Friday, a day early (I think)

Note:  Multiple correct answers to yesterday's question.  I suspect however some of you used Google to get there (if you told me you did, you get half a Kudo).  Precise enough would have been Joe Friday.

Moving on ...

Interesting piece in today's Standard Times by Steve Urbon entitled (for the online version) "Alternate energy a mixed blessing".  

There is a "statement" contained in the article which essentially sums up the existence of the five ton gorilla now standing in the room.

Now let's suppose the technicians succeed and the turbines can be kept within the acceptable limits.

Let's suppose that (and further suppose the acceptable limits are the existing legal limits).  What do we do then?

Problem number one.  The state, unlike the action taken after the Falmouth findings, has stated it will be working with the developer to bring the turbines into compliance.  How does the Town justify any other action when the town limit is higher than the state limit (again, dealing with legal limit).

Problem number two, if the turbines can be brought into compliance, where do you go from there if you want them shut down? I am guessing the contract has a "cure" provision.  It has been a long time since I did a review, however I am pretty comfortable with that guess.

If the violation can be cured, i.e. removed, the basis for shutting the turbines down no longer exists.

Problem number three, even on an interim basis, from purely one person's perspective, pending a "cure" the violations do not warrant a total shutdown.  Might be able to be used to "force" some shutdown when the winds come from the direction of the "noncompliance" tests until compliance is had, but not a complete shutdown.

Problem number four, if there is ever going to be a "compromise", say shutting down the turbines from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M. the Town has to figure out how to deal with the issue of accomplishing that.  No one likes to hear how that could get accomplished.  Everyone laments the fact that the only real solution is going to be "money", and we will hear about either what a small price it is to pay to "heal" or it is too high a price, or selling out neighbors for 30 pieces of silver.

Bottom line though, it will come down to money.  At least based on what I can figure out.  

I seriously doubt the lease payment and revenue from electricity is going to come anywhere near what the developer will want as far as compensation for shutting the turbines down dusk to dawn.    My guess, at a minimum, the amounts would be about 80% short of what is needed (and I do mean minimum).

The figure I read in several places is that it costs Falmouth about $850,000 a year for debt service/associated costs/maintenance for the two there.  So using that figure, doing some guess work, that is where I come up with the 80% short.

It may be a sad commentary, it may rub you the wrong way, but the reality at this point is essentially the people in Town would have to agree to pay money.  Most likely through an attempt following the same exact way that failed in Falmouth.

Let me note several things here.  I personally don't agree with how the turbines eventually came about.  The rules that existed when Town Meeting voted initially to authorize the contract were changed.  Had those rules not been changed, I don't think you would have seen two turbines erected.  

The fact that rules do somehow seem to change on a consistent basis, from regional school contracts, to legislatively created water districts, to the use of "special tax" money being expanded are one of the reasons I consistently rant about being ever vigilant on why you have to exercise restraint on what you do today.

Quite frankly, at the time of the initial vote even my pessimistic thought process didn't foresee the zeal in which "green energy" would be pursued at the state level and the radical legal changes that made everything possible (at least in my mind).

Over the past 6 years or so, I have become or remain confident in just a very few things.  

First if I had to vote over, I would not support the turbines.  There are a bunch of reasons for that. Believe it or not being sympathetic actually is one of them.

I definitely wouldn't want to live near the turbines (still haven't determined just exactly what distance "near" would be though).  

I am confident they make noise.  

Is the noise any louder than the din on my back deck in the early morning or often at times in the evening coming from the harbor and bridge?  Is it anymore irritating.  Don't know.  Not trying to defect the issue with "I got noise too".  I just don't know.

Another thing I am very confident in is the fact there is no easily attainable solution.

Some things may seem easy to do, but short term solutions to a long term problem aren't going to heal any fracture, nor end the multiple problems the Town faces.