Page 10 - Mid America Boating - July 2021 issue

and the environment. Sound familiar? from Germany, a leader in turbines.
Federal, state and local Rhode Island politi- For German households, the average cost of
cians jumped on the bandwagon trumpeting electricity has doubled since 2000. By 2019,
] 10 The case against the arrival of “clean, affordable electricity.” households had to pay 34 U.S. cents per kilo-
watt-hour, compared to just 13 cents here in
Sound familiar? Here’s the truth: Block
turbines keeps Islanders have seen none of these or any other the U.S. Clearly Icebreaker’s claims of lower
costs and more employment were just decep-
benefits promised! What they do see is a clut-
JULY 2021 [ MID-AMERICA BOATING
tered industrialized offshore view; the claim of tive hyperbole.
building 300 new jobs is really just eight today… and Icebreaker produced only a low-level “environ-
When it comes to the environment,
the hits keep coming!
New dangers to communities living near mental assessment” written by a consultant
turbines are coming to light. For example, paid by the developers to justify their project.
Infra and Low Frequency Noise (ILFN) prob- However, a full “Environmental Impact
lems are now documented in Finland and Statement” should have been federally
extend out 20 miles from the turbines. ordered. The real head-scratcher is why Ohio
Icebreaker will be just 6-8 miles off agencies responsible for protecting our natu-
Cleveland’s lakefront. Moreover, ILFN can go ral resources never demanded one!
through cement walls, and travels far before The time has come for Ohioans to follow the
attenuating. It’s a sub-acoustic "noise" that lead of Ontario, Canada, and New York State.
impact sleep, heart function and is now con- Recognizing both the environmental damages
firmed to lead to cancer. Animal deaths, and poor economics, Ontario declared a mora-
domestic and wild, are reportedly pervasive, torium on all turbines. Meanwhile, there’s a
an environmental carnage too large to count. huge outpouring of support for New York
In addition, there’s evidence the underwa- Senator George Borrello’s legislation calling
ter cables from the turbines to shore likely for a full moratorium on turbines in all of his
By Norm Schultz beam ILFN problems, too. At Block Island, State’s waters. It’s time for lawmakers in Ohio
those cables have actually lifted up after and other Great Lakes to wake up.
The ugly truth about how misleading advocates for wind turbines in Lake Erie have been con- being buried. The cables from Icebreaker’s More specifically, since Ohio’s agencies
tinues to pour out. It’s now time for Ohio’s lawmakers, the Department of Natural Resources’ turbines to shore will be at least 5 times have thus far failed to meet their mandated
Coastal Management, and other relevant agencies to act responsibly and demand the Ohio longer. Moreover, Lake Erie is the source of responsibilities to safely hold the waters of
Power Siting Board reverse its recent approval. drinking water for millions of people and all Lake Erie in the public trust, there must be a
Today, the developer’s claims that Icebreaker Wind will be good for the economy and the envi- these installations will uncover nearly 100 call on the Ohio General Assembly to legis-
ronment has less to justify its existence than the crank telephone! In addition, it has just been years of contaminated dredged materials on late a needed moratorium. In addition, the
revealed in a case before the Ohio Supreme Court that the project has been transferred to the the lake’s bottom. Ohio Supreme Court should recognize the
Cleveland Port Authority, leading to speculation that those originally heading the Lake Erie Add that we do not know about the costs of “Great Icebreaker Deception” and rule favor-
Energy Development Co. banked big salaries and abandoned ship. the inevitable maintenance, the likely dump- ably on the current case brought by some cit-
We can now learn from the only existing offshore turbine installation in the U.S., the Block ing of lubricants into the lake and the costs of izens in Bratenahl. MAB
Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island. These five turbines began spinning in December 2016. At the eventual decommissioning. But one thing is
outset, the developers proclaimed the Block Islanders would see reductions in their electricity predictable – electric customers will take the Norm Schultz is President Emeritus of the Lake Erie
bills of up to 40 percent; the turbines would be hardly noticeable, and they’d be good for jobs hit! How big is also unknown but we get a clue Marine Trades Association.