Chris – I believe there can be a very positive outcome for the State of Michigan, and I completely support the work being done by Dr. Erik Nordman at GVSU and others. Scandia/Havgul is jeopardizing this, by souring the public’s appetite for offshore wind development with a poorly sited proposal.

The way I feel it should work:

The State appointed council (GLOW) completes it’s legislative recommendations, including the best locations for offshore wind development. Those recommendations go through the legislative process so that the voices of all the stakeholders are heard, and a regulatory framework is put in place. Then the State issues an RFP, favoring project proposals that will utilize Michigan based manufacturing and labor.

Taking the developer’s assertions at face value is very dangerous. For instance, the assertion that you will not “hear” the turbines from shore is purposely misleading. The problematic noise generated by wind turbines is infrasonic – very low frequency – noise that falls below what is commonly described as the low frequency threshold of human hearing. But it most definitely causes serious noise pollution. See Kamperman and James for an excellent description.

Look into Havgul’s history with proposals in Norway (Havsul 1-4). They ran into the exact same issues because they did not take into account the communities. Had this project originally been proposed off of Muskegon, they clearly would have gotten a much different reception.

Where do you live and why have you gotten interested in this?

It sounds like you’ve studied these issues. What is your experience in this area?

If the captains of ships are not able to navigate around large windmills they probably shouldn’t be captains of anything larger than a jet-ski. That seems like a non-argument similar to what if the wind stops blowing.

I believe there are just as many people who would enjoy looking out into Lake Michigan and seeing clean energy being created than would be disgusted by their appearance. Those disgusted by them would be welcome to leave in my opinion.

There are many places on land where windmills could and should be located but the best and most consistent winds are on the lakes. Take a look at a wind map sometime and it’s quite obvious why they want them on water.

It’s just really unbelievable to me that people are not welcoming alternative energy any way we can get it. Ignorance is not bliss. It’s just ignorance.

There are numerous places where a windmill farms can be placed that do not endanger our essential natural resources. One such place is alongside the runways of very busy airports; this has been done in Europe for decades.

What good is “clean energy” if ultimately you have no fresh water? More important, what good is leaping without looking first?

We need to, more than ever, move away from fossil fuels “not sustainable”. It has poisoned us and the environment.

Wind Turbines are a logical choice for “Our Great Lakes”.

NEW designs will lessen the impact. Innovation,Technology and Manufacturing are making significant improvements.

Michigan will always be a destination for travellers and when you can boast about having one of the largest Clean Delivery sytems of energy it can only have positive results. “Pure Michigan”

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. A.E.

What is the environmental impact of hundreds of windmills in one of the world’s largest fresh water lakes? What is the long term impact on drinking water sourced from the Lake? What is the impact on fish or their habitat? What is the impact of the changes in the temperature of the water due to the windmills and then its impact on habitat?

What is the economic impact of a large wind farm in one of the Great Lakes? What is the impact on shipping and transportation lanes in the Lake once a huge obstacle is erected including during times of storms? What is the impact on the fishing industry? What is the impact on the sport fishing industry? What is the impact on property values; would a decline in property values constitute a “taking”?

Is the argument that the windmills would create jobs for “starving” people a red herring? What jobs might be created and for what duration? Wouldn’t the jobs created be the erection and maintenance of the windmills: jobs that are few and of short duration, requiring specialist workers from likely elsewhere in the world and not jobs for locals?

Is a primary reason that the Norwegian developers are pushing for this in the Lake rather than on land a high stakes profit-making scheme for them to try to get the land for free?

After adding up all of the benefits of a wind farm in one of the Great Lakes and then subtracting all of the negatives, is the proposal a net gain or loss for Michigan, its people, its future and its environmental and economic health?

Love the two guys at the end. Who’s future shoreline? What is a beautiful view?

Wow. Well done.