Hi David,
Yes! The Wisconsin PSC also hired a team of sound recordists who establishe=
d subsonic ~.33 hertz ~10 dB pulses that induce nausea/anxiety/sleeplessnes=
s from certain wind turbine siting conditions was documented here in WI. T=
he 3 families who had to leave their homes did not have to wait on the reco=
rdings and waveform analysis. Its pretty rare best as we can tell though fl=
ickering and generator noise is not. SOUL advises local and community solar=
for financial and environmental reasons: If a township wants a wind farm,.=
. that is a decision they must be empowered to make. Most are turning them =
down. Of the healthy number of wind farms that midwest utilities tentativel=
y approved for further exploration since 2010, 84% were voluntarily withdra=
wn, 4% of the 16% installed in some state, are parked
As long as utilities run the wholesale market(s) through FERC which even co=
ngress and the president can't touch, all remote energy will deliver more l=
ots more grief than gain. Some of the most outspoken engineers about the f=
allacy of remote wind power today, were promoting it 10 years ago. States =
like MA and VT are proving that we can mine away 50% of the power we waste =
and it costs from 3-7 times less. Home solar is very profitable. If I get =
a rebate from WI to put panels on my roof, the additional $9000 I take from=
my CD earning 1% interest will earn my house $20,000 over the next 30 year=
s. So after attacking needless waste, consider growing your money ON your =
lawn or roof. It will change more than you can imagine and its fun.
The birds across the midwest appreciate our theoretical discussion as much=
as we do but they need us to sing on the WI utility docket- please post fr=
om afar about our energy future. The deadline is 12 midnight today:
FAVOR A NON TRANSMISSION FUTURE. IT WILL AFFECT MANY OF OUR UTILITY BILLS A=
ND HARM MORE OF OUR VALUES: http://psc.wi.gov/apps40/ERF_public/comment/fil=
eComment.aspx?util=3D137&case=3DCE&num=3D142
(Sorry if I have offended some for making this political plea. Our org effo=
rt runs on 100% volunteer power and has no PR budget)
Thanks you for the precious minutes of consideration,
Rob Danielson
=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
Rob
Rob Danielson, Secretary
SOUL of Wisconsin
P.O. Box 146 La Farge, WI
608-625-4949
http://soulwisconsin.org/
^Help Fund our Underpaid Engineers: http://bit.ly/VFo3G5
^Provide Badger-Coulee Impact Statement: 1.usa.gov/1qeDdPB
On Oct 3, 2014, at 8:00 AM, [naturerecordists] wrote:
> Further to my last email on the subject of secondary noise, I found:
>
> http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/02/wind-farms-a=
-no
> isy-neighbor
>
> Yet again this is a description of noise from the turbines themselves,
> ignoring the secondary or induced noise caused at a distance by the almos=
t
> silent turbine wake.
>
> This is not a mysterious noise, and is has a simple rational explanation=
>
> David Brinicombe
>
>
|