RADARS Currently IMPACTED
214 Total Radars
-83 impacted by Wind Turbines
-39% of
DoD/DHS
Radars impacted
May 2012,
California San Diego’s East County)
Radar concerns have already axed a half dozen wind projects near Barstow after the Department of Defense raised concerns. Wind developers have been conducting testing in hopes of building up to 15 industrial wind facilities on public properties owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, but adoption of a proposed “adverse impact zone” could kill those plans.
The military hasn’t officially adopted an “adverse impact zone” — a reference to interference with military activities — described by Navy sustainability official Tony Parisi during the recent meeting.
To help map the zone, a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is validating military tests of how wind turbines affect radar, Parisi said in a telephone interview. The matter has been discussed at the highest levels of the Navy and the Department of Defense, and a final decision is expected this summer, he said.
The military likely would oppose all wind projects in such a zone, he said.
The military’s concern could be a significant obstacle to wind energy development in Southern California’s deserts, said Nancy Rader, executive director of the California Wind Energy Association, who heard Parisi’s presentation April 25 at the Ontario Convention Center. The meeting was organized by California energy officials as part of a multiple-agency process to plan for renewable energy development in the desert that minimizes harm to wildlife habitat and other natural resources.
Military priorities tend to trump other land-use interests, she said
AIR DEFENSE/ HOMELAND SECURITY.
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Radar issues and wind turbines are not a new concern.
Back in September of 2011 there is an article in Master resource by Lisa Linnowes; Ms. Linowes is an expert on the impacts of industrial-scale wind energy development on the natural environment, communities, and the regional grid systems. A conservation and land use advocate with over 20 years of executive business experience, Ms. Linowes has held high-profile elected and volunteer positions in community planning, land negotiation, and education outreach.
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Wind Energy and Radar: A National Security Issue — MasterResource
by Lisa Linowes
September 26, 2011
Military leaders are under pressure to not disrupt White House green energy policies even while green energy technology is disrupting our navigation aids and impairing U.S. national security.
Washington has a track record of muzzling military testimony to protect its pet policies and political friends. Last week, Air Force Gen. William Shelton admitted he was pressured by the administration to change his testimony regarding LightSquared’s network and its adverse impact on military space-based navigation systems. We applaud Shelton for not bowing to the pressure.
But the military has not been honest about the effect wind turbine technology has on our national radar systems.
The fact is that our air space has been made less safe by turbines and our national security compromised because of a reckless policy of siting wind towers within 50-miles of radar installations. Military radar experts in the field know the damage that’s been done. But with the debate surrounding energy policy dominated by politics and money, the military has bowed to the pressure.
Read the complete article written by Lisa Linnowes at Master resource ~link here
March 15,2012
The Watertown Times printed an article titled
CAN WIND FARMS AID CRIMINALS?
That is a question the federal government may have to tackle if the Department of Homeland Security does as Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has asked, and deploys military-grade radar along the U.S.-Canadian border to nab low-flying aircraft. The Defense Department has warned that wind turbines interfere with radar and has opposed their placement near military installations.
Turbines' effect on radar has not been a big issue along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, where developers have eyed a number of locations for wind farms. That could change if DHS deploys the more sophisticated radar — something Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano strongly hinted last week could happen.
Additionally, this same Watertown Times article includes quotes by Jim Madden Bp's former project manager in regard to what he thought about RADAR DEPLOYMENT and the possibility that Turbines may produce false detection readings on U.S.-Canada border .
"It's certainly something we study," said Madden.
Mr. Madden said the issue has not surfaced at Bp's 86 turbine project proposed for Cape Vincent, and he was not familiar with DHS's possible plans for radar. Adjustments in radar software often can fix the problem, he said, depending on the type used.
Report to the Congressional Defense Committees the Effect of Windmill Farms on Military readiness link ~ here ~
Military tests conducted between 2002 and 2005 by the U. S. Air force and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense found that wind turbines located within the line of sight of military radar can adversely affect its ability to track aircraft and other aerial objects.
These findings virtually stopped the development of wind energy facilities across the country.
The FAA halted work on about a dozen land-based wind farm projects that were within the line of sight of any military radar. The Sierra Club sued the Pentagon in June of 2006, for failing to complete the report within the mandated time period. In an attempt to force the release of the Department of Defense Report two Democratic Senators from Illinois, Richard (Dick) Durbin and Barack Obama, blocked a Senate vote on a Defense Department nominee Robert L. Wilkie and they announced that they would block the nomination of Andrew Steinberg to be Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a conclusive determination as to whether the operation of wind farms under construction in the Midwest will interfere with radar systems.~~~
Without this certainty, potential investors will fear that their resources could be lost.
~~~~The Sierra club published a post on their website
stating that the DOD released their report in response to their lawsuit. Claiming that the result of the DOD's report was "vindication of the Club's position , that windmill construction should move forward". We now seem to be back where we started with the radar issue back on the horizon. This is a matter of public safety not an issue that needs to be expedited by political arm twisting or by court room theatrical maneuvers by wind lobbyists.
Thursday, September 7, 2006
This is the press release from Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and Barack Obama
This is the press release that was on Senator Durbin's website
This is the press release from Senator Durbin's website
~~~~~
Sources:
Master Resource ~ Wind Energy and Radar: A National Security Issue
Watertown Times ~ Can Windfarms Aid Criminals?
Sierra Club website
East county magazine
Link to original source from Press Enterprise
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