Over the past 50 - 60 years, my heart has always been with rebellious folks on the lower end of the totem pole (including NIMBY's - I admit to a natural mistrust of developers, politicians and large corporations).

But I'm torn by the wind turbine controversy. It seems to me that an energy-source that doesn't pollute nor rely on oil, coal etc. would be a good thing.

But I can understand (and empathize with) the natural skepticism by people living within sight or hearing of a complex piece of industrial equipment whirring on throughout the day or night.

So there we are: Do we cut down on pollution/energy costs? Or do we avoid annoying the neighbors?

A prudent step might be to collect (and verify) all the facts and info about wind turbines and their positive or negative impacts? Do they work as well as they say they do? Are they an eyesore? To how many people? What kind of noise do they actually make? (Is it really that noisy)? Is there any potential damage to migrating birds? Are there things that can be done to fix (or at least improve) legitimate noise/eye-sore concerns?

In short - how much of this issue is fact and how much hysteria?

There are two sides to this, and we owe it to our Union Beach neighbors and ourselves to get it right.

In the second video, Mr. Colligas said something about there being thousands of wind turbines in Europe but nobody has ever asked that sound level measurements be made on them. On its face this is preposterous because the noise these machines make has become a world-wide issue. If you go on the Internet and Google something like “wind turbine noise” you'll get hundreds of sites that give stories of peoples' lives being ruined by the low frequency noise produced by these generators. We've presented much documentation to Mr. Colligas at meetings of the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority but his only response has been "where do you get this stuff?" He is very misinformed, and dismisses out of hand any negative claims against his wind turbine project. Locating wind turbines too close (say less than a mile) from homes is a major problem here in the United States and around the world.
Gene Geer

In case Mr Coligas is unaware of siting issues in other states that he says are non existent, he should check the information provided to BRSA numerous times. Check the turbines located in Maine, and in Massachusettes. When they are located near people they have in every case created noise problems. Even the manufacturer, GE states in their own literature that they cannot be located in densely populated areas. What isn't being said is that in order to repair the gearbox, which only lasts about 5 years costs over $500,00. The cost to run the turbine costs over $100,000 per year and it gets that power from the grid. The $500,000 he talked about doesn't take into account the actual expected production which is about 20% of it's rating nor does it take into account the extreme maintenance costs involved. The reality is they would be lucky to clear $100,000 per year after all costs and reserves are accounted for. If they don't reserve for future repairs, we rate payers can look forward to special assessments to cover the costs. Mr Coligas should read the reports from the Picton Conference in Ontarioo http://windfarmrealities.org/?p=699 Here there are links to Medical reports from all those countries that Mr Coligas mentioned and the reason why all over Europe they REQUIRE a minimum 1 1/2 mile setback from residential properties, not the 1080 feet that the BRSA is trying to get away with. Why did they spend over 2 million without having enough land to build it? RECALL REPLACE

Christina:
In the second video, Mr. Colligas said something about there being thousands of wind turbines in Europe but nobody has ever asked that sound level measurements be made on them. On its face this is preposterous because the noise these machines make has become a world-wide issue. If you go on the Internet and Google something like “wind turbine noise” you'll get hundreds of sites that give stories of peoples' lives being ruined by the low frequency noise produced by these generators. We've presented much documentation to Mr. Colligas at meetings of the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority but his only response has been "where do you get this stuff?" He is very misinformed, and dismisses out of hand any negative claims against his wind turbine project. Locating wind turbines too close (say less than a mile) from homes is a major problem here in the United States and around the world.
Gene Geer

Mr. Coligas is entitled to promote his personal opinions, but citizens should know that wind energy is NOT a sound scientific solution, and has had zero independent testing to verify its claims.

To see the Scientific perspective, go to EnergyPresentation.Info.

Mr. Coligas is spinning faster than the blades of the turbine he hopes to build in Union Beach. Just let him try to build one here in Holmdel. Can you imagine the outcry? One of those monstrosities is the last thing I'd want to see looming from my deck. If you want to hear what one sounds like, go here: http://penobscotbay.blogspot.com/2010/07/listen-fox-island-windmills-polluting.html

In the second video Mr Coligas refers to the lack of noise issues in other states. As has been the habit of the BRSA they only talk about places like Texas or areas where the wind farms are a great distance from homes. Half the story as usual. Our commissioners did not do any independent study of these machines and there is probablya bridge salesman just waiting to talk with them. As far as wildlife there are 6 endangered species, 8 threatened species, and 6 species of concern that anyone can see their photos that were taken at Conaskonk point here http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndcsbd1/sets/ If you look at the Conaskonk Point set you will see all of these. Please have a look at Natco Lake as well as many of the birds there feed at Conaskonk Point. And if the BRSA were so worried about the environment why the shennanigans to eliminate the spring migration from the bird study? Read the e-mails here http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1261 It is time that our towns hold public meetings and take testimony regarding ALL the commissioners lack of anything approaching responsible representation of each towns rate payers. Check with the folks in Austin Texas. They don't live right next to them but once they went up their cost for electric quadrupled. What will it do to our sewer rates when so little , if any real homework was done by our commissioners. They only seem capable of trgurgitating sales pitches. We wanted quantified facts. We got them ourselves. www.noturbine.com

Responding to Energy Expert: www.EnergyPresentation.Info really rocks. Entities like the BSRA are going to try to put these windmills up all over the state wherever they can. If I had a choice between buying a lovely home close to an industrial windmill or a home miles from the nearest windmill, it's only common sense which one I would buy..................the second one! I have a friend in upstate NY a few miles from a small grouping of windmills. We drove up to them to take a look. They were so loud they roared. There's no way I could put up with that.

Instead of responding to input and requests from the Hazlet Area Quality of Life Alliance
(HAQLA) and other members of the public, to slow down the project and apply the precautionary principle i.e“if they must err; let it be on the side of protecting public safety, health, and welfare”; Mr. Colligas and the BRSA commissioners have continually acted to stifle all opinions and research data that expose the risks and oppose construction of this 38-story high industrial wind turbine in a densely populated residential town. They should be ashamed and they must be held accountable for all consequences of their willful disregard for the people they are legally and ethically bound to protect. Similarly, our lawmakers and the DEP also have failed to exercise due diligence by inadequately vetting wind industry claims and by blindly fast-tracking onshore IWT projects, including the BRSA turbine, regardless of where they are being sited. This is a statewide problem that requires a moratorium on the approval and construction of all Onshore IWT projects until all industry claims as well as all potential negative impacts have been thoroughly studied and until appropriate enforceable regulatory controls have been enacted.
John Curran
Hazlet Area Quality of Life Alliance

It's not the technology that we need to understand, it's the inefficiency, lack of public oversight that violtates our constitution (all power in inherent in the people). Anyway I know that won't go over well because people don't get the constitution, not the technology of a wind turning a massive generator generating emf, causing current flow etc. The other thing we the little people don't get is who is making out on this project? How much do the property taxes go down? What benefits do our neighbors get? It's time for us people to stand united against this bull.
Frank, Monmouth County Tea Party Coalition

Someone should ask him how far he lives from the turbine I am sure far enough not to be affected. Thanks for nothing!!

try some reseach----Vertical Axis Wind Turbine asthectically pleasing---and bird friendly---Vestas turbine are in there infancy adn haven't perfected themselves

Please Watch the Vidio's , John Colligas in the first vidio states the you can't run it when
A. its too windy
B. when it is snowing (does the snow not stick to it when it stands still?)
also do they have to wait for the snow to melt off when it does stick to it
C. when the temperature is 35 or 36 degrees F
allof the above because it is UNSAFE

Pay very close attention to the first 3 seconds of the second vidio
He states " we want to be sure that everything we SAID" pause "that everything we did was to protect them " I hear that as a slip up of someone guilty of covering up the truth And this is what WORRIES ME as this may be the tip of that ICEBURG

Great observations unfortunantly any questions are crushed by, we have a permit from the DEP they have seen all of our studys and find nothing wrong. So put it up shut up and let us tell you how good it all is. The DEP folks should have there heads checked they remove oysters from the bay for some stupid reason but give the BSRA the approval for a 380 industrial wind turbine in a residential neighborhood. Great work!

C. E. Hoffman, Jr.
Capt. USN (Ret)
GS-14 (Ret)
WOW, WHAT A MESS! The construction of the pedestal base for the BRSA IWT was completed only to find out that it was not constructed high enough to top the 100 year flood plain. An additional 12 or 20 feet had to be added to its hight above the ground. That means the total hight of the unit will now be approximately 400 ft. Although I am not a structural egineer, I would think that this additional hight would in fact change the engineering aspects of the whole project. Although higher, the base its self is no longer a monlethic unit, but yet the turbine pedestal will be affixed to the new "cap" not the original base. Being higher means more lateral stress factors on the base and the bottom of the pedestal itself. Should the base have deeper pilings? Should the base's dimensions (L&W ) be expanded? Does the base of the pedestal circumference need to be increased? Does the pedestal base need to have its steel thickness increased to prevent collapse from stronger shear forces? Do larger/stronger studs need to be installed on the non-monolethic base for securing the pedestal to the non-monolethic base?
Has the BRSA addressed any of these structural matters to GE, and any corrective meaure developed to the DEP for review and, who knows, possible withdrawal of the permit.
Higher structure: increases length and duration of flicker effect; impacts avian study; increases fac damage due turbine to collapse, ect. Malfeasance?

This is what happens when projects proceed without the approval and proper vetting of the surrounding communities. Mr Colligas comes off as a confused promoter of a unproven technology. His presentation is full of incorrect assertions. Is this the type of person you would trust with your life, limb and property? P. Obama is an accomplice in this crime against the citizens of Raritan Bay by funding with his profligate stimulus program and pushing money wasting green energy. If the US is the worlds leader in Natural Gas and Coal and it is possible and affordable to use these readily available resources, why are we wasting time and money on unproven and more expensive alternatives? Answer: Rent Seekers and Crony Capitalists contribute to the campaigns of politicians who return the favor by buying their "Rube Goldberg" machines.

It is in all good conscience that we the people of Union Beach continue our fight against the BRSA and their proposed industrial turbine in our backyard. Not one proven fact or consideration has EVER been given to us, the taxpayer, extolling any benefit but quite the contrary, only how it will BENEFIT them? Maybe the DEP will look at our comments and think twice about okaying future plans for this "bad" plan. It's sad how "we the people" are getting lost in the shuffle of the bureaucracy...is it greed? It is beause they have gotten this far without opposition and at whose cost? (for sure it will be ours). Do they really think it is a good thing (but not their backyard) or do they just want to be touted as the first? Why, when this is mentally, physically, financially just the wrong thing to do to our small community? So what if the foundation is built, Christie stopped the tunnel, so we can try and stop this precarious monster from being constructed.
K.Reilly