Sunday, October 9, 2011

Town of Lyme Wind Committee Enironmental May 2011 revisions


Lyme Citizens Wind Committee
On the Issues of
Environmental, Health and Safety Matters






Dr. Paul G. Carr, P.E. (Chair)
Mrs. Julia Gosier (Co-Chair)
Mrs. Deanne Scanlon
Mrs. Joy Borowicz
Mrs. Muriel Barkley
Mr. Seann Coffee


May 16, 2011
Municipal Offices
Town of Lyme
12175 Route 12E
Chaumont, New York 13622

Attention: Supervisor Aubertine and the Town Board

Attached please find the Report of the Town of Lyme Citizens’ Committee on Environmental, Health and Safety Issues. The Committee concluded its work in recent days and is pleased to turn the document over to you for the benefit of the Town.

The highlights of the study findings are presented below in an “Executive Summary” format.
The Fire Risks, Fire Department Needs, Hazardous Chemical Exposure in Operation, Construction Disruption, Storm Water Runoff and Erosion, Earthquake Seismic Effects, Electronic & Electromagnetic Interference, Stray Voltage AKA Ground Current, Vandalism and Security all pose manageable challenges for the Town. It is not anticipated that these issues, when properly addressed will present undo risk to the resident’s of Lyme.

Relative to the matter of Birds, Bats, Avian and Wildlife Impacts, it is the finding of the Committee that given the unique nature of the area, that the cautionary guidance offered in Chapter 3 with the white paper position of Mr. Evans and Mr. Smith should be heeded. This includes an extended period of study to fully understand the implications of industrial winds turbines on the bat and avian populations.

Viewshed and Visual Impacts should be addressed by the Town to maintain compliance with the Comprehensive Plan of the Town of Lyme. Consideration to both the existing Comprehensive Plan in effect, and the Draft Comprehensive Plan under review should inform the Board as to the protections required for the unique character of Lyme and its natural beauty.

Recognizing that the Shadow Flicker from the Turbines can create health issues in the most vulnerable of the population, particular care in the siting and placement of the turbines should be a high priority in the planning of any project.
Given the continuing debate over the health effects of Low Frequency Sound [Infrasound] the Town Board should monitor this matter before any permits would ever be considered for issuance. The matter of the impact of Infrasound remains one of active research and it is expected that clarity on the health effects of this type of noise will continue to evolve.

3 Sound and Noise from any potential Wind Power Project is one of the primary concerns relative to intrusion into the daily lives of residents in proximity to the project. Generally, the Town should reject any proposed high fixed-limit of sound, as commonly seen in other New York communities. The Town must fully consider the “change” in sound levels, pre-project to post-project, with strict compliance with the well-published guidelines of a limited increase [i.e. 5 dBA] above ambient or background sound levels as a limit.

In addition, the committee finds that in order to fully protect the citizens of Lyme, a pre-project ambient study must be conducted by the Town through an independent non-conflicted acoustical consultant. This ambient sound study will be provided to the developer[s] by the Town to serve as the baseline for input into the developer’s acoustical models. A comparison of the developers’ noise to the Town’s ambient study will determine if a particular plan can comply with the Town of Lyme noise limits.

In considering the Safety Zones of Protection from Tower collapse, it is expected that the area of protection under the turbine, and the public’s exclusion from entering any area within 1,300 feet of the tower should be sufficient to obviate concerns of a dramatic tower collapse. This aligns with industry recommendations.

On the other hand, the committee finds that the safety zone around a turbine, in the form of a safety setback from airborne debris such as blade ejection or ice throw must be much greater. The zone of protection must be specific to the turbine proposed, as it is a function of height and rotational speed of the blades.

The example carried in the report considers a turbine with a nacelle approximately 300 feet above the ground, and a blade diameter of approximately 300 feet, with a rotational speed of 18 rpm. Under these circumstances, the throw distance of ejected debris will theoretically travel upwards of 2,800 feet. The safety setback from public spaces, including parks, public facilities, walkways, trails [including snowmobile trails], roadways, or any other areas where the public is present is critical for the protection of the community. The full report addresses the impact of aerodynamic drag and other factors on debris throw distances.

The summary of the findings presented above represent a broad overview of the research conducted. For a better in-depth understanding of each of these issues, please refer to the full report attached.

As questions arise relative to the research and the findings, please feel free to contact any of the committee members.

Sincerely,
Paul G. Carr, Ph.D., P.E.
Committee Chair


Link below to read

Town of Lyme Wind Committee Environmental May 2011 Revisions

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

After the election why don't the Towns of Lyme and Cape Vincent collectively work toward producing a zoning law that can be adopted by both communities. After all, both communities have people who have become well educated in the technical issues associated with wind. Both communities would benefit from their common resources and efforts. County planners could facilitate the process, and moreover, Mark Gebo is the town attorney for both communities.

Anonymous said...

Unreal. After all the information out there regarding all of these issues, they say the want a "non conflicted" study. This actually interprets that they will accept the industry's own reports and will not accept any conflicting reports. To do a study on bird and bat impact is extremely redundant. The fact that M. Gebo is buddies with the LYME cabal as well is all you need to know. As I said before. Wait until you see the scumbags at work in LYME. They already suggest that both Cape Vincent and LYME come to the same "non conflicted" results. Don't you just love duplicity? Scumbags and douchebags unite.

Anonymous said...

The only problem with civil engineering is civil engineering itself. This is an agenda based report. They repeat all of the concerns, but take no consideration of the findings done by existing science. The easiest way to avoid accountability is to have an "investigation" by a committee made up of the guilty parties.
Welcome to the Department of Redundancy Department. Please take a number and the "Committee" will hear your concerns. Who's paying these people?