayed a keen grasp of an undeniable shift in public opinion toward renewable energy, a shift accompanied by disgust toward those seen as arbitrarily thwarting legitimate offshore wind projects elsewhere.

"The town of Hull has already built two turbines on land, and leaders hope to eventually cover 100 percent of their power needs through renewable energy," the Times reports.

One hundred percent for Hull, 74 percent for the Cape and islands from Cape Wind -- after awhile, it starts resembling progress.

Delahunt Chief of Staff Mark Forest is quoted as saying, "There's a tremendous amount of interest and support for wind energy in Hull."

Left unstated is Delahunt's tremendous interest in showing he has awakened from his van Winklesque slumber and come to the belated recognition that offshore wind power is - a humdinger of an idea! Just not where there's abundant wind, shallow waters, proximity to the regional grid ...

(photo credit, www.lawg.org)

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Those allegedly insurmountable problems at Horns Rev

... as posted earlier today at windfarmer's almanac by Jack Coleman ...

Those mechanical glitches at Horns Rev in Denmark awhile back were symptomatic of offshore wind power, at least according to opponents of Cape Wind.

Yet since turbine manufacturer Vestas repaired the problem, Horns Rev has never run better. In fact, the facility is the most efficient wind farm in all of Europe, acording to the July issue of Windpower Monthly magazine.

An analysis of 11,000 wind turbines in Germany, Sweden and Denmark for Windstats Newsletter, a sister publication of Windpower Monthly, found that "all the best performing machines are identified as being sited offshore or close to shore." (emphasis added)

"The highest capacity factor is 45 percent, recorded by the Vestas turbines at the Horns Rev offshore station," according to the WPM story. "An Enercon 500 kW turbine in north Germany was runner-up at 37 percent. The average capacity factor in Denmark is 24 percent compared with a 16 percent average in Germany."

The story goes on to note that "the combined capacity factor of all 424 MW of offshore wind in Denmark was 39 percent in 2005, a year of relatively low winds."

(photo credit, www.oersted.dtu.dk)

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The regional grid dodges a bullet

Remember the technical definition of a heat wave? Three or more consecutive days of temperatures in the shade reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit or greater, a standard that has held in most locales across the U.S. since first proposed by A.T. Burrows in 1900.

On Tuesday this week, the New England region set a record for electricity demand one day after hitting the second-highest mark (which then became the third-highest on Tuesday), according to grid operator ISO New England.

But hey, it's summer and heat waves come with the territory, right? True enough, but this wasn't much of a heat wave, at least as we've measured them for the last century. The highest and third-highest ever days for electricity demand came during a short stretch of summer heat unlikely to be remembered otherwise, at least when it comes to weather.

If this is what happens during a mild heat wave, what can we expect from one worthy of the name? Since we're less than halfway through summer, I doubt we'll wait long to find out.

According to this press release from ISO New England, "nine of the top 10 highest demand days occurred in 2005 and 2006."

"While electricity use continues to grow, supply has remained stagnant," the release states. "Between 2004 and 2006, peak demand grew from just over 24,000 MW to more than 27,000 MW, while power supplies increased minimally. Without new resources, New England will face an increased reliance on emergency actions to balance supply and demand as early as 2007."

Those emergency measures won't come cheap -- especially compared to the inherent savings of preventive measures such as tapping into the abundant and limitless wind off our shores.

(photo credit, "The Matrix")

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Coal yes, wind no.

Forbes reports on the disparity between energy
Congress curtailed cost of renewable programs only

 The recent Federal energy bill gave fossil fuel companies three times as long to collect tax credits as renewables like wind and others. The story in Forbes today states;

Renewable Energy Renewed
A year ago, Congress passed out billions in tax breaks to all manner of energy producers, from wind farms to oil drillers. But not all industries were treated equally.

The heavyweights - oil and gas producers, and the coal and nuclear industries - got lots of time to build their operations and claim their credits. For example, the companies that won $1.3 billion in credits to build "clean" coal facilities have seven years from the allocation of the credits to be up and running.

But generators of solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy must have their plants operating by the end of 2007 to get their tax rewards...

"It's hard to make business decisions in reliance on the credit when it's extended here and there over the years," says Jones, who represents renewable industry players. "This will give [the] industry more time to plan, construct and place these facilities into service. It takes a lot of time to get permitted and brought into operation." That's particularly true when influential locals--such as the folks fighting wind farms off Cape Cod--turn into NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) activists...

Tax Credits sought for Home owners who install Wind Turbines 

The story goes on to say that in addition to fighting for the credit extensions, the wind industry is asking for a tax credits for home owners who install residential-sized wind power systems. This would be similar to the home owner solar credit Congress created last year for the 2006 and 2007 tax years. 

As we reported earlier this month later this summer (yes, THIS summer) you should be able to walk into your nearest Home Depot, swap down your credit card, and walk out having provided your own electricity source in the form of a wind turbine which would satisfy 70% of the average home's needs.

Read the rest of the Forbes story here, and comment below. 

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Cape Cod is Our Disneyland

Next time my kids ask to go to Disneyland,
do you think I can get away with telling them 
that we already live there ?

This was the sentiment uttered by none other than Christy Mihos, gubenatorial candidate and Cape resident.

The occassion was the candidates debate at MIT the other night. The topic of the forum, which Mihos, Deval Patrick, Chris Gabrielli and Grace Ross attended, was the Environment.

Christy worked the Disneyland comment into an answer to a question about Cape Wind.   It seems that a wind farm would upset his idea of heaven on earth, Cape Disney.

And Mihos  lives in not just any old corner of Cape Cod, but the MOST exclusive piece of real estate on the pennisula, Great Island (left).

In a stunning moment of unbridled, if not ill-advised, pandering, he told the heavily pro-wind audience that he would install a wind turbine not only at his house (!) but at each one of his stores (!!!).

This must be the new strategy of the Alliance to Save the Sound (ASS) co-chairman; every opponent must install a wind trubine in their front yard!  These capitalists are not ones to pass up a good tax credit, you know.

There's profit to be made in these "god damned things" as the other (ASS)co-chairman refers to them.

For the record, I will be able to see Christy's wind turbine from my house.  But it will also be seen from Kennedy's Compound. Not to mention Bill Koch's Osterville mansion.

I'm not sure if Christy cleared his idea with those guys.

It sounds like he's saying, "if you can't beat them, at least beat them to the punch."

No wonder Sue Nickerson seems so demoralized these days. 

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Include me out on this one

(As written by Jack Coleman at the wind farmer's almanac blog separate from this site on July 10, 2006)

The same energy company seeking to build America's first offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound wants to construct a diesel-fueled power plant adjacent to an elementary school in Chelsea.

As an advocate for the wind farm, am I obligated to support the power plant proposed for Chelsea?

Not in the least.

Let me emphasize that this is my opinion and mine alone, and does not represent the position of Clean Power Now, the pro-wind farm grassroots organization where I work as media adviser.

And this is not an opinion reached lightly -- far from it. That we'll need so-called peaker plants to generate electricity in a hurry appears likely, based on ISO New England's frequent warnings that demand will outpace supply in the coming years.

Then again, an annual growth rate of 1.9 percent for demand doesn't strike me as particularly robust. That's roughly the rate of inflation, averaged out over the last two decades when it hasn't been anywhere nearly the problem it was in the late '70s. Population growth in New England has been stagnant for years. Yes, I know this is separate from demand for electricity, but the rising cost of energy has the effect of limiting demand in and of itself. Predictions about future demand are just that -- predictions.

In the end, it came down to this --  how would I react if any other energy company made the same proposal? That's easy -- with skepticism.

And when the elementary school in Chelsea comes into the equation, skepticism becomes too mild a word. Then the word that comes to mind is cynicism.

(The photo shows the smokestacks of a sewage treatment plant as seen from a playground in an inner city neighborhood; photo credit, "The Dean's Report: Communities of Color.")

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Debate on Cape Wind after screening of "An Inconvenient Truth" tonight

Cape Cinema in Dennis to be the venue

The Nantucket Sound wind farm will be the subject of a debate after tonight's screening of the documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," at 7 p.m. at the Cape Cinema on Route 6A in Dennis. The film chronicles former vice president Al Gore's efforts to sound the alarm about the realities of global warming.

After the screening, a debate on the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound will be held with Cape Wind Communications Director Mark Rodgers and a representative from the Alliance.

The movie had its New England debut in Boston in April where the Cape Wind project became an immediate issue at Gore's talk afterward; see Jack Coleman's report here. 

The Cape Cod Times today ran a front page story on the movie here  which erroneously claimed that Jim Gordon would debate Charles Vinick.

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Changing Dance Partners

Looks like the management of the ocean management bill has passed from Senator O'Leary, the original sponsor, to Senator Murray. 

The bill which was to come up with a framework to manage the state's ocean resources was originally filed by Sen. Rob O'Leary, from Barnstable, at the behest of the Alliance to Save our Sound (ASS) .  The original bill included language that prohibited energy generation facilities from gaining access to the shoreline; language which would adversely affect the Cape Wind project.

Lucky for the Commonwealth, there are enough Senators that would not sign onto a bill with that language. And to his credit, O'Leary agreed to drop it because zoning the state's waters was more important to him than killing the wind farm.

Unfortunately for the Alliance, this ploy to kill Cape Wind didn't work, and this is where they parted company with O'Leary.

The bill was referred out of O'Leary's Environment Commtitee,  and into the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Not especially unusual. Ways and Means sees almost ever bill with a financial implact for the state. What happens next is what is more interesting.

After languishing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, for 6 months, of which Senator Therese Murrary is Chairman, it gets referred out to The Rules and Ethics Committee. What, you may ask does the Rules and Ethics Committee have to do with the ocean management legislation? Nothing. But is has everyting to do with Senator Murray. She is a member of that Committee too.  It serves as a place to park legislation out of sight.   It takes bills out of the more visible Senate Ways and Means Committee for amendment or execution.

The point is that the bill doesn't belong to Senator O'Leary any more,  it belongs to Senator Murray now.

Why?  Senator Murray is the other State Senator from Cape Cod.  She has not been very visable on the issue of Cape Wind, coming from Plymouth, but she too opposes the wind farm.  And she has more power to do something about it. This makes her very useful to the Alliance.

How did this come about? Well, the Alliance shouldn't be so modest about its handling of the bill. Using their lobbyist , Brian Hickey, they maneuvered it to Ways and Means and now the graveyard committee.  Unless they can insert the language they want in it, so it can be sent back to the Ways and Means Committee and ultimately the floor of the Senate, they, with Senator Murray's help, can just let it die there.

Follow the money

Looking at the Campaign Finance reports can be very illuminating. It seems Brian Hickey abandoned Senator O'Leary a couple of years ago in favor of contributing to Senator Murray.  A pretty good bet, seeing that she might be Senate President one day. 

The Alliance has been pretty good at hiring well connected lobbylists to do their bidding in Congress and now the Legislature. Not bad for a charitable organization that shouldn't be lobbying. 

The fun part is watching how they're willing to run over their own supporters to get what they want. Don't get me wrong, they still love Rob O'Leary. They just love Terry Murray more .  Welcome to the dance Senator Murray.

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Is it another conspiracy?

Jack Coleman's Wind Farmers Almanac tweaks d'Alliance 

Alliance demands probe of possible link between Cape Wind and lightning strike on Kennedy plane

Wasting little time responding to an incident it deems "suspicious," the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound is demanding a "comprehensive and time-consuming" congressional probe into Sen. Edward Kennedy's plane getting hit by lightning over the weekend.

"Consider at the timing of this -- just as Sen. Kennedy has become the poster child for the opposition," said Alliance spokesman Ernst Incorrigan. "We already know that radar interference from wind turbines has led to tragic accidents involving planes and boats in Europe. And eventually I might be able to cite an example."
"But until we take a hard long, look at this," Incorrigan said, "we can't rule out that the Cape Wind proposal - the proposal itself - is wreaking havoc on navigational systems and Mother Nature."
Congressman Bill Delahunt, speaking from the floor of the House, joined with the Alliance in making the demand. "How many more planes, trains, boats, birds and God knows what else must get struck by lightning before we resolve this -- how many more, Mr. Speakah?!
Delahunt said the incident was "a perfect example of Cape Wind getting help from powerful friends in high places, moving unseen among the clouds, never saying a word but always present."

"The possibility of that type of thing at work makes me uncomfortable," Delahunt said, glancing skyward.

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The signs are everywhere, Senator

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Inexplicably wanting to go it alone

... as posted today by Jack Coleman at wind farmer's almanac ...

A frequent question heard by the Senators Ted, Kennedy and Stevens - why single out Cape Wind? With all these allegedly insurmountable problems to radar and navigation from wind turbines elsewhere, why write the Kennedy-Stevens amendment in such a way that it targets one project in a single location?
Because, as Kennedy explained in his recent op-ed, "Horseshoe Shoal is geographically unique, a doughnut-hole of federal property bounded on all sides by state-protected waters."

Much the same language was used in a May 6 editorial in the Cape Cod Times - "After all," the paper stated, "it was Cape Wind that took advantage of the 'doughnut' - the unprotected waters of Nantucket Sound that are completely surrounded by state-designated ocean sanctuaries." (emphasis added)

The editorial repeats the same assertion only a paragraph later, motivated perhaps by the hope that repetition of a false claim will somehow make it true - "On March 2, at a meeting with editorial writers" (let me guess, they had doughnuts) , "Gov. Mitt Romney angrily denounced such tactics - 'It's absolutely outrageous that the federal government would allow' a wind farm in an area completely surrounded by the Cape and Islands Ocean Sanctuary."

Aside from "completely surrounded" suffering from redundancy, a lapse usually avoided by editorial writers (Lone Ranger to Tonto - don't look now, but we're partially surrounded by Indians!; Tonto to Lone Ranger - what's this "we" stuff, paleface ... ), the phrase contains a more serious flaw - it is inaccurate.

The diagram above, from a report published by P'town's Center for Coastal Studies in 2003, shows state jurisdiction - in blue - compared to federal jurisdiction - in white - for the waters around the Cape and islands.

Agreed, the Sound is not surrounded by state waters, but pretty close to it. To which I ask - so what? Doesn't seem to be a problem elsewhere - such as the District of Columbia, to cite one example that actually is "completely surrounded" (albeit mostly by land, not water). We fought a nasty civil war a while back over slavery, states' rights or both, depending on your perspective, but things have stayed relatively civil around the capital ever since.

Another example - the Vatican. Popes and cardinals have somehow managed to function, month after month, century after century, despite being surrounded by a separate legal entity - to wit, Italy.

What's most perplexing about this "completely surrounded" bloody shirt is that many of those waving it - Kennedy and Bill Delahunt come to mind - are among the first to clamor for collaboration, for people working together, for not going it alone.

Nantucket Sound has been managed through a multi-jurisdictional approach in place for decades.  Apparently it's working - otherwise Cape Wind's opponents would not keep referring to it as a "national treasure" and "pristine jewel."

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Wind Power unites Europe

"Supergrid" numbering 2,000 turbines would link offshore wind farms from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean
$25 billion dollar project will power 8 million homes

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Wind energy uniting Europe

"Supergrid" numbering 2,000 turbines would link offshore wind farms from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean
$25 billion dollar project will power 8 million homes

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Senators Kennedy & Stevens on "State Rights"

Why not let the governor of Alaska decide on ANWR?

By Jack Coleman

Ted Kennedy's new-found faith in states' rights leads to some interesting possibilities for resolving thorny issues not otherwise receptive to resolution.

Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska comes to mind as just such a possibility.

Seeing how Kennedy and his Alaskan allies in Congress want to give veto power over an offshore wind project in Massachusetts to the governor of the Bay State, why not let the governor of Alaska decide whether to drill for oil in ANWR - instead of that decision hinging, for example, on the whims of politicians in distant New England?

Seeing how $5 a gallon gasoline suddenly doesn't seem far-fetched, the residents of Alaska may embrace such a suggestion from Kennedy, as might with many other people nationwide who are losing a rising portion of their hard-earned wages to higher fuel costs.

That Kennedy will ever suggest such a thing is highly unlikely, incidentally, because what he is attempting has nothing to do with states' rights' - at least not when it comes to Kennedy.

If you have any doubts about that, try a Google search of recent Cape Wind stories and noticed how infrequently, if ever, Kennedy invokes the words "states' rights." I read through a dozen stories, editorials and op-eds before writing this and I couldn't find a single example.

The closest you'll get is something along these lines, as expressed by Kennedy aide Melissa Wagonner in an April 25 Boston Globe story - Kennedy believes in "the need for the state to have a voice in the process."

A stalwart conservative like Senator Ted Stevens, however, demonstrates no such trepidation - just the opposite. Stevens is almost guaranteed to invoke "states' rights," in those words, every time he talks to a reporter.

In that same Globe story, an aide to Stevens said the Alaskan senator "sees it as a states' rights issue. He believes the people of a particular state should be able to determine their destiny."

Stevens had this to say in an April 27 story in the Globe - "I just believe it's a state's right - if that were in Puget Sound, don't you think people in Washington would want to say something about it? If it's off our coast, we'd want to know." ("... want to know"? As if Cape Wind's been a well-kept secret).

A front-page story in today's Globe ("Kennedy caught in crosswind: Cape project move draws ire"), includes this quote from Stevens - "A state should have something to say about the siting of energy projects off its shore."

Why Kennedy's aversion to invoking two words that seem near and dear to Stevens' heart? I can't help wonder if Kennedy steers clear of the phrase because he is all too cognizant of their unfortunate historical resonance, as described further here.

(photo credit, themoderatevoice.com)  Read Jack's blog here.

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Wrong twice over, Senator

From today's wind farmer's almanac -

No single assertion by Senator Kennedy in his Cape Cod Times op-ed is more demonstrably untrue than this one, no matter how many times Kennedy and his cohorts repeat it, as if repetition will make it so -

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"States' Rights" rears its ugly head

Shades of the Old South and the Dixiecrats
The non-PC euphemisms of the "Terrible Teds"
Once again, blogger Jack Coleman cuts to the quick in popping the B.S. balloon of the Senatorial sachems who hide behind euphemisms to do their dirty work in Washington. And once again, Ted Kennedy and Ted Stevens are the culprits.

The opposition's new rallying cry - "states' rights"
From today's Cape Wind story in the Boston Globe -

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BANANAs

Which would you rather have in your backyard?  Windmills or PAVE PAWS?

I seem to remember the APCC (Association to Preserve Cape Cod) asking for the study of the effects of radar from the PAVE PAWS installation on the surrounding community a few years back.  There was great concern about the effects of the microwaves on humans, ie. CANCER.

The APCC was asking for an independent review. The Air Force which runs the installation, basically evaluated their own operation and thankfully, they found no adverse effects on humans.

I'm not sure about this, but I don't think that the opponents of Cape Wind have suggested that the windmills will adversely affect humans.  With no emmissions or microwaves,  I can't see how it would, unless there's something about the view that causes blindness. 

But they have asked the same authorities to investigate the windmills for their effect on the radar installation.  Sounds curious doesn't it?  Because I swear it's the same people who didn't trust the military to review PAVE PAWS, that are now asking them to review Cape Wind.

Oh yes, I remember now, the Executive Director of APCC at the time was none other than Susan Nickerson, the current Executive Director of the APNS (Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound).

Just as they don't want a renewable energy project now, had they been around back when, I'm sure they  wouldn't have wanted the military's early warning system here either. Screw national defense. Screw energy independence.

Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere NearAnything.

Aren't you glad they're on our side? 

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Wind is to pols as manure is to cows

 The San Antonio Express-News features a zinger of an editorial today about Cape Wind:

Wind project blown off without a public airing

Wind generally shares the same dependency on politicians as manure does to cows.

Not, however, when the wind involved is for an energy farm in Massachusetts' Nantucket Sound. And not when the farm is located within a few miles of resort homes of the rich and famous.

...the effort to kill Cape Wind shows all the telltale signs of NIMBY — not in my back yard. Wealthy property owners don't want their aquatic views marred by wind turbines, even if they'll need telescopes to see them and even if the project harnesses clean, renewable energy.

 The editorial rounds up the usual suspects, and finishes with this flourish,

Opponents of Cape Wind need to air their objections publicly. A transparent regulatory mechanism should fairly evaluate their objections. Their effortless maneuver around the political process, however, merits a tempest of public reproach.

Read the Editorial here. 

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Profiles in Lethargy

As posted today at Jack Coleman's wind farmer's almanac -
That well-oiled Delahunt machine slumbers into action 

Talk about timing - only days after my blog post here on Monday, "Cantwell brings home the bacon in Coast Guard bill - why not Kennedy and Delahunt?," where I pointed out that Congressman Bill Delahunt's website had not been updated since December, a hastily revamped site has been unveiled.

Why the five month-delay in adding new content? The updated site tries to help with what passes for an explanation.

"We're so deluged by news (and soap operas parading as news) that sometimes it's hard to keep up with the latest," reads the comment atop the newsroom link, above eight press releases, the most recent dated March 20.

Still conspicuously absent is any mention of funding or other help Delahunt may have provided for the Coast Guard in the reauthorization bill, in marked contrast to roughly $17 million in funding lined up by Washington Senator Maria Cantwell, to cite one example.

Delahunt can be expected to share an interest along the same lines given that he is a Coast Guard veteran and member of the House's CG caucus.

It appears our congressman was too busy working behind the scenes to derail Cape Wind to focus all that much attention on helping the Coast Guard - or with keeping his constituents informed. At least until now.

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Fine Feathered Friends

Be wary of people who care more for animals than they do for people.  Gordon Gekko (Wall Street) sums it up,  "The thing about WASPs is they love animals and hate people."

(Sometimes they also show concern for childen, but that's only because of their temporary status. Once they grow up...)

Such is the case with a couple of bloggers on these webpages. It's not my purpose here  to disparage their animal philanthrophy, but to point out their human hypocracy.

They disdain the wind farm on the premise that it will harm the birds.  But they know that maybe, only a couple of birds may get "naturally selected" by a wind mill.

They claim among their heros, Mitt Romney for doing their bidding. In this they are birds of a feather, they are both disingenuous.

Where is their outrage when their local hero decides to back down from  making the filthy five, producers of fossil fuel generated electricity in this state comply with state and federal law? A clean up action mandated by even the Bush EPA, is being negated by Romney's political zigzaging.

All too real power plant pollution that currently "artificially selects" thousands of birds a year. Not to mention the human toll in asthma, lung desease and death. Where is these bloggers' humanity ? Misanthrops.

Beware of false heros, my fine feathered friends.  Romney is one of those. You will be disappointed when he flip flops on the wind farm here, because he counts the voters in Iowa more.  They don't have nearly as many bird lovers there.

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One good term deserves another

Coleman skewers our reps in Wind Farmer's Almanac ...

Cantwell brings home the bacon in Coast Guard bill -
Why not Kennedy and Delahunt?

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Do as I say, not...

From Jack Coleman's Wind Farmers Almanac:

"Every child knows that you don't change the rules in the middle of the game"
- except those who never grew up

The title of this post is a direct quote from Sen. Edward Kennedy, spoken on the floor of the Senate on May 19, 2005. Kennedy used it to make a point about Republicans attempting to enact the so-called "nuclear option" and eliminate the filibuster in the Senate.

"The founding fathers intended the Senate to be more than a rubber stamp when reviewing judicial nominees. They expected us to review nominations for lifetime positions on the federal courts, and to debate problems if need exists, so the public can learn about the records of those entrusted with upholding their basic rights.

"They did not expect Senators to stay silent when the President and Majority leader try to ram through nominees who don't deserve to be confirmed. And the American people don't expect us to stay silent either.

"Every child knows that you don't change the rules in the middle of the game. But that's what the nuclear option would do ..."

And that's what the Stevens language, if enacted into law, would do: give veto power over Cape Wind to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, an outspoken opponent of the project - without the slightest justification for killing the first offshore wind farm in America.

You're right, Senator Kennedy, every child knows you don't change the rules while the ball is in play, not if you want to be respected as a decent and honorable person, one willing to live by his principles, even if he must lose because of them.

In the words of a wiser statesman from an era that grows more distant by the day, "Ask not what your country can do for you ..."

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Mark 26:11, sort of

When my daughter came home from school today, she wanted to know what happened.  She had  heard about the wind farm. Knowing my interest in it, she asked.  Looking for the right words to explain the nuances of an adult issue to an elementary school age child.

"The people who are against the windmills couldn't get their way by playing fair, so they cheated. The rich do that. Get used to it." 

The rich, you will always have them with you.

See previous post  501(c)3 here. 

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501(c)3

Looks like the only ones getting a tax subsidy from the Cape Wind project are the Alliance to Save Our Sound (ASS) and their aristocratic friends. You see, the Alliance is a tax-exempt charitable organization.  As such, all the monies left over after expenses are considered surpluses instead of profits. But more importantly, all donations to the corporation are tax deductible contributions.

Ironic isn't it?  While the gang at the Alliance was complaining that Jim Gordon was going to make his profits from federal tax subsidies, Energy Tax Credits, they themselves were being paid with federal tax dollars.

An anonymous contribution of  $850K to the Alliance in 2005 generated a tax savings for someone of over $250K. This happens to be what they pay Charles Vinick, Alliance CEO.

Paul Fireman contibuted $250K  and Mike Egan $150K to the Alliance last year. Together they saved about $125K  in tax payments to the US Treasury, about what they pay Susan Nickerson (Alliance COO). 

When Frank Wilkins contributed $350K to the Alliance, he didn't have to pay the IRS $1o0K in taxes, about the same as Audra Parker's (Alliance VP) salary. 

Bill Koch's $1.1M contribution's $300K tax dodge paid for all of the other Alliance staffers' salaries.

The Alliance's tax advantaged status was granted by the IRS on a provisional basis three years ago. They will get reviewed this year to see if they qualified for the their tax-exemption, i.e. performed charitable work that benefited the general public and warranted the government's tax forgiveness.

Wouldn't it be funny if the IRS review concluded that the Alliance did not meet the performance standards for charitable work, and they ask for their money back? In that case Koch, Fireman, Egan, Wilkens and all those anonymous givers would get a nasty tax bill. 

501(c)3 is the tax code designation that allowed the Alliance to Save our Sound (ASS) to confer about $2 million in tax breaks to their already incredibly rich friends. By the way, who wrote these tax laws anyway?

http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/index.html

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"Comprehensive regulatory framework" ... yeah, that's the ticket

Posted on Jack Coleman's Wind Farmers Almanac this morning

Remember Tommy Flanagan (pronounced "Flan - A - gnn"),  the integrity-challenged character on Saturday Night Live played by comedian Jon Lovitz?

If you do, it probably won't be difficult to hear ol' Tommy saying something along these lines:

"A wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod? Why that's a splendid idea, even better than splendid. Except that ... ah ... there isn't .... ah .... a comprehensive regulatory framework ... yeah, that's the ticket ..."

Once was the time, three or four years ago, when these three words formed a Manchurian candidate mantra for Cape Wind's opponents. Of course we aren't opposed to offshore wind power, and most especially not in Nantucket Sound, but alas, we just don't have, ah, what are the words I'm looking for, oh yes, a comprehensive regulatory framework.

Notice how you haven't heard those words much lately, not since last summer when Congress, after wrestling with energy policy for years, passed sweeping legislation that included lease payments to the state and federal governments for offshore wind projects and bonding to cover decommissioning costs. The new law also shifted jurisdiction from the Army Corps to Minerals Management Service, something else opponents wanted.

But as to be expected, no regulatory framework is comprehensive enough to Cape Wind's opponents if it manages to let the wind farm get built. This explains the backroom machinations in Washington - starting in September, only a month after the energy bill became law - to scuttle Cape Wind.

The so-called Stevens language is at least the third version of these attempts in the last six months, all with one thing in common - derailing Cape Wind. And with each new version, it becomes more obvious that these political machinations have nothing to do with radar, or birds or protecting Nantucket Sound.

Their intent is simple - kill Cape Wind - period.

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Those allegedly insurmountable problems with radar

Jack Coleman's Wind Farmers Almanac has more fun with the Luddites 

Those allegedly insurmountable problems with radar in Great Britain
One UK wind farm is adding 230 MORE turbines  

If these problems are as serious as Cape Wind's opponents allege, why do we so rarely hear of accidents involving ships and planes because of them? Citing a single example in the 15 years that Europeans have been building offshore wind farms, and land-based arrays even longer, shouldn't be a problem for them - but they can't.

The photo on right is of the Middlegrunden offshore wind farm in Denmark - taken from a plane about to land at Copenhagen Airport.

Cape Wind's oppoents also claim that radar problems in the UK are so serious as to have virtually sidelined the wind industry. Yet the North-West Daily News newspaper in Britain reported on Monday of plans to proceed with 230 more offshore wind turbines off Walney Island - in addition to 30 already planned for this year and another 30 to be built next year. The map is the wind farm location on right is at the harbor's entrance.
A link to that story is here.

According to the January issue of Windpower Monthly, operating wind power capacity expanded 49 percent in the UK last year, from 897 to 1,337 MW. Surely they must be building wind turbines somewhere - such as off Walney Island - to achieve that level of growth.

UK to increase wind power by 50% in four years

According to Windtech International, as reported on Monday - "By 2010, the onshore wind industry will generate 50 per cent more electricity than previously predicted, and will have installed 6,000MW of wind power capacity, generating almost 5% of UK electricity supply delivering nearly half of the Government’s 2010 renewable energy target, according to a report published by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA). The link to that story is here.

And why is it that opponents of the wind farm place such enormous faith in advances in technology allowing us to build first in deep-water, open ocean settings - but no faith in technological advances to resolve issues involving radar?

(photo credit, http://dalager.com)

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Aububon, Denmark research dovetail

Jack Coleman's Wind Farmers Almanac always has more data on Renewable Energy than most. In the BBC story he references below, a study says "Birds simply fly around the farms or between the turbines":

Mass Audubon position dovetails with research in Denmark showing neglible impacts to birds from offshore wind turbines

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Don Young's motive: the best theory yet

... from Jack Coleman's wind farmer's almanac

An excellent op-ed by science writer Wendy Williams in yesterday's Providence Journal-Bulletin that may hit closest to the mark in explaining Alaska Congressman Don Young's inscrutable interest in Cape Wind, an offshore wind proposal several time zones from his district.

Instead of the influence of lobbyists and billionaire yachtsmen like the Alliance's Bill Koch, Williams explains, Young could be motivated by vein-bulging contempt for  environmentalists and even more for Theodore Roosevelt IV.

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When NIMBY becomes PIIMBY

"When Austin Energy, the publicly owned utility in Austin, Texas, launched its GreenChoice program in 2000, customers opting for green electricity paid a premium. During the fall of 2005, climbing natural gas prices pulled conventional electricity costs above those of wind-generated electricity, the source of most green power. This crossing of the cost lines in Austin and several other communities is a milestone in the U.S. shift to a renewable energy economy," says Lester Brown, President of Earth Policy Institute

Austin Energy buys wind-generated electricity under 10-year, fixed-price contracts and passes this stable price on to its GreenChoice subscribers. This fixed-price energy product is quite attractive to Austin's 388 corporate GreenChoice customers, including Advanced Micro Devices, Dell, IBM, Samsung, and 3M. Advanced Micro Devices expects to save $4 million over the next decade through this arrangement. School districts are also signing up. Round Rock School District, for example, projects 10-year savings to local taxpayers at $2 million.

Facing a Texas-style stampede of consumers wanting to sign up for the current remaining supply of green electricity, Austin Energy has resorted to a GreenChoice raffle that will be held on March 23. All its customers - both residential and business - were invited to participate in the drawing.

NIMBY vs. PIIMBY

Interest in wind energy is rising as production costs fall. Although media attention focuses on communities with a not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) response to wind turbines, such as the large, off-shore wind farm planned off Cape Cod, in most of the country wind farms are enthusiastically welcomed. Here, it's the PIIMBY syndrome - put-it-in-my-backyard... Read the rest of this Environmental News Network story here, and comment below.

Read why Cape Cod's failure to seize the renewable option will cause a recession here. 

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Bill Koch's doublespeak

An enduring example ...

Reading about this in a news story is one thing, but actually seeing it better conveys the full effect -

At right is an excerpt from a lobbying disclosure document filed by Kessler & Associates Business Services, a Washington-based lobbying firm lobbying on behalf of another one, U.S. Strategies of Alexandria, Va., which is retained by Alliance co-chair Bill Koch.

Note the curious wording about the services Kessler & Associates would render for U.S. Strategies - "Wind Project Advocacy."

Who knows, maybe the people in the government office where the document was filed saw that and sighed - "awwww, how noble. These guys actually believe in something."

Then you realize how cynical and Orwellian those three words truly are.

War is peace, ignorance is strength and poison-pill opposition is wind project advocacy.

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The Sopranos

The practice of men singing soprano began in the 16th century. Due to Catholicism's traditional ban on females singing in church, castrati were employed as church singers. The first castrati appeared in chapel choirs.  The Duke of Ferrara had castrati in his chapel choir. 

Most opera singers of the Baroque period were castrati. The male heroic leads would often be written for a castrato singer. When such operas are performed today, women or homosexuals take these roles. However, some opera with parts for castrati are so complex and difficult that they cannot be performed today.

Not so with Cape Wind, The Opera.

Ted Kennedy, the Duke of Hyannisport, the last remaining obstacle to the wind farm, has had his emissaries to state and federal government and his candidate for Governor, effectively castrated. They can't sing on this seminal issue without consulting with their benefattore or patrono.

So the Opera must go on. And the castrati must continue to sing... soprano.

But castration is by no means a guarantee of a promising political career.

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Tom and Cliff talk independence

From Jack Coleman's wind farmer's almanac -  

Tom and Cliff talk independence

   The setting: Independence Hall, Philadelphia, July 1776. Bay State delegate Clifton Carroll walks into the room, sees Jefferson and shakes his head in amused disgust. Jefferson reads aloud, editing the words he has written.

Jefferson - ... 'when in the course of modern events' or 'human events'? .... most decidedly 'human events,' yes. And the other clause that vexed me so - 'life, liberty and the right to happiness' ... or ... (looking up in contemplation) ... as I'm more inclined in my own sundry endeavors, 'the pursuit of happiness' ... yes .... 'pursuit of happiness' ... it has a most goodly ring to it (he looks down and resumes writing).

Carroll - still at it, eh, Tommy?

Jefferson (startled, his thoughts interrupted) - oh, greetings to my fellow patriot from Massachusetts, birthplace of our Revolution. You appear in fine spirits this morn, Mr. Carroll. What say you about this auspicious enterprise?

Carroll - well, Tommy boy, hate to burst your bubble, but we are bound to have major league problems with this independence scheme you've hatched.

Jefferson (puzzled) - .... major league ...?

Carroll - The way I see it, just about everything we do revolves around our remaining simpatico with England. Without them, we're doomed. You don't seriously believe the yokels on this side of the pond can make a good of it, do ya?

Jefferon - well, based on my readings of Locke and Montiesque ...

Carroll (waving a hand dismissively) - the high-falutin stuff is all fine and dandy, but I'm talking real world here. We cut our ties to England, first thing they do is send the British Navy to remind us who's boss. You know what they means for Cape Cod? Major league navigation problems - we'll never be able to sail our waters without getting whacked.

Jefferson - ... whacked ...?

Carroll - right you are, Tommy. Listen, I know from first-hand experience this self-governance schtick ain't all it's cracked up to be. The Pilgrims tried the same thing, writing up that whatjamacallit, the Mayflower Light Compact, right there in P'town harbor. Once those crazy ideas took hold - hell, you wouldn't recognize the place anymore, especially in summer.

Jefferson - but is it not true the denizens of Provincetown are most skillful in the theatrical and visual arts?

Carroll - sure, if that's your cup of tea, but it gets worse. Starting with what the Pilgrims did gets us right to where we are now. And haven't you noticed the effect all this is having - slaves looking at you sideways, the hired help talking back, and you should hear my wife these days - she thinks "independence" (he wiggles fingers in universally annoying gesture for quotation marks) should be extended to women and slaves - yeesh!

Jefferson (awkwardly) - yes, well, the same thought had crossed my mind ...

Carroll - don't get me wrong, Tommy, I support liberty, freedom, all those good things - just not here. There are certain places where they don't belong - like the 13 colonies. Maybe in the future, further out, when people are ready for it - we get to that point, I'm the first guy across the Delaware. But for now, let's do all we can to preserve this pristine jewel we have going with the British Crown.
When you get a chance, check out a website called SaveOurCrown.org ...

 Jefferson - .... website ... ? 

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Robert Whitcomb in Providence Journal

Maybe Massachusetts, land of green rhetoric rarelybacked by action, might become a wind-power center after all. Ruthless back-room efforts by Alaska Congressman Don Young, his pal Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound lobbyist Guy Martin, and Hyannisport compound padrone Sen. Edward Kennedy to kill Cape Wind are drawing much bipartisan fire from other legislators and a public fed up with secretive Capitol Hill deals.

And lies and exaggerations that the project would harm navigation are being proven for what they are. Meanwhile, project supporter Deval Patrick may now be the frontrunner in the gubernatorial race.

Robert Whitcomb is the Vice President and Editorial Page Editor of  The Providence Journal. See his column here. 

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Alliance's new view of Nantucket Sound: this pristine jewel of a highway off our shores

As posted this morning at wind farmer's almanac  (yes, this is satire)

INTERNAL MEMO: Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound
g>
FROM: top management
TO: board members, lobbyists
SUBJECT: Talking points for Young amendment, aka "our baby"
LEVEL OF SENSITIVITY: extreme; shred after reading

A reminder about key element in our strategy re: Young poison pill - refrain from referring to Nantucket Sound as "fragile ecosystem," "pristine jewel," "fair maiden in distress," etc.

Instead, hammer away with entirely different image, as stated by Ernie Corrigan on NECN - "why would you put a telephone pole in the middle of a highway?" (epic spin, Ernie, a thing of beauty!)

Given unexpected fierce opposition to our well-funded, backroom machinations in Congress, it is imperative that we harp away on this theme - Nantucket Sound a fragile ecosystem? Hardly - it is a freeway at rush hour - 5.5 million ferry passengers passing through annually - 400,000 air travelers "over this airspace" (we're iffy on the boundaries, but let reporters and bloggers chase such trivia), cigarette boat races, booze cruises, planes colliding, ships crashing, giant acorns falling from sky - 'nuff said, you get the idea.

Also worth mentioning - Otis air base an emergency landing site for space shuttle; Cape Wind spells doom for our brave astronauts.

Last point - when citing maritime accidents in Nantucket Sound, stay on message and don't mention that vast majority caused by human error.

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Bush reacts to mining deaths - Reduces safety regs

In another example of "the best government money can buy",
the Bush Administraion today annonced the LOWERING of fines for U.S. mining company flaws

See the New Tork Times story below:

U.S. Is Reducing Safety Penalties for Mine Flaws
By IAN URBINA and ANDREW W. LEHREN, New York Times

CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — In its drive to foster a more cooperative relationship with mining companies, the Bush administration has decreased major fines for safety violations since 2001, and in nearly half the cases, it has not collected the fines, according to a data analysis by The New York Times.

Federal records also show that in the last two years the federal mine safety agency has failed to hand over any delinquent cases to the Treasury Department for further collection efforts, as is supposed to occur after 180 days.

With the deaths of 24 miners in accidents in 2006, the enforcement record of the Mine Safety and Health Administration has come under sharp scrutiny, and the agency is likely to face tough questions about its performance at a Senate oversight hearing on Thursday.

"The Bush administration ushered in this desire to develop cooperative ties between regulators and the mining industry," said Tony Oppegard, a top official at the agency in the Clinton administration. "Safety has certainly suffered as a result."

A spokesman for the agency, Dirk Fillpot, defended its record, pointing out that last year the coal industry had 22 fatalities, the lowest number in its history.

"Safety is definitely improving," Mr. Fillpot said.

A spokeswoman for the National Mining Association, Carol Raulston, agreed.

"The agency realized in recent years that you can't browbeat operators into improved safety, and this general approach has worked," Ms. Raulston said. "The tragic events of this year have given everyone pause. But I don't think it means we want to abandon what we have found works."

Federal records show that fatalities across all types of mining have stayed relatively stable. In each of the last three years, 55 to 57 miners have died in all areas of mining. Experts say a long-term decline in coal mine fatalities is in part a result of growing mechanization.

Mr. Fillpot also said delinquent cases had not moved to the Treasury Department since 2003 because of computer problems. He could not say when the problems would be corrected. "Referrals from M.S.H.A. to the Treasury Department have been impacted by technical issues on both ends, which we are working to resolve while maintaining an aggressive record on enforcement and collections," he said.

Although the agency has recently trumpeted Congressional plans to raise the maximum penalties, federal records indicate that few major fines are issued at the maximum level. In 2004, the number of major fines issued at maximum level was one in 10, down from one in 5 in 2003.

Since 2001, the median for penalties that exceed $10,000, described as "major fines," has dropped 13 percent, to $21,800 from $25,000.

Also troubling, critics say, is that fines are regularly reduced in negotiations between mine operators and the agency. From 2001 to 2003, more than two-thirds of all major fines were cut from the original amount that the agency proposed. Most of the more recent cases are enmeshed in appeals, so it is impossible to know whether that trend has continued.

"The agency keeps talking about issuing more fines, but it doesn't matter much," said Bruce Dial, a former inspector for the mine safety agency. "The number of citations means nothing when the citations are small, negotiable and most often uncollected."

Before the January disaster at the Sago Mine near here, where 12 miners died, the operator had been cited 273 times since 2004. None of the fines exceeded $460, roughly one-thousandth of 1 percent of the $110 million net profit reported last year by the current owner of the mine, the International Coal Group... Read the rest here, and comment below.

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A Declaration of Energy Independents

hen in the course of modern events it becomes necessary for one people to assume greater control of their energy needs

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all sources of energy are not created equal, that some are endowed with indisputable flaws, most especially fossil fuels.

Among these are a fearsome toll in lives, restraints on liberty where oil is the only source of wealth, and the thwarting of happiness through ever-rising energy costs.

That to secure freedom from dependence on foreign energy, governments are instituted by men and women, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed and not from lobbyists in the fossil-fuels industry.

That whenever any form of government proves resistance to these truths, it is the right of the People to articulate that government's failure and advocate for new policies, based on the principle of self-reliance upon which our Nation was founded.

Prudence will dictate that governments long established should not change for light and transient causes, such as a sudden surge in oil prices. And all experience has shown that humanity is more disposed to tolerate fossil fuels while their financial costs are modest, rather than right themselves by abolishing the dependence to which they are accustomed.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these United States, extending back more than three decades to the Arab oil embargo of 1973-74, and such is now the necessity which constraints them through an even worse dependence on foreign energy than during the embargo.

The history of our Nation's over-reliance on fossil fuels from abroad is strewn with missed opportunities and repeated folly, all having in direct object the establishment of something akin to addiction for our citizens.

To prove this, let these facts be submitted to a candid world increasingly resentful of our presence: We account for only 5 percent of the earth's population, yet consume one-quarter of its energy; We refuse to increase fuel efficiency for sports utility vehicles through a legal loophole which maintains the fiction that most SUVs are purchased for agricultural endeavors;We provide lobbyists from the fossil fuels industry with undue sway in crafting energy policy, often in secretive enclaves;

We quarter more than 100,000 of our soldiers in the Middle East for the second war in as many decades to ensure the flow of oil to this country, where much of it will be squandered. The cost of these conflicts has been a horrific toll in lives and injuries, widespread devastation, environmental havoc and economic upheaval; We have long ignored the example of the Danes, the Germans, the English, the Spanish and the Irish, among other peoples, who are embracing wind power and other renewables rather than the failed energy policies of the past;

At every stage we have petitioned for remedies; our petitions have been ignored or derided. Nor have we been wanting in our respect for our system of governance. Accordingly, we have warned our legislators that their failure to act in their constituents' best-interests will likely end with their usurpation from office. They have been deaf to the voices of reason and environmental justice.

We, therefore, the representatives of a voting bloc known as Energy Independents, united in spirit across this Nation and transcending partisan division, solemnly declare that these United States ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they should sever allegiance to those nations from whom we purchase fossil fuels and who maintain despotic regimes over their citizenry; and as Free and Independent States, we have full power to provide for our energy needs, stop endless conflicts, contract alliances with nations worthy of our Founders' respect, establish commerce in renewable energy as a critical element in this endeavor, and do all other things which Independent States not beholden to sources of energy beyond their borders may do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of a Higher Power, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Good Faith and our Sacred Future.

 as posted July 4, 2005 in Wind Farmer's Almanac.

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Tailored to avoid Hillary's wrath (Young supports her)

How about that - Young's amendment misses the Long Island offshore project by .15 miles - less than the length of a football field

(As posted at Wind Farmer's Almanac)

In his letter to congressional conferees, Rep. Don Young cited research in Great Britain on the effect of offshore wind turbines on radar - "Although radar interference exists out to distances of 10 nautical miles, the zone of extreme caution has been designated as extending outward up to 1.5 nautical miles (9,000 feet) to 2 nautical miles."

What's 1/7 of a mile between friends? 

Yet Young's proposal extends 1.5 miles, not 2 miles ... perhaps because another offshore proposal would be affected by a 2-mile buffer - the Long Island Power Authority project, which is 1.65 miles from the nearest shipping lane.

Proposing a 2-mile buffer risks incurring the wrath of Senator Hillary Clinton and Gov. George Pataki - since support for renewables in New York extends across party lines.

In September 2004, the New York State Public Service Commission adopted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that requires fully one-quarter of the state's electricity to come from renewables by 2013 - more than four times the percentage mandated by the RPS in Massachusetts by then.

Getting to that mandate in New York will require 3,700 megawatts of new generation from renewable projects - about eight Cape Wind-sized projects. Backroom deals in Congress to kill offshore wind farms probably wouldn't help.

New Yorkers view renewables differently than Cape Cod Nimbys

True to their mercantile origins, many New Yorkers view renewables differently than Nimbyites - they see them fostering economic growth in a nascent industry growing in Europe and Asia at 20-30 percent annually and as a national security issue to wean us off fossil fuels from such models of stability as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Nigeria.

Hillary Clinton is said to have played an instrumental role in squashing a similar backdoor amendment by Senator John Warner two years ago for this very reason - it would have killed both Cape Wind and the Long Island project.

Now that John Kerry has denounced the Young amendment, don't be surprised if Clinton does the same. 

Read this and other wind energy news at the Wind Farmers Almanac. 

EDITOR'S NOTE:
And Don Young isn't even a loyal Republican - Breaks 11th Commandment
Would support Hillary Clinton if  John McCain runs

Today's edition of the Anchorage Daily News report that Don Young says he might support Hillary Clinton's presidential bid if John McCain nabs Republican presidential nod. Pork fights make strange bedfellows.  See the last item here.

And the nation's #1 pork barrel bridge builder told a grounp at a rare Anchorage news conference last Thursday that he had urged state lawmakers to help pay for the big bridges in Anchorage and Ketchikan and blamed Sen. John McCain for spoiling public opinion of the embattled projects.

Young fought to keep federal earmarks for $223 million for a Ketchikan-Gravina Island bridge and $229 million for the Knik bridge proposal. Alaska got the $452 million, but the earmarks are gone, meaning state lawmakers can use the money for other projects.

In retrospect, Young said he wouldn't have pursued the projects any differently. He said he was a victim of circumstance. And U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona..

A potential contender in the next presidential race, McCain's criticism of the bridges helped the project become a national joke for comedians and personalities like Jay Leno, David Letterman and Rush Limbaugh, Young said.

"I will never work for John McCain. Ever. I may support Hillary Clinton if he gets the nomination," Young told an audience at the Palmer Rotary. See Sit-News story here.

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Jack's Blog 'O Laughs with Sgt. Schultz & Penguins

Jack Coleman just keeps getting better and funnier and better and funnier.
His latest post on his WindFarmersAlmanac is a case in point. 

This week Jack makes the connection between Congressman Don Young and  Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heros in a post called:

Young ends impersonation of Sgt. Schultz

The CCTimes also runs a story today about Alaskan Congressman Don "I Know Nut- hing!!" Young admitting his sponsoring of backdoor legislation to thwart Cape Wind.

"While rumors of the legislation have floated around Washington since early December," the story notes, "Young's staff has refused to discuss the amendment. Just last week, a Young spokesman in Washington, D.C., professed little knowledge of the issue ... " - we know nut-hing!! - " ... even as the Feb. 15 letter was being crafted."

Jack follows this up with another hoot called ;

March of the Penguins: The Sequel

A synopsis of the documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," first shown at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and set for release in May:

"Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change.  A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. 
“Al Gore strips his presentations of politics, laying out the facts for the audience to draw their own conclusions in a charming, funny and engaging style, and by the end has everyone on the edge of their seats, gripped by his haunting message,” said Guggenheim. 

"An Inconvenient Truth is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share.  'It is now clear that we face a deepening global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly, and wisely,' said Gore. "

(with a tip of the hat to Lori Ehrlich's great blog, Truth and Progress)

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Reilly Opts Out

Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly will not defend a state siting board's decision to allow two submarine cables that would transmit power from a proposed offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound to Cape Cod.  (The siting board is being sued by the Alliance to Save our Sound (ASS).

Reilly, a Cape homeowner and opponent of the wind farm proposal, recused himself from the appeal case to avoid a conflict of interest.

More mental gynastics from the gubernatorial candidate who brought you Marie St. Fluer.  Psychologists call it compartmentalizing, or being able to justify two mutually excluisve positions, at the same time. 

So it's not OK to defend the state against a lawsuit by the opponents to the project, but it is OK to sue the proponents of the project if they get the permits from some of those same agencies.  The conflict of interest that supports the former position magically disappears when holding the latter.

The law calls for the Commonwealth's Attorney to defend state agencies against lawsuits.  It does not call for the AG to pick and choose which cases he wants to defend. And it definately doesn't call for him to abitrarily sue those agencies that grant regulatory approval to the projects he opposes, which is what he said he would do if Cape Wind were permitted. 

What he really would be doing in that case is sueing the state or the Feds when the outcome is not politically expedient to his candidacy.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the AG can't do math. He's not standing on principle. He could care less if Cape Wind happens. (Being married to a women who inherited a house in Chatham notwithstanding.) 

He opposes the project because his supporters on the Cape oppose the project and they told him to, and he thinks this is a winning formula on the Cape. But he didn't do the math.  It's a losing formula here and everywhere else.

He managed to screw the Cape's ratepayers pretty good last month with his NStar deal, that keeps our rates high while giving the rest of a state a break.  The math worked pretty well then.  Why not now?

Reilly should opt out .... of the Governor's race not the lawsuit.

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Commercial fishing - as it would look on land

 
This illustration was published in the January 2004 issue of Popular Science, to accompany a story titled, "Murder of the Bounty: The Seas Empty - Industrial fishing practices are killing the oceans, endangering a key food resource.

"The caption under the graphic stated that "Industrial-size fishing boats called bottom trawlers are designed to net the biggest catch in the least amount of time. In the process, they grind up fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs and kill countless non-target species, including dolphins and sea turtles. The trawlers attract little attention, however, because they operate out of view.

"Each year, bottom trawlers damage an area of seafloor twice the size of the continental United States."

"If a machine with a trawler's capacity were to be utilitized on land to harvest trees, it would clear-cut the equivalent of an 18-mile-long, 200-foot-wide swath of forest in just 4 hours - a degree of devastation that would surely mobilize powerful opposition ..."

(As posted earlier today at wind farmer's almanac - www.windfarmersalmanac.com)

In 1994 large areas on or near Georges Bank, southeast of Cape Cod, were declared off-limits to fishing for species such as cod, yellowtail flounder and haddock, to give these depleted stocks a chance to recover. By 2000 the devastated scallop population on Georges Bank had increased 14-fold...  

See that story in Popular Science here, and comment below. 

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Cape Wind will be good for the fish - RFK Jr.

As posted at www.windfarmersalmanac.com -

During last summer's Soundkeeper sail, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responds to a question about Cape Wind's impact on fish: 

"I don't think the problem is, and I haven't looked at the science, but from what I know about fish, fish like structures, so it's probably, you know, actually, I doubt whether it is going to diminish the amount of fisheries (emphasis added). It may, in the construction process, stir up sediment and, that, cables and stuff like that on the bottom. I would say, in my view, which is not a scientific one, a scientific view, but a view of fishermen, the structures are not going to hurt the fish but it's certainly going to damage the capacity of commercial fishermen to, you know, to exploit that resource."

The post at wind farmer's almanac goes on to say Cape Wind is not going to have a detrimental impact on fish

"While Kennedy makes it clear this is not a scientific perspective, he says Cape Wind is not going to have a detrimental impact on fish - and says it twice in a few sentences. But the project will, he says, hurt commercial fishermen.

"Fair enough - I appreciate the distinction. And Kennedy deserves credit for breaking ranks with opponents of the wind farm who are unwilling to acknowledge anything worthwhile about the project.

"But Kennedy's observation also poses a problem for the opposition. Cape Wind, he says, will be good for fish, but bad for fishermen. In other words, if it's bad for people but good for aquatic inhabitants of the natural world, we must defer to the interests of people who are being harmed (the extent of this is arguable, but that's another matter).

"The situation here is unique - only when it comes to commercial fishermen are opponents of the wind farm, or at least a prominent one named Kennedy, putting people ahead of species affected affected by the project. Everywhere else - with birds, shellfish, sea turtles, whales, you name it - deference is automatically given to nature. Why should it be any different for fish?"

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water

In 1775, a full year before the Declaration of Independence, Cape Cod seaman turned their packets into privateers and began harrassing the King George (the 18th century one).

When the 13 Colonies declared their Independence they had only 31 ships comprising the Continental Navy. To add to this, they issued Letters of Marque to privately owned, armed merchant ships and Commissions for privateers, which were outfitted as warships to prey on enemy merchant ships. Merchant seamen who manned these ships contributed to the very birth and founding of our Republic. Cape Cod supplied the first and foremost of these "Revolutionaries".

THAT KENNEDY STYLE
By FRANCINE PARNES (NYT) Published: January 29, 2006

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., lawyer and environmental activist, will have a new job on his résumé: fashion model. In late February, Gant, the sportswear maker, will roll out an $8.5 million campaign featuring photographs of Mr. Kennedy, 52, his wife, Mary, and four of their six children, all doing active things that Kennedys tend to do.

Gant's goal is to align the East Coast roots of the preppy brand, founded in New Haven in 1949, with Mr. Kennedy's all-American, seafaring image. His environmental organization, the Waterkeeper Alliance, received a ''six-figure donation'' from Gant, Mr. Kennedy said. And at more than 200 Gant stores worldwide, Gant is offering polo shirts, sweatshirts and caps with the Waterkeeper Alliance logo (all proceeds go to the group).

For a photo shoot in August, the Kennedy clan, in full Gant garb, pursued Kennedy-style leisure at Menemsha Harbor on Martha's Vineyard.

''It's an enclave for the commercial fishery,'' Mr. Kennedy said. ''Waterkeeper is strongly supported by commercial and recreational fishermen, so it's part of our tradition.''

But don't count on Mr. Kennedy to start a sartorial revolution the way his uncle, the president, did, inspiring millions of men to go hatless.

''I wear jeans and khakis,'' Mr. Kennedy said. ''And thin ties.''

Why thin ties?

''I just like thin ties.''

''What's next: Hillary and headbands?''

And why team with Gant? ''They've been a longtime supporter of Waterkeeper,'' said Mr. Kennedy, a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council -- not to mention a master falconer and an accomplished whitewater paddler. ''They have a strong corporate ethic about protecting the planet.''

Still, the new move is highly unusual. ''It's the first time in my memory that anyone in the political arena has allied himself with any brand in the fashion arena,'' said Marylou Luther, editor of the International Fashion Syndicate. ''What's next: Hillary and headbands?''

Published in the New York Times on January 29, 2006 here. 

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