Letters to the Editor and Commentary

Problems With Wind Farms

The wind industry claims, “The strategic need for clean energy justifies the tactical loss of some wildlife.” Songbirds migrate twice a year at night. The annual body count at Altamont Pass, CA has averaged 5,000 bird deaths annually for 20 years prompting several law suits. Bats are being slaughtered. Canadian researcher Erin Baerwald has uncovered evidence that pressure changes near a turbine’s interior rotors caused the lungs of bats to explode. Many dead bats had no sign of external trauma from contact with the blades.

While you may not care about bats, they and our birds are HUGE insect eaters. The wind industry claims that slower moving blades, which rotate no faster than 15 revolutions per minute, will not harm wildlife. However, huge 350-465 foot tall turbines with propeller blades so long that at 15 rpm they are moving at 170 mph at the tips are harming wildlife not to mention that when they malfunction and fly apart debris can be thrown as much as one-half mile and more.

People interviewed have stated that deer and other wildlife have simply left the areas where wind farms exist. You can watch interviews with cattle farmers who state they have problems of their animals not calving properly, aborting after only a few weeks, cancer mutations (like no eyes or rail), blood from nostrils, and on and on. (Lincoln Township, WI). You can read the whole report by going to www.aweo.org/windlincoln.html.

A Dr. Pettegrew, testifying before the Bureau County Zoning Board of Appeals, said he would be remiss as a doctor if he didn’t tell the board that he thought the weaknesses and illness he saw in cows was most likely caused by electrical pollution. He also said the risk would be greater in Indiantown and Milo for animals and humans to become ill than in Wisconsin because the proposed turbines would be taller and would produce more electricity. If you go to www.wind-watch.org you can see video of real people with real problems with wind farms.

Watch interviews with Wisconsin Wind Farm Residents, especially one with Jim Vollmer, a poultry farmer. There are many poultry raisers in the Tampico area that will be in danger of losing their birds.

Property values: Realtors doing business near wind plants understand that property will sell for between 10 and 30% less than previous Markey value depending on how close it is to the wind plant. Any reduction in property values will lead to a fall in property tax collections in the affected towns.

Create local jobs: A recent study by the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources on the “Top of Iowa” wind plant showed that of the 200 total construction jobs, only 20 were local, and all disappeared within six months.

Noise: Noise from wind farms is a well-documented nuisance often leading to illness. The wind industry is very aware of this problem but often tries to “hide” it by taking visitors during the day directly under the turbines where there is typically little noise or on days with little wind.

Shadow flicker and strobe effect: When turning with the sun behind them, blades cast moving shadows across landscapes and into homes. Some people lose their sense of balance or become nauseated from seeing the movement. The strobe effect can also provoke seizures in some adults or children. Sure you might be ale to block it out with drapes or shades, but who wants to live in a cave?

Lightning and power surges: The origins of fires in wind generators are numerous and in some instances almost inevitable. This from www.fireengineering.com. Statistics show that the major cause of fires in aero generators is lightning. Another frequent cause of fires is the mechanical friction among the multiple moving parts of the turbine assembly, gears, shafts, and other moving or rotating metal components that may provoke sparking. Since the average wind turbine may contain more than 200 gallons of hydraulic fluid plus variable quantities of other lubricants and similar combustible liquids, there is no shortage of fuel.

There are pictures showing oil leaking down the tower from the housing area. Oil has also been seen to fling off the blades. What about our ground water supply? The substation transformers where a group of turbines connect to the grid contain over 10,000 gallons of oil each. Electrical short circuits can occur in numerous locations, anywhere from the windmill’s top to the base. Fires in wind turbines are known to contribute to structural failure and collapse. The major problem at wind farms is that most of them are unattended. The primary limiting factors to fire department intervention are the height of the fire and the extremely limited vertical access inside the tower. Therefore, they establish an exterior defensive attack to protect exposed structures and vegetation near the affected tower. Hopefully, the flaming blades don’t fly off and set surrounding fields and trees on fire (or homes?).

Ice buildup: Ice can build up on blades and gets flung off as much as 500 feet.

All of this can be documented by going to www.nowindfarms.com, www.stopillwind.org, www.wind-watch.org,www.aweo.org and there are many more if you just look. Wind farms could be a catastrophe for our area.

Sue and Steve McGinn
Tampico, IL

The $14,000 Question: Was Senator Jacobs Bought by Big Energy?

Despite a veto from Governor Quinn, Senator Mike Jacobs continues to lobby for SB1652, also known as the “Smart Grid” bill, which would allow energy companies to automatically raise their rates over the next ten years without oversight from the Citizen’s Utility Board. Opponents to this bill have argued that this would put an unfair burden on the consumer.

Senator Jacobs recently told QCOnline that opponents to this bill, like Governor Quinn, “have a dog in the fight.”

Bill Albracht, Republican candidate for Illinois State Senate in the 36th District, said that Senator Jacobs is the one with the clear conflict of interest on this issue. (This news release was received by The Prairie Advocate News in an email from the Albracht for Senate campaign).

“If Governor Quinn has a dog in this fight, Senator Jacobs has four,” Albracht said. “According to Senator Jacobs’ A-1 fundraising reports this quarter, he has received $14,000 in campaign contributions from four energy companies, namely Exelon, Dynegy, Ameren, and MidAmerican, that would benefit from this bill. It’s clear that Senator Jacobs is fighting for the special interests, and ignoring the needs of his constituents.”

Albracht argued that Senator Jacobs should have recused himself from any involvement with this bill due to his father’s lobbying activities for energy companies.

“Senator Jacobs should not have even voted on this bill, let alone introduced it,” Albracht said. “If this bill had become law, it would have directly financially benefited the Jacobs family on the backs of struggling Illinois families.”

Albracht said this area can’t afford an increase in utility rates during this economic downturn.

“Governor Quinn did the right thing by vetoing this bill,” Albracht said. “It’s bad enough that Senator Jacobs voted to raise income taxes during a recession, costing Illinois thousands of jobs, but now he wants to incur an additional cost on his constituents so he can help out his special interest buddies. This legislation hurts the people of our district, and I refuse to support it. After all, it’s just common sense.”

For more information about Bill Albracht, visit our website at http://www.albrachtforsenate.com.

Clean Water Fairness Bill

Dear editor,

“Only Polluters Pay”, sounds fair right?

Currently factory farms are the only industry in Illinois that are exempt from paying Clean Water Act permit fees, which actually fund the State’s regulatory program.

Instead, the costs to regulate factory farms are paid by other industries and taxpayers.

“Others Pay for Pollution”, sounds unfair right?

Given the costs polluting factory farms create, the existing permit fee exemption is unfair. Ask your legislators to support the Clean Water Fairness Bill (SB1682), which would do away with the factory farm fee exemption. The passing of this bill would only require known polluters who require permits to pay.

Local municipalities are not allowed to decide where new factory farms are built. Since the Department of Agriculture’s job is to promote livestock production in Illinois, and has all the power, citizens and their public officials have lost their local control and are unable to protect their health and property.

It is time for citizens to tell policymakers that a new law needs to be enacted to give back their local control. Citizens have every right to protect their air and water.

Clean Water Funding Fairness Bill (SB1682) – “Only Polluters Pay”.

Susan Turner
Warren, IL

Guest Commentary . . .

Democracy depends on responsible news consumption

By David Porter

You alone are responsible for the news you consume. If I have only a few moments of your time, that’s the message I want to drive home.

You can talk about bias in the media, shortcomings among news staffs, fragmentation of audience, conspiracy theories and the boogey man, but at the end of the day, it’s nobody else’s responsibility to decide for you what is true, what is propaganda and what is opinion. You alone are responsible for the news you consume.

There’s an old saying that applies across many different platforms: Garbage in, garbage out. How are you going to make informed decisions on who to vote for, what stocks to invest in, what foods to eat, what gasoline to buy, when to buy a house, what school your kids should attend or which horse to bet on if you only rely on snippets of information - often bias-based - that make their way to your ears and eyes?

That’s the world we live in today. A few years ago, a college student was anonymously quoted as saying, “If the news is that important, it will find me.” But as Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can travel halfway ‘round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” That was before the Internet. Now the Internet includes this quote facetiously attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “Most Internet quotes are not accurate.”

It’s hard to know what the truth is sometimes. A manufacturer with a vested interest in a product may tout its benefits that run contrary to a scientific study. On the other hand, some studies have been shown to use improper methods or to draw unfair conclusions. Whose job is it to decide what is true? It’s your job. You alone are responsible for the news you consume.

So a political candidate says something bad about another candidate. The other candidate fights back with allegations of her own. Whose job is it to decide what the truth is? You alone are responsible for the news you consume.

There is help, though, and you’re holding it in your hands. It’s not the newspaper’s job to decide for you what is true, but newspapers, more than any other medium, strive to use reliable, accurate sources and to fairly provide all sides to any given story. It’s still up to you to decide what the truth is. Frankly, I think if you’re going to participate in the democratic process, you have an obligation to decide what the truth is. Otherwise, democracy becomes a dangerous game of Russian roulette.

October 2-8 is National Newspaper Week. What a perfect time to take a new look at your local newspaper and to include it as part of your personal arsenal against misinformation. Don’t take chances with your news diet; add a little newspaper fiber. After all, you alone are responsible for the news you consume.

David Porter is the Director of Communications for the Illinois Press Association, which represents more than 480 newspapers in Illinois.

Wood’s Morrison City Council Notes

Morrison City Council Work Session was held September 26, 2011 at the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Board Room. All the council members, Mayor Drey, Attorney Wise, Administrator Wise, City Clerk Schroeder, Jim Dubois, and Chief Melton were all present. Four reporters, three representatives from Willett, Hoffman, and Associates-Engineering Service, Mike Mudge representing Rock River Energy Services, and many interested residents also were in attendance. An Illinois Municipal Handbook was given to each of the aldermen.

Approved Bills Payable was in the amount of $102,723.14. Ward, Murray, Pace, Johnson PC, the city attorney, was paid $5,208.59 for this month. We have had a lot of work done on new and amended ordinances this year. I asked what the Series 2008 A Debt Certificate was for (we were just paying the interest of $3,601.74 on it this month). Jim Wise let me know this week that the loan was for $200,000 used for well repairs which we still owe about $150,000 principle. Sarah Thorndike asked why Dr. Jennings miscellaneous expense was listed under legislative department. Jim Wise is to get the answer to her.

Mike Mudge, Rock River Energy, spoke to the group about Morrison getting together to pass a referendum to put residents and small businesses on Municipal Aggregation for their electricity for a savings. Discussion will be moved forward to the next meeting.

Representatives from Willett, Hoffman, and Associates, an engineering service, did a presentation on some of the area waste water treatment plants they have engineered.

Jim Wise handed out information on pricing for decorative railing and parapet wall for the bridge on Rt. 78/French Creek Bridge. The proposal is designed to be similar to the Rt. 30 Bridge. The City Council has passed an agreement that Morrison will withstand an expense of $14,000 from Motor Fuel Tax for a bike path/sidewalk on the Rt. 78 Bridge. With the addition of the decorative items, it would bring the city’s cost to over $155,000-well over the initial $14,000. Can Morrison really withstand that type of expense from the Motor Fuel Tax? We still need lots of streets, sidewalks and alleys repaired within the city. IDOT wants a decision by November 1, 2011 which would affect the 2013-14 budget. Call you alderman or city hall to let them know how you feel.

Sarah Thorndike thanked everyone for their participation, help and cooperation during Paint the Town making it another success!

The next Morrison City Council Meeting will be Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 7 pm at the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Board Room. Come and be part of your community. Everyone Welcome!

A Morrison Taxpayer
Marti Wood

“Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.”
Ronald Reagan

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
Thomas Paine

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

I like Governor Quinn. He is a nice person. I do believe he wants what is best for Illinois. Now – here it comes! BUT, I really dislike his actions when he faces financial crisis. Since first appointed, he has had his hands full with money issues. I give him that. Has he sensibly addressed them? Not even close.

In May, the House of Representatives passed a balanced budget. The Senate thought we were a little cheap and they added $300 million (that we in the House said will not be there as income). That ultimately passed the General Assembly. Guess what? That leaves us $300 million short. The Governor’s office projected nearly another billion in income that the House said will not be there.

We in the House, both sides of the aisle, saw this coming. The Governor’s office said everything will be okay. After all, we passed a sixty seven percent tax increase on individuals and forty six percent on corporations. The money will come rolling in. Time goes on. Whoops! The money isn’t rolling in. The economy is in the doldrums. We continue to spend money like drunken sailors (I hate that term, sailors drink no more than the rest of us, but you get my point).

Wham! We hit a wall, not enough money coming in. Major corporations, Motorola, Sears, etc., say they are leaving the state. They get sweetheart deals if they stay. Hirschbach Trucking, East Dubuque, Illinois – you know, way out there in Jo Daviess County where there aren’t many votes, pleads for help. They want to stay in Illinois. Five hundred trucks on the road, one hundred employees at the main office. Their lease is soon to expire. Dubuque, Iowa is offering them $2 million in incentives to move across the river. The Governor’s office can’t seem to put anything together. Certainly no sweetheart deal! Ah, but we’ll have another conference call. We scratch our butt and wind our watch and wring our hands and just hope everything will be okay. Thankfully the local Port Authority under the leadership of Skip Schwerdtfeger, our State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, and local officials continue to work with Hirschbach.

Statewide the bleeding continues. Modern Forge, Blue Island, Illinois, a ninety six year old company with two hundred forty employees, says enough already. They are moving a short twenty miles to Merrillville, Indiana (that would be a business friendly state).

Governor Quinn has a better idea. He’ll close several of our mental health facilities (including Singer in Rockford and Jack Mabley in Dixon) and eliminate our Regional Offices of Education.

Take it from me folks - your General Assembly is smarter than that. We will not let that happen. Certainly not on my watch!