We want to know what turns you on

Please take just a few minutes to fill out the survey for our Bent Mountain Center.

 

 

 

Here is the link to get you there: http://bentmountaincenter.com/survey.html

 

Thanks so much for your help!

How do you Rejuvenate a Community?

Find a non-sectarian, non-partisan, a-political Gathering Place

 

You can start by visiting a new webpage for the Bent Mountain Center:

 

http://bentmountaincenter.com/

 

To begin, we refer you to the About Us Page where you'll find:

We are a  non-profit organization offering educational, recreational and social activities.  We are housed in the former Bent Mountain Elementary School and hope to maintain the facility as a pillar of the Bent Mountain Community as was the school.
For over 100 years, Bent Mountain Elementary School offered  individuals and families scattered amongst the ridges and valleys of Bent Mountain  a reason and place to gather for school activities as well as for community get togethers.  The closing of the school in 2009 shut the door.

With the opening of the Bent Mountain Center, we are striving to bring back a place where our community can come together once again. 

So, come join us and experience the wonders of our idyllic community!

Transparency of the Governmental Process

 

Most Americans have a weak understanding of how our "Self-Governance" (the envy of the Free World) is operating

Understandably distracted by the overwhelming availability of public information and responding to fulfilling the "learned" needs of everyday life, most citizens have been forced to delegate their civic responsibilities to a much lower priority. This has opened a void that paid government personnel have found that they must fill. Although unintended, this evolution of governance has led to an extreme imbalance in our governing process. The lack of citizen participation has opened fertile ground for manipulation by a wide ranging variety of special interest groups ranging from Non-Governmental Organizations to Corporate Lobbyists.

The present condition of our "treasured" form of self-governance is in great jeopardy and not easy to mend. Recent Polls indicate that the current sentiment of the populace overwhelmingly favors replacing all members of our Federal Congress with new "true" representatives of the people. Yet, we are experiencing governmental dysfunction on local levels as well; most likely due to an accumulation of local citizen apathy.

The fundamental premises of our governance in the Commonwealth of Virginia is very sound. However, as a "Dillon Rule" state, we must, as citizens, keep tabs on the actions of our state representatives as well as our local elected and appointed representatives.

Recently, Roanoke County established a Stormwater Advisory Committee. Of the twenty-one members appointed to the Committee, only five were directly appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The remaining sixteen were identified by the Roanoke County Administrative Staff. The significance in this example of the exercise of governmental power lies in the fact that ultimately, the determination of additional revenues for the County to "administer" future stormwater management programs will lie with the recommendation of special interest groups.

Certainly the decisions made in Roanoke County have an impact on our neighboring localities, but this does not mean that we should grant our neighbors the opportunity to make our decisions for us. Unfortunately, this is exactly what has happened in recent years regarding a variety of issues. It has happened primarily as a result of the lack of an effective governmental process that prioritizes the views of its constituency above all others.

Certainly we should welcome the input from all with outside interests, but we should be sure to strongly represent the viewpoints of those persons who actually financially support the governance of our community.

Due to a similar dysfunctional government on the national level, we are now quickly approaching a financial catastrophe of epic proportions. This should be understood as an alarm call to all citizens on a local level to respond by correcting the dysfunctions in local government.

Recently, Windsor Hills magisterial district Supervisor Ed Elswick has been attempting to persuade his fellow Board Members to adopt a resolution that would lead to a re-examination of our current procedures as related to land use planning. He titled his proposal a Property Rights Resolution. Within it procedural changes are proposed that are quite different from those that other Board members and Administrative staff have accepted as "normal" through decades of use. Business leaders as well as planning professionals have also become comfortable with the current processes. So, once again, a plea for a return to civility is lost on deaf ears.

Yet, repeatedly, in legal disputes all over our nation we find evidence that those property owners most affected by zoning changes and variances, have the weakest position with their local government. In a recent Forbes magazine article about the recent Supreme Court decision  Koontz v. St. John’s Water Management District:

Many things are broken with respect to rights in real property... ineffective or outdated land use and zoning plans, the propensity for elected officials to make ill-conceived changes to those plans, and the fact that so many interests and agencies can come forward to involve themselves in the permitting process, make the process unnecessarily hazardous and cumbersome. Applicants denied entitlements are forced to fight as individuals against agencies with unlimited resources. Those with the ability to work the system often receive approvals inappropriately.

                                                                                                                                       -Robert Bridges

On Tuesday, November 5, citizens in the Windsor Hills Magisterial District will have the opportunity to re-elect Ed Elswick, the most conscientious Supervisor we have had since Lee Eddy.

Pandering is NOT an aceptable form of Government

Who Do You Think Listens to Citizens' Concerns in
Roanoke County?

Board responses to pleas for transparency in government and responding to citizen concerns.
Paraphrases from recent board meetings follow:
Moore: I worry about  choosing one citizen's rights over another, so' I'll vote NO.
Flora: It's all too vague, so I'll vote NO.
Altizer: If we poll citizens regarding contentious issues, we might not like what we hear (from a previous work session), so I'll vote NO.
Church: Since I'm the fourth vote, I'll be friendly with the suggestion, however, for political capital I'll vote NO.

The Resolution offered by Supervisor Ed Elswick was killed with a resounding NO rather than seeking compromise through mutually acceptable goals. The Resolution was about revising and improving the process of government and, ironically, the current process caused the effort to fail, even though some comments by board members suggested opportunities for improvement.

Lost within the confines of a carefully orchestrated public meeting and "hearing," one wise offering by a Planning Commissioner, to hold a joint work session with the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission to give the two bodies an opportunity to discuss proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments, gained NO traction or support. When the same proposal was made earlier in a Planning Commission Work Session, the Staff Director of Planning immediately countered such a proposal by suggesting the Planning Commissioners would be far more effective discussing the amendments one-on-one with their District Supervisors.

The most effective lobbyists exercising control over our elected and appointed officials in local government is our "civil service" staff. They are in near constant communication with their designated employers and establish service to those individuals as their highest priority. Indeed the Board of Supervisors are the people who determine their pay scale and their indispensability.

Our elected and appointed officials are obligated to understand their task of carefully balancing the best interests of our entire community and the individual rights of our citizens including civil servants. The task demands individuals with the wisdom of broad experience in both the public and private sectors as well as those willing to grow as we evolve.

Don't Do Today, that which, You can put off 'til Tomorrow

An unfortunate credo for our elected and appointed representatives in government

As we once again face another Federal government shutdown solely based upon differing ideologies, we must seek somewhere to turn to seek the essential support services of "civilization." For years, I have believed that we should collectively focus upon improving the responsiveness of and our access to local government beginning with our families, our neighborhoods, our communities, etc.

But first, even though we might recognize the need to improve the processes of dealing with our social issues, we must improve our ability to communicate with and listen to each other.

Our own community of Bent Mountain is, without reservation, Paradise. It is only through our unique individual perspectives that we can change that fact, and even those deviating viewpoints don't necessarily change it for others.

Several years ago, Ed Elswick recognized the paradise of Bent Mountain. Early on, he sought to acquaint himself with all of the elements of his paradise including "rare yellow lady slippers" through friendly neighbors. He expanded his quest to include all of his now native Windsor Hills District of Roanoke County and our Roanoke Valley region at large. He found an opportunity to protect and enhance his newly found "garden of paradise" by serving as a Roanoke County Supervisor representing the best interests of his constituency.

During the past four years as a Supervisor, very few have recognized his level headed attempts at refining and enhancing citizens' participation in the governing process. I has been a rough experience for Ed, a retired executive from General Electric who sought, obtained and enhanced corporate efficiency. He has expressed understandable frustration in attempting to apply his skills in the public sector on behalf of his constituency.

Ed won office as a conservative Republican. Very shortly, he announced his decision to serve his constituency independent of any party influence. Traditional political party demands are, all too often, not in the best interests of a representative's constituency. As a result of his action the Republicans abandoned him, the Democrats, including many of our local journalists, jumped to castigate him as a Tea Party sympathizer. Yet, for nearly four years, Ed Elswick has continued to plead with his colleagues on the Board and Roanoke County staff to work more transparently with ALL of the citizens of Roanoke County. Clearly they have felt that to do so would not be in "their" best interest.

As with his predecessor, Joe McNamara, they are most often attracted to protecting the perks of their positions such as supplemental income, health benefits and sense of power associated with their positions. On one occasion, when Ed suggested to his fellow Board members that a poll of citizens might be a way to better understand citizens' opinions regarding County issues, another member stated, on record, that if they did such a thing; they might not like what they would hear.

More recently, under an admittedly questionably named "Property Rights Resolution," Ed sought to provide citizens with more transparency and opportunity to participate in local governmental zoning issues. His efforts were based upon numerous citizen complaints related to constraints on citizen input and the lack of response during public hearings from elected and appointed officials. His colleagues on the Board chose once again, to find fault with his efforts and accompanying requests from citizens, rather than proceeding through negotiation to re-craft and refine Mr. Elswick's self-initiated efforts.

Most of the current Supervisors obviously prefer to be guided by our local bureaucrats rather than to engage in the hard work of governing. Working retreats of the Board of Supervisors were a regular activity in past years. This provided the Supervisors with an opportunity to informally discuss ideas to improve our local government. Today, they have limited themselves to stifling sound-bite style discussions encouraged by our bureaucratic staff.

Ed Elswick is our last opportunity to re-elect a "Statesman-Style" representative of the people on our local level. He will always be available and open to your ideas.

Work Session Induces Sleep

Sept 17, 2013 Roanoke County Planning Commission

Work Session Accomplishes Little

 

After eight months of "excruciating work" developing unexplained proposals to accomplish "simple housekeeping" amendments to the Roanoke County Zoning Ordinance, the Commission prepared to address more difficult Zoning Ordinance issues as the second part of their 2013 work plan.

Instead the meeting as guided by the Roanoke County Planning staff under the direction of Chairman Jason Peters offered a 45+ minute presentation by Roanoke County's new Chief of Police and another 40+ minute presentation by a planning staff member praising staff's accomplishments providing grant funding for a sign (with landscaping) at Richfield Retirement Community.

The remainder of the work session conducted by the Director of Community Planning focused upon discussions of  preparing for the Planning Commission's Work Schedule for 2014. At the end of the meeting one commissioner, obviously somewhat bewildered, asked about pursuit of previously identified elements of the Zoning Ordinance on their current agenda.

The Planning Director responded by informing the Commission of his frustration with the Board of Supervisors who have already gone through 2 or 3 work sessions without agreeing to adopt the "housekeeping elements" presented to them by the Planning commission earlier. At that point some Commissioners suggested scheduling a joint work session with the Board of Supervisors to accommodate dialog regarding the reasoning behind the proposed amendments. The Planning Director instead suggested each Commissioner speak one on one with his own District Supervisor.

The meeting ended without direction for the next work session.

Unfortunately, this meeting conduct is the norm for most of our elected and appointed citizen boards and commissions on all levels of government. Should we begin questioning the "political agenda" of government staff? Should we continue paying stipends to elected and appointed officials when they are discouraged from pursuing their responsibilities?

Six Months of Silence

The mission of this blog from its beginning has been to protect and enhance the lifestyle of a small rural community on the northernmost tip of the great Blue Ridge Plateau. Bent Mountain is a geographically unique area, steeped with a rich history predating European settlement in the 18th century. Geographic uniqueness has provided the area with rich soils with plentiful water resources. The surrounding terrain has uniquely isolated the area from surrounding regions in the garden of the Southern Appalachian Mountain chain.

Although this blog has focused upon environmental protection and enhancement, I have avoided direct involvement with current local politics. Currently, however, our Windsor Hills Magisterial District Supervisor, Ed Elswick, is running for re-election to his post on November 5, 2013. Mr. Elswick has represented the interest of his constituency very well over the past 3-1/2 years of his term, quite often, contrary to interests of elements outside of his district.

Supervisor Elswick is basing his campaign for re-election on the concept of "Principles Above Politics." This slogan has become a challenge to every other Supervisor representing the other four magisterial districts in Roanoke County. Sadly, the other Supervisors, with the sometimes exception of "Butch" Church have failed to even comprehend Elswick's intent. Mr. Elswick won his election four years ago over the incumbent opponent, Joe McNamara, based upon his commitment to respond directly to his constituency.

In fact, he has repeatedly called for a process during his tenure as Supervisor to clearly assess the opinion of his constituency on all issues.

Mr. McNamara lost his bid for re-election four years ago because it became clear to his entire constituency that his interests were limited to himself and his party and not those of his constituency.  Mr. Elswick declared independence from his party, shortly after becoming elected, because the same party did not want to relinquish power to his constituency.

Ed Elswick is and continues to challenge the status quo of local politics.

His opponents quickly attempt to identify him as "Tea Party affiliated" though such a tag is maliciously applied to a man who has no axe to bear other than the welfare of his constituency. Mr Elswick has declined the health insurance benefits offered to his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors because he does not need the "perk."

Building a Community

The Bent Mountain Center has sprouted from the abandoned elementary school.

As a proud community, we celebrate a new era in our colorful history of two centuries or more. After two years of intense negotiations and hard work by Roanoke County administrator, Clay Goodman and a small group of tenacious people from the Bent Mountain community, we have finally reached the point where we have an outstanding building to utilize for the benefit of our community's future.

There are many folks that deserve special appreciation from all of us for making this happen. They will be especially recognized in successive blog posts.

For now, the best place to get info about activities taking place at our center go to:

http://www.bentmountaincenter.com/Home_Page.html

eBase USA Blue Ridge

Project Video Update

eBase USA Blue Ridge Take 4 from Eldon Karr on Vimeo.
Inspired by Robert Swan, polar explorer, who established the world's first eBase in Antarctica to serve as a self-powered educational center to balance our energy demands with a commitment to protect our remaining natural environment; this video features a local effort at establishing the world's 3rd eBase in the USA in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Hope for Our Beloved Hemlocks

For several years, we have been quietly experiencing a devastating loss in our Southern Appalachian Forests. The Eastern Hemlock has been slowly destroyed by the woolly adelgid, a imported predator insect from Japan, first noticed in Richmond, Va. in 1951.

Only in the past decade have I noticed massive losses of the trees that provide dark, cool environments even during the heat of summer to promote healthy streams that provide habitat for native brook trout. The brook trout are still here but the water temperature of our mountain streams is rising.

In today's Roanoke Times, I was particularly pleased to find the story of a Virginia Tech research team working to stop destruction of Appalachia’s iconic hemlock trees unleashed a new microscopic weapon in the fight against the tree-killing woolly adelgid.

According to the Roanoke Times story, "Tech entomology professor Scott Salom and graduate student Katlin Mooneyham seeded infested hemlocks on private property near Mountain Lake in Giles County with about 1,000 laboratory-grown eggs of the Laricobius osakensis, a newly discovered beetle species from Osaka, Japan, that preys almost exclusively on the woolly adelgid."

Pursuant to a recent commitment to change the course of this blog, I want to share this news with my neighbors that share my deep love for our "Garden of Eden" natural environment in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. I pray that we will see the return of our majestic hemlocks that have provided storybook setting for our lives for generations.

Is it time to change our course?

I've been thinking about all of the wasteful expenditure of our energy for decades. Indeed, I've focused upon that almost exclusively for the past four years. And, I've found solace in realizing that I am not alone with my negative perspective. Ironically, I've been encouraged with assurances that my viewpoints have been right.

Junkie for dopamine highs, that I am, I have continued to focus upon what is wrong with the direction our society (school of fish) is heading toward. Just today, I experienced yet another high when I read my good friend Dan Smith's dissatisfaction with the loss of elderly journalists to the vague benefit of greedy young publishers and stockholders.

Another "downer" that I got a "high" from was a report that "The Crooked Road" foundation or organization was dumping its efforts to become designated as a "National Heritage Trail." Don't misunderstand, these highs I receive are not necessarily enjoyable to me. They merely confirm my addiction to being "right."

With that said, (apologies for the cliche), I decided it might be time to change course with the posts on the Bent Mountain blog. This will not be easy for me, but I will try to offer more positive, and hopefully more inspirational, perspectives regarding our community.

Apple Ridge Farm, one of our shining stars in our mountain community, has requested my volunteer assistance in developing the world's third e-Base. The world's first e-Base was established on King George Island in Antarctica as a vision of Robert Swan, OBE, the only human to walk to both the North and South poles. The mission of the e-Base is to educate about balancing the accelerating human appetite for energy while preserving our wonderful natural environment.

The second e-Base was opened in the Interpretive Center of the Pench National Park in India in 2011.

And now thanks to the leadership of James Bray of Akzo-Nobel, LLC, we eagerly look forward to establishing the world's third e-Base USA at Apple Ridge Farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains.




E-Base USA Blue Ridge from Eldon Karr on Vimeo.
Inspired by Robert Swan, polar explorer, who established the world's first eBase in Antarctica to serve as a self-powered educational center to balance our energy demands with a commitment to protect our remaining natural environment; this video features a local effort at establishing the world's 3rd eBase in the USA in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Cape Cod community considers taking down wind turbines after illness, noise

By Molly Line

Published February 26, 2013
FoxNews.com

http://video.foxnews.com/v/2189054120001/

Two wind turbines towering above the Cape Cod community of Falmouth, Mass., were intended to produce green energy and savings -- but they've created angst and division, and may now be removed at a high cost as neighbors complain of noise and illness.

"It gets to be jet-engine loud," said Falmouth resident Neil Andersen. He and his wife Betsy live just a quarter mile from one of the turbines. They say the impact on their health has been devastating. They're suffering headaches, dizziness and sleep deprivation and often seek to escape the property where they've lived for more than 20 years.

"Every time the blade has a downward motion it gives off a tremendous energy, gives off a pulse," said Andersen. "And that pulse, it gets into your tubular organs, chest cavity, mimics a heartbeat, gives you headaches. It's extremely disturbing and it gets to the point where you have to leave."

The first turbine went up in 2010 and by the time both were in place on the industrial site of the town's water treatment facility, the price was $10 million. Town officials say taking them down will cost an estimated $5 million to $15 million, but that is just what Falmouth's five selectmen have decided to move toward doing.
"The selectmen unanimously voted to remove them. We think it's the right thing to do, absolutely," Selectman David Braga said. "You can't put a monetary value on people's health and that's what's happened here. A lot of people are sick because of these."

Now the matter will go to a town meeting vote in April and could ultimately end up on the ballot during the municipal elections in May.

"It's highly likely that what the voters will be determining is are they willing to tax themselves at an appropriate amount to cover the cost and dismantle and shut down the turbines?" Falmouth Town Manager Julian Suso said.

In the meantime, the turbines are being run on a limited schedule as the selectmen respond to the concerns of nearby neighbors. The turbines only run during the day -- from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- which means they're operating at a loss.

The dispute has been a bitter three-year battle in the seaside town where officials argue the project was thoroughly vetted, researched and put to public vote multiple times.

"To say 'let's let the voters decide' -- it sort of flies in the face of what we went through all these years," said Megan Amsler of the Falmouth Energy Committee.

"We never tell somebody 'hey, you're going to have to take that coal plant down or you're going to have to stop mining the mountain tops.' These are very visible and a lot of other ways that we get our energy are invisible to the average American," Amsler argued. "People don't even know how much energy they consume on a yearly basis so I think it's good for people to be able to see where their energy comes from and know that it's coming from a clean source."

"I think if we end up taking these turbines down it will be a shame. It will be an embarrassment for the Town of Falmouth," said Amsler.

Town leaders say the state bears some monetary responsibility for the situation because Falmouth was granted renewable energy credits and received advice from state level energy officials through an ongoing partnership.

"They certainly have been involved and have a tremendous stake in this process," said Assistant Town Manager Heather Harper. Harper said the Mass Clean Energy Center "provided the technical assistance to conduct all of the feasibility studies."

"I feel the state is responsible because they were really pushing for more wind power which, believe me, the whole board of selectmen are supportive of renewable energy. I am. Maybe wind, but not in this location," said Braga.

Ultimately, town leaders are hoping the controversy will be resolved and the community will find a way to move forward together.

"It's imperative to the community that we do have a coming together and a healing and find a resolution one way or the other," said Suso. His advice to communities considering a similar project to the one causing strife in Falmouth is "move cautiously, communicate well, have extreme public dialogue and listen well."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/26/cape-cod-community-considers-taking-down-wind-turbines-after-illness-noise/#ixzz2M75bYYQP

Governor signs repeal of renewable energy incentives

 

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/02/governor-signs-repeal-renewable-energy-incentives

By Kathy Adams
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 22, 2013

Gov. Bob McDonnell signed legislation Thursday repealing certain financial incentives for electric utility companies that use renewable energy sources.

The change means utilities, such as Dominion Virginia Power, will no longer be eligible for a bonus for obtaining a certain portion of their energy from renewable sources, such as solar power. Reduced incentives remain for nuclear and offshore wind power.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli proposed repealing the "adders" after a study showed they were increasing consumers' bills without having the intended environmental impact.

Opponents of the repeal, mostly environmental groups such as the Virginia Chapter Sierra Club, argued the law needed to be changed, not done away with altogether.

Dominion still plans to meet the goals of the program, even without the financial incentive from the state, and is pursuing projects to that end, said spokesman Jim Norvelle.

"We are looking for ways to get onshore wind generation, and we are launching a pilot program to add a large amount of solar-generated electricity to our grid that will begin this year as well," he said.

Also under consideration is an offshore wind farm for Virginia Beach and an expansion of Dominon's nuclear facility in Louisa County, Norvelle said.

Clean Energy SHOULD NOT be a Debatable Issue

All we need is:
A MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFT IN APPLICATION
I would like to share a recent email communication with a politically oriented friend:

An email from my friend:

Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 9:06 PM
To: Myself
Subject: RE: America Zealots, an existential threat to America and the world...... Whose responsibility?

Eldon,

Sunday I spoke brieftly with Dr. Jill Stein at the climate rally in DC about using the RW previously acquired for the pipeline as an energy corridor.  She liked the idea, saying so twice.  Your thoughts?

I think every room should have an led glow from simple collectors.... so don't have to have the ceiling light on sometimes.

Don't we need to strive for wind and solar?

_____________________________________________________________________________

My reply to my friend:

Dear (Friend),

How would you see the “energy corridor” being utilized?

LEDs are a superior and world changing development for lighting. It’s not even necessary to try to expend the energy to shape them into the form of obsolete technologies, like A-19 bulbs or fluorescent tubes. I have used them on projects as indirect lighting in reflective lighting troughs like crown mold. LEDs can be purchased in tape strips very inexpensively.

Yes, we do need to continue to pursue wind and solar. The real problem is that we are stuck in the idea of pursuing these resources within the outmoded paradigm of mass production utilizing the power grid. Surprisingly, it is analogous to trying to make LEDs look and perform like antiquated light bulbs. Both wind and solar generated electricity is far more efficient in smaller installations where we do not have to contend with the “convenience” costs of mega-scale transmission and distribution.

I am advocating a major paradigm shift here that would put hundreds of thousands of construction worker back to work installing small property based generating systems to supplement our growing energy demands. We already have in place in many states a sustainable loan program that could accomplish such an effort. Look up the P.A.C.E. program (Property Assessed Clean Energy) on Google. Currently, big banks and mortgage institutions like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are opposed to such programs because they might stand even further back than local governments on mortgage defaults. The current stumbling block could easily be overcome by Congress.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to express my ideas,

Bald Eagle Habitat Destroyed for Wind Turbine Construction

by Susmita Baral • January 8, 2013 • Animals, Science & Nature •

 

NextEra Energy Canada, a subsidiary of an American energy company, has destroyed a bald eagle habitat in Haldimand County in Ontario, Canada for wind turbine construction on Saturday. The ministry, which approved this act on December 31st, 2012, defended its actions by stated that the new energy center will allow for 56 turbines which will produce energy for 32,000 homes.

“Expanding clean and renewable sources of energy is key to the government’s plan to phase out coal-fired generation, mitigate climate change, create green jobs and support technological innovation in renewable energy,” the ministry wrote. “Bald eagles typically start to look for nests in early winter and have been known to use more than one nest. By removing the nest before Jan. 6, it is anticipated they will find another suitable nest location and will avoid disturbing them during their critical nesting period.”

Needless to say, environmentalists are opposed to this. Tom Wasilewski, co-ordinator of an eagle conservation association in northwestern Pennsylvania, according to The London Free Press, stated: “The Ontario government continues to blindly accept inaccurate information from wind companies as the truth without providing an investment in truly independent, scientific studies of bird, bat, butterfly migration before and after these projects are built.”

Check out more pictures at the Ontario Wind Resistance website.

In Response to Dan Smith: Treasonous Efforts are not solely the purview of the Republicans

In a recent Blog by respected Roanoke blogger Dan Smith: he reported the following issue:

Another Treasonous Effort From Virginia Republicans

The damn Republicans simply won't quit trying to jimmy the voting system in this country so they can win elections without having to win the majority of the vote.

 

Here's the latest outrage, just out of committee (on a tie vote because one Republican has some modicum of morality). If this passes, the gerrymandered district lines in Virginia--which heavily favor Republicans--will be far more important than the popular vote and a tiny, rural county like Lee will have the same impact as huge, populous county like Fairfax.

These guys just don't know when to quit trying to take away our rights. It is a simple case of treason and we're going to need to start charging these anti-Americans with the worst crime we can.

 

Senator Saslow (D) of Fairfax and, John Watkins(R) of Midlothian have become "bi-partisan patrons" of a bill to withdraw local autonomy over the corporate financial interests of corporate energy industry; an equally treasonous act in Jefferson's Commonwealth of Virginia:

SB 1341 Renewable energy facilities, certain; exemption from local zoning and land use regulations. Summary as introduced:

Renewable energy facilities; exemption from land use regulations. Exempts certain electrical generation facilities powered by renewable sources of energy from local zoning and land use requirements. The exemption applies to a facility that is owned by an electric utility, has a capacity of at least four megawatts, is on a parcel of at least 25 acres, and has received all required approvals and permits from the State Corporation Commission and environmental regulators.

Full text:

01/18/13 Senate: Presented and ordered printed 13104194Dpdf

Status:

01/18/13 Senate: Presented and ordered printed 13104194D

01/18/13 Senate: Referred to Committee on Local Government

Please, as concerned citizens of our right to self-govern; contact your state senator and the Chairman (Sen Ralph Smith, R) of the Committee on Local Government prior to Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 to oppose this "treasonous withdrawal of  the public's constitutional right" to self-govern. 

Here is a message if you want to send email to Ralph Smith:

 

 

Wind Turbine Acoustics: In-Depth Joint Study

Evaluation of Harmful Acoustic impact is far beyond the concept of Offensive Nuisance Sounds that you can hear.

 

 

In a just released study (12-27-2012), conducted for the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, a study panel of nationally recognized acoustic experts ( one, biased for the Wind industry, two, independent of previous studies, and one biased against the wind Industry) the findings of this panel unanimously confirm that infra sound produced by industrial scale wind turbines (1.5 MW and larger) can and do produce harmful acoustical impacts to humans and other life forms in range of their operation.

 

While the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors continue to focus upon "sounds" that are measured in the audible decibel range, they remain completely uninformed regarding potential negative health impacts to the citizens of Roanoke County in the infra sound or ultra-low frequency ranges. While these issues are abnormally abstract, it is understandable that lay people are typically incapable of evaluating such issues. However, it is not acceptable for our leadership to naively dismiss such concerns of their constituency.

 

For details on the Highland case see:

http://psc.wi.gov/

 

Enter the Docket ID as shown below to go to the document archive.

 

Docket ID: 2535-CE-100

(Highland Wind Farm)