(no subject)
Fuck I love 17.32 (environmental politics and policy). I've never really had a class where I looked forward to going to lecture (and this one is 1.5 hours long, followed sometimes by an hour of recitation). The class is doubleplussupergood because we learn about such cool applicable shit.
The topic for today was pretty open, but mostly about legislating air quality measures and the like. We also talked about the wind farm that companies are competing to build off the coast of Nantucket. Some people that live on the Cape are diametrically opposed to the idea because they think it'll be an eyesore, even though the turbines will be at least 4.5 miles from any land in all directions. We were even shown a picture of what it would look like from the nearest landmass, and the 420-foot towers (the plan is to have 130 of them) were the size of quarters on the horizon. I'm ashamed of Ted Kennedy, who I used to respect but now don't (as much) because he is utterly opposed to this wind farm, since the Kennedys own some land on the cape, and it will "ruin" the horizon (the same one you can see around the world). Personally, I think these turbines are fucking awesome-looking. They're tall, powerful, and they generate energy, but that doesn't mean I support them.
There's an amazing amount of topics and issues we have to think about, like the birds that get chopped up in the blades (it's disgusting, but it happens a lot, enough so that the blades actually have to be cleaned occasionally). The unfortunate thing is that we want to build these turbines where strong air currents exist, and birds happen to like these areas because it means less work for them.
Then we also have to consider what the bird carcasses do for the ecosystem and whether or not the presence of a new food supply will change the marine ecosystem around the wind farm, or if the fluctuation will be negligible. I mean, the bird carcasses have to fall into the water and go somewhere, usually into fish stomachs.
And what about the wind currents? 130 massive turbines slow down wind and often redirect it. What will happen to surrounding air currents?
And we have to be nice to the fishermen, since it'll be difficult to navigate waters with huge towers set up in rows.
Luckily, legislation exists to get this all investigated and put into a massive Environmental Impact Statement (the summary is 60 pages long. the summary for cunt's sake!)
Massachusetts guv'nor Mit Romney has some weird gray-area reasons for opposing the farm, as does Senator Ted Kennedy (not sure what Kerry says), so they're trying some funny things. They actually went and hired someone to try and extend the Massachusetts border further into the sea (the farm is currently being built in federal waters, even though it bothers...er...um...affects Mass. residents). Guess what they found: an SUV-sized rock that can actually extend the borders of Massachusetts to include a fraction of the wind farm and give MA a say in whether or not the wind farm is built (right now the Army Corps of Engineers is going to make the decision). This is all still in the paperwork and courtroom phase, and it definitely will be for a while.
My perspective: the argument that it will be an eyesore is bullshit. You can barely see the turbines, and the wind farm will produce up to 75% of Cape COd's energy needs, sparing us from having to burn 110 million gallons of oil per year, and preventing the release of 1 million tons of GHG's per year. As for the bird-ecosystem-wind-current argument, I think it's a valid one. California wind farms generate wastelands of dead birds and bones underneath them (maybe not wastelands...). But I'd have to read the EIS summary before I can make an opinion (the 60 page summary written in lawyer-talk). I could go on, but I gotta read physics since the lecturer sucks. There's so much more to say, feel free to comment so I don't make a one-sided argument and feel like some ranting lonely liberal.
The topic for today was pretty open, but mostly about legislating air quality measures and the like. We also talked about the wind farm that companies are competing to build off the coast of Nantucket. Some people that live on the Cape are diametrically opposed to the idea because they think it'll be an eyesore, even though the turbines will be at least 4.5 miles from any land in all directions. We were even shown a picture of what it would look like from the nearest landmass, and the 420-foot towers (the plan is to have 130 of them) were the size of quarters on the horizon. I'm ashamed of Ted Kennedy, who I used to respect but now don't (as much) because he is utterly opposed to this wind farm, since the Kennedys own some land on the cape, and it will "ruin" the horizon (the same one you can see around the world). Personally, I think these turbines are fucking awesome-looking. They're tall, powerful, and they generate energy, but that doesn't mean I support them.
There's an amazing amount of topics and issues we have to think about, like the birds that get chopped up in the blades (it's disgusting, but it happens a lot, enough so that the blades actually have to be cleaned occasionally). The unfortunate thing is that we want to build these turbines where strong air currents exist, and birds happen to like these areas because it means less work for them.
Then we also have to consider what the bird carcasses do for the ecosystem and whether or not the presence of a new food supply will change the marine ecosystem around the wind farm, or if the fluctuation will be negligible. I mean, the bird carcasses have to fall into the water and go somewhere, usually into fish stomachs.
And what about the wind currents? 130 massive turbines slow down wind and often redirect it. What will happen to surrounding air currents?
And we have to be nice to the fishermen, since it'll be difficult to navigate waters with huge towers set up in rows.
Luckily, legislation exists to get this all investigated and put into a massive Environmental Impact Statement (the summary is 60 pages long. the summary for cunt's sake!)
Massachusetts guv'nor Mit Romney has some weird gray-area reasons for opposing the farm, as does Senator Ted Kennedy (not sure what Kerry says), so they're trying some funny things. They actually went and hired someone to try and extend the Massachusetts border further into the sea (the farm is currently being built in federal waters, even though it bothers...er...um...affects Mass. residents). Guess what they found: an SUV-sized rock that can actually extend the borders of Massachusetts to include a fraction of the wind farm and give MA a say in whether or not the wind farm is built (right now the Army Corps of Engineers is going to make the decision). This is all still in the paperwork and courtroom phase, and it definitely will be for a while.
My perspective: the argument that it will be an eyesore is bullshit. You can barely see the turbines, and the wind farm will produce up to 75% of Cape COd's energy needs, sparing us from having to burn 110 million gallons of oil per year, and preventing the release of 1 million tons of GHG's per year. As for the bird-ecosystem-wind-current argument, I think it's a valid one. California wind farms generate wastelands of dead birds and bones underneath them (maybe not wastelands...). But I'd have to read the EIS summary before I can make an opinion (the 60 page summary written in lawyer-talk). I could go on, but I gotta read physics since the lecturer sucks. There's so much more to say, feel free to comment so I don't make a one-sided argument and feel like some ranting lonely liberal.