Rhode Island considers wind power ban

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2008/03/11/rhode_island_considers_1_year_ban_on_wind_power/

Rhode Island considers wind power ban

By Ray Henry, Associated Press Writer | March 11, 2008

PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Environmental regulators want to ban construction of offshore wind turbines and wave energy developments in Rhode Island for at least one year, arguing there are no state rules in place to govern projects like the 100 turbines Gov. Don Carcieri has proposed building off the coast.

The ban, being considered Tuesday night, would greatly hamper Carcieri's already longshot plan to get 15 percent of the state's electricity from wind power in three years. And environmentalists say with electricity prices rising and global warming worries growing, now is not the time to shy away from alternative energy projects.

"This is the time to be getting going," said Cynthia Giles, an attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation, which opposes the moratorium.

The Coastal Resources Management Council was scheduled to hear testimony and possibly vote on the moratorium during a meeting Tuesday evening.

...

[cloudythescribbler]

1. What connexion, if any, is there b/t this and Cape Wind project?

I don't understand why, if it costs about 1/2 as much to build wind power on land as offshore (and the latter raises many more environmental problems) don't they buy land in Northern Maine (a desert) and build ON LAND wind power there?

[dbackjon]

3. Northern Maine is a desert?

Looks pretty green to me...

[cloudythescribbler]

4. yes, technically Northern Maine qualifies as desert -- or that's what authoritative BOOKS say

now maybe if you show me pictures of swamps there, I'll suppose that the desert must be where the swamps aren't...

[dbackjon]

5. Then you need to throw those books away

Because Northern Maine is covered in trees. Not a desert.

[Subdivisions]

6. Oh yes it IS a desert! Sheesh! I bet you even believe

the Earth orbits the Sun instead of the other way around!

[dbackjon]

7. LMAO

:D

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Actually, I've been to the "Desert of Maine."

It should be a required visit for anyone who doesn't understand soil conservation. It's not big enough to hold much of a wind farm though.
http://www.desertofmaine.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SfEcntKSH8

[Subdivisions]

12. Well, I'll be damn. n/t

[kestrel91316]

14. Have you EVER been to northern Maine, lol???

Come down here to southern California. I'LL SHOW YOU DESERT.

[phantom power]

2. There is no risk-free energy.

I wonder if the wind industry is going to get a taste of the kind of public resistance that makes nuclear power expensive in the U.S.

[diane in sf]

9. I doubt it--the degree of risk for wind vs nuclear is much lower.

[NNadir]

10. The external cost of nuclear energy is lower than the external cost of wind power.

This is reported in many places in the scientific literature.

I'd list them, but in fact, my impression is that you couldn't care less about measurement. Rather you are interested only in reifying your own biases.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Should note this is a ONE-YEAR ban ... so they can write regulations ...

it is not that they are trying to halt development altogether.

Doing some planning *before* development is probably not a bad idea at all.

[kristopher]

13. This is a standard development because no one has established rules on offshore wind

You may not realize it, but you are witnessing history.

10 years ago we really had no idea of the resource size presented by offshore wind on the East Coat. The water is relatively shallow and it is close to much of the heaviest load in the nation. Now that the extent of the power that is out there has been identified, there is a new gold rush commencing as developers are moving to tap into the spigot. The Congress gave control over wind development in federal waters to the Minerals Management Service 2 years ago, and they are just taking the last round of public comments before putting out the first regulatory framework that covers wind development offshore. Their effort goes from 3 miles outward for the most part, with the inshore 3 miles still under control of the state.

Since around 1976 all coastal states have had a regulatory regime in place that governs development in their coastal areas and waters. Most of those plans make energy development a venture more easily moved to an inland area. However, it is recognized that a wind farm is different than a coal plant so there is often a need to address the issue.

Tourism is also a major factor. People who aren't familiar with the details of wind development and people's reactions to seeing a wind farm in the water off a resort area have concerns that take time to address.

There are soon going to be tens of thousands of wind turbines off the east coast. You are watching the process that will put them there.