Conservation Issues
Should Commercial Wind Farms Be Built along the Lake Bluffs and Mountain Ridges of Pennsylvania?
The concept of harnessing the wind to provide a large portion of our energy sounds like an ideal answer to our concerns about the damage to the environment from obtaining and burning fossil fuels. As well as being a clean renewable energy source, it seems as though wind farms should also be aesthetically pleasing with silently rotating blades reminiscent of a rural Netherlands landscape. However, our initial, naive concept of wind power did not foresee the magnitude of the development of commercial wind power or the major issues that could negatively impact the surrounding environment including birds, animals and our own homes and neighborhood.
Commercial wind farms stretch across the countryside for miles with modern wind turbines that are gigantic in proportions. The immense scale is beyond anything we ever imagined. The turbine height can be 400 or more ft - the approximate height of a 40 or 50 story skyscraper. The diameter of the rotors on a 400 ft turbine is 290 ft - almost the length of a football field. The rotor blades weighing more than 7 tons are marked with flashing lights and can spin at 200 mph. Because of their size and numbers, the lighted wind turbines become the dominant visual aspect of the landscape as far as the eye can see, destroying any natural scenic beauty by day or night. And on sunny days, the spinning blades cause shadows and blinking strobe-like effects to sweep across the land on grazing cows, on children playing, and through the windows of our homes.
Constant low frequency sounds are emitted by the spinning rotors creating significant levels of background industrial noise pollution as far as 3,000 feet away. The sound has a pulsing character caused as a wing passes the turbine mast. When several turbines operate nearly synchronously the pulsing greatly increases in magnitude. The sound resembles "pile driving or an endless train." As the wind changes directions the blades' angle must be adjusted, which creates a loud grinding noise. If the wind becomes too strong the blades' rotation must be stopped, resulting in a screeching sound similar to that of a train stopping. That same loud screeching occurs when the blades are restarted.
Wind turbines can cause interference with radio, television, and microwave transmissions and reception. There is a danger from stray voltage, increased lightening strikes, and an increased fire hazard. In addition, wind farms create a loss of habitat for wildlife and the turbines can kill birds through collision and electrocution.
Unfortunately, the heaviest hawk and songbird migration often takes place above high ridges, lake bluffs, and lake and ocean shorelines which are also ideal locations for wind farms. The wind turbines at Altamont Pass in California kill on average a thousand raptors every year as well as several thousand smaller migratory songbirds. Even migratory bats are victims. At Backbone Mountain, West Virginia 4,000 migrating bats were killed in a single season.
Even though modern commercial wind farms can only provide enough power to supplement traditional power plants and will not eliminate our need for oil or coal or nuclear fuel, they are now rapidly being constructed across this country with help from government funding. Wind farms are being planned for areas particularly well known for bird migration such as Cape May, New Jersey, the Gulf coast of Texas, and the lake bluffs and mountain ridges of Pennsylvania.
With the passage of Pennsylvania Governor Rendell's Growing Greener II initiative, $80 million over four years will be provided to expand the grant program earmarked for wind energy in the state. Commercial wind energy companies, such as Gamesea, have already approached Pennsylvania state agencies to consider the construction of thousands of wind turbines on state forests, state parks, and state gamelands. Trees must be cleared for roadways to the tower sites as well as a very large area surrounding the base of each tower. In some areas, bedrock will need to be blasted through for each tower's substantial foundation.
Public input is needed to be sure that wind power developers locate commercial wind farms on sites where the turbines will not have a significantly negative impact on wildlife, migratory birds, residential areas, and scenic views. We need to keep alert before deals with developers are made. Participation is needed in your township or city council meetings where zoning regulations for siting wind turbines should be made. And write to your state legislators regarding state-owned lands NOW before it is too late.
For current issues on wind energy see the National Wind Watch website at www.wind-watch.org.
Read the following letters (in PDF format) written by people who live near wind farms by clicking on the underlined name:
Personal Letter from Fenner, NY
Personal Letter from WV
Global Warming:
What You Can Do
All of us use fossil fuels every day for heating and cooling our homes, driving our cars, generating the electricity to power our lights and appliances, and more. In the process we produce the greenhouse gases that are primarily responsible for global warming. Fortunately, each of us also has the power to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. Here are some of the most important ways we can all make a difference:
NEW DRIVE WAYS
Consider driving less by taking public transportation, walking, bicycling, or carpooling. Drive a more energy-efficient vehicle. When you drive, follow the speed limit and drive at a consistent speed. Take your car in for regular tune-ups and keep your tires properly inflated. Take off any rooftop carriers when not in use.
LIGHT SWITCHES
Try switching from conventional incandescent bulbs to energy-efficient compact fluorescents. Or better yet, try to maximize your use of natural sunlight for daytime lighting needs.
TAKE YOUR TEMPERATURE
Take every step possible to reduce excessive use of home heating and cooling. Try turning up the thermostat in the summer and turning it down a few degrees in the winter. If you have an automated thermostat, program it to adjust temperatures at nighttime. Try installing better insulation throughout the house. Seal up windows, close vents, and clean filters. If you really want to save energy, try to avoid using air conditioning on all but the very hottest days. You'd be amazed at how effective ceiling fans alone can be in making you feel cooler.
COLD FACTS
New refrigerators use about 50% less energy than those made just 10-15 years ago. That's a big deal, considering that refrigerators account for between 10 and 15% of total home energy consumption. The next time you buy a new refrigerator or any major or even minor appliance look for the Energy Star label to be sure you're getting a high efficiency model. In the meantime, keep your refrigerator's thermostat set to the recommended temperature and clean the condenser coil regularly.
WATER DROPS
You can reduce your energy consumption a lot by using less hot water. Run your dishwasher only when full, and wash clothes in cold or warm water, never hot. They'll get just as clean! When it's time to replace your washing machine, choose a new high-efficiency front-loader. You'll see great savings on water, electricity, and detergent, and you'll discover you can more safely wash delicate items, too.
GO FOR THE SHADE
Plant leafy trees around your house to provide windbreaks and summer shade. Each year, the average yard tree cleans 330 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. An average tree absorbs ten pounds of pollutants from the air each year, including four pounds of ground level ozone and three pounds of particulates.
GO ORGANIC
Whenever possible, select organic produce. The pesticides used to kill pests also kill the organisms that help keep carbon dioxide in the soil.
THINK GLOBALLY, EAT LOCALLY
As much as possible, buy local produce and other goods. The fewer miles your produce has traveled, the less energy has been used for refrigeration and transportation.
CONSUME LESS
Almost everything you buy requires the consumption of fossil fuels. Manufacturing, packing, transporting, and selling goods all use huge amounts of energy, releasing excessive amounts of greenhouse gases. When shopping, ask, "Do I really need this? Does the Earth really need this?"
ENERGY AUDIT
Try an energy audit for your home, school, or office. It's a great way of assessing where and how you use energy and how you can cut back. Click here for sample instructions.
CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
How much do your emissions add up to? You can calculate your household's greenhouse gas emissions by using a carbon calculator. Once you've calculated your impact, consider how you can cut back on your overall emissions. You'll be amazed how small steps add up to huge differences in our cumulative impact.
BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN
While each individual's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important, we won't curb global warming without major changes in the kinds of energy we use and an economic system that depends on a high rate of wasteful consumption. These changes will come about only if enough of us become more politically active. You can do a lot to support the work of local, state, and national governments to curb global warming. Stay informed, write letters to your leaders, and support those candidates who promise to take the aggressive and farsighted actions necessary to curb global warming. Learn how you can get involved.
National Audubon Society, 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 200036
202-861-2242 audubonaction@audubon.org http://www.audubon.org