Like just about everyone else, I have been thinking that T Boone Pickens idea of setting up wind farms up and down the middle of the country is a great idea. It not only will provide a clean new energy source, it will also create a new environmentally friendly industry.

Of course, I live on the east coast. They won’t be in my back yard (unless New York City mayor Bloomberg gets his way and puts them throughout New York… but that’s another post). My point is, does anybody live in this area. I know it’s an expansive, wide open farm belt, but his plan looks like many of these turbines will be near populated areas.

How bad can it be living near a wind turbine? These people are about 3/4 mile from a wind farm.

When we first drove into their yard, our initial impression was that their one kilometer setback distance should be fine. However, their problems began within weeks after the turbines started operating. When they were downwind from the turbines, and the air was moving just enough to turn them (12-15 knots from the northeast), the noise was loud. It was a repetitive modulated drone of sound. Dwayne and Kevin both claimed it sometimes was loud enough to rattle the windows of their homes. The sound was even worse in the field behind their homes. Distances from 1 to 1.5 kilometers were the areas of the most annoying sounds. This spring the winds created constant misery.

You can read the entire post here posted July 28, 2007.

I’ve searched Google for just how loud these things are and have got various answers. Seems the manufactures have provided many technical reports and never really give you an answer. Lot of crap dealing with speeds, the terrain, and a ton of other mumbo jumbo. These anecdotal reports are everywhere though.

Which brings me back to Mike Bloomberg yesterday saying he wants to put wind turbines on the tops of buildings and bridges. I suppose it will help drown out all the traffic noise in the city.

I just read a response on the Huffington Post trashing Paris Hiltons energy policy.

It’s the same old liberal drivel… “drilling won’t do anything in the short term so don’t do it”. I have never heard such a ridiculous reason. At least tell the truth as to why you hate drilling:

• You are an enviornmental kook
• You hate oil because of global warming
• You hate anything that works in the free market
• You hate capitalism.

But, even if what you say IS true and we don’t get any oil from these new areas for ten years, so what? Can’t you think beyond today? Are you so short sited that you cannot see that no matter what happens with alternative fuels, there will always be a need for oil?

Sure, you know that.

Just got a letter from a resident community organization about some property in Florida. It appears that some people have been trimming the mangroves on their property. Who knew it was a fricken federal offence to trim trees on your own land!

Regardless of what it is (obviously some sort of vegetation that grows on the water line), the fact is when these people purchased the property the vegetation was not as high as it is now; they purchased property with water front or water view, so what’s the problem with a little trimming?

So, mangroves now have more rights than the land owner? What is that all about? We’ve all heard about our rights being limited by environmental regulation and laws, but until you get a “cease and desist” it really doesn’t hit home.

How far are we going to go for the creepy lizard who lurks in the mangrove? More importantly, how many rights are we willing to give up in the name of “environmental” causes.

The late George Carlin had the best view. Best illustrated in his own words. Listen to at least the first two minutes: