IS THERE GOLD ON POOR MOUNTAIN?

• MATHEMATICS - Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity. The research required to solve mathematical problems can take years or even centuries of sustained inquiry. However, mathematical proofs are less formal and painstaking than proofs in mathematical logic. Since the pioneering work of Giuseppe Peano, David Hilbert, and others on axiomatic systems in the late 19th century, it has become customary to view mathematical research as establishing truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions. When those mathematical structures are good models of real phenomena, then mathematical reasoning often provides insight or predictions.
• EXCERPTED FROM WIKIPEDIA

 The above definition form Wikipedia describes a process by which a determination of whether or not industrial scale wind turbines (999kw and larger) are a good land use in Roanoke County, Virginia.

It seems my detractors would prefer to attack my credibility in lieu of seeking the truth of their beliefs. Every member of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cites Coalition, including their “highly qualified” experts, have based their commitment to their misguided cause on promotional information provided by Invenergy, and a host of other private and public organizations whose very “life blood” is dependent upon the promotion of the industrial scale wind industry.
This is such a large group of people that it would surely be another devastating blow to our national economy if that sector were to suddenly dry up completely. However, that is not a reason to continue to destroy even more mountain land area in the eastern part of the country than surface-mining for coal destroys. We need to solve these problems, not perpetuate them.

It is just plain cowardly and deceitful to hide behind the concept of “proprietary information” in regard to providing mathematical documentation of energy claims and mathematical logic in regard to showing a cost /benefit analysis to justify such a massive consumption of mountain land along the Blue Ridge in Virginia.

Mark McClain is a retired accountant for a big jeweler (high arithmetic). Diana Christopolus has a PhD in Chemistry (maybe early mathematics); however the bulk of her career appears to have been as an “independent” strategic management consultant (spin doctor: late 20th and early 21st century jargon for deception) and Rene Godard, PhD, Biology (high arithmetic).

When I spoke to Sean McGinnis, PhD, Materials Science VT (Mathematics), regarding their claims, he stated that the basis for the 10,000 homes served and subsequent 8,500 homes served was based on a factor of 35% of rated capacity which was provided to him by Invenergy. When I challenged Dr. McGinnis, professionally, he chose to turn away from my challenge by saying that he couldn’t back up those claims and that he didn’t believe that I would accept truth even if he could provide it (that was a year ago). This is the same “professional,” along with Rene Godard, that was paid to provide Roanoke City, Roanoke County and the City of Salem with their respective “carbon footprints”, data that our local government employees rely on in an attempt to measure reductions in carbon emissions.

Why is this mathematical argument so important? Because it is the only way left in our degenerating social condition to find TRUTH outside of the influence of corporate greed, politics and spin doctors on both sides of the issue.

No one wants to bet on a losing horse. No one really wants to discover that they have been duped or misguided. However, until we each take responsibility for our own Egos, we will continue down the long downhill slide of partisan bickering that we have experienced for the past 40 years. Has anyone else noticed how lax our Codes of Professional Ethics have become over the past 40 years? Even in our judicial system, lawyers seek justice, but they don’t seek the Truth. They select 12 naïve people that they try to manipulate for very high fees, with justice ultimately coming from the toss of an imaginary coin.

Transparency. What is wrong with the word truthfulness? Are we ashamed of saying that anymore?

Mark Hanson, an engineer, even with his perverted love affair of wind turbines, chose, when spending his personal subsidized funds for supplementary renewable energy at his home chose to make the largest investment in solar panels. I think his wind turbine on a sixty foot tower is only 500w (< 1Kw). Why?

If I am shown mathematical proof that the claims made by Invenergy and its allies and proponents are true regarding energy production by wind on Poor Mountain, then I WILL PUBLICLY WITHDRAW MY CHALLENGE. The loss of Poor Mountain and the Blue Ridge is far more important than any personal embarrassment I may suffer.

Until that time, I will do my best to avoid responding to any further statements made by folks who are too lazy or deceitful to back up their statements.

Incidentally, I do believe that Invenergy and the wind industry do see Poor Mountain as a “beachhead” on the Blue Ridges of Virginia. For that reason, their desire to protect “proprietary information” may be at least partially true. You have to be careful about “claim-jumpers” you know  So, what is this bru-ha-ha all about? MONEY! PUBLIC MONEY!! From virtually every department of our Federal government. In large part, even our states have a big stake in the spoils in the federal pot.

As a good friend and I often say, it's about GOLD! GOLD!! and more GOLD!!!  

TRUTH

Are Industrial Scale Wind Turbines a "highest and best" land use in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia?

As we near one of the most significant moments in Roanoke County's history, indeed..., in the history of the Blue Ridge mountains throughout Virginia, I must, with all of the credibility I can muster, make a stand regarding Invenergy's proposed wind turbine project on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County, Virginia.

In 2005~2006, a close neighbor confided in me that he was considering an appealing proposition from a wind developer through his long-time family attorney, Maryellen Goodlatte. At the time, I told my good neighbor (still is) that I didn't really understand the magnitude of the proposed turbines, but in my experience, I've always considered wind generated energy to be a very important effort in a "point of use" application as a conscientious supplement to growing energy consumption. So. I thought if it would help his family to continue to pay the property taxes and some of the family's raw maintenance cost for such large tracts of land, then certainly it sounded worth pursuing.

I dismissed the subject from my mind for greater concerns at the time, such, as the onslaught of the gypsy moths in 2006~2007, that defoliated over 7000 acres of our beloved mountain. Fortunately, our forests are now recovering, though scarred from clear-cutting during the heat of battle against the invasive moths.

Our close community on Bent Mountain also was trying to consider the best route over the Bent Mountain plateau and Poor Mountain for a new high-voltage transmission line. The only option we were given was: Which one of three predetermined right-of ways would the community prefer? We were assured by AEP spokesmen that the purpose of this transmission line was to allow them to "complete" a transmission loop around the Roanoke Valley, and definitely not to serve any new industry in the area.

In 2006, The Roanoke Times reported that Invenergy, LLC was withdrawing their interest in placing wind turbines in the Bent Mountain area, in part, because such a project would require a $1.6M electrical grid improvement project. This was the same year that partners, Diana Christoplus and Mark McClain decided to settle in the Roanoke Valley area and volunteer their lives to helping the Roanoke Valley make decisions about our future.

In 2009, while I was trying to promote, albeit clumsily, enthusiasm over "The Heart of Roanoke", an online urban design experiment oriented toward developing ways for large groups of people to actively participate in the process of planning communities; I heard of the Cool Cities organization. My initial assumption was that they were a green-oriented organization of local people interested in making cities more hospitable environments to live in -- ie, more green ways, more tree plantings,etc. So I called and met with Mr. McClain. Then I came to understand although they appreciated my efforts, their organization stood for much larger causes "region-wide".

In late 2009, rumors started emerging on Bent Mountain that the wind industry interest had returned. In February 2010, Don Giecek and Ms. Goodlatte introduced themselves to the community as representative of Invenergy, LLC of Chicago, IL. At that point, I decided that I needed to quickly start educating myself about wind farms, the technological advances in turbines, and the economic viability of such further disruption of our mountain.

By early June 2010, I started receiving rather ferocious attacks on my personal & professional credibility on line and by email because I was questioning the credibility of a small group of board members of the Cool Cities Coalition to be making such far reaching conclusions about what is best for all of us.

In this specific local issue on Poor Mountain, YES, I am a NIMBY.

My position unfortunately is NOT based upon what I personally have to gain for myself, my family, my community or posterity. My position is based upon what we all have to lose.

There are only two people, that I know of, in the Roanoke Valley who have mathematically evaluated the wind generated energy potential with over 210,000 entries of wind data representing over one year on a Class VI wind site as declared by Virginia Wind Data Charts near the proposed Poor Mountain site. This process is what must be accomplished to develop a thorough evaluation of the proposed land use.

Peer review??? YES, being one of the aforementioned two people, the other being an electrical engineer, we would be genuinely excited to engage in peer review, or as it is called in many scholarly communities "refereeing". In fact, the subject of review of technical data has been continually requested of Invenergy, specifically, and Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition as early as June of 2010. Initially, Mr. McClain promised to provide the necessary data. Later, Invenergy, LLC announced that the data would not be released for consideration because it is proprietary, though funded by over 60% of public money.

Our own Roanoke County Administration, with a level of hyperbole repeatedly claims to have investigated this proposed land use relative to develop a Zoning Ordinance amendment for over two years (that is over 6 months prior to Invenergy's public re-entry into our valley). Yet, no evidence of a rationale for making any judgement regarding the worthiness of the proposed land use itself has been provided. If every member of Roanoke County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission are unable to show to their constituency irrefutable evidence of justification for adopting and endorsing such a massive use of land in Roanoke County, then the ordinance amendment is dangerously premature for adoption.

Roanoke Times Seeks to Manipulate Local Governmental Process in favor of Wind Industry Lobbyists

Lobbyists are Financial Beneficiaries

The following is excerpted from a local article posted on August 18, 2011 by terry:

• According to a citizen who took issue with a Roanoke Times editorial published on August 12, the Roanoke Times will publish on Sunday a commentary by Rupert Cutler that will endorse wind turbine development on Poor Mountain. “I have an op-ed from Rupert Cutler scheduled to run in next Sunday’s Horizon about why he has changed his opinion on Poor Mountain,” wrote Luanne Rife in an August 13 email exchange with the citizen.

• Roanoke County hasn’t even adopted the ordinance, with amendments, and yet the Roanoke Times would seek to influence public opinion two days before the County Board of Supervisors meet for a 2nd hearing on the matter.

• It is worth noting that Rupert Cutler was one of the original board members of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cites Coalition (RVCCC). He has also been involved with the Western Virginia Land Trust whose mission is to preserve land and scenic views. Hypocrisy?
• http://199.102.226.152/~chiptarb/

Mr. Cutler has decided at this time, coinciding with Roanoke County's 2nd reading of a zoning ordinance amendment, to declare his support for a controversial expenditure of technology and Federal funding.

In my experience, the research conducted by the vast majority of people interested in the benefits of renewable energy resources remains on a very surface level. To thoroughly understand the viability of currently implemented wind energy technologies requires an extensive amount of mathematical calculation. Most people are not prepared or inclined to dedicate the expense of real time required to perform such evaluation.

That's OK> Most of us need to rely on the conclusions of others. When we do our research, we must make decisions about which sources to accept or reject. This is where we start straying from our starting point of seeking the truth. From this point forward our conclusions will be no truer than our personal judgement, however influenced (or manipulated).

So, What we do? We all try to manipulate each other, Arrrgh, Oh no, that's why I retreated back to Poor Mountain 36 years ago.