VT Leaders Back Away from Renewable Energy Goals; Wind Involves "Mountaintop Removal"...Who Knew?

[wtmusic]

"Vermont's households and businesses were just barely making it before the Great Recession. Then the Great Recession occurred and on top of that the billion dollar flood damage of hurricane Irene. As a result, households and businesses are in belt-tightening mode and worried about higher energy costs further lowering living standards and profits, and making Vermont’s economy even less competitive.

After many complaints, Vermont legislative leaders finally backed away from unrealistic renewable energy, RE, goals, as have leaders in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, etc.

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The lack of federal subsidies and the spectacle of 63 MW of wind turbines (owned by GMP/Metro-Gas-Canada), which are environmentally-damaging, health-damaging, noise-emitting, 459-ft tall with 373-ft diameter rotors, on 2,500-ft high Lowell Mountain ridge lines, has dampening the irrational-exuberance of many legislators for renewables."

http://theenergycollective.com/willem-post/77343/vermont-leaders-back-away-renewable-energy-goals?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29


Green Mountain Power couldn't offer the Nelsons enough "green".

Green Mountain Power offers buy-out, warns of lawsuit to stop obstruction at Lowell turbine site

"Tuesday morning, CEO Mary Powell offered the Nelsons the list price for their farm — $1.25 million. Later that day, an attorney for Green Mountain Power sent a letter to the Nelsons threatening them with a lawsuit if they don’t ask activists camping within 750 feet of a disputed property line to leave.

Damages from the lawsuit could cost the Nelsons more than $1 million, according to Dotty Schnure, manager of corporate communications for Green Mountain Power. About 100 workers are on the site, and every day they can’t advance the project, the company loses money. The legal action is a way of “holding them responsible for the cost.”

Green Mountain Power needs to blast a section of the mountaintop as part of its construction plan for its 21-turbine wind generation project. The project must be completed by the end of 2012 in order for the utility to qualify for $44 million in federal tax credits that will help to offset the cost of the $160 million project."

http://vtdigger.org/2011/10/13/green-mountain-power-offers-buy-out-warns-of-lawsuit-to-stop-obstruction-at-lowell-turbine-site/

[kristopher]

1. Mountaintop removal? You are really desperate wt.

The campers have parked their tents close to the project in the hope that contractors won’t be able to safely detonate the high explosives needed to build a wide crane path along the ridgeline and the turbine sites it would link together.

On Monday, there were 19 protesters on the site; as of Thursday, there was a single camper on the mountain. Nelson said he expects the activists to return. “We’re trying to stop the rape of a ridgeline in the state of Vermont and it just happens to be in our backyard,” Nelson said.

http://vtdigger.org/2011/10/13/green-mountain-power-offers-buy-out-warns-of-lawsuit-to-stop-obstruction-at-lowell-turbine-site/

[madokie]

2. I guess if you have nothing else drag out something old and rehash it :shrug:

we need all the wind turbines we can get and If you follow this story very close you'll find out that there is more bullshit than fact in this reporting

[flamingdem]

3. Wind turbines sound like a good idea

Thanks for the post I'll read up on it.

[wtmusic]

4. People who live by them don't think so

But They're Not In Your Back Yard, are they?

[flamingdem]

5. They might be someday

since I'm a Vermonter by descent and have family there.

I trust Vermonters to figure this out.

We'll see how this plays out.