Senator Edwards States His Opposition To Wind Turbines On Public Lands

Sen. Edwards States His Opposition To Wind Turbines On Public Lands

Jan. 24, 2008

Sen. George Edwards has now joined Del. Wendell Beitzel in voicing opposition to industrial wind turbines being placed on public lands. Edwards wrote a letter last week informing Gov. Martin O'Malley of his position on the issue.

"I know you have a strong interest in looking at ways to increase our electricity production, as do I," Edwards wrote. "As I told you, I am writing to state my opposition to putting windmills on state land in Garrett and Allegany counties."

Pennsylvania-based U.S. Wind Force recently asked O'Malley for leases in Potomac and Savage River state forests to clear an estimated 400 acres and to construct up to 100 40-story tall wind turbines. Since that information became public last month, many local residents and groups have stated their opposition to the project.

"This is not a partisan issue," Edwards wrote in his letter to O'Malley. "I have taken time to look at the issue and speak to numerous individuals and groups. These groups include sportsmen's clubs, union leaders, environmentalists, and the like. By far the majority of these people oppose the construction of windmills on state lands (even those who support windmills)."

Edwards acknowledged that energy is one of the most important issues facing the entire nation and that work must be done as quickly as possibly to achieve energy independence. But, he wrote, as the Maryland Energy Administration's Strategic Electricity Plan points out, there is no "silver bullet" that will enable Maryland to solve this problem overnight.

"That is why we will need to use all of the energy resources we have, in addition to conservation, to get to that goal," Edwards wrote.

But the senator went on to state, "There can never be enough windmills built in Maryland to even come close to meeting the increased demand in electricity needs by 2025. Nevertheless, based on all of the information I have gathered and evaluated, I respectfully request that you not allow windmills on state land in Garrett and Allegany counties."

The Department of Natural Resources will hold two public forums for Marylanders to express their views on wind turbines being placed on public land. The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 6:30 until 9 p.m. in the Garrett College auditorium, McHenry, and Thursday, Jan. 31, from 6:30 until 9 p.m. in the Arundel Center, Room 161, 44 Calvert Street, Annapolis.

Written comments are also accepted online at www.dnr.state.md.us/sustainability/wpm.

Land use ordinance infringes on property rights

Cumberland Times-News

Dear Sirs:

I am a business owner and a Garrett County land owner. My quarry is located off Avilton-Lonaconing Road. My family has been in this business for generations providing all types of stones for schools, churches, playgrounds, home as well as gravel for road construction.

I have attended various meetings at the courthouse, and I must say that I failed to understand any sound reasoning behind the massive regulations that you have proposed.

The issue relating to windmills is on two pages; what about the other 83 pages of regulations? Who asked for these regulations and curbs on our property rights?

This is a fact that Garrett County is a poor county. It is no richer than when my dad was running our family quarry.

No new major construction is happening; no manufacturers are moving into our area, the county has no major development works planned. The only possibility is wind development and maybe gas drilling. The setback that you have proposed will kill any wind development in Garrett County just like it did in Allegany County.

The two operating wind projects on Backbone Mountain are paying about $1.9 million in personal property taxes in addition to $700,000 in real property taxes for year 2012. This revenue stream will continue for the next 30 years.

Additional wind development projects are proposed in Garrett County that could bring over $3 million a year in addition tax revenues per year. These wind projects will bring much needed construction jobs and the developers will be pumping millions into the local economy.

No wonder, in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, counties and boroughs are encouraging wind development.

In the previous commissioners’ meeting, I asked the question: Is there anything wrong with the operating wind mills that require you to ask for these setbacks? I did not get the answer from the commissioners.

We all heard the Clipper representative saying that most of Backbone mountain wind turbines would have been eliminated with your proposed setbacks.

Like the Backbone experience, why can’t we have the wind developers follow the prudent wind industry practices and work with neighboring property owners and follow the state safety and noises regulations?

From properties it is turbine height plus 10 feet, which is about 500 feet. From occupied structure it is about 1,000 feet. Why can we let the wind companies follow it as they did for the Backbone projects?

The remaining 83 pages of the land use ordinance draft is all an infringement on my property rights. I have a right to develop my property as I choose.

If windmills can be considered on my lands, I will embrace it besides providing gravel, stones and services for these projects. I fully support for construction work and jobs for our county residents. My neighbors will benefit too from the economic activities in the area and with additional taxes the county can continue functioning without eliminating of services and closing of schools.

I vote for total rejection and elimination of the proposed Land Use Management Ordinance — county wide zoning.

Jeremy Preston

Lonaconing

More here.

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GC Planning Commission Asks For Legislation, Moratorium On Turbines

GC Planning Commission Asks For Legislation, Moratorium On Turbines

Feb. 7, 2008
By unanimous vote, the Garrett County Planning Commission has decided to remove wording of county support for wind power from its comprehensive plan draft. In an 6-2 vote, the group also recommends that legislation be introduced that would give the county authority to regulate wind turbine.

Additionally, the commission members want the county commissioners to place a moratorium on wind turbine development in Garrett County.

Those decisions took place yesterday during the Planning Commission's regular monthly meeting at the courthouse. About 25 people attended the event, with several voicing concerns about how the proposed plan deals with wind turbines.

Some of the those same residents discussed the issue last week with the Garrett County commissioners, questioning why a paragraph about wind power needed to be included in the plan. They noted that the wording conflicted with the local Heritage Plan, which designates the entire county as a heritage resource.

The original paragraph in the comprehensive plan refers to a turbine project that has been proposed along the southern end of Backbone Mountain.

"While the county acknowledges the potential negative impacts of wind power facilities, it also recognizes the benefits, especially those related to clean, sustainable power generation, and the socioeconomic and fiscal benefits to the county," the paragraph reads. "On balance, the county supports wind pow-er at appropriate locations, provided any site-specific negative impacts can be mitigated."

The Planning Commission wants to remove that last line.

At their meeting last week, the county commissioners told the residents that the passage was needed because wind energy is a potential issue that needed to addressed. The commissioners were in Annapolis on Wednesday and were not able to attend the Planning Commission meeting.

The commissioners, however, issued the following statement this morning:

"The Board of County Commissioners has considered the public comments and recommendations of the Garrett County Planning Commission, specifically in relationship to the regulation of and a potential moratorium on windmills in the county. The Board of County Commissioners appreciates the role of the Planning Commission in addressing important planning functions and appreciates the advice that it receives from that commission.

"The Planning Commission has recommended the imposition of a moratorium on the location of windmills in Garrett County. A moratorium, under current county regulations, would require a moratorium on all building construction not simply the one area, wind power. The moratorium on all construction and the issuance of all building permits is, in the opinion of the Board of County Commissioners, not an appropriate remedy in these circumstances.

"The regulation of land use is a product of the power of the Board of County Commissioners to adopt and implement zoning regulations as a power delegated to the county by the state under the provisions of Article 66B of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Garrett County has accepted the delegation of power and regulates land use through the Deep Creek Watershed Zoning Ordinance in those areas within the watershed of Deep Creek Lake. Outside of that watershed and that zoning district, the county has not adopted comprehensive land use regulations through zoning.

"Land use in the state of Maryland has generally been administered on a local level. The Planning Commission fills one of the vital roles in the process of land use regulation. The im-plementation of or recommendation for additional legislation, as the Planning Commission has recommended, is a matter that requires greater study before requesting action by the legislature. As the Planning Commission understands, the regulation of land use under authority of Article 66B necessarily requires a comprehensive approach to all land use, not simply a single form of use such as wind power. It may be appropriate for the Planning Commission to consider the issue of comprehensive land use (countywide zoning) as a part of their role in local land regulations."

Flying over Deep Creek Lake

A good friend and client of mine, Rick, offered to take me up in his Cirrus sr20 yesterday at the Garrett County Airport (by the way, the renovations are GREAT). Rick has a vacation rental property (Cloud 10) here at the lake that he flies up to check on & make repairs. (Shameless plug: the house is awesome: indoor pool, views of the lake & ski slopes, full arcade, more).

We spent the morning looking at other homes for sale - he insists that the market conditions are ripe for some unbelievable deals (I agree) and plans on investing in several more rental properties in the coming years.

We took off from the airport around 12:45 or so and spent a half hour cruising the skies. His plane is impressive, it even has a parachute! As you can tell from some of the photos, I got to see the Lodestone golf course from the air (looks great), the Adventure Sports Center (ASCI) & the Wisp golf course (I had two of my good buddies playing at the time - didn't see them, though). It's really neat how it all pieces together. Another thing that was unique is seeing just how high these hills are - there is a considerable drop off in elevation when flying over Marsh Mountain and then seeing how far the lake is below. It gave me a better feel of the terrain, as well as the 'hidden' things you don't see from land. A few examples of this: a large, cleared out spot near Lodestone golf course, perhaps the cleared out spot for the future clubhouse or where they keep their sand, etc; a large pond/lake near Mosser Rd with some sort of rock wall in the middle of it (had NEVER seen that before); and lots of carved out spots in dense woods & forests for farms & crops. It's a great perspective of the terrain we are all familiar with.

Of course, I was able to get a good view of the windmills as we flew overhead. I'm starting to get used to seeing them on the horizon now, but it was interesting to see just how high they were in the sky when flying beside them. The southern part of the lake is pretty flat, save for these few ridges and a towering 'hill' at Thousand Acres. I remember seeing the golf course there, as well, but due to the flight path, I couldn't get a clear shot of it. I'm sure Bill Franklin has a photo or two...

Overall, it was a spectacular opportunity to see Deep Creek Lake from a bird's point of view. I'm sure someone offers flights over the county, I'll check into it and report back. Also, go up and check out the 'new' airport - it can accommodate private jets, which is really neat, and makes our area that much more accessible. It's also nice to see federal tax dollars at work in Garrett County. Thanks again to Rick for the flight! Check out his vacation house - Cloud 10.

Here are some photos and a link to the full gallery on Facebook.

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Kitzmiller Elementary students tour state’s first operational wind project

The Cumberland Times-News Sun Apr 17, 2011, 09:47 PM EDT

— OAKLAND — Students from Garrett County’s Kitzmiller Elementary School recently got a firsthand look at how renewable energy is working in Maryland.

Approximately 40 kindergarten through third-grade students and their teachers were the first local school students to tour Constellation Energy’s Criterion Wind Project in Oakland. The first wind energy project to operate in the state, Criterion Wind produces 70 megawatts of emission-free electricity. The wind project is helping Maryland meet its clean energy goals of producing 20 percent of its electricity with renewable resources by 2022.

Teacher Bridgete Corbin requested the tour as part of a unit she’s teaching on green energy. “We’re exposing students to the idea of renewable energy, and we have this great example of how it works right here in our county,” she said. “The students were really excited to see the wind turbines and to talk about how they make clean energy.”

The Kitzmiller students toured two of the 28 Criterion wind turbines, which stand 415 feet tall with the blades turned up. The two towers the students toured were located on the property of Oakland resident Janet Tichnell.

“People are really interested in seeing the windmills,” Tichnell said. “I was more than happy to help coordinate the tour with the schools. It was a good learning experience for the children.”

The Criterion Wind Project is built over an 8-mile stretch along Backbone Mountain east of Oakland. The project began producing commercial power in late December.

Constellation Energy, headquartered in Baltimore, is a leading competitive supplier of power, natural gas and energy products and services for homes and businesses across the U.S.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!

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She has no business telling us what we’re doing wrong - editorial

To the Editor:
The Cumberland Times-News Tue Jun 21, 2011, 09:41 PM EDT

Recently, Garrett Countians got a chance to meet one of the Maryland General Assembly’s most radical left-wing champions. Delegate Heather Mizeur, a representative from Montgomery County, was one of the guest speakers at the Garrett County Democrats annual dinner.

Mizeur also held separate meetings where she updated attendees as to legislative efforts regarding natural gas drilling in Garrett and Allegany counties. She even requested and received a private tour of Garrett Memorial Hospital to inspect their recycling efforts.

What many do not know of Delegate Mizeur is that she has championed many liberal causes outside of the Marcellus Shale moratorium.

She was one of the most outspoken champions of a measure to destroy the statute that requires marriage be between a man and woman. She represents an area in which Tripwire, Maryland’s leading gun rights newsletter, describes as a “political dead zone.”

She championed a measure that would allow for transgender individuals to sue potential employers if they felt the employer discriminated against them. She has consistently voted in favor of every tax increase she could.

She even voted for the measure that streamlined the process for windmills to go up on Western Maryland’s mountaintops. Most of this information can even be easily accessed on her campaign website.

I’m proud of the legislators we have representing Garrett and Allegany counties. They were born, raised, and educated in this area. They know not only the issues, but also the people that are affected by those issues.

I don’t think Garrett and Allegany counties need a down-state liberal coming here to tell us what we are doing wrong. We’ve gotten along just fine without her.

Ed Clemons Jr.

Luke


If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

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No more property tax hikes in Garrett County

Cumberland Times-News

— It was with dismay that I read that Garrett County commissioners are discussing raising property taxes to handle the budget shortfall projected for next year.

In these dire times when the economy is bad and prices are rising, residents of Garrett County are already stretched thin and cannot afford a property tax increase.

Also, there is a proposed closure of Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools because of the short fall in the school budget which is disheartening for the Garrett County residents.

The two operating wind projects on Backbone Mountain are paying about $1.7 million per year in taxes to the coffers of Garrett County for the over 20 years. Additional wind development projects are proposed in Garrett County that could bring $2 to $3 million a year in addition tax revenues for the next 20 plus years.

Besides, these wind projects will bring much needed construction jobs and the developers will be pumping millions into the local economy. You can ask the Oakland area hotels and motels, gas stations, restaurants, fast foods and ice cream shops on Route 219 besides the concrete and stone suppliers, and construction equipment rentals.

These businesses can tell you what it was like during the Backbone mountain wind project construction in 2009 to 2011. We need to thank the previous commissioners that they had the foresight of supporting the development and construction of these two wind projects.

Instead of embracing wind development, the new Garrett County Commissioners are being brain washed by few nay-sayers in the name of aesthetics and are proposing unreasonable setbacks and height restrictions for the wind mills in the name of “Land Management Ordinance” and “Sensitive Areas Ordinance” which in actually amounts to county-wide zoning.

Everyone knows that, except for Deep Creak Lake and few other areas, any kind of zoning in the county will be vehemently opposed by majority of Garrett County property owners. All we have to do is to look towards our neighboring Allegany County, which adopted exactly the same ridiculous setbacks and height restrictions couple of years ago practically killing all wind development.

Now Allegany County is facing a budget shortfall of $3 million and facing cutbacks in services to the residents. Newly elected officials in Allegany County are realizing the loss and have recently negotiated a deal with the Somerset wind project across the border in Pennsylvania giving them transmission access which will bring in $14.5 million to the county and to the property owners over the next 10 years.

After the recent outcome of the Maryland General Assembly, where both Senate and House bills, seeking authority by Garrett County to enforce these setbacks and height restrictions for wind energy projects, failed in Annapolis.

Common sense begs to ask the questions: How can the legislature be expected to approve such bills that basically goes against the state law requiring 20 percent energy from renewable resources by year 2020?

I wonder if the county’s business experts ever bother to conduct any economic analysis to figure out the potential revenue losses by proposing these restrictions to kill potential wind development.

I believe in renewable energy. While the experts are studying the natural gas fracturing option for groundwater contamination from pumping chemicals in the ground, let us move forward with wind development in Garrett County.

Wind energy has none of the harmful emissions, is a clean and safe source of energy and wind turbines are generally quiet in operations.

For this reason, the American Lung Association uses windmills in their advertisement for clean energy. Wind development will help us avoid school closings, avoid reduced services and budget shortfalls. Let’s be smart and pro-business and support clean energy.

Robert Spangler

Frostburg

More here.

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Wind farm officially open

Demonstrators protest at Garrett County ribbon-cutting ceremony
Kristin Harty Barkley
The Cumberland Times-News Tue Jul 19, 2011, 11:51 PM EDT

OAKLAND — A ceremonial ribbon-cutting for Maryland’s first commercial wind farm was punctuated by protesters, who stood holding signs outside the entrance of the $140 million facility.

About 50 community members and government officials celebrated the project’s completion with speeches and a catered meal Tuesday morning atop Backbone Mountain, where the massive blades of some of the farm’s 28 wind turbines rotated slowly in a steady breeze.

Constructed by Constellation Energy, the facility is expected to produce enough renewable energy to meet the electricity needs of 23,000 households in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, said Dale Linaweaver, a managing director. Commercial operations at the wind farm actually began in December.

“I don’t think there’s an energy source that everyone likes,” said Linaweaver, who, like other participants in Tuesday’s ceremony, had to drive past protesters to get to the event. “Even our solar projects, some people are fighting right now. But (wind) is certainly an important part of the energy mix.”

About a dozen citizens stood along Eagle Rock Road holding signs criticizing the wind project on a variety of points. “Wind Turbines Kill Bats,” one sign said. “Tax Money — In the Wind,” said another.

“These projects would not exist without our money,” said Jeff Conner, who lives on a farm about 20 miles away. He said that the turbines compromise his “million-dollar view.”

“They’re not self-sustaining,” Conner said of industrial wind projects. “They’re using my tax dollars for this.”

Members of Save Western Maryland, which filed a lawsuit against Constellation Energy last year over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act, indicated Tuesday that they have agreed to delay a trial until 2012 to allow the company time to obtain necessary permits. The group claims that wind turbines pose a threat to the endangered Indiana bat.

“Although we continue to hope that Constellation will fulfill its duties in good faith, the history of the Backbone wind plant does little to inspire confidence,” Save Western Maryland said in a press release.

Construction at the wind farm site was temporarily halted in March when the Maryland Department of the Environment found violations related to inadequate or improperly installed erosion and sediment controls.

Constellation addressed the violations and revised its site plans and was allowed to proceed with construction shortly thereafter.

During Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting event, officials pointed to some of the wind farm’s positive impacts on the local community. At the peak of construction last year, about 200 people were employed, with more than half classified as local hires, according to the company. The plant now has nine permanent employees, including manager Don Shilobod, who has bought a home in Oakland.

“Constellation’s been a good community partner, a good corporate citizen, since they’ve been here,” said Garrett County Chamber of Commerce President Nicole Christian, who attended the ribbon-cutting. The company was a sponsor of the annual Oakland Winterfest, the Fourth of July fireworks, and Deep Creek Lake Art & Wine festival, Linaweaver said.

“We hope that they’ll continue to be a good corporate citizen," Christian said.

“It’s a little bit noisy, but we’ve gotten used to it,” said Martha White, who lives on Bethlehem Road and has four wind turbines on her property. “We’re both on disability, and we were having trouble paying our bills, so this has been a good thing for us.”

But another area resident, Eric Robison, said Constellation Energy hasn’t been a good neighbor. Robison, a member of Save Western Maryland, organized a sign-making event early Tuesday morning to protest.

“It’s to not just allow them to have their grand opening and flaunt this in the community’s face, without having somebody at least saying something,” said Robison, who lives just outside the wind farm on Eagle Rock Road, in regard to the demonstration. “And we’ve been saying something all along.”

Maryland Delegate Wendell Beitzel acknowledged the protesters during brief remarks at the ribbon-cutting celebration, saying he “understands the concerns of those who are for it and against it.”

“The windmills are here now," Beitzel said. “They’re in place and they’re operating, whether you like them or don’t like them. We’re going to live with them.”

Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kbarkley@times-news.com

More here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!

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