An environmental riddle is brewing off the shores of Lake Erie, and its answer is blowing in the wind.
The planned launch of a wind turbine demonstration project seven miles off of Cleveland’s lakeshore in Ohio – the first of its kind on the Great Lakes – has politicians, developers and labor there on board.
That’s a totally different vibe from what took place in Buffalo Niagara in 2009 and 2010, when the New York Power Authority gauged interest in a similar project in lakes Erie and Ontario. Local governments here quickly scuttled the idea after intense political pressure from a well-organized group of local lakeshore residents.
The environmentalist community, meanwhile, still searches for a Solomonic solution to the question of harnessing wind on the Great Lakes.
Can support for coveted renewable energy that reduces reliance on fossil fuels outweigh potential collateral damage to birds, bats and fish – not to mention aesthetic and noise considerations, as well as possible water pollution?
It’s a tough one, but Lynda Schneekloth of the Sierra Club’s Niagara Group thinks so.
“If we don’t switch from fossil fuels, all the fish in the lake are going to die anyway,” Schneekloth said. “Anything that gets us off of fossil fuels should be tried now.”
Citing a climate change “emergency,” Schneekloth says projects like wind farms in the lakes should be fast-tracked without having them mired down in years of public debate.
Others disagree.
“It could be a disaster,” said Sharen Trembath, a Southtowns resident who leads the area’s annual Great Lakes Beach Sweep and helped spearhead efforts to quash the Power Authority’s plans to install turbines in Lake Erie a couple years ago. “It’s giving up one natural resource for another.”
Added Tom Marks, a local charter boat captain who also opposed the former Power Authority plan: “There are environmental hazards with locating the turbines in the lake.”
Offshore hazards
Here are some of the concerns about offshore wind development, according to Marks, Trembath and the 2010 and 2011 resolutions put forth by Niagara, Erie and Chautauqua county legislatures as well as several lakeshore towns opposing them:
Disruption of the flight patterns of some migrating birds and some of recently resurgent species, such as bald eagles.Interference with boating and fishing.Stirring up “a 40-year cap” on toxic sediment in the lake bed left behind from the region’s industrial heyday.Potential for damage to the turbines and the lakeshore from fire, electrical shock or other problems from large power cables stretched along the lake bed, and leakage from an oil cartridge that Trembath calls “the size of a bus.”
What’s more, dissenters say, windmills are just not that efficient, don’t create jobs, can only operate when winds reach specific speeds and can be expensive.
And, they add, they’re eye pollution.
“I’ve spent my life taking care of the lake’s environment,” Trembath said. “I don’t want it filled with turbines.”
In Ohio, however, many don’t see it that way.
The Cleveland-based Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. has received support in Northeast Ohio for its “Icebreaker” project, which it says “is a blueprint to position Ohio as the leader in the region.”
The demonstration project calls for six 3-megawatt, American-made wind turbines to be placed offshore of downtown Cleveland, with full operation beginning in 2017. In contrast, Lackawanna’s on-shore “Steel Winds” consists of more than a dozen 2.5-megawatt turbines.
Bolstered with $4 million in startup money from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Cleveland company Thursday launched its “POWER Pledge program” to continue building “local stakeholder support” for the wind farm. About 5,000 supporters in Northeast Ohio have already pledged to buy electricity, at higher prices, from Icebreaker’s offshore farm, said Lorry Wagner, president of the Lake Erie energy company.
“Community engagement and support are critical to our success,” said Wagner, “and the support we have received for the POWER Pledge is very encouraging for the future of offshore wind in the Great Lakes.”
Three of seven wind demonstration projects nationwide – of which Cleveland is one – are scheduled for selection by the DOE next year for an additional $46.7 million award to build out the balance of the offshore project. Either way, however, Wagner said his company has invested time and resources in the belief that offshore wind will happen near Cleveland with or without the extra federal money.
By 2030, Wagner expects that his company could be managing “a few hundred” offshore wind turbines in Lake Erie.
Read the full story at scfwindturbine.com web! If you love skystream, welcome to contact us!
2013年8月25日 星期日
2013年7月8日 星期一
No decision on date to remove turbines
Transport Canada officials will work with a wind turbine company to set a practical deadline for the removal of eight turbines south of the Chatham-Kent Municipal Airport.
Brooke Williams, a spokesperson for Transport Canada, told The Daily News Monday no decision has been made on a date.
She did say that on at least two occasions prior to installation of the wind turbines, Transport Canada advised the wind farm representatives that height restrictions were in effect in the area around the airport.
The Daily News learned in June that Transport Canada was enforcing safety rules and requires the removal of eight wind turbines that are impeding height restrictions imposed by the airport zoning regulations.
Dave Timm, vice-president of GDF Suez Canada Inc., claims the company complied with all the rules and regulations regarding the placement of turbines near the airport.
Timm said his company is asking for a meeting with Transport Canada officials to discuss the matter.
The Daily News has learned that Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope has sent a letter to Transport Canada critical of their handling of the announcement that eight turbines had to be removed.
He said the media learned of Transport Canada's decision before the company was made aware of the concerns.
Williams told The Daily News Monday Transport Canada does not approve wind turbines or wind farms.
"Transport Canada's role with respect to obstacles such as wind turbines is to assess them for lighting and marking requirements in support of aviation safety in accordance with the Canadian Aviation Regulations,'' she said.
She said an assessment of a wind turbine or wind farm from Transport Canada does not constitute an authorization to construct because land use falls under provincial/municipal jurisdiction.
Timm could not be reached Monday for comment.
Chatham-Kent Essex MPP Rick Nicholls also complained to Transport Canada about the close proximity of turbines to the airport.
"Not only do they make it unsafe for pilots but I'm told the spinning blades affect radar,'' he said.
Nicholls is also concerned that the turbines would limit use of the airport by larger companies that might consider locating in Chatham-Kent and making use of company planes.
Chatham Coun. Michael Bondy said wind turbines and airports don't mix.
"Why would you risk the life of a pilot for a little bit of turbine-generated electricity?'' he asked.
Bondy said his concern is that the municipality may end up having to pay the huge demolition cost because the turbine company was issued municipally-approved building permits. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.scfwindturbine.com.
Brooke Williams, a spokesperson for Transport Canada, told The Daily News Monday no decision has been made on a date.
She did say that on at least two occasions prior to installation of the wind turbines, Transport Canada advised the wind farm representatives that height restrictions were in effect in the area around the airport.
The Daily News learned in June that Transport Canada was enforcing safety rules and requires the removal of eight wind turbines that are impeding height restrictions imposed by the airport zoning regulations.
Dave Timm, vice-president of GDF Suez Canada Inc., claims the company complied with all the rules and regulations regarding the placement of turbines near the airport.
Timm said his company is asking for a meeting with Transport Canada officials to discuss the matter.
The Daily News has learned that Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope has sent a letter to Transport Canada critical of their handling of the announcement that eight turbines had to be removed.
He said the media learned of Transport Canada's decision before the company was made aware of the concerns.
Williams told The Daily News Monday Transport Canada does not approve wind turbines or wind farms.
"Transport Canada's role with respect to obstacles such as wind turbines is to assess them for lighting and marking requirements in support of aviation safety in accordance with the Canadian Aviation Regulations,'' she said.
She said an assessment of a wind turbine or wind farm from Transport Canada does not constitute an authorization to construct because land use falls under provincial/municipal jurisdiction.
Timm could not be reached Monday for comment.
Chatham-Kent Essex MPP Rick Nicholls also complained to Transport Canada about the close proximity of turbines to the airport.
"Not only do they make it unsafe for pilots but I'm told the spinning blades affect radar,'' he said.
Nicholls is also concerned that the turbines would limit use of the airport by larger companies that might consider locating in Chatham-Kent and making use of company planes.
Chatham Coun. Michael Bondy said wind turbines and airports don't mix.
"Why would you risk the life of a pilot for a little bit of turbine-generated electricity?'' he asked.
Bondy said his concern is that the municipality may end up having to pay the huge demolition cost because the turbine company was issued municipally-approved building permits. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.scfwindturbine.com.
2013年6月30日 星期日
Wind Storm
The tiny community of King Island off the north-west tip of Tasmania has voted to push ahead with plans for the country's biggest ever wind farm.
A community ballot has revealed 59 per cent support for Hydro Tasmania to conduct a multimillion-dollar feasibility study into a 200 turbine wind farm.
It's a decision that's been made against the backdrop of a dwindling population, fewer jobs and closing businesses.
The massive wind farm would generate about 2,400 gigawatt hours of electricity a year, to be sent across Bass Strait by a high voltage underwater cable to the national electricity market.
Hydro Tasmania says it could produce enough electricity to power a quarter of a million households, a huge chunk of the nation's renewable energy targets.
But as Fiona Breen found out, the issue has divided the community. Friends and even families are no longer talking.
FIONA BREEN, REPORTER: On a wintry Saturday, a sporting battle pitches mate against mate, colleague against colleague and even family against family.
For 1,500 King Islanders, the three-team footy competition stirs sporting passion. Today, it's Grassy versus North. It's a tough, close match.
Off the field, another battle has been simmering. Like football, passions have come to the surface.
VOX POP: I'm against. Don't want any wind farms here to - they're just ugly, horrible things.
VOX POP II: I think the wind farms are a great idea for the island, even if it just goes to feasibility.
VOX POP III: I don't want to look at wind towers really, but if it's going to help out the island, well, we need it.
FIONA BREEN: King Island is in the Roaring 40s. Its rugged coastline is a graveyard of shipwrecks driven ashore by the winds. Calm days are rare and the wind blows at an average speed of 32 kilometres per hour. It's that consistent wind that Hydro Tasmania wants to harness, using 200 turbines costing $2 billion. The company has spent six months taking the proposal to the local community.
ANDREW CATCHPOLE, HYDRO TASMANIA: We're taking a very different approach in coming to King Island to have this conversation before doing a feasibility study, a different approach to that taken previously and elsewhere for these kinds of projects.
That is very deliberate to try and understand, and I suppose to demonstrate, that not all wind farm developments are the same. They don't have to be the same. And so we hope you would see that as a sign of our commitment to continue to work with you to ensure that if this goes ahead that there is an optimum outcome for the community.
FIONA BREEN: The community ballot has now been counted and the result was tight. Nearly 59 per cent supported taking the 200 turbine wind farm proposal to the next stage, but there was only 10 or 11 votes in it.
Hydro Tasmania had always said it needed at least 60 per cent community support for it to go ahead. At an emergency board meeting this week, the company decided it was close enough.
ANDREW CATCHPOLE: Well certainly we're aware that there are different views in the community and we want to work with all sections of the community going forward about their concerns, as we've indicated. But we do feel that the survey result of 59 per cent is a very strong indication of community support to go forward to a feasibility study. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.scfwindturbine.com.
A community ballot has revealed 59 per cent support for Hydro Tasmania to conduct a multimillion-dollar feasibility study into a 200 turbine wind farm.
It's a decision that's been made against the backdrop of a dwindling population, fewer jobs and closing businesses.
The massive wind farm would generate about 2,400 gigawatt hours of electricity a year, to be sent across Bass Strait by a high voltage underwater cable to the national electricity market.
Hydro Tasmania says it could produce enough electricity to power a quarter of a million households, a huge chunk of the nation's renewable energy targets.
But as Fiona Breen found out, the issue has divided the community. Friends and even families are no longer talking.
FIONA BREEN, REPORTER: On a wintry Saturday, a sporting battle pitches mate against mate, colleague against colleague and even family against family.
For 1,500 King Islanders, the three-team footy competition stirs sporting passion. Today, it's Grassy versus North. It's a tough, close match.
Off the field, another battle has been simmering. Like football, passions have come to the surface.
VOX POP: I'm against. Don't want any wind farms here to - they're just ugly, horrible things.
VOX POP II: I think the wind farms are a great idea for the island, even if it just goes to feasibility.
VOX POP III: I don't want to look at wind towers really, but if it's going to help out the island, well, we need it.
FIONA BREEN: King Island is in the Roaring 40s. Its rugged coastline is a graveyard of shipwrecks driven ashore by the winds. Calm days are rare and the wind blows at an average speed of 32 kilometres per hour. It's that consistent wind that Hydro Tasmania wants to harness, using 200 turbines costing $2 billion. The company has spent six months taking the proposal to the local community.
ANDREW CATCHPOLE, HYDRO TASMANIA: We're taking a very different approach in coming to King Island to have this conversation before doing a feasibility study, a different approach to that taken previously and elsewhere for these kinds of projects.
That is very deliberate to try and understand, and I suppose to demonstrate, that not all wind farm developments are the same. They don't have to be the same. And so we hope you would see that as a sign of our commitment to continue to work with you to ensure that if this goes ahead that there is an optimum outcome for the community.
FIONA BREEN: The community ballot has now been counted and the result was tight. Nearly 59 per cent supported taking the 200 turbine wind farm proposal to the next stage, but there was only 10 or 11 votes in it.
Hydro Tasmania had always said it needed at least 60 per cent community support for it to go ahead. At an emergency board meeting this week, the company decided it was close enough.
ANDREW CATCHPOLE: Well certainly we're aware that there are different views in the community and we want to work with all sections of the community going forward about their concerns, as we've indicated. But we do feel that the survey result of 59 per cent is a very strong indication of community support to go forward to a feasibility study. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.scfwindturbine.com.
2013年5月1日 星期三
Vestas receives largest turbine order in Canada
Vestas has secured a firm and unconditional order for the delivery of 166, V100-1.8 MW wind turbines along with a 20-yr service and maintenance agreement for the 299 MW Blackspring Ridge Wind Project, a joint venture of EDF EN Canada Inc. and Enbridge. It marks the largest order for Vestas wind turbines in Canada.
“We appreciate these two global energy companies making a long-term commitment to Vestas. Our partnership with EDF EN Canada and Enbridge shows their confidence in our ability to deliver turbines safely and on time,” said Chris Brown, President of Vestas’ sales and service division in Canada and the United States. “This project also will increase our market leadership position in Canada and further builds on our strong service business in Alberta.”
The 20-yr service agreement — the longest in Vestas’ history in the U.S. and Canada — features the Active Output Management (AOM) 5000 service option. AOM 5000 features an energy-based availability guarantee to ensure the turbines are operational when the wind is blowing. This service option includes the VestasOnline surveillance system that remotely controls and monitors the turbines and predicts potential maintenance issues. This lets Vestas plan maintenance so the turbines are operational for the maximum amount of time.
“Blackspring Ridge is an important addition to Enbridge’s fleet of renewable projects because it expands our wind energy portfolio in the Alberta market, which we first entered nearly a decade ago with our Magrath and Chin Chute wind farms,” said Don Thompson, Vice President, Green Energy, Enbridge Inc. “Alberta is an attractive environment for wind investments due to its high wind capacity factor and access to transmission. We welcome this opportunity to continue expanding our renewable energy assets into Western Canada and are pleased to continue our relationship with EDF EN Canada and Vestas.”
Vestas’ U.S. factories in Colorado will be involved in manufacturing components for Blackspring Ridge, which will become Canada’s sixth wind power plant to use V100-1.8 MW turbines. Overall, more than 600, V100-1.8 MW turbines are producing energy at 13 sites across Canada and the U.S. EDF EN Canada and Enbridge will develop and own Blackspring Ridge. Once commissioned, it will be the largest wind power plant in Western Canada.
Vestas installed its first wind turbines in the Canadian market in 1997 and since has become the leading wind-turbine supplier in the country and in Alberta.
Three wind turbine generators at the EDF Energy Renewables Teesside offshore wind farm have now been fully commissioned and are supplying electricity to the National Grid. So far, 18 of the 2.3MW turbines have been fully installed using the MPI Adventure jack-up vessel, operating out of the Port of Hartlepool.
After installation, a commissioning and testing programme is undertaken by the wind turbine generator manufacturer, Siemens, to ensure each is ready for operation.
On completion, the 27 turbine wind farm will be able to generate up to 62MW of power - electricity equivalent to the consumption of 40,000 households, based on information from the Digest of UK Energy Statistics and the Department of Energy & Climate Change.
There, the voltage is boosted to reduce transmission losses before entering the electrical grid via a connection at Lackenby. EDF Energy Renewables chief executive, Christian Egal, said: “We are delighted that first supplies of low carbon electricity are now being produced by our Teesside scheme.”
This is an important milestone for us and one that will help us to maintain our commitment to deliver energy in a way that is sustainable, affordable and secure. “As work progresses, further turbines will be brought on stream over the next few weeks and in doing so will enable the Teesside project to make a significant contribution to meeting these objectives.”
“We appreciate these two global energy companies making a long-term commitment to Vestas. Our partnership with EDF EN Canada and Enbridge shows their confidence in our ability to deliver turbines safely and on time,” said Chris Brown, President of Vestas’ sales and service division in Canada and the United States. “This project also will increase our market leadership position in Canada and further builds on our strong service business in Alberta.”
The 20-yr service agreement — the longest in Vestas’ history in the U.S. and Canada — features the Active Output Management (AOM) 5000 service option. AOM 5000 features an energy-based availability guarantee to ensure the turbines are operational when the wind is blowing. This service option includes the VestasOnline surveillance system that remotely controls and monitors the turbines and predicts potential maintenance issues. This lets Vestas plan maintenance so the turbines are operational for the maximum amount of time.
“Blackspring Ridge is an important addition to Enbridge’s fleet of renewable projects because it expands our wind energy portfolio in the Alberta market, which we first entered nearly a decade ago with our Magrath and Chin Chute wind farms,” said Don Thompson, Vice President, Green Energy, Enbridge Inc. “Alberta is an attractive environment for wind investments due to its high wind capacity factor and access to transmission. We welcome this opportunity to continue expanding our renewable energy assets into Western Canada and are pleased to continue our relationship with EDF EN Canada and Vestas.”
Vestas’ U.S. factories in Colorado will be involved in manufacturing components for Blackspring Ridge, which will become Canada’s sixth wind power plant to use V100-1.8 MW turbines. Overall, more than 600, V100-1.8 MW turbines are producing energy at 13 sites across Canada and the U.S. EDF EN Canada and Enbridge will develop and own Blackspring Ridge. Once commissioned, it will be the largest wind power plant in Western Canada.
Vestas installed its first wind turbines in the Canadian market in 1997 and since has become the leading wind-turbine supplier in the country and in Alberta.
Three wind turbine generators at the EDF Energy Renewables Teesside offshore wind farm have now been fully commissioned and are supplying electricity to the National Grid. So far, 18 of the 2.3MW turbines have been fully installed using the MPI Adventure jack-up vessel, operating out of the Port of Hartlepool.
After installation, a commissioning and testing programme is undertaken by the wind turbine generator manufacturer, Siemens, to ensure each is ready for operation.
On completion, the 27 turbine wind farm will be able to generate up to 62MW of power - electricity equivalent to the consumption of 40,000 households, based on information from the Digest of UK Energy Statistics and the Department of Energy & Climate Change.
There, the voltage is boosted to reduce transmission losses before entering the electrical grid via a connection at Lackenby. EDF Energy Renewables chief executive, Christian Egal, said: “We are delighted that first supplies of low carbon electricity are now being produced by our Teesside scheme.”
This is an important milestone for us and one that will help us to maintain our commitment to deliver energy in a way that is sustainable, affordable and secure. “As work progresses, further turbines will be brought on stream over the next few weeks and in doing so will enable the Teesside project to make a significant contribution to meeting these objectives.”
2013年4月23日 星期二
FenRATS protest against wind turbine plan
Some 30 to 40 members of protest group FenRATS gathered outside the Boathouse, Wisbech, today to campaign against Wind Ventures Ltd who wants to build six 126-metre high turbines between Gorefield and Sutton St James.
Wind Ventures lodged an appeal after both Fenland District Council and South Holland District Council rejected their application last year.
“We believe we have a very strong case. This was turned down unanimously by both Fenland and South Holland councils.
“Their main reason was the effect it’s going to have on properties close to the turbines, which will be dwarfed by them.
“They will have a devastating effect on the landscape and change Fenland’s character forever.“We support renewable energy and have done our bit. We just think enough is enough.”
FenRATS have engaged the services of a barrister and experts to represent their interests, at an estimated cost of 30,000.
Mr Coleman said: “Our campaign is costing a huge amount. We have got a barrister representing us and a team of expert witnesses fighting our corner.
“We are basically just a small community of ordinary people who don’t have a lot of money but have pulled together.
“People are literally in tears about this. It will cause a huge amount of damage to the fabric of our community.” Residents in St Dogmaels are concerned over the wind turbine being visible on the skyline from the village.
At a meeting of St Dogmaels Community Council on Friday six members of the public spoke against the installation of the turbine, pointing out that it would have a detrimental effect on the beauty of the area.
Among those giving evidence at the inquiry will be NE Cambs MP Steve Barclay, South Holland MP John Hayes and East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer.
The inquiry will end on May 3 and a visit to the site, which crosses the boundaries of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, will take place the following week.
A final decision will be announced by the Planning Inspectorate on June 17. FenRATS is a group of local community members driving a campaign to stop the proposed Treadings Bank Wind Farm development.
Their campaign literature says that “we feel that establishing a wind farm at the Treading Bank site, with turbines higher than Coldham Wind Farm, would have an adverse affect on the immediate area, most notably the parishes of Tydd St Giles, Sutton St Edmund, Gorefield, Newton and Parson Drove.”
Councillor Steve Tierney, who spoke at a recent public meeting organised by FenRATs, said “The turnout for the meeting was very good – particularly since we’ve been doing these for years now.
“You could almost wonder if the long time-span on such things were deliberately set to try and bleed the strength of resolve out of local people. Or perhaps that’s overly paranoid. “Anyway, it hasn’t worked. Local people remain furious. Fingers crossed for a good result.”
Wind Ventures lodged an appeal after both Fenland District Council and South Holland District Council rejected their application last year.
“We believe we have a very strong case. This was turned down unanimously by both Fenland and South Holland councils.
“Their main reason was the effect it’s going to have on properties close to the turbines, which will be dwarfed by them.
“They will have a devastating effect on the landscape and change Fenland’s character forever.“We support renewable energy and have done our bit. We just think enough is enough.”
FenRATS have engaged the services of a barrister and experts to represent their interests, at an estimated cost of 30,000.
Mr Coleman said: “Our campaign is costing a huge amount. We have got a barrister representing us and a team of expert witnesses fighting our corner.
“We are basically just a small community of ordinary people who don’t have a lot of money but have pulled together.
“People are literally in tears about this. It will cause a huge amount of damage to the fabric of our community.” Residents in St Dogmaels are concerned over the wind turbine being visible on the skyline from the village.
At a meeting of St Dogmaels Community Council on Friday six members of the public spoke against the installation of the turbine, pointing out that it would have a detrimental effect on the beauty of the area.
Among those giving evidence at the inquiry will be NE Cambs MP Steve Barclay, South Holland MP John Hayes and East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer.
The inquiry will end on May 3 and a visit to the site, which crosses the boundaries of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, will take place the following week.
A final decision will be announced by the Planning Inspectorate on June 17. FenRATS is a group of local community members driving a campaign to stop the proposed Treadings Bank Wind Farm development.
Their campaign literature says that “we feel that establishing a wind farm at the Treading Bank site, with turbines higher than Coldham Wind Farm, would have an adverse affect on the immediate area, most notably the parishes of Tydd St Giles, Sutton St Edmund, Gorefield, Newton and Parson Drove.”
Councillor Steve Tierney, who spoke at a recent public meeting organised by FenRATs, said “The turnout for the meeting was very good – particularly since we’ve been doing these for years now.
“You could almost wonder if the long time-span on such things were deliberately set to try and bleed the strength of resolve out of local people. Or perhaps that’s overly paranoid. “Anyway, it hasn’t worked. Local people remain furious. Fingers crossed for a good result.”
2013年4月17日 星期三
The benefits of being Christian
It is not unusual for large companies to offer great perks. Among the common is a great insurance benefit package with little or no cost to the employee.
Then there are the typical perks of employee discounts on phones, rental cars, dry cleaners, hotel lodging, apartment rentals, computer purchases, auto repair and discounts on tax preparation.
If you are one of the lucky people to have landed a position in the Silicon Valley in California, the perks are out of this world.
A company with 250 employees provides every full-time worker the option to have their homes cleaned twice a month — for free.
Another business in the Silicon Valley offers free take-home dinners and helps find last minute babysitters when your child is too sick to attend school.
A consulting firm offers back-up assistance for the care of an elderly parent or grandparent. They also offer personal trainers, nutritionists and counseling services free to their employees.
One high-tech company offers free food in their impressive food court, dry cleaning services and an added bonus of $500 for new parents and fresh fish delivered to the office every day for the employees to take home.
Some of these companies allow families to come during the evening hours and eat free in their food court when employees work late. They also provide a $3,000-per-year child care benefit.
Other major companies offer free health club memberships for employees and their families. Their outlook is the healthier the employee, the less they will use their medical benefits.
Being a Christian has marvelous benefits. The first is eternal life. Then there’s the added benefit of spending eternity in a mansion prepared just for you and streets paved with gold. Awesome.
While here on earth, you have the benefit of going to Our Heavenly Father in prayer any time of the day or night, knowing He hears and will answer your prayer.
You have the confidence that you are never alone; that He is always with you. No one else can offer that promise.
Then there’s the promise of peace, joy and happiness, no matter what situation you face.
The Great Physician is standing ready to provide healing whenever you need it, at no extra charge.
Unconditional love, even when you don’t deserve it, and a friend who will stick by you to the end.Of all the perks big companies have to offer, they can’t begin to compare.
Then there are the typical perks of employee discounts on phones, rental cars, dry cleaners, hotel lodging, apartment rentals, computer purchases, auto repair and discounts on tax preparation.
If you are one of the lucky people to have landed a position in the Silicon Valley in California, the perks are out of this world.
A company with 250 employees provides every full-time worker the option to have their homes cleaned twice a month — for free.
Another business in the Silicon Valley offers free take-home dinners and helps find last minute babysitters when your child is too sick to attend school.
A consulting firm offers back-up assistance for the care of an elderly parent or grandparent. They also offer personal trainers, nutritionists and counseling services free to their employees.
One high-tech company offers free food in their impressive food court, dry cleaning services and an added bonus of $500 for new parents and fresh fish delivered to the office every day for the employees to take home.
Some of these companies allow families to come during the evening hours and eat free in their food court when employees work late. They also provide a $3,000-per-year child care benefit.
Other major companies offer free health club memberships for employees and their families. Their outlook is the healthier the employee, the less they will use their medical benefits.
Being a Christian has marvelous benefits. The first is eternal life. Then there’s the added benefit of spending eternity in a mansion prepared just for you and streets paved with gold. Awesome.
While here on earth, you have the benefit of going to Our Heavenly Father in prayer any time of the day or night, knowing He hears and will answer your prayer.
You have the confidence that you are never alone; that He is always with you. No one else can offer that promise.
Then there’s the promise of peace, joy and happiness, no matter what situation you face.
The Great Physician is standing ready to provide healing whenever you need it, at no extra charge.
Unconditional love, even when you don’t deserve it, and a friend who will stick by you to the end.Of all the perks big companies have to offer, they can’t begin to compare.
2013年4月16日 星期二
Councillors grant wind mast permission
The application by SSE Renewables, one of the shareholders in the 457 megawatt wind farm project, had attracted four objections.
During a short hearing in Lerwick Town Hall on Tuesday morning, James Mackenzie of anti-Viking group Sustainable Shetland told the four councillors present that planning conditions had previously been breached when the applicant used the wrong access route.
“In the event contractors were observed accessing the mast site from the A970 close to Petta Water and an occupied red throated diver breeding site on two occasions,” Mackenzie said.
“It is therefore of great concern to me that conditions or recommendations made by the planning authority may be ignored again to the detriment of wildlife.”
Viking Energy’s project officer David Thomson said the data mast was one of many the project had across the site.
As the wind farm is unlikely to be built before 2018/19, collecting further wind data was necessary to make the right decisions on turbine acquisition and financial modeling, he said.
The recommendation to renew the temporary planning permission was then moved by councillor Drew Ratter and seconded by Steven Coutts.
Former Viking director Ratter had earlier declared a non-pecuniary interest as a trustee of Shetland Charitable Trust, a major shareholder in the Viking project, but decided to participate in the planning meeting.
Committee member and former Sustainable Shetland chairman Billy Fox said he could not take part, as it was he who had presented the group’s original objection back in April 2010.
After the meeting Thomson said: “We’re satisfied with the result and are always happy to go through the correct process so everyone can have their say.
It is important to us to have continual wind data to cover the period until the project is up and running.
“At that point the temporary masts will be decommissioned and the permanent masts that already have been approved as part of last year’s wind farm consent will take over.”
Mackenzie said: “I was not surprised by the decision today, be we nevertheless thought it worthwhile to bring to the attention of the committee and the wider public that this temporary planning permission has conditions attached which cannot be complied with.
“One of the conditions is for the re-instatement of the site after the removal of the mast. This is impossible as the mast will be replaced by a large section of the planned wind farm.”
The wind farm project received planning consent from Scottish ministers in April last year, a decision that is currently being challenged by Sustainable Shetland in the Court of Session.
During a short hearing in Lerwick Town Hall on Tuesday morning, James Mackenzie of anti-Viking group Sustainable Shetland told the four councillors present that planning conditions had previously been breached when the applicant used the wrong access route.
“In the event contractors were observed accessing the mast site from the A970 close to Petta Water and an occupied red throated diver breeding site on two occasions,” Mackenzie said.
“It is therefore of great concern to me that conditions or recommendations made by the planning authority may be ignored again to the detriment of wildlife.”
Viking Energy’s project officer David Thomson said the data mast was one of many the project had across the site.
As the wind farm is unlikely to be built before 2018/19, collecting further wind data was necessary to make the right decisions on turbine acquisition and financial modeling, he said.
The recommendation to renew the temporary planning permission was then moved by councillor Drew Ratter and seconded by Steven Coutts.
Former Viking director Ratter had earlier declared a non-pecuniary interest as a trustee of Shetland Charitable Trust, a major shareholder in the Viking project, but decided to participate in the planning meeting.
Committee member and former Sustainable Shetland chairman Billy Fox said he could not take part, as it was he who had presented the group’s original objection back in April 2010.
After the meeting Thomson said: “We’re satisfied with the result and are always happy to go through the correct process so everyone can have their say.
It is important to us to have continual wind data to cover the period until the project is up and running.
“At that point the temporary masts will be decommissioned and the permanent masts that already have been approved as part of last year’s wind farm consent will take over.”
Mackenzie said: “I was not surprised by the decision today, be we nevertheless thought it worthwhile to bring to the attention of the committee and the wider public that this temporary planning permission has conditions attached which cannot be complied with.
“One of the conditions is for the re-instatement of the site after the removal of the mast. This is impossible as the mast will be replaced by a large section of the planned wind farm.”
The wind farm project received planning consent from Scottish ministers in April last year, a decision that is currently being challenged by Sustainable Shetland in the Court of Session.
2013年4月14日 星期日
Attorney general vs. Creeks now in federal court
An attempt by Alabama's attorney general to shut down three casinos operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians has shifted to federal court, where a judge will have to decide if the state's top prosecutor can challenge the tribe's gambling.
Attorney General Luther Strange initially filed suit in Elmore County, where the tribe operates one of its three casinos. The suit was filed on Feb. 19, the same day the attorney general raided and shut down the privately operated VictoryLand casino in Macon County.
Strange contended the tribe's casinos in Wetumpka, Montgomery and Atmore were a public nuisance operating illegal gambling machines. The tribe argued that it is under federal regulation rather than state regulation, and it got the suit moved to federal court in Montgomery.
In federal court, the attorney general is arguing that the tribe is operating games that exceed any authority it may have under federal or state law. The tribe contends that bingo is legal in some Alabama counties, and the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory act allows it to operate any gambling that is legal in the state. It maintains that its games are simply electronic versions of bingo and are allowed under federal law. It is asking U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins to dismiss the suit on grounds that Strange lacks standing to sue.
"To nobody's surprise, Attorney General Strange raises claims that are without merit and have been rejected numerous times in various forums," Robert McGhee, government relations adviser for the tribe, said in a statement.
Strange's deputy solicitor general, Andrew Brasher, said the attorney general is pleased the tribe got the suit moved to federal court.
"This procedural move required the tribal defendants to acknowledge that federal law gives the state a claim against them and to waive several defenses that they could have raised," he said.
In papers filed Thursday, the attorney general argues that the games are slot machines, which are illegal in Alabama and, unlike a game of bingo, they can be played by touching a button once.
McGhee is confident the case will end with the federal court ruling the state has no jurisdiction under federal law. "The real question is when is the attorney general going to cease ignoring federal law and attempting to undermine the inherent right of the Poarch Band to govern itself," he said.
With the attorney general's crackdown on VictoryLand and other privately operated casinos, the Poarch Creek's three casinos are now the largest gambling operations in the state. The attorney general and other law enforcement agencies have raided privately operated gambling halls, but Strange has taken the courtroom approach with Alabama's only federally recognized Indian tribe because of the status it has under federal law.
Attorney General Luther Strange initially filed suit in Elmore County, where the tribe operates one of its three casinos. The suit was filed on Feb. 19, the same day the attorney general raided and shut down the privately operated VictoryLand casino in Macon County.
Strange contended the tribe's casinos in Wetumpka, Montgomery and Atmore were a public nuisance operating illegal gambling machines. The tribe argued that it is under federal regulation rather than state regulation, and it got the suit moved to federal court in Montgomery.
In federal court, the attorney general is arguing that the tribe is operating games that exceed any authority it may have under federal or state law. The tribe contends that bingo is legal in some Alabama counties, and the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory act allows it to operate any gambling that is legal in the state. It maintains that its games are simply electronic versions of bingo and are allowed under federal law. It is asking U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins to dismiss the suit on grounds that Strange lacks standing to sue.
"To nobody's surprise, Attorney General Strange raises claims that are without merit and have been rejected numerous times in various forums," Robert McGhee, government relations adviser for the tribe, said in a statement.
Strange's deputy solicitor general, Andrew Brasher, said the attorney general is pleased the tribe got the suit moved to federal court.
"This procedural move required the tribal defendants to acknowledge that federal law gives the state a claim against them and to waive several defenses that they could have raised," he said.
In papers filed Thursday, the attorney general argues that the games are slot machines, which are illegal in Alabama and, unlike a game of bingo, they can be played by touching a button once.
McGhee is confident the case will end with the federal court ruling the state has no jurisdiction under federal law. "The real question is when is the attorney general going to cease ignoring federal law and attempting to undermine the inherent right of the Poarch Band to govern itself," he said.
With the attorney general's crackdown on VictoryLand and other privately operated casinos, the Poarch Creek's three casinos are now the largest gambling operations in the state. The attorney general and other law enforcement agencies have raided privately operated gambling halls, but Strange has taken the courtroom approach with Alabama's only federally recognized Indian tribe because of the status it has under federal law.
2013年4月9日 星期二
Financial Health Is The Focus For The Month Of April
How are you doing financially? Are you able to live comfortably; able to take vacations to faraway places? Or are you just getting by — barely able to meet your basic needs: housing, food, clothing, transportation and medical?
Because economic security is an important aspect of health and well-being, Financial Health is the focus for April in your Passport to Happiness Calendar — and the topic for the next Passport to Happiness event at the center April 17 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Carol Mauser, from the Aging and People with Disabilities office, and Marvin Pohl from the Area Agency on Aging will explain and clarify different services available to support older adults including Qualified Medicare Benefits, SHIBA, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Oregon Project Independence.
A few examples include evaluating your health insurance annually, which means for us “mature” folks to always review our current medical plans during Medicare Open Enrollment in October; borrow instead of buy (The Dalles Wasco County Library has a large selection of popular videos to lend) and to start hand washing instead of dry cleaning one shirt a month (I’ve never heard of anyone dry-cleaning their shirts! But then, I never knew you didn’t ask for Thousand Island dressing in an Italian restaurant.)
The center‘s first spring day-trip is to WAAAM (Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum) in Hood River April 13. That is the second Saturday of the month when WAAAM fires up their aeroplanes and autos so you can experience what it was like in the “good-old-days.” The cost is $10 for admission, (but I have four two-for-the-price-of-one coupons, so for the first eight folks to sign up admission is only $5) plus $7.50 for round-trip transportation. Trip capacity is 12. We will leave the Center at 9 a.m. and return by 4 p.m.
OSU Extension, in cooperation with CGCC, is offering Mastery of Aging Well in a five session series on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon at The Dalles CGCC campus starting April 18. Each session will include a 45-minute video presentation, plus an expert speaker. The first session is on Memory Difficulties, followed by Depression in Later Life, Medication Jeopardy, Food as Medicine, and Physical Exercise in Later Life.
And before the shallow water passes away to let the deep sea roll, playing tonight at the center is “Martin and Friends.” Next week, Truman will be serenading you with Country Gold. Music begins at 7 p.m.
The answer to last week’s “Remember When” question was General Douglas MacArthur who at his farewell speech before Congress spoke the famous lines “old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” (And this week’s winner is Sandy Goforth.)
This week’s question is about a common antiseptic from the 1950’s which is seldom used anymore. Before my mother would paint my cuts or scrapes with this orange liquid, I can still remember grimacing, because I knew it was going to sting like the devil.
Because economic security is an important aspect of health and well-being, Financial Health is the focus for April in your Passport to Happiness Calendar — and the topic for the next Passport to Happiness event at the center April 17 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Carol Mauser, from the Aging and People with Disabilities office, and Marvin Pohl from the Area Agency on Aging will explain and clarify different services available to support older adults including Qualified Medicare Benefits, SHIBA, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Oregon Project Independence.
A few examples include evaluating your health insurance annually, which means for us “mature” folks to always review our current medical plans during Medicare Open Enrollment in October; borrow instead of buy (The Dalles Wasco County Library has a large selection of popular videos to lend) and to start hand washing instead of dry cleaning one shirt a month (I’ve never heard of anyone dry-cleaning their shirts! But then, I never knew you didn’t ask for Thousand Island dressing in an Italian restaurant.)
The center‘s first spring day-trip is to WAAAM (Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum) in Hood River April 13. That is the second Saturday of the month when WAAAM fires up their aeroplanes and autos so you can experience what it was like in the “good-old-days.” The cost is $10 for admission, (but I have four two-for-the-price-of-one coupons, so for the first eight folks to sign up admission is only $5) plus $7.50 for round-trip transportation. Trip capacity is 12. We will leave the Center at 9 a.m. and return by 4 p.m.
OSU Extension, in cooperation with CGCC, is offering Mastery of Aging Well in a five session series on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon at The Dalles CGCC campus starting April 18. Each session will include a 45-minute video presentation, plus an expert speaker. The first session is on Memory Difficulties, followed by Depression in Later Life, Medication Jeopardy, Food as Medicine, and Physical Exercise in Later Life.
And before the shallow water passes away to let the deep sea roll, playing tonight at the center is “Martin and Friends.” Next week, Truman will be serenading you with Country Gold. Music begins at 7 p.m.
The answer to last week’s “Remember When” question was General Douglas MacArthur who at his farewell speech before Congress spoke the famous lines “old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” (And this week’s winner is Sandy Goforth.)
This week’s question is about a common antiseptic from the 1950’s which is seldom used anymore. Before my mother would paint my cuts or scrapes with this orange liquid, I can still remember grimacing, because I knew it was going to sting like the devil.
2013年4月8日 星期一
Council backs wind farm plans
A WIND farm spanning an area larger than Inverness is a step closer to being given the go ahead after Highland Council gave its backing to the scheme.
It is now for the Scottish Government to decide whether to grant planning permission to Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) for the 67-turbine farm at Stronelairg on the Garrogie Estate, near Fort Augustus. It would be the biggest wind farms in the Highlands if approved.
Councillors in Inverness decided to back the plans today, despite more than 130 representations against the scheme. Earlier they visited the site, which involved a bus and landrover trip.
Aird and Loch Ness councillor Margaret Davidson supported the plans, saying few local residents were hostile to the scheme because the turbines will not be visible from their homes. However, she said she had serious concern about the impact on traffic.
"The only objections [from locals] were about the roads — for every one of these turbines there will be six abnormal [lorry] loads," she said. "There is no getting away from it, the impact of traffic going through Fort Augustus is going to be enormous."
However, Badenoch and Streathspey councillors Dave Fallows and Bill Lobban both opposed the development because of the detrimental impact on the rugged landscape and the absence of a national wild land policy.
Councillors voted 11 to three in favour of the plans. A small protest was held outside Highland Council headquarters in Inverness ahead of the meeting.
Among the objectors was 71-year-old Michael Waldron, whose family have run the Killin Estate since 1946.
Mr Waldron visits Killin Lodge every year and says the turbines will be a "great eyesore" and is concerned construction could threaten a rare species of fish in the River Killin and Loch Killin.
"The lodge is about a quarter-of-a-mile away from Stronelairg and is situated in a flood valley," he said. "If the wind farm is built then it would push the peat down into the water and threaten the Killin char which has been there since the Ice Age."
David Baldwin, the council’s planning officer, said a "buffer zone" had been included in the plans to alleviate any potential problems from peat slide.
Mr Waldron, who lives in Devon but travelled up to protest, waved a placard outside Highland Council headquarters with his son Stephen (45) and 14-year-old grandson Callum after being barred from protesting during the site visit.
There is widespread concern about the loss of wild land in the Loch Ness area and the impact this could have on tourism and the environment.
Stronelairg is just one of six built or planned wind farms on the west side of Loch Ness and community leaders in Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston have already said they fear being surrounded and want a study to be carried out to assess the cumulative impact.
Helen McDade, head of policy for the John Muir Trust, Scotland’s wild land charity, described Loch Ness as a tourist hot spot and said the potential loss of wild land in the area was very concerning from a tourism but also environmental point of view.
"Although Stronelairg won’t be visible from the main road, once people stop and go to their bed and breakfasts and then out into the hills for a walk, or drive on the minor roads, it is going to have a massive impact," she said. "There is no doubt it would impact on a significant amount of the population and should be refused. It is a huge development — the footprint is about the size of Inverness."
It is now for the Scottish Government to decide whether to grant planning permission to Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) for the 67-turbine farm at Stronelairg on the Garrogie Estate, near Fort Augustus. It would be the biggest wind farms in the Highlands if approved.
Councillors in Inverness decided to back the plans today, despite more than 130 representations against the scheme. Earlier they visited the site, which involved a bus and landrover trip.
Aird and Loch Ness councillor Margaret Davidson supported the plans, saying few local residents were hostile to the scheme because the turbines will not be visible from their homes. However, she said she had serious concern about the impact on traffic.
"The only objections [from locals] were about the roads — for every one of these turbines there will be six abnormal [lorry] loads," she said. "There is no getting away from it, the impact of traffic going through Fort Augustus is going to be enormous."
However, Badenoch and Streathspey councillors Dave Fallows and Bill Lobban both opposed the development because of the detrimental impact on the rugged landscape and the absence of a national wild land policy.
Councillors voted 11 to three in favour of the plans. A small protest was held outside Highland Council headquarters in Inverness ahead of the meeting.
Among the objectors was 71-year-old Michael Waldron, whose family have run the Killin Estate since 1946.
Mr Waldron visits Killin Lodge every year and says the turbines will be a "great eyesore" and is concerned construction could threaten a rare species of fish in the River Killin and Loch Killin.
"The lodge is about a quarter-of-a-mile away from Stronelairg and is situated in a flood valley," he said. "If the wind farm is built then it would push the peat down into the water and threaten the Killin char which has been there since the Ice Age."
David Baldwin, the council’s planning officer, said a "buffer zone" had been included in the plans to alleviate any potential problems from peat slide.
Mr Waldron, who lives in Devon but travelled up to protest, waved a placard outside Highland Council headquarters with his son Stephen (45) and 14-year-old grandson Callum after being barred from protesting during the site visit.
There is widespread concern about the loss of wild land in the Loch Ness area and the impact this could have on tourism and the environment.
Stronelairg is just one of six built or planned wind farms on the west side of Loch Ness and community leaders in Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston have already said they fear being surrounded and want a study to be carried out to assess the cumulative impact.
Helen McDade, head of policy for the John Muir Trust, Scotland’s wild land charity, described Loch Ness as a tourist hot spot and said the potential loss of wild land in the area was very concerning from a tourism but also environmental point of view.
"Although Stronelairg won’t be visible from the main road, once people stop and go to their bed and breakfasts and then out into the hills for a walk, or drive on the minor roads, it is going to have a massive impact," she said. "There is no doubt it would impact on a significant amount of the population and should be refused. It is a huge development — the footprint is about the size of Inverness."
2013年4月6日 星期六
Wind energy is divisive
AUSTRALIA'S climate commissioner, Tim Flannery, recently suggested the health impact of wind farms was more likely to result from neighbours being stressed than physically harmed by wind-related noise.
To back up his claim, Professor Flannery relayed a conversation with a Canberra farmer over whether six turbines on his property had made any of his neighbours sick.
"(The farmer) said, `Yeah, mate, people get sick, sick with envy'," Prof Flannery told a forum, referring to the farmer's $60,000 annual windfall for leasing his land for turbine use.
Like most Australians, I love the idea of wind turbines as a renewable form of energy. Sometimes they even seem quite graceful.
But it's all very well to favour green energy when the closest you get to its production is switching on the kettle.
Many of you will know I grew up in Port Vincent, on Yorke Peninsula. I still have property there and return regularly for holidays.
So, in recent months I've heard lots of differing opinions on the proposed $1.3 billion Ceres Wind Farm on land between Port Vincent and Port Julia, and it's made me realise just how divisive and messy these supposedly win-win schemes can be.
On every level, this project is massive. Developer REpower says the Ceres project would be the biggest wind farm in Australia, powering up to 225,000 homes, potentially driving down energy prices and helping to facilitate an early regional rollout of the NBN.
It's massive, too, in terms of the injection of cash into the regional economy: $8 million annually, including a $150,000 community benefit fund, 500 jobs in construction and 50 permanent jobs for 25 years.
Then there's the size of the 199 turbines. At 150m, they'd be the tallest wind turbines in Australia - higher than the Sydney Harbour Bridge or Adelaide's tallest building, Westpac House.
And there's the rather massive amount of cash that 36 landholders will receive in return for hosting the turbines: at $15,000 a year each for 199 turbines, you're looking at an average new income stream of $80,000 yearly for the landholders involved (or an average of $2 million each for the life of the project).
Massive, too, is the intensity of feeling this project has sparked on both sides of the debate.
Neighbour against neighbour, friend against friend, family against family - little wonder people feel sick to the stomach.
Let's leave the whole intrasound health argument to one side (research hasn't proved it, but experts say more studies are warranted).
Instead, it's only fair to consider the families who live next door and down the road from the 36 host properties - families who've farmed the land for generations and now face a future blighted by 150m turbines as close as 1.3km from their front door.
Heartland Farmers, a collective of more than 200 landowners opposed to the Ceres project, say it will significantly affect their ability to produce high-yield crops because aerial sprayers can't get within 3km of the turbines.
They fear the turbines will restrict the potential for aerial firefighting, heightening the fire risk for properties and people. Land values, they say, could also fall as they've done in other regional areas where wind farms have been built.
I can well appreciate how galling it must be for these farmers when they're expected to suck it up for the common good of SA, especially as their multibillion-dollar agriculture industry is taken for granted more than it's truly celebrated.
I'm not flatly opposed to the Ceres project, although why we'd use good farm land when there's so much arid space further north is a bit baffling.
I know families who stand to do very well out of the development and can understand why they're keen to take up the opportunity.
But I also know people who are at their wits end about it. And it's made me realise that you can't trivialise these issues down to NIMBY jibes and "sick with envy" quotes.
To back up his claim, Professor Flannery relayed a conversation with a Canberra farmer over whether six turbines on his property had made any of his neighbours sick.
"(The farmer) said, `Yeah, mate, people get sick, sick with envy'," Prof Flannery told a forum, referring to the farmer's $60,000 annual windfall for leasing his land for turbine use.
Like most Australians, I love the idea of wind turbines as a renewable form of energy. Sometimes they even seem quite graceful.
But it's all very well to favour green energy when the closest you get to its production is switching on the kettle.
Many of you will know I grew up in Port Vincent, on Yorke Peninsula. I still have property there and return regularly for holidays.
So, in recent months I've heard lots of differing opinions on the proposed $1.3 billion Ceres Wind Farm on land between Port Vincent and Port Julia, and it's made me realise just how divisive and messy these supposedly win-win schemes can be.
On every level, this project is massive. Developer REpower says the Ceres project would be the biggest wind farm in Australia, powering up to 225,000 homes, potentially driving down energy prices and helping to facilitate an early regional rollout of the NBN.
It's massive, too, in terms of the injection of cash into the regional economy: $8 million annually, including a $150,000 community benefit fund, 500 jobs in construction and 50 permanent jobs for 25 years.
Then there's the size of the 199 turbines. At 150m, they'd be the tallest wind turbines in Australia - higher than the Sydney Harbour Bridge or Adelaide's tallest building, Westpac House.
And there's the rather massive amount of cash that 36 landholders will receive in return for hosting the turbines: at $15,000 a year each for 199 turbines, you're looking at an average new income stream of $80,000 yearly for the landholders involved (or an average of $2 million each for the life of the project).
Massive, too, is the intensity of feeling this project has sparked on both sides of the debate.
Neighbour against neighbour, friend against friend, family against family - little wonder people feel sick to the stomach.
Let's leave the whole intrasound health argument to one side (research hasn't proved it, but experts say more studies are warranted).
Instead, it's only fair to consider the families who live next door and down the road from the 36 host properties - families who've farmed the land for generations and now face a future blighted by 150m turbines as close as 1.3km from their front door.
Heartland Farmers, a collective of more than 200 landowners opposed to the Ceres project, say it will significantly affect their ability to produce high-yield crops because aerial sprayers can't get within 3km of the turbines.
They fear the turbines will restrict the potential for aerial firefighting, heightening the fire risk for properties and people. Land values, they say, could also fall as they've done in other regional areas where wind farms have been built.
I can well appreciate how galling it must be for these farmers when they're expected to suck it up for the common good of SA, especially as their multibillion-dollar agriculture industry is taken for granted more than it's truly celebrated.
I'm not flatly opposed to the Ceres project, although why we'd use good farm land when there's so much arid space further north is a bit baffling.
I know families who stand to do very well out of the development and can understand why they're keen to take up the opportunity.
But I also know people who are at their wits end about it. And it's made me realise that you can't trivialise these issues down to NIMBY jibes and "sick with envy" quotes.
2013年3月31日 星期日
New England renewable energy a hard sell in region
Establishing a New England market to buy renewable energy seemed a laudable goal when governors committed last year to bulk purchases of wind and solar power to knock down the price while reducing the region's reliance on fossil fuels.
Consumers could benefit from price stability, even from costlier wind and energy power. But putting together details about what types of renewable energy the six states will buy in the groundbreaking deal is snared in a patchwork of rules, state laws and disagreements over how even to define alternative energy.
"I don't think we know how to do it," was the blunt assessment of Christopher Recchia, commissioner of Vermont's Public Service Department.
For example, Vermont environmental officials believe biomass - energy from living or recently living materials - is a form of renewable energy. But Dan Esty, Connecticut's environmental commissioner, said biomass is "not cutting edge." And Connecticut legislation being considered would require biomass and landfill-gas plants to improve their environmental performance to be part of the state's portfolio of renewable power.
The price of wind and solar power has been falling, and a regional purchase could be expected to put more downward pressure on prices. To consumers, the immediate benefit from wind and solar power is price stability, which eludes oil and natural gas, tied to fluctuating global markets.
Wind and solar power are more expensive than gas, about 8.5 cents per kilowatt-hour versus 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to Seth Kaplan, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston. But wind and solar projects can win financing more easily than coal- and gas-fired plants, which are increasingly in disfavor because of environmental worries. And nuclear plants take years to win permits and to build.
By offering long-term contracts to wind and solar power suppliers, New England states would virtually guarantee financing for renewable power projects.
However, not all of the six New England states are joining the regional effort, the only such endeavor in the country. New Hampshire is not participating, and Maine and Vermont disagree with Connecticut over whether hydropower and biomass count as renewable energy.
Because of their size, Connecticut and Massachusetts can drive the regional project. Electricity demand in the two states is about 70 percent of demand in New England.
"Connecticut and Massachusetts have the ability to make a market here," Kaplan said. "This is a market that is waiting to be tapped."
In the region, 28 wind projects totaling 2,000 megawatts are waiting for approval, said Marcia Blomberg, spokeswoman for ISO-New England, the region's grid. That represents 40 percent of total megawatts in projects waiting for an OK and would nearly triple wind power output in the region.
Esty said he sees a "real break out here in regional cooperation." But Massachusetts is criticizing Connecticut as it tries to update 15-year-old rules related to the share of renewable energy as a proportion of overall sources of power.
Legislation in Connecticut would expand the types of hydropower and biogas that count as alternative power in the state's portfolio, create a new class that includes certain large-scale hydropower resources and make other changes in alternative power standards.
Massachusetts officials do not consider large hydropower projects eligible for its portfolio of renewable energy because it's a "mature technology," compared with newer alternative energy such as wind and power, said Steven Clarke, assistant secretary for energy in Massachusetts.
Consumers could benefit from price stability, even from costlier wind and energy power. But putting together details about what types of renewable energy the six states will buy in the groundbreaking deal is snared in a patchwork of rules, state laws and disagreements over how even to define alternative energy.
"I don't think we know how to do it," was the blunt assessment of Christopher Recchia, commissioner of Vermont's Public Service Department.
For example, Vermont environmental officials believe biomass - energy from living or recently living materials - is a form of renewable energy. But Dan Esty, Connecticut's environmental commissioner, said biomass is "not cutting edge." And Connecticut legislation being considered would require biomass and landfill-gas plants to improve their environmental performance to be part of the state's portfolio of renewable power.
The price of wind and solar power has been falling, and a regional purchase could be expected to put more downward pressure on prices. To consumers, the immediate benefit from wind and solar power is price stability, which eludes oil and natural gas, tied to fluctuating global markets.
Wind and solar power are more expensive than gas, about 8.5 cents per kilowatt-hour versus 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to Seth Kaplan, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston. But wind and solar projects can win financing more easily than coal- and gas-fired plants, which are increasingly in disfavor because of environmental worries. And nuclear plants take years to win permits and to build.
By offering long-term contracts to wind and solar power suppliers, New England states would virtually guarantee financing for renewable power projects.
However, not all of the six New England states are joining the regional effort, the only such endeavor in the country. New Hampshire is not participating, and Maine and Vermont disagree with Connecticut over whether hydropower and biomass count as renewable energy.
Because of their size, Connecticut and Massachusetts can drive the regional project. Electricity demand in the two states is about 70 percent of demand in New England.
"Connecticut and Massachusetts have the ability to make a market here," Kaplan said. "This is a market that is waiting to be tapped."
In the region, 28 wind projects totaling 2,000 megawatts are waiting for approval, said Marcia Blomberg, spokeswoman for ISO-New England, the region's grid. That represents 40 percent of total megawatts in projects waiting for an OK and would nearly triple wind power output in the region.
Esty said he sees a "real break out here in regional cooperation." But Massachusetts is criticizing Connecticut as it tries to update 15-year-old rules related to the share of renewable energy as a proportion of overall sources of power.
Legislation in Connecticut would expand the types of hydropower and biogas that count as alternative power in the state's portfolio, create a new class that includes certain large-scale hydropower resources and make other changes in alternative power standards.
Massachusetts officials do not consider large hydropower projects eligible for its portfolio of renewable energy because it's a "mature technology," compared with newer alternative energy such as wind and power, said Steven Clarke, assistant secretary for energy in Massachusetts.
2013年3月27日 星期三
Wind power on the rise in the Great Lakes region
Nearly 70 percent of all new power plants built in the Great Lakes region use wind as an energy source, according to reports from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The reports, which summarize developments in the United States’ energy infrastructure, show the Great Lakes states contributed to a national trend of increased reliance on renewable energy. Nationwide, 49 percent of all new power plants in the country were using renewable sources in 2012.
Only two fossil fuel plants came online in the Great Lakes region since January 2012, a coal-fired plant in Washington County, Ill. and a gas-fired plant near Dresden, Ohio, according to reports. The same period saw the completion of 21 wind farms and 8 plants using other renewable sources such as solar energy and sustainable-harvested biomass fuel.
The wind farms, which contain a total of 1,532 new wind turbines, generate approximately 2,952 MW of energy. That’s 68 percent of the 4,372 megawatts produced by all new power plants built since January 2012.
“Wind power has grown markedly in the last decade or so,” said Matthew Wagner, wind development manager for DTE Energy, a power generation company based in Detroit. “There has been much more discussion lately about going green, particularly because the conversation around climate change has increased in frequency. Whether you agree with this theory or not, wind energy is the renewable technology that really provides the highest return in terms of energy production and cost-effectiveness.”
Other renewable technologies, like solar or geothermal energy, do not approach the economic benefits of wind power, Wagner said.
DTE completed a trio of wind parks in Michigan’s Thumb region in December, producing 110 megawatts using 69 turbines.
“Above all, wind is a clean, renewable and home-grown source of energy,” said Kelley Welf, spokesperson for Wind on the Wires, a Midwest-based wind energy advocacy group. Welf said that in addition to wind power’s environmental benefits, it stimulates local job growth.
“A typical 250 megawatt wind farm creates 1,079 jobs over the life of the project, including positions in manufacturing, construction, engineering and management,” Welf said. “With about 67 percent of the 8,000 component parts of a turbine now being manufactured in the U.S., the cost of producing the turbines has decreased dramatically.”
Despite these advantages, wind power continues to face difficulties when compared to traditional energy sources.
“It would be a challenge for a wind park to match the output of a traditional power plant,” Wagner said. “This is because typical wind turbines range in capacity from 1 to 3 megawatts, while traditional coal-fired plants have capacities on the order of hundreds of megawatts. Our largest plant is capable of generating more than 3,000 megawatts.”
For a wind farm to approach that level of energy production, it would need about 4,000 turbines, Wagner said.
“Could you build a wind farm that size? Probably. But you’d need lots and lots of land, so I’m not sure you could do it practically,” he said. Wind energy is also less reliable than traditional energy sources, because wind does not occur with the same speed or frequency at all times.
As states pass new and stricter emissions controls that make traditional power generation more expensive, wind power, which is not subject to those controls, has become more appealing, Wagner said. As the deadlines set by state renewable energy standards draw closer power companies expect to continue to increase their wind power production.
The reports, which summarize developments in the United States’ energy infrastructure, show the Great Lakes states contributed to a national trend of increased reliance on renewable energy. Nationwide, 49 percent of all new power plants in the country were using renewable sources in 2012.
Only two fossil fuel plants came online in the Great Lakes region since January 2012, a coal-fired plant in Washington County, Ill. and a gas-fired plant near Dresden, Ohio, according to reports. The same period saw the completion of 21 wind farms and 8 plants using other renewable sources such as solar energy and sustainable-harvested biomass fuel.
The wind farms, which contain a total of 1,532 new wind turbines, generate approximately 2,952 MW of energy. That’s 68 percent of the 4,372 megawatts produced by all new power plants built since January 2012.
“Wind power has grown markedly in the last decade or so,” said Matthew Wagner, wind development manager for DTE Energy, a power generation company based in Detroit. “There has been much more discussion lately about going green, particularly because the conversation around climate change has increased in frequency. Whether you agree with this theory or not, wind energy is the renewable technology that really provides the highest return in terms of energy production and cost-effectiveness.”
Other renewable technologies, like solar or geothermal energy, do not approach the economic benefits of wind power, Wagner said.
DTE completed a trio of wind parks in Michigan’s Thumb region in December, producing 110 megawatts using 69 turbines.
“Above all, wind is a clean, renewable and home-grown source of energy,” said Kelley Welf, spokesperson for Wind on the Wires, a Midwest-based wind energy advocacy group. Welf said that in addition to wind power’s environmental benefits, it stimulates local job growth.
“A typical 250 megawatt wind farm creates 1,079 jobs over the life of the project, including positions in manufacturing, construction, engineering and management,” Welf said. “With about 67 percent of the 8,000 component parts of a turbine now being manufactured in the U.S., the cost of producing the turbines has decreased dramatically.”
Despite these advantages, wind power continues to face difficulties when compared to traditional energy sources.
“It would be a challenge for a wind park to match the output of a traditional power plant,” Wagner said. “This is because typical wind turbines range in capacity from 1 to 3 megawatts, while traditional coal-fired plants have capacities on the order of hundreds of megawatts. Our largest plant is capable of generating more than 3,000 megawatts.”
For a wind farm to approach that level of energy production, it would need about 4,000 turbines, Wagner said.
“Could you build a wind farm that size? Probably. But you’d need lots and lots of land, so I’m not sure you could do it practically,” he said. Wind energy is also less reliable than traditional energy sources, because wind does not occur with the same speed or frequency at all times.
As states pass new and stricter emissions controls that make traditional power generation more expensive, wind power, which is not subject to those controls, has become more appealing, Wagner said. As the deadlines set by state renewable energy standards draw closer power companies expect to continue to increase their wind power production.
2013年3月26日 星期二
Fight over Scituate's wind turbine heats
The ongoing battle over Scituate's industrial wind turbine appears headed for the upcoming Town Meeting, as proponents and proponents step up their arguments over what is fact and what is fiction in the debate.
The argument over whether the turbine is causing health effects has been underway since early 2012, when the wind turbine was turned on and residents first started complaining of health problems.
Yet with Town Meeting likely to consider a petition to bring the turbine down, both sides have grown more adamant in their opinions.
"We know for a fact that those who haven't been paying attention, if they have accurate information provided to them on the noise and strobe emanating, and it's impact on health, [and] you have third party industry experts supporting us, it's the real story," said Tom Thompson, a spokesman for the affected residents. "And the more people that become aware, they realize this isn't an issue of people making stuff up."
Thompson and several other residents hosted a community meeting on March 23 to convince residents of their side of the story.
To help, residents brought an acoustical engineer – Rick James from E-Coustics – to discuss turbine problems. That presentation was followed up by the personal account of resident Mark McKeever, who lives closest to the turbine, and then followed by a presentation by Dr. Jeffrey Silver with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who specializes in sleep medicine.
Approximately 100 people attended a resident-sponsored community meeting, available on YouTube.
Over the next couple of weeks, Thompson said the group plans to keep reaching out to people to make them aware of the health problems residents are suffering. The group aims to get Town Meeting to pass a petition to get the turbine taken town.
Though residents initially said they were hosting the meeting to dispel misinformation being promoted by turbine proponents, turbine owner Gordon Dean said it is exactly that misinformation that is problematic.
"What's concerning to us is, I just finished watching the two hours of it on YouTube. It's a lot of inaccurate information about the project and about its operating and about the permitting," Dean said.
Dean said that though the community group is obviously welcome to hold meetings, that in the end, these gatherings will do more harm than good.
Most notably, people begin suffering from what Dean has called the "nocebo" effect, a type of placebo effect that people suffer from when someone suggests they should be negatively affected.
Dean said two recently released studies, including a lab study, indicate that this phenomenon is true.
"The misinformation campaign, trying to get people riled up and trying to make people give complaints for health effects, to a large extent it's causing the health impacts themselves," Dean said.
Regardless of what people say, the science behind the turbine is still ongoing. Board of Health members will interview two engineering firms – Tech Environmental and Noise Control Engineering – with the hopes of starting a study within the next two months.
As for the Town Meeting vote, Town Administrator Patricia Vinchesi has said that it would not be binding, though what that means proponents are waiting to see.
"It's of a concern that they are trying to do this…I don't know what, if any, effect that has," Dean said.
The argument over whether the turbine is causing health effects has been underway since early 2012, when the wind turbine was turned on and residents first started complaining of health problems.
Yet with Town Meeting likely to consider a petition to bring the turbine down, both sides have grown more adamant in their opinions.
"We know for a fact that those who haven't been paying attention, if they have accurate information provided to them on the noise and strobe emanating, and it's impact on health, [and] you have third party industry experts supporting us, it's the real story," said Tom Thompson, a spokesman for the affected residents. "And the more people that become aware, they realize this isn't an issue of people making stuff up."
Thompson and several other residents hosted a community meeting on March 23 to convince residents of their side of the story.
To help, residents brought an acoustical engineer – Rick James from E-Coustics – to discuss turbine problems. That presentation was followed up by the personal account of resident Mark McKeever, who lives closest to the turbine, and then followed by a presentation by Dr. Jeffrey Silver with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who specializes in sleep medicine.
Approximately 100 people attended a resident-sponsored community meeting, available on YouTube.
Over the next couple of weeks, Thompson said the group plans to keep reaching out to people to make them aware of the health problems residents are suffering. The group aims to get Town Meeting to pass a petition to get the turbine taken town.
Though residents initially said they were hosting the meeting to dispel misinformation being promoted by turbine proponents, turbine owner Gordon Dean said it is exactly that misinformation that is problematic.
"What's concerning to us is, I just finished watching the two hours of it on YouTube. It's a lot of inaccurate information about the project and about its operating and about the permitting," Dean said.
Dean said that though the community group is obviously welcome to hold meetings, that in the end, these gatherings will do more harm than good.
Most notably, people begin suffering from what Dean has called the "nocebo" effect, a type of placebo effect that people suffer from when someone suggests they should be negatively affected.
Dean said two recently released studies, including a lab study, indicate that this phenomenon is true.
"The misinformation campaign, trying to get people riled up and trying to make people give complaints for health effects, to a large extent it's causing the health impacts themselves," Dean said.
Regardless of what people say, the science behind the turbine is still ongoing. Board of Health members will interview two engineering firms – Tech Environmental and Noise Control Engineering – with the hopes of starting a study within the next two months.
As for the Town Meeting vote, Town Administrator Patricia Vinchesi has said that it would not be binding, though what that means proponents are waiting to see.
"It's of a concern that they are trying to do this…I don't know what, if any, effect that has," Dean said.
2013年3月10日 星期日
Dakota Precision Ag Center looks to the future
The Dakota Precision Ag Center at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake is focused on bringing new technologies to farms. But to do that, it must also educate and train the future operators and handlers of that technology.
“That’s the hallmark of what we do,” says Paul Gunderson, the center’s director.
This fall, the ag center will introduce a new class, Precision Ag Technician Training. Gunderson says the course has piqued interest from students across the Northern High Plains and into Wisconsin and Iowa.
“There’s a tremendous amount of interest,” he says. “We hope it’s going to be a successful, good program.”
The center also offers a specialized training course for workers impacted by foreign trade. Gunderson cites the relocation of Bobcat production facilities to South Korea, and Fargo’s wind turbine facility closure.
Programs also assist returning war veterans, expanding their post-deployment career opportunities into the ag industry.
“Our role is to train them, bring them to the point where they would be able to repair [precision ag equipment and technology], those kinds of things,” Gunderson says.
Courses also include backstop training for employees of implement dealerships and co-ops who might not have the background necessary to excel in their fields. The program will offer a range of activities, beginning this spring with computer training.
It is one of only two remaining community school facilities developed under Gov. John Hoeven’s Centers of Excellence program, Gunderson says. Because of an increase in federal and state funding, the center has brought new faculty members on board to help with research and training.
“We’ve been very successful there,” Gunderson says, adding that the center has about $3.1 million available now and has more money pending on both the state and federal levels. The center also has private sector partners that assist both financially and in in-kind contributions.
Gunderson says the goal is to connect ag research, focusing on new technologies and improvements, including product testing for private companies.
The center has answer farms, contracted with farmers, throughout North Dakota where products and practices are tested across growing seasons to assess functionality and whether they would make a difference to a farm’s bottom line.
“We’ll go where we need to in order to secure the right kind of setting,” Gunderson says of the answer farms.
Gunderson and his researchers and students are developing a new slurry manure injection tool and will conduct tests this summer, he says. The new initiative will combine site-specific data and controllers to the injection toolbar so manure is injected precisely into soil zones that have the most potential for production, according to the center. This minimizes manure applications where soil is unfit for normal production or in sensitive areas such as buffers, watersheds, ditches, or drainage areas.
“That’s the hallmark of what we do,” says Paul Gunderson, the center’s director.
This fall, the ag center will introduce a new class, Precision Ag Technician Training. Gunderson says the course has piqued interest from students across the Northern High Plains and into Wisconsin and Iowa.
“There’s a tremendous amount of interest,” he says. “We hope it’s going to be a successful, good program.”
The center also offers a specialized training course for workers impacted by foreign trade. Gunderson cites the relocation of Bobcat production facilities to South Korea, and Fargo’s wind turbine facility closure.
Programs also assist returning war veterans, expanding their post-deployment career opportunities into the ag industry.
“Our role is to train them, bring them to the point where they would be able to repair [precision ag equipment and technology], those kinds of things,” Gunderson says.
Courses also include backstop training for employees of implement dealerships and co-ops who might not have the background necessary to excel in their fields. The program will offer a range of activities, beginning this spring with computer training.
It is one of only two remaining community school facilities developed under Gov. John Hoeven’s Centers of Excellence program, Gunderson says. Because of an increase in federal and state funding, the center has brought new faculty members on board to help with research and training.
“We’ve been very successful there,” Gunderson says, adding that the center has about $3.1 million available now and has more money pending on both the state and federal levels. The center also has private sector partners that assist both financially and in in-kind contributions.
Gunderson says the goal is to connect ag research, focusing on new technologies and improvements, including product testing for private companies.
The center has answer farms, contracted with farmers, throughout North Dakota where products and practices are tested across growing seasons to assess functionality and whether they would make a difference to a farm’s bottom line.
“We’ll go where we need to in order to secure the right kind of setting,” Gunderson says of the answer farms.
Gunderson and his researchers and students are developing a new slurry manure injection tool and will conduct tests this summer, he says. The new initiative will combine site-specific data and controllers to the injection toolbar so manure is injected precisely into soil zones that have the most potential for production, according to the center. This minimizes manure applications where soil is unfit for normal production or in sensitive areas such as buffers, watersheds, ditches, or drainage areas.
2013年1月17日 星期四
Chase donation offers ALS victims independence
Former New Orleans Saint Steve Gleason, whose body was once a well-oiled machine, now doesn’t possess the motor skills needed to be able to turn on a light switch.
But Gleason, whose physical strength has been sapped by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and others suffering from ALS and multiple sclerosis can tap technology to retain their independence.
JPMorgan Chase, Ouachita Parish’s largest private employer, joined Gleason in New Orleans Thursday to announce a $350,000 grant for The Team Gleason House for Innovative Living. Former teammate and current Saints quarterback Drew Brees also spoke at the event.
Chase employs about 2,600 people in Ouachita Parish at its national mortgage records center, mortgage servicing call center and various retail banking locations.
The Team Gleason House will be located at St. Margaret’s Skilled Nursing Residence and will be the second U.S. facility of its kind.
“The Team Gleason House was only a dream less than a year ago,” Gleason said. “Through our efforts and the extraordinary efforts of Chase and St. Margaret’s, we have realized that dream so ALS patients can continue to live, thrive and contribute to the community. Until there is a medical cure for ALS, technology is the cure and we are proving that today.”
Gleason has become a folk hero on and off the field as a symbol of the city’s determination and perseverance. His celebrated punt-block on the night the Superdome reopened in 2006 renewed hope that New Orleans was ready for a big comeback following Hurricane Katrina.
“That was the day when the people of New Orleans began to believe that we can win again,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. “What Steve did is prove that no matter how bad things got, if we work hard and come together, we can turn it around. What’s in his heart represents the best that the city of New Orleans has to offer.”
Gleason retired from football in 2008 and was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. He has made it his mission to show ALS patients can thrive after this diagnosis.
The Team Gleason House for Innovative Living will be a residential facility within St. Margaret’s that provides care for people living with incurable neuromuscular disorders, such as ALS and MS. Since these diseases are incurable, The Team Gleason House’s approach will focus on employing technology that allows patients to control doors, lights, televisions, shades and other devices through eye-sensitive technologies.
“The Team Gleason House will be equipped with cutting-edge technology, making it part of the city’s progress in developing a more entrepreneurial, innovative economy,” said Todd Maclin, chairman of Chase Consumer and Commercial Banking. “Investing in biosciences and digital technology will create more economic diversity and greater opportunity in New Orleans.”
Since Hurricane Katrina, Chase has donated more than $30 million to nonprofits working in Louisiana.
“Steve Gleason inspired our city when he blocked that punt,” said Lizette Terral, president of Chase in New Orleans. “But even more inspiring is his work to prove ALS patients can still lead productive lives. Chase is very proud to partner with Steve and Team Gleason.”
But Gleason, whose physical strength has been sapped by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and others suffering from ALS and multiple sclerosis can tap technology to retain their independence.
JPMorgan Chase, Ouachita Parish’s largest private employer, joined Gleason in New Orleans Thursday to announce a $350,000 grant for The Team Gleason House for Innovative Living. Former teammate and current Saints quarterback Drew Brees also spoke at the event.
Chase employs about 2,600 people in Ouachita Parish at its national mortgage records center, mortgage servicing call center and various retail banking locations.
The Team Gleason House will be located at St. Margaret’s Skilled Nursing Residence and will be the second U.S. facility of its kind.
“The Team Gleason House was only a dream less than a year ago,” Gleason said. “Through our efforts and the extraordinary efforts of Chase and St. Margaret’s, we have realized that dream so ALS patients can continue to live, thrive and contribute to the community. Until there is a medical cure for ALS, technology is the cure and we are proving that today.”
Gleason has become a folk hero on and off the field as a symbol of the city’s determination and perseverance. His celebrated punt-block on the night the Superdome reopened in 2006 renewed hope that New Orleans was ready for a big comeback following Hurricane Katrina.
“That was the day when the people of New Orleans began to believe that we can win again,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. “What Steve did is prove that no matter how bad things got, if we work hard and come together, we can turn it around. What’s in his heart represents the best that the city of New Orleans has to offer.”
Gleason retired from football in 2008 and was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. He has made it his mission to show ALS patients can thrive after this diagnosis.
The Team Gleason House for Innovative Living will be a residential facility within St. Margaret’s that provides care for people living with incurable neuromuscular disorders, such as ALS and MS. Since these diseases are incurable, The Team Gleason House’s approach will focus on employing technology that allows patients to control doors, lights, televisions, shades and other devices through eye-sensitive technologies.
“The Team Gleason House will be equipped with cutting-edge technology, making it part of the city’s progress in developing a more entrepreneurial, innovative economy,” said Todd Maclin, chairman of Chase Consumer and Commercial Banking. “Investing in biosciences and digital technology will create more economic diversity and greater opportunity in New Orleans.”
Since Hurricane Katrina, Chase has donated more than $30 million to nonprofits working in Louisiana.
“Steve Gleason inspired our city when he blocked that punt,” said Lizette Terral, president of Chase in New Orleans. “But even more inspiring is his work to prove ALS patients can still lead productive lives. Chase is very proud to partner with Steve and Team Gleason.”
2012年12月4日 星期二
GibbsCAM Becomes Member of Okuma Partners in THINC
Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, announced that it has been selected for membership in Okuma America’s Partners in THINC, a collaborative network of over 40 companies that service the metal-cutting and manufacturing industry with specialized software, equipment, expertise and a commitment to solve problems and increase productivity for end users. With Okuma’s open architecture, PC-based THINC-OSP control as its nucleus, Partners in THINC strive to provide the best possible integrated solutions to end users.
“We are pleased to be recognized for our expertise in providing a highly efficient, productive, and easy-to-use CAM system to industry, and for the service and support we provide our customers,” said Bill Gibbs, founder and president of Gibbs and Associates.
“We have been supporting Okuma machinery for over thirty years, and the THINC-OSP controls since their introduction in 2004. We look forward to participating in the delivery of integrated solutions that help manufacturers increase efficiency and profitability with the latest and most sophisticated machine tools from Okuma.”
GibbsCAM is well known in the industry for its easy-to-use graphic interface, and its extensive capabilities, providing a modular solution for programming all Okuma machine tools, from their 3-axis mills and 2-axis lathes, to their multi-axis and multi-task machines (MTMs). GibbsCAM is especially renowned for its support of Okuma MTMs, because it programs turning and milling operations from a single interface, and provides error-free postprocessing, that results in machine-ready programs that require no editing.
These capabilities extend to all of Okuma’s machine tools. With a library of over 11,000 postprocessors, including over 1,000 for MTM machines, Gibbs has many postprocessors for Okuma CNCs, including the MU, Millac, Multus and Macturn series.
Mr Gibbs was recently the speaker at the Okuma “Go Beyond Productivity to Profitability” open house, in Houston, Texas, on November 15, where machine-tool distributor Hartwig used GibbsCAM to program all of the Okuma machine tools on display and in operation, including four 4-axis, double-turret vertical and horizontal lathes, three 4-axis vertical and horizontal mills, plus the Okuma LB3000 EX, a double spindle, single turret, Y-axis lathe, and the MULTUS B400, a multi-function horizontal lathe with B-axis head.
The current GibbsCAM product line supports 2 through 5-axis milling, turning, mill/turning, multi-task simultaneous machining and wire-EDM. GibbsCAM also provides fully integrated manufacturing modeling capabilities that include 2D, 2.5D, 3D wireframe, surface, and solid modeling. GibbsCAM is Compatible with Windows 7 and Certified for Windows Vista.
GibbsCAM’s data exchange capabilities are able to access the broadest range of native and industry standard CAD data formats. GibbsCAM is certified under the Autodesk Inventor Certified Program, is a Siemens Solution Partner Program-PLM for Solid Edge product, and is a SolidWorks Certified CAM Product. GibbsCAM is either offered or endorsed by a number of leading worldwide control and machine tool manufacturers. Gibbs and Associates distributes its products worldwide through a network of international Resellers. In January 2008, Gibbs and Associates merged with Cimatron Ltd., and is now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary.
“We are pleased to be recognized for our expertise in providing a highly efficient, productive, and easy-to-use CAM system to industry, and for the service and support we provide our customers,” said Bill Gibbs, founder and president of Gibbs and Associates.
“We have been supporting Okuma machinery for over thirty years, and the THINC-OSP controls since their introduction in 2004. We look forward to participating in the delivery of integrated solutions that help manufacturers increase efficiency and profitability with the latest and most sophisticated machine tools from Okuma.”
GibbsCAM is well known in the industry for its easy-to-use graphic interface, and its extensive capabilities, providing a modular solution for programming all Okuma machine tools, from their 3-axis mills and 2-axis lathes, to their multi-axis and multi-task machines (MTMs). GibbsCAM is especially renowned for its support of Okuma MTMs, because it programs turning and milling operations from a single interface, and provides error-free postprocessing, that results in machine-ready programs that require no editing.
These capabilities extend to all of Okuma’s machine tools. With a library of over 11,000 postprocessors, including over 1,000 for MTM machines, Gibbs has many postprocessors for Okuma CNCs, including the MU, Millac, Multus and Macturn series.
Mr Gibbs was recently the speaker at the Okuma “Go Beyond Productivity to Profitability” open house, in Houston, Texas, on November 15, where machine-tool distributor Hartwig used GibbsCAM to program all of the Okuma machine tools on display and in operation, including four 4-axis, double-turret vertical and horizontal lathes, three 4-axis vertical and horizontal mills, plus the Okuma LB3000 EX, a double spindle, single turret, Y-axis lathe, and the MULTUS B400, a multi-function horizontal lathe with B-axis head.
The current GibbsCAM product line supports 2 through 5-axis milling, turning, mill/turning, multi-task simultaneous machining and wire-EDM. GibbsCAM also provides fully integrated manufacturing modeling capabilities that include 2D, 2.5D, 3D wireframe, surface, and solid modeling. GibbsCAM is Compatible with Windows 7 and Certified for Windows Vista.
GibbsCAM’s data exchange capabilities are able to access the broadest range of native and industry standard CAD data formats. GibbsCAM is certified under the Autodesk Inventor Certified Program, is a Siemens Solution Partner Program-PLM for Solid Edge product, and is a SolidWorks Certified CAM Product. GibbsCAM is either offered or endorsed by a number of leading worldwide control and machine tool manufacturers. Gibbs and Associates distributes its products worldwide through a network of international Resellers. In January 2008, Gibbs and Associates merged with Cimatron Ltd., and is now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary.
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