Hi--
How "loud" is a 65dBA in a natural habitat?
Tomorrow is the last day to file a comment or two about your experience wit=
h high voltage transmission lines to the state of WI concerning a sweeping =
package of 6, 345 kV transmission lines that would gobble up tens of thousa=
nds of acres of habit to promote waste and increase regional carbon emissio=
ns in the midwest. http://www.soulwisconsin.org/Documents/SOUL_Newsletter_2=
Message: 01409.
Subject: pdf
Ask any electric industry insider and they will tell you that utility eyes =
on on this as public opinion test case for a trillion dollar utility expans=
ion direction to keep our our utility dollars diverted from energy efficien=
cy and local power for as many years as possible. Energy use is dropping, t=
heir markets are drying up and home/community solar is very profitable.
Like fat fall wolf spiders, a fatter grid allows utilities to reap profits =
by adding more and more capital projects, lucrative financial costs while e=
xtending the life of their fossil fuel power plants. Transmission projects=
are guaranteed 12% profit over 40 years with financing and other costs spr=
ead across the land to unsuspecting rate payers. For this project, electric=
customers in a triangle from Ohio to Arkansas to North Dakota would assume=
the debt.
The thoughts I just posted are below. It will speak volumes to our utility =
commissioners to see word and awareness pouring in from afar.
Please take a few minutes and provide some experience about what 65dB sound=
s like in habitats like the Kickapoo Valley Reserve whose sounds have popul=
ated this list-- and also mention that you are electric customer with skin =
and personal values in Wisconsin's decision concerning the "Badger Coulee" =
transmission line.
http://psc.wi.gov/apps40/ERF_public/comment/fileComment.aspx?util=3D5&case=
=3DCE&num=3D142
Thank you very much,
Rob Danielson
Questions welcomed.
PS: The insects were about 3 weeks behind schedule and reached about 60-70%=
potency.
=3D =3D =3D =3D
Dear Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and authors of the Draft Impact=
Statement for the Badger-Coulee Proposal that includes a high voltage tran=
smission line option.
I am a sound recordist of 30+ years by trade. My speciality is studying ani=
mal and human experience with natural and man made "sound spaces." Essentia=
lly, I=92m trying to understand how animals receive pleasure and annoyance =
within different kinds of sound environments and how these complex acoustic=
spaces physically affect all animal communications, attitudes and producti=
vity. There are some sound compositions on my website to explore: (1) Links=
are below.
Whether one goes out for nature, relaxation or necessity, I am confident th=
at a walk or bike ride under or near a 345 kV transmission line this fall m=
orning would be a wholly unappealing, alienating and disturbing experience.=
More and more health experts are saying it would be ill-advised one too. (=
2)
PSC staff, you are currently assessing and accounting for potential impacts=
and our energy options to help me and my neighbors and our elected and app=
ointed representatives decide whether we want this transmission line=97or a=
nother path.
I point you to the utility/applicants=92 own words (3): The sound level of=
a "hissing," crackling buzzing 345 kV transmission line on a humid morning=
like today would be the same as conversational speech. In scientific units=
, this is 60-75 dB depending on the level of the background sounds one has =
to speak =93above" in order to be clearly heard.
Any persistent sound with this level would be unbearable in your office. I=
f I were walking to work in Middleton, the crackling and buzzing would be v=
ery noticeable about 2-3 houses away from the line and audible much further=
. On a humid fall evening in Holmen, WI, if I left my window open to hear t=
he peaceful chorus of field crickets and American Toads, the presence of Ba=
dger Coulee would dominate for a block or more.
In a rural area away from roads, the aurally fatiguing crackling and buzz u=
nder the line would be from 16 to 60 times louder than the "ambience" or ba=
ckground sounds.
These are spaces for dwelling and communication. The message received by _a=
ll_ animals from such sounds, whether we stop to understand it or not, is l=
oud and clear warning.
Based on a read through the record number of public and professional commen=
ts on this utility docket, the loudest sound folks are hearing in the draft=
impact report so far is silence: The string of 170=92 high towers cutting =
150 foot wide swaths for 150 miles would have no economic impacts and no en=
vironmental impacts of concern. It would just provide acceptable trade-offs=
.
Though state law clearly states the impact report must incorporate local en=
ergy priorities and account for non-transmission energy alternatives, all a=
spects of energy planning in the report are essentially lifted from the uti=
lities=92 application. The required alternative analysis is absent and so i=
s mention that over the last three years, 90+ municipal WI governments have=
asked the PSC to please make sure that a cost-benefit analysis of all ener=
gy alternatives becomes available for us to evaluate and comment upon _befo=
re_ the PSC sets any pen to paper on this report. (4)
Your report contains no optimism; no inspiring goal, it is potentially a st=
atement of defeated spirit. That option is not on the table.
So lets get started by accounting for the bounteous POSITIVE impacts that w=
ould come from using the same electric customer dollars to have a modern "a=
ccelerated" energy efficiency program with home farm and local power incent=
ives in WI. Let our report ring that our electricity use is dropping and th=
at this is great news. As our electric bills continue to soar to pay the ca=
pital debt on the robust high capacity transmission system we have added in=
WI since 2002, we must stop and realize that this debt will remain on our =
bills for the next 40 years-- even if this transmission line and four other=
s utilities want to add-- are not added.
While most states tripled their investments in efficiency and local power f=
rom 2007-2012, our appointed energy representatives in WI reduced investmen=
ts that profit us-- improvements in our homes, our farms and our businesses=
-- by 25%. Literally, as ratepayers , we can no longer afford energy decisi=
ons that starve us of deserved benefits and assault us with negative impact=
s. It is our money. There is inspiration and profit to be harvested, discar=
d any compromise your bear.
PSC staff: As a fellow state worker for more than 30 years, I fully appreci=
ate how difficult it can be to stand up for sensible realities, and sometim=
es, just to keep aspiration alive. But doing so is unavoidable and everyone=
sleeps better at night. For encouragement, start off on this fine fall mo=
rning by conducting a search of your 400+ page document in progress to see =
if there is a one match for the word, "sound."
I know that you can find our voice and find your voice. We do not need to s=
ound alarm; we need to get to work.
Enjoy this day,
Rob Danielson
Professor Emeritus
Peck School of Fine Arts
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
(1) https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/type/www/audio-art-tech-gallery/
(2) http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/powerlines-disturb-animal-habi=
tats-by-appearing-as-disturbing-flashes-of-uv-light-invisible-to-the-human-=
eye-9187631.html
(3) See XCEL and ATC response to the PSC question 04.08: http://www.psc.wi=
.gov/apps35/ERF_view/viewdoc.aspx?docid=3D206830
(4) http://fieldpost.org/StarkEnergy/Requests/InfoRequestResolutionProgres=
s_Dec_2012Update_Sm.pdf
On Jun 26, 2014, at 9:19 AM, Rob Danielson [naturerecordists] =
wrote:
> Thanks Max, Dan--
>
> We did not have a nature recordist campout this year in the midwest.
> I do take a sound walks every day or two to hear the changes unfolding.
> When I hear a special communicate, I stop, close my eyes and recording in=
360 degrees with my original recording gear. It has been a very lush spri=
ng sumner here in Wisconsin.
>
> For the sake of more than 2500 square miles of habitat across the US (see=
below). I hope folks will take a few minutes to account for the impacts of=
experiences you have with corridors dividing habitats with 150 wide, usual=
ly sprayed swaths.
>
> Utilities plan more than 180 very high capacity lines (345 kV-765 kV) and=
more than 700 high capacity lines (mostly 230 kV) at cost from 110- $180 b=
illion of your dollars plus another $200-800 billion for coal to fossil fue=
l natural gas power plant conversions. page 3: http://www.soulwisconsin.org=
/Resources/SOUL_EnergyPackage_Sm.pdf
>
> This truly unprecedented expansion as electricity use drops. It is possib=
le only through lack of ratepayer awareness-- too much complacency with ima=
gery of wind turbines on utility bill flyers.
>
> We are at fork in our energy future: we'll either invest trillions (mostl=
y in financing debt) over the next 50 years increasing dependency on their =
fossil fuels OR invest in end users and our homes slashing use and emission=
s to reach the EPA's 2030 C02 reduction goals. Recordists who live in othe=
r countries have likely observed that the US Canada and Australia consume 2=
X the amount of electricity per person compared to all other countries in t=
he world.
>
> But, we are changing. Electricity use in U.S. has been dropping since 20=
07 because ratepayer investments in accelerated energy efficiency have been=
greatly accelerated in many states. The drop is not the slowed economy-- w=
e have turned the corner on use and mining waste with more than 40% is left=
reduce.
>
> Recent studies showing that animals with ultra-violet light sensitivity s=
ee the UV light emitted for miles: http://phys.org/news/2014-03-wild-animal=
s-power-lines-due.html
>
> Those who understand many animals' reliance on high frequency communicati=
ons, the lines roar above human audible range.
>
> Animals can not file comments, you can. Please take a few minutes to cite=
your experiences with high voltage transmission lines-- even to say you av=
oid them for recording purposes.
> http://psc.wi.gov/apps40/ERF_public/comment/filecomment.aspx?util=3D5&cas=
e=3DCE&num=3D142
>
> Cite your credentials and reason for providing input. Describe specific e=
xperiences and locations if you can.
> Maybe some of you can speak up for the amazing strides of accelerated ene=
rgy in your state or county.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Rob Danielson
> Retired Professor of Media Arts, Univ. of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
> S3897 Plum Run Road
> La Farge, WI
>
> 608-625-4949
>
> On Jun 25, 2014, at 5:27 PM, Dan Dugan [naturerecordists=
] wrote:
>
>> Good to hear from you, Rob. Beyond your home mic array, do you get time =
to do any recording?
>>
>> -Dan
>>
>>
>
>
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