Greetings!
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Michigan Supreme Court Changes
A Democrat, Diane Hathaway was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court in place of Clifford Taylor. This should yield better protection of the environment including sand dunes.
Hathaway, a Wayne County Circuit Court judge nominated by the Democrats, is the first challenger to unseat an incumbent justice since 1984.
Taylor was favored to win re-election because he had an incumbent designation on the ballot and was on the nonpartisan ballot, theoretically inoculating him from the Democratic wave that swamped the state. Taylor was one of the four Supreme Court Justices that formed the majority in Preserve the Dunes' suit against the DEQ and TechniSand. In that case, the appellate court had ruled unanimously that the DEQ had issued a permit to illegally expand a sand dune mine in a clear violation of law. The Supreme Court overturned that ruling by a 4 to 3 majority on a technicality that protected business interests instead of the dunes.
This is a welcome change. |
Wind Turbines on Lake Michigan
Competing Objectives: Clean Energy, Open Water, Private Views
Everyone is now aware of how human use of fossil fuels is causing climate change. In January of 2007, States are beginning to respond to the issue. Governor Granholm signed the State of Michigan's 21st Century Electric Energy Plan that calls for a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 3% by 2009 and 10% by the end of 2015.
You may have read one of several newspaper articles about the possibility of using wind turbines located in Lake Michigan to generate power. The Hannah Professor Research Program at the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University prepared an analysis of the capacities available in Michigan's portion of the lake.
The study does not address whether deployment of wind farms on the Lake is politically, socially and economically feasible. Issues that must be faced include: view infringement, impacts on birds and fish, affects on shipping and boating, and damage to turbines from winter ice and high waves.
In seaside installations, the visual intrusion of the wind farms has been a cause for strong public opposition. The blades of a typical large wind turbine are about 52 meters (52m) and rotate from a 80m high tower; they extend vertically 132m (334 feet). If located at the horizon (approximately 5Km from the shore) they would appear to be as high as your thumb is wide with your arm extended. If located 1Km from shore, it would require an index card held at arms length to hide the turbine.
 Examples of the Three Different Classes of Turbine Support Structures (from the MSU study).
The study determined power production capacity at various distances from the shore and a different depths in the lake. A location further from the shore will reduce the visual impact. On the other hand, the deeper water increases initial cost. The table below records the results of the analysis.

The MSU study indicates that the capacity could vary from 926 Megawatts (Mw) to 321,936 Mw depending our how restrictive implementation were to be. By comparison, nuclear generating capacity in Michigan is 4,006 Mw and in the US 100,635 Mw. The Palisades Nuclear Plant has a capacity of 778Mw. Capacity from all sources in Michigan is currently 30,189Mw.
We have become aware of how human use of fossil fuels is causing climate change. In January of 2007, Governor Granholm signed the State of Michigan's 21st Century Electric Energy Plan that calls for a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 3% by 2009 and 10% by the end of 2015.
WHAT'S NEXT The Great Lakes Commission -- a joint U.S.-Canadian agency concerned with the lakes -- anticipates a three-year study project with the U.S. Department of National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo.
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Covert Township Board to Act
The amendments of the Covert zoning ordinance recently proposed by the Planning Commission are to be reviewed by the township board on Tuesday, November 11.
If they are approved, they will have two very unfortunate affects.
First, they will allow lakefront houses closer to the lake than allowed since 1980. This will allow view infringement on existing homes and change the character of the lakefront. The beachfront will become more like a Florida beach and less like a Lake Michigan beach.
Second, the side yard will be reduced to 10 feet from the 30 feet that has been required. Structures that are so close will be visually intrusive on their neighbors; especially when a structure can be as high as 50 feet. It will create unsafe conditions because of the distance to homes in the fire lanes from the fire station. It will reduce privacy and reduce quality of life factors in some of the most expensive property in the township.
Once these setbacks are reduced, it will be almost impossible to increase them in the future. What a loss!
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Support Preserve the Dunes
Preserve the Dunes is a not for profit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
We are a strictly volunteer organization. 100% of your donations go to support our activities. We have no paid staff. But we do have expenses for maintaining a web site, mailing newsletters, monitoring the activities of the sand miners and developers, administrative expenses, program costs, etc.. We depend on your donations.
It is very easy to
make a donation to Preserve the Dunes.
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"These dunes are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona . . . once lost, the loss would be irrevocable." Carl Sandburg
Sincerely,
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Sincerely,
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