TerraGen Giving Presentation on Proposed Ridgetop Turbine Project in Ferndale on Tuesday
This is a press release from the Humboldt Wind Energy Project:
Wind Turbines [photo by Jeff Kubina from Columbia, Maryland via WikiCommons]
TerraGen, developers of the proposed ridgetop turbine project will give a presentation on their project at Old Steeple 246 Berding St, Ferndale, CA on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.
Humboldt Wind, LLC proposes the construction and operation of a wind energy project of up to 155 MW, with a project footprint involving 124 parcels, beginning west of State Highway 101, south of Rio Dell and Scotia, and terminating east of State Highway 101 in Bridgeville at the PG&E substation. Specific project components consist of:
*Up to 60 wind turbines with maximum height of 591 feet from base to highest point of blade rotation, set on concrete foundations.
*A 19 mile underground fiber optics communications system and electrical collection system linking the turbines to each other and to a substation for distribution into the General Transmission (Gen-tie) line.
*A 115 kiloVolt (kV) Gen-tie line of approximately 32 miles would transport the energy generated by the wind towers. The Gen-Tie line would begin at a new substation located west of Highway 101, span in an eastward direction, and cross under the Eel River. Once across the river, the Gen-Tie line would continue eastward as an overhead line and connect to the PG&E Bridgeville Substation for distribution into the power grid. PG&E substation expansion and improvements would be required.
*The wind tower and turbines with related components would enter Humboldt County via Humboldt Bay with anticipated port of entry at Fields Landing. No improvements to facilitate the offloading of turbine components from ships or barges have been proposed. There may be temporary off-ramps or other proposed modifications along Highway 101 to accommodate the oversized loads.
*Proposed throughout the project area are temporary and permanent operations, maintenance, and staging facilities, two temporary cement batch plants, and up to 17 miles of new access roads. Existing access roads will be widened to accommodate oversized truck-trailer loads.
*A permanent operations facility that includes related buildings and offices would be constructed on the west side of State Highway 101 at the Pepperwood/Avenue of the Giants exit.
Proposed turbines are the largest height to be used in the United States to date; twice as tall as the tallest coastal redwoods. Permanent and temporary changes will cover over 900 acres on the project footprint and the length of Highway 101 from Field’s Landing to Pepperwood. Turbine transport requires up to 12 loads per turbine of which up to nine are oversized. Vehicles do not fit California standards for height, width, weight and length and will require permits to function at 45-55 mph loaded and 55-60 mph unloaded returns. Planned bypasses, widening, filling and other road modifications cover Visitor Access Road at Hookton Slough Wildlife Refuge, Loleta Drive, Fernbridge at Singley Road Overcrossing, Palmer Boulevard, Dinsmore Drive, and 12th Street exits.
A video presentation on the proposal is available at
https://humboldtgov.org/2408/Humboldt-Wind-Energy-Project
The project documents are located at
https://humboldtgov.org/2408/Humboldt-Wind-Energy-Project.
Printed copies can be purchased at Scrappers’ Edge in Eureka.
All comments on the Draft EIR must be received by the County no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday June 5, 2019 to be considered. Pursuant to Section 15088a of the CEQA Guidelines, late comments will be considered only at the County’s discretion.
Comments must be directed to:
Humboldt Wind Energy Project Planner
County of Humboldt Planning Department
Eureka, CA 95501
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
🕯🌳Interesting information Oliver, thanks for the links.
Tilting at windmills. That’s sickening, and par for the course in Humboldt. We have been preyed upon by so many evil manipulative geniuses you’d think we would learn. Our water, our fish, our sustainable industries, all gone and replaced by what? Marijuana and the damage done by that industry, hard drugs, a booming homeless and drug addict support industry, sanctuary for cartel criminals backed by our corrupt officials who aid and abet the resource draining invasion of illegal aliens we are suffering . Why not bend over again?! Two things rule here. Corruption and useful idiots.
That aside; How many of you kiddies know about the Manhattan Project? It was the effort to produce the nuclear bomb and was the most expensive project undertaken in the world up to that time. We felt we had to do it to survive in the climate of the day.
We need another similar style project. This time we need to give the project some fancy name and invest in perfecting fusion. If we don’t do this, all the money is going to go to a different planet with the rich and elite, while the earths’ carcass is left to rot.
So I thought these turbines were going to be located off-shore with underwater lines connecting them to a landline but that’s not true. The map shows they will be on the Bear and Monument ridges, west of Scotia and Shively.
People on the North Coast should be pretty happy about this project, being green energy, but I’ll bet many will be against it.
591 feet is pretty high. They should be visible for miles around in some areas.
Paul, the water project is not this one.
I wholeheartedly support this project. Clean energy is the only realistic way to reduce global warming, as it’s not realistic to expect decreases in energy consumption. Any negatives from its construction and operation are trivial compared to the consequences of not reducing global warming.
This location is unrealistic. There are other locations that are far less environmentally sensitive.
I agree. The location is ridiculous and fraught with so many possible dire consequences, such as the possibility of severe wildfires in heavily wooded, carbon sequestering areas, that it is completely untenable. There are many decommissioned wind turbines sitting idle all over the U.S., that are much easier to access, with no need to cut down trees and build new roads in already damaged watersheds. Instead of building new ones all over the U.S., why aren’t they re-activating the old sites?
Infrasound.
Health effects associated with low frequency wind turbines.
https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/msu-professor-wind-turbines-can-cause-illness
I’m curious what others have heard.
Go ask the folks at the Bear River rez. They’ve had one for more than a decade, no problems. There’s been a lot of innacurate or exaggerated industrial propaganda about wind power, like how bad they are for birds (thousands of times less impactful than domestic cats) but they are FAR safer than nuclear and coal in every way.
Sam:
Good Question about infrasound. I’m an independent physicist involved with energy matters, and have collected a sample of the studies about the wind energy infrasound issue — from independent experts.
See “http://wiseenergy.org/Energy/Health/Sample_Wind_Noise_Studies.pdf”. For more wind energy info go to WiseEnergy.org.
Don’t miss KMUD’s Monday Morning Magazine tomorrow, May 27, at 8 a.m. as Natalynne DeLapp, representing the huge transnational energy corporation TerraGen, and local resident Ken Miller debate the merits, or lack thereof, of Terra-Gen’s proposed wind farm on Bear and Monument Ridges in Humboldt County.
KMUD Radio, 8 a.m., Monday May 27
Terra-Gen is a Manhattan-based corporation that is seeking to cash in on tax breaks developed by the Obama Administration, which come to an end next year.
To Quote Dr. Miller:
“Terra-Gen will be harming or killing some of the iconic species that make this place wild, including marbled murrelets, bald and golden eagles, peregrine falcons, kites, and an array of other birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.
“The constant audible and inaudible noise, the microclimate effects of changing wind patterns, the vibratory energy of 600-foot towers with 250-foot blades rotating around 200 miles per hour, each lubricated with 400 gallons of oil, on bases of concrete 65 feet in diameter and 10 feet into the ground, on 350-foot squares of scraped ground, 3 million cubic feet of soil displaced, constant human activity for 30 years along the 17 miles of new permanent roads, some 200 feet wide, up the Jordan Creek watershed which is already impaired by Maxxam’s landslides, 25 miles of 100 ft wide corridors snaking thru forestland and kept clear with herbicides to support transmission lines 60 feet in the air, carrying 155 megawatts (135 as losses occur along the way), and construction activity using 15,000 gallons of precious water a day, 10,000 truck trips, some weighing 110 tons and 90 feet long, over 11,000 yards of concrete from batch plants, all fueled, from mining to twirling, with fossil fuel energy, all blighting one of the North Coast’s last great ridge-top meadow ecosystems.”
Never thought I’d see the day when “enviormentialist” were even against wind power. I think it’s a joke, I think they should do something practical that actually helps. Like putting a nuclear power plant there. Oh yeah, and it’s not enviormental damage because they have a permit for it
The developers claim that this project area has some of the best wind resources in the world. I do think there are better locations for this.
Compared to, I don’t know, 410+ ppm CO2? Billions of birds killed by feral cats? Invasive species causing extinctions? A million species headed to extinction because of the combined effects of global warming and land conversions to ag?
We have to move away from this incessant NYMBYism towards actual, tenable solutions to our energy needs. No energy source is without some environmental cost, we have to look big picture and include wind and solar as bridges towards future energy technology that might work. We cannot continue on the current path of reliance on fossil fuels.
Until these environmentalists start making their own clothes and walking to Starbucks there’s little reason to take them seriously.
Are their homes off grid? Are their vehicles lithium powered and charged by hydro electricity (stream diversion)? I really doubt that these naysayers live the net negative impact life they preach.
This project is a prime example of how to power homes with renewable energy. Homes that otherwise would likely stay fossil fuel dependent. Imagine living in Eureka and building an electric car or bicycle to charge with this renewable energy. You could commute to and from work without burning fossil fuels!
#coalpower #suv #2hourdrivetotownforacoffee
I’m just going to keep complaining about how everyone else is doing everything wrong though. I’m going to sit here tuning into kmud while whining about how difficult life is for me.
Sounds like the animals and birds need an advocate.
Snake oil sold to simpletons, by shysters who will do anything for a dollar. This county has been raped to the point it doesn’t even care any more. Killing thousands of birds that I would be thrown in jail for were I to kill even one. This is nothing more than a crime against nature. In my opinion, only an ignoramus or a stake holder would vote yes on this.
I agree with you on the dangers to birds. If people really want a low impact source of energy start with building a collection for all the cow manure in Ferndale. The manure creates enough methane to be used to power an electric plant for the town. Between lowered amounts of methane released into our atmosphere and cleaning up runoff from the manure it’s a better way. Even the composting of food scraps creates
methane. If every town had a collection and their own plant this would help with our global garbage crisis and keep the methane created from composting matter from further depleting our atmosphere. Look on line . You can make or buy a home system and use it for your own homes needs.
If people really want to protect birds, don’t let your pet cats out. They are a far bigger menace to birds than these wind generation projects.
It’s which birds will be harmed. I doubt there are house cats who can kill an eagle or vulture which are the type of birds frequently hurt by windmills. The attempt to reestablish the condor in the wild seems to be pretty much doomed by this, especially as their are so few of them. The loss of one individual would be a major loss.
I wonder what the total savings in carbon would be once the manufacture, transportation, depreciation and maintenance of wind turbines are totalled. I suppose that even its economic viability relies on subsidies, grants, tax breaks and regulation as has proven true in Germany.
Then compare the number of birds killed in fossil fuel extraction—during the Exxon Valdez spill 250 bald eagles were killed along with thousands of seals, sea otters, shore birds, etc. As I said, they all have a price. We can either keep with the status quo and continue to alter the biosphere in ways that threatens life as we know it or we can at least make an effort to minimize our ecological footprint. These windmills are far from perfect solutions but they do seem to have less cumulative negative impact than the alternatives.
You bring up the point that our systems NOW have a tremendous environmental impact. The naysayers are letting the Good be the enemy of the Perfect. We have dug ourselves a hole so deep, it’s going to take some sacrafice to get out. Unless we collectively stop having more than one or two babies per family we ‘re going to have figure something out to maintain a livible planet for the future. It’s not enough to throw up your hands and say “Well we screwed up before, so we’re never going to try again!”
Lets say this project gets defeated. Then what? Everybody who wrote letters against it; can you really pat yourselves on the back? Whats your alternative solution? It’s easy to imagine a bird getting hit by a turbine blade. Meditate for a sec on the visual of all the marine invertabrates not being able to hold on to enough calcium for there shells as the oceans become more acidic from CO2. What about the Marbled murrlets flying out to sea, and not finding the sardines? Not quite as dramatic, and a little more serious.
Up here, we take for granted the privilege of having space. The average Human on the planet, (besides not using as much electrcity as the average American) doesn’t have the extra income, or the personal space to put up their own solar panals, or micro wind turbine. I find it pretty self centered to argue against the project because much of the electricity will be exported. Pour some more dinosaur juice in the Prius, and come out to Ferndale (From Redding, J-Dub) to shout down your (our) neighbors with pseudoscience. It’ll be fun.
I agree. Very bad project for Humboldt.
State of Mine,
Agree 110%.
Who exactly is the beneficiary of all this wind energy? Does it stay local?
No, it gets sold to the highest bidder and distributed via PG&E transmissions lines. If RCEA bids high enough, some of it will stay here – but not forever.
Property tax is paid to local counties.
https://kymkemp.com/2019/05/26/hsu-instructors-hang-glider-stolen-from-eureka/
Speaking of wind powered, low impact, almost no carbon footprint. ..
Someone stole a glider 🙁
Keep a look out!
Thanks
DAVE
I heard that the ultra-sonic pressure waves from the wing passing by triggers explosive diarrhea. We’re going to burn the hangglider at the wind energy meeting in Ferndale. You can pick up the remains of your oppressive corporate devil wing there.
The County is streamlining the sixty (60), six hundred fifty (650) foot tall, 155 MW windmill project above Scotia. Good News: Green Energy, very profitable for the developer. (Production Tax Credits ((PTC) and Investment Tax Credits (ITC)), short-term jobs, increased property taxes. Must be approved before the end of the year. That’s why it’s being fast-tracked. Bad News: View impacts from 25 miles away, bird kills (eagles, hawks, owls, murrelet’s, bats), increased fire danger, most energy to be exported to the valley, significant grading (10,000’s of cubic yards), erosion, timberland conversion, light & glare (FAA Strobe Lights, white during the day, red and green at night), decreased residential property values.
Let’s explore that off-shore 100-150 MW, 10 -15 windmill project that won’t be seen from shore, does not require a crazy amount of grading (in areas subject to slides, earthquakes and erosion), does not involve timberland conversion, does not increase fire risk by adding another 32 miles of overhead high voltage transmission lines. GET INVOLVED BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
Forget the Avenue of the Giants, we may now have a “Highway of the Iron Giants”, the Northern Gateway to the Humboldt Redwood State Park! Visitors won’t be talking about “Murder Mountain” anymore, they’ll be asking “How did you let that happen?
EIR Comment Period ends on June 5, 2019. It can be found at https://humboldtgov.org/2408/Humboldt-Wind-Energy-Project
So are these so loud they scare cows? Or so silent they kill birds. Do they increase property values, or decrease them? How many fires started from the ancient array of tubines in the more-fire-prone Altamont pass area? It would be interesting to see a map of the NorthCoast with highlighted areas NOT affected by this wind project.
The press release states there is a video presentation of the project and it provides a link to the County’s Humboldt Wind Project page – no video presentation is located on this page. If they can’t get these types of details right, I hate to see what will happen if they get approved to start construction.
Kind’a hoping it doesn’t happen. Seems like something that will be very expensive to undo, if it can be undone. Multiple cans of worms. Lots of damage, not many jobs for untrained locals. I could be wrong. But I don’t think so!
https://www.yuroktribe.org/departments/selfgovern/wildlife_program/condor/condorproject.htm
I am against, for this reason alone!!!
According to NFWS firearms are the leading cause of banded Eagle mortality. Cars and Guns are the leading cause of our own children’s mortality.
Good. I hope they go in without an incredible amount of money wasted by drummed up red tape and unnecessary lawsuits. At this point a lawsuit would absolutely convince me that the sole motive was to benefit lawyers.
I’ll be happy if ANYONE’S electricity comes from wind power than from most of the currently feasible alternatives. It doesn’t need to be my electricity. What the heck does “mine” have to do with ANYTHING?
What alternatives would one suggest? Starting the nuclear plant up again? Just look at the “death zone” just south of it. And the missing waste. And all Humboldt’s nuclear waste piled up in the tsumani zone. Solar? In Arcata maybe? Christ.
Our area is known for it’s natural beauty. We rely heavily on tourism. This is so close to the Avenue of the Giants in a sensitive ecological area, and it’s going to be seen for miles around. At night, there will be multiple flashing red lights on the horizon. During the day, local residents will be subjected to flashing white lights in their view shed in addition to huge wind turbines that can be seen from almost everywhere in Rio Dell and Scotia. Not to mention the risk of wildfire, the risk to wildlife, and the environmental impacts of new roads and the widening of existing roads. Rio Dell and Scotia are already dealing with struggling economies as a result of the exploitation of out of area Corporate interests. Massive ugly wind turbines in our view shed is the absolute last thing we need or want! In addition to falling property values which will surely result, the tax revenue doesn’t even go directly to those who will be most affected by the consequences of these turbines. Monument Ridge isn’t inside city limits, so the County gets the tax revenue and will dole it out as they see fit. It’s only supposed to create 15 new local jobs. The county as a whole may benefit from the increased tax revenue, but Rio Dell and Scotia will surely suffer long term negative economic consequences in the form of lost tourism revenue and falling property values as a result. Even if all the money went to us, I’d still oppose it because of the blight to the natural beauty of our area. The benefits for the people most directly affected do NOT outweigh the detriments of this project. If you live in Rio Dell or Scotia and don’t want these turbines, then I strongly encourage you to send a public email comment NOW before the June 5th deadline. It only takes about 5 minutes of your time. Look up TerraGen on the internet and you’ll see that other communities in CA have successfully fought to keep these turbines out of the view of their own cities by speaking out against them. They used the same arguments I’m using to do so. Please read this article: http://www.tehachapinews.com/news/terra-gen-pulls-the-plug-on-pahnamid-project/article_eb75534e-1d4c-5a1a-a4ba-7035c62eca4b.html