Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the Barton Chronicle.
Green Mountain Power CEO Mary Powell testifying before the Public Service Board. Photo by Josh Larkin.
MONTPELIER — Heated allegations by an attorney that a study on the aesthetic impacts of the proposed Lowell Mountain wind project were tilted heavily in favor of money and power prompted the chairman of the Public Service Board Tuesday to call for a return to civility, during the fourth day of hearings here on a petition to erect up to 21 turbines on the mountain.
“You’re being awfully combative,” noted James Volz, who heads the three-member board, known as the PSB. “We don’t approve of it,” he said, adding that the attorney’s approach was neither typical of the process nor productive.
The chairman’s admonition came during an exchange between David Raphael — a landscape architect employed by the project’s developer, Green Mountain Power, and Gerald Tarrant, a Montpelier attorney representing the Green Mountain Club.
The club is the state’s host to the Long Trail, part of the oldest and longest hiking trail in the country. The trail passes through Lowell Mountain, and Raphael and Tarrant could not agree on how many turbines would be visible from one of the popular huts along the trail.
“How many turbines do you count there,” asked Tarrant, after showing a photo of the ridgeline that was one of the photos contained in Raphael’s report.
“Twenty-one,” he responded.
“Yes,” said Tarrant, returning back to an earlier response in which the architect said four turbines would be visible. “That was wrong, correct?
“No,” said Raphael, but before he could finish explaining that the wind farm’s visibility was relative, depending on one’s location by the hut, he was interrupted.
“So, you could kneel down behind a tree and not see it?” charged Tarrant, his voice rising sarcastically.
Tuesday’s spirited exchange served to illuminate the fundamental differences between environmentalists who are pushing wind as the most viable renewable energy source to lessen the state’s dependency of fossil fuels and those who believe that Vermont ridgelines are no place for industrial wind farms.
Known as Kingdom Community Wind, the project is going before the board with two options. One would create a wind farm with 21 turbines with the capacity of producing 63 megawatts of power; the other would come in at 50 MW to be generated by 20 turbines.
Day one of the hearings brought GMP General Manager Charles Pughe before a standing room only crowd in the Public Service Board hearing room. Photo by Josh Larkin.
Charles Pughe, Green Mountain’s general manager, told the board on Wednesday, Feb. 2, — the opening day of the hearing — that no decision has been made on what brand of turbines the company will use.
According to testimony, the project would be constructed on roughly 124 acres of land. Pughe said that 75 percent of the leases and rights-of-way have been acquired from 100 or so landowners. If the Board grants Green Mountain Power permission to go ahead with the project, condemnation proceedings would begin immediately against landowners who refuse to work with the company, he said. One holdout late in January was recently offered $652 for an easement on his property, according to a letter from a lawyer representing Green Mountain Power and Vermont Electric Cooperative.
In the two years it has taken to plan the project, Pughe testified there had been “no show stopper,” noting that the project easily won support from Lowell voters. Opponents have criticized the vote, charging the results were skewed because the ballot included the dollar amount the town would receive in taxes if the project went through.
The chairman of the Lowell Selectmen, who testified last week, said the ballot was properly worded.
“I felt the voters should know what they were voting on,” he said of the decision to include on the ballot the $400,000 the company would pay annually in taxes.
“I think that’s what the selectboard’s job is,” he added a little later.
Tuesday’s hearing on aesthetics illuminated the fundamental differences between environmentalists who are pushing wind and those who believe that Vermont ridgelines are no place for industrial wind farms.”
Later in the day, an economist hired by Green Mountain Power said a wind farm on Lowell Mountain would not adversely affect property values or tourism. Tom Kavet, who is also an economic adviser to the Vermont Legislature, testified that the wind farm would have to be built before it could be determined what its impact would be on community property values.
“What matters is actual transactions,” he said at one point. “What matters is not what you think but what happens after you build it.”
To David Stackpole, a Lowell attorney representing himself, Kavet’s conclusions sounded tentative.
“Why is this not advocacy?” he asked, commenting on the testimony.
According to testimony, the wind farm is expected to produce between 6 and 7 percent of the annual power required by Green Mountain to supply its customers. As one of the early witnesses in the hearings, the company’s CEO Mary Powell defended its decision to own a power source rather than buy or rent power from someone else.
When a power contract comes to the end of its term, Powell said, her company has no leverage; it has to start from scratch in negotiating a new power price. But if it owns the facility, it has an asset that produces power at a known cost. And while a wind farm was not for the “faint of heart,” she went on to say that the Lowell wind farm “makes the most sense for the state of Vermont.”
But from the very beginning of the hearings, Tarrant contended that all the other factors were being downplayed in the face of wind becoming economically viable for the company.
“GMP is opposing the visual impact solely on economic reasoning,” he charged while cross-examining the company’s general manager.
Prior to the hearings, the Green Mountain Club and GMP worked out a compromise to install a lighting system on the towers that would only be activated when an aircraft is flying in the area. But Tarrant wondered why, when it came to the number of turbines the company was considering, there were only two options and not three.
A third option, he suggested, would be to erect 17 turbines, each with a 3MW capacity. That would meet the company’s goal of running a wind farm with the capacity of producing between 50 and 63 MW of power.
“It’s not about the number but the capacity, correct?” he asked Pughe, suggesting the board should have the flexibility of choosing a third option.
Pughe said to reduce the number of turbines would cost the company money and that the goal is to get the highest output of power from the wind the site offered.
But Tarrant argued that a balance had to be struck between a wind farm’s power production and the impact it would have on the area. The problem with the application, he added, was that the pre-filed testimony was based on erecting the largest number of turbines, especially when it came to the project’s aesthetic impact.
He went on to say that Raphael, the company’s expert on aesthetics, had already “taken the ball and ran with it.”
On the stand Tuesday, Raphael had to defend challenges from Tarrant that his assessment of the project’s visual impact was based on the wind farm’s economic viability.
In an exasperated exchange, the two men went back and forth on how a visual impact was assessed from a popular hut or camp on the Long Trail.
Raphael testified the assessment was done by using both simulation and the results of a field study. The key question of a visual impact appeared to be, ‘what does one see?’
Earlier, under cross examination from attorney Geoffrey Commons of the Department of Public Service — the public watchdog in matters of electric generation and utility charges to ratepayers — Raphael testified it is the turbine’s hub and not the tip of the blades that is measured when it comes to visibility. He also testified there were three homes within one mile of the proposed wind farm and that the project’s visual impact would be greater on people who were standing still than those walking along a trail.
“Clearly we are dealing with generalities, right?” Commons asked.
“Yes,” replied Raphael, who went to say that the visual impact would be greater on cross-country skiers than it would on snow-machine riders.
“Which one is a dogsled more like?” asked Commons, as conversation turned toward a dogsledding center in Eden.
In his overall aesthetic assessment of the project, Raphael found it would have no undue adverse effect — a conclusion that Tarrant argued was shortsighted.
Raphael told the board that he was asked to do his assessment on the basis of a 21-turbine wind farm. A farm with 17 to 19 turbines, he added, never came up prior to conducting the study.
He agreed that the Long Trail was the most significant asset in the viewshed, with unique scenic and conservation benefits to the public. But he quickly came under a withering attack when he conceded that before completing his report neither he nor any member of his staff had visited the popular hut or camp on the trail where the Lowell Mountain range is visible. He made it within 100 yards last winter, but had been turned back by the snow, he said.
“It’s not as if we ignored it,” he said a little later, adding that an assessment was made with help from his staff, using simulation and gathering information from a member of the Green Mountain Club.
With his ears still burning from the chairman’s scolding, Tarrant lightly requested a show of proof.
“Name, rank, and serial number of the Green Mountain Club member who said you could only see four turbines,” he said, minutes before ending his cross-examination Tuesday morning.
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I feel these turbines will forever spoil the perfect ridgelines we call home. I also feel the work of Lady Bird Johnson is being lost. When she lobbied to eliminate billboards, she made VT a more special place to look at. She would see these as gigundo billboards. Fururists would see how these turbines will within 10 years become like the old big satellite dish: dinosaurs. Get real. Stop bespoiling the ridgetops. I like seeing the mountains and wide unbroken views.
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I am surprised to see that David Raphael testified there are only three homes within one mile of the proposed wind project. Here is a map showing the area one and two miles around the project http://www.vce.org/Lowell2mile8x11.pdf. There are 104 structures within 2 miles. You can count how many there are within 1 mile, it looks like 19 to me, mostly in Lowell but some in Eden. What GMP is doing with this proposal, as with all wind projects, is taking the rights of these neighboring property owners without compensating them. No matter whether you support or oppose wind projects, this is a new way of doing energy development and it violates Vermont’s constitution that requires compensation for taking people’s properties.
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It would be letter if the Town of Lowell owned the wind farm instead of a few millionaire investors who will get millions in federal and state tax credits, borrow most of the rest and will make millions more on this $100 million project over the next 20 years. Will they spend that money in Vermont?
Foreign companies will likely provide the wind turbines leaving only some permanent O&M jobs for Vermonters.
Is there a plan and money in place for decommissioning and to return the site to its former glory?
Power from Hydro-Quebec and Vermont Yankee will be about half the cost per kWh of wind power AND it is QUIET, something Vermonters like, CO2- free, STEADY, 24/7/365 power that a modern economy can rely on AND it has NO visible impact on Vermont.
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Wind power is simply making rich people richer as a result of our irresponsible government taking money out of our pockets and promoting uneconomical and unsustainable wind generators to provide those of us who have just been robbed the opportunity to pay five times the market rate for our electricity. Twice robbed for the privilege of having our beautiful mountains despoiled.
Denny Bowen
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Most of the view a long the Long Trail is woods. In other words, no view. Not that that there’s anything wrong with woods, but I would love to see some wind turbines while making that hike. Aesthetically, as the classic nuclear plant shape is ugly, the wind turbines really are beautiful.
It’s a shame to see the Green Mtn Club being used by Entergy (Vt Yankee) to push for the nuke.
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Isn’t it all about cows in Vermont? What about health effects of this noise affecting dairy production? Will cows generate more or less milk undergoing 24/7 exposure to these frequencies? Have proponents got a half million dollar study on that yet?
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David Rafael misleadingly testified that there were no major homes and businesses effected.
Green Mountain Power did NOT cross examine any of the real people – who have spent decades being green – who will lose their businesses for sound, visual, and other reasons (ice throw) – because Green Mountain Power did not want YOU the public to know their stories. These people did NOT have the money for lawyers . .. Green Mountain Power knew that . .
There are many farms, homes, businesses that will be effected and/or ruined by this project. MOST were NOT allowed to vote:
Robin and Stephen Clark of Irish Hill Arabians and Clark’s Meat Processing built their businesses from scratch, themselves, by hand. Horses cannot be boarded in a facility near an industrial wind electrical generating plant. Robin and Stephen have spent 25 plus years renovating their old farm house, building the 16 stall barn and out buildings for their horses and boarders, building the state licenced meat processing facility that serves farmers, hunters and home/backyard livestock raisers that depend on them for processing their meat for consumption, a big part of their food for the year. They cannot and will not stand the noise and ruin of their view – - nor should they – they came to Vermont for the pristine, heritage views and have built their lives here.
Jack and Laura Brooks – Laughing Brooks Farms – a remote B&B and Remote Retreat Center for World Aid Workers to war and disaster zones to heal from PTSD, and renew in nature before returning to their calling to help people in Africa. Jack and Laura have served in the Peace Corps and lRC in Africa, Iraq and around the world. Jack has a master’s in agricultural engineering with a specialty in Water delivery systems – he has ecologically built pipe lines and wells for the refugee camps in Congo and elsewhere – as well as served on Emergency Response for Disaster zones. With Parkinson’s now . . he has been developing the remote B&B and Retreat Center which will produce its own organic beef and food as well as employ 10 – 15.
Jim Blair’s Eden Dog Sledding has developed a remote sled dog center with miles of engineered trails that draws tourists from around the world for his ethical dog sled, instructional, educational, Discovery Channel type Adventures 4 seasons of the year on wheels and on snow. A past International Six Dog Sled Sprint Champion, a three time U.S. National Skijor Champion – winning again in Canada this year in eight dog sled and single dog skijor – Jim and his Alaskan Huskies stand for ethical dog sledding and against the horrendous abuses in the race and Commercial sled dog tour industry. The Un-Chained Gang are a group of 32 sled dogs that have been pack (like wolves) and human raised for 5 generations – thought to be the only such pack in North America they are being studied by international trainers. Exhibiting intuition and intelligence as individuals and an evolving pack they interact with guests from six months to ninety – showing that sled dogs deserve to hang out on couches, live inside, chain free and can go out the next day to win an International race. They defy the wives tale of the sled dog industry that a dog must live on a 3 foot chain, and be aggressive in order to win races. Eden Dog Sledding stands against the horrendous abuses, killings, and chaining of the sled dog industry; – people come to Vermont just to interact with the Un-Chained Gang. Eden Dog Sledding is in the midst of going Non-Profit in order to fund educational programs to the schools of the state, therapy programs, and others that will also mean more full time jobs than it provides Vermonters with currently. The view shed – an important part of this 11 year old buisiness and its miles of engineered trails – and the pristine quiet are important to the Tour Dog Adventures year round and to the dogs – the noise and ruin of the view shed will greatly effect the tourists who will come and will more than likely ruin the dog consciousness experiment AND make the dogs erratic from stress of the noise.
Jim Blair also has a Eden Mountain Lodges – two two bedroom, full kitchen, full laundry and bath cabin/homes that are latchkey; Jim renovated one and built the other Many repeat renters are Doctors, Lawyers, and others who come from New York, Boston, Montreal, England and around the world for the pristine nature. They do NOT want Stowe or Burlington . . . they want to be in nature, sans cell phones and cable tv – Four seasons of the year they come to read, relax, destress, paint, knit, play board games, write and simply take in the view. In warmer months they sit in Adirondack chairs and swings – they picnic and bar-b-que in sight of the Lowell mountains. A third, remote cabin, The Lowell Mountain View Cabin was built and placed with its out house – both having a full view of the Lowell Mountains specifically because that is what guests want. Most all of the repeat guests have said they will NOT rent anymore if the Commercial Industrial Electrical Generation Project goes in – most are horrified that they are losing their piece of heaven that they rely on.
The people who have had camps on lake Eden for generations are very effected by both the view shed and the noise that will accompany the ruin.
The eight families and their guests of the Wonder Lodge, who have owned it and enjoyed it since the 1950s – coming to the area from near and far – will have their recreation/renewal resource ruined.
There are many more homes and farms affected – people are in a state of shock that they are losing the peace and tranquility that they stayed in Vermont for OR moved to Vermont for. There has been a tacit agreement that Vermont is a protected state . . . a state that has for generations protected its heritage views . . . WHY is it even a question that this could be happening????
From a real perspective of Heart/Soul/Mind/Spirit we need nature – solitude – the view for our re-creation – re-newal – it is the reason that many people go to national parks and Many, many families have sacrificed to live in this remote beauty, natural, pristine setting. Having spent years in psychology and Jungian Analysis – the power of nature to heal, support and counter the horrendous stress that many city and suburban people have is tremendous . . to have a few landowners and a Quebec corporation come in to ruin what generations of Vermonters have protected . . from NO billboards to NO MacDonald’s arches . . . is viciously ignoring the good sense, heart and soul that Vermonters have had.
Further – the lies are rampant. Do make yourselves familiar with the people and corruption of Quebec
http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/09/24/the-most-corrupt-province/
Solar – as it was done in Germany – does not put the money into the pockets of the corporations. The incentives need to go instead to the local Vermont farmers. In Germany 0 and 1 percent loans were given to the farmers for huge banks of solar – the cattle and sheep use them in the summer for shade. The government pays the farmers 6 and 7 cents per kilowatt hour for the electric generated . . . which allows the farmers to pay back the loans in 4 – 5 years and have the income for the rest of the 15 year life span of the solar panels to help keep the family farms and provide local food. The country is almost energy self sufficient, the farms are supported, and citizens get both electric AND local food .. . in Vermont currently there are no such incentives AND if a farmer borrows money for a large solar bank of panels he/she will only get a credit for the electric produced . . the credit is “paid back” in electric that the farmer might take from the grid . . .no money . . so they farmer pays huge bank loan interest AND has no money for the electric. Let’s change this . . why give money to rich people and/or foreign corporations that are after our tax money???? Why ruin our mountains, traquility, heritage views? Wild life territories . . . let’s go solar
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Wind Turbine Syndrome is real. The University of Calgary did a study that has proven that Bat’s hearts/lungs explode.
Many “Green” people who have not informed themselves wrongly claim that they like the turbines and that the people who have gotten sick are “sick” prior to the turbines.
Please remember that with PTSD it was claimed by insurance companies, “medical expert witnesses,” the military, etc that it was made up in the sufferer’s minds. Over 100,000 Vietnam veterans died of suicide after the war – 98,000 died in combat. The further loss of individual and family quality of life by the “symptoms that were all in their heads” cannot be estimated – especially as it is now being shown to be effecting grandchildren, etc.
Chronic Fatigue was seen as “all in the sufferers minds” for how long before it was recognized.
The ill effects of smoking – the cancer and other associated diseases were also ignored . . . and blatantly refuted in court by Medical Expert Witnesses who claimed, as do Green Mountain Power’s very highly paid medical experts – to NOT be the reason that sufferers were sick and dying.
Some people with autism – as Jim Blair – and many sensitive people have moved to the country, built homes by hand, built businesses, paid taxes because there is a tacit agreement that Vermont protects its heritage views, wildlife, and pristine nature . . . . suddenly they are being told that they can’t vote and even though they need quiet, beauty, nature for their health and well being . . that they won’t be sick as people in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are AND they don’t count.
The effects are real . .but are we going to destroy the ridgeline that will NOT grow back, ruin wild life habitat, the aquifers and other wet lands that Green Mountain Power does not want you to look at – have people and wildlife sick – before we say . . like the tobacco lobby said, – “Oh – we made a mistake?”
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Deborah thank you,
I agreed with most of what you said but you OR I may want to check your numbers on something.
I completely understand that this wasn’t your main point but and it maybe a little “off topic” but I’ve always told my students that American losses in the Vietnam “War” 1965-73 were in range of 57,000 and you stated 98,000 “in combat” which is a huge difference.
I’ll check but you want to as well.
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Forty years of thoughtful, deliberate legislation by Vermont law-makers to ban billboards, preserve ridgelines and frame Act 250 to manage development, in the shared belief that Vermont’s scenic beauty and mountains had rich esthetic value beyond money have landed with a sickening thud on the floor of the PSB hearing room. As Steve Wright said on Vermont Edition Friday, February 18, “342 people (Lowell voters) made the decision affecting the state of Vermont.” If people think this is a local issue or just knee-jerk NIMBYs bemoaning the loss of their view, think again. Rural Vermonters have been selling their views for decades. I grew up near the Mad River Valley and I watched as my friends’ family farms evolved into Inns and B&Bs while family members stopped milking and started loading chairs, parking cars, cleaning rooms and bussing tables. What is being done in Lowell is the industrialized version of what I witnessed in the 1960′s in Warren, Waitsfield and Fayston, except that this comes without jobs, even poor paying ones for the locals.In the meantime, Gaz Metro, which owns Green Mountain Power, the project promoter, sits on electrical energy reserves which could power the state into perpetuity at half the cost per KW of this project. Instead of destroying a mountain range and its irrestorable habitat and setting the precedent for projects to seek and find the next vulnerable town too poor and with too few people to resist, lets demand a moratorium on all such projects until a clear-eyed assessment of all that we have to gain, and lose, can be completed by the ANR.
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The Governor Shumlin has sold Vermont out for special interest. If the Lowell project ever happened you will see one of the largest bench marks of what can happen with a corrupt administration……