Wind turbines are a blight on Rhode Island

The recent typhoon in China shows exactly what can happen in the American northeast with wind turbines.

The amount of damage turbines may are already be causing to marine life ( you only see what is washing up on shore; what do you think is going on with the natural habitat below?) shows total disregard for the environment.

Rhode Islanders are proud of the way they have made their beaches and bays the envy of the Northeast. The Save the Bay project cleaned up Narragansett Bay. Well, that is in jeopardy now.

I am a native Rhode Islander whose late father ensured I knew every detail about every Rhode Island hurricane. Apparently, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is clueless on this matter. If he understood what can happen here with the history of Cat 2,3 and borderline 4 hurricanes over the years, 1938,1944,1954,1960,1985,1991 that have come through the coastal waters of the northeast, combined with the wear and tear of many noreasters, he would change his position on energy.  Do you think for one second that the people running China care about what happens when their so-called storm proof wind turbines go down? Why would they put them up in a place that gets hit by typhoons? Because they don’t give a damn. Neither does Whitehouse.

Whitehouse wrongly claims that New England hurricanes are getting worse.  New England, however, has actually been in a hurricane drought since 1991. If hurricanes are supposedly growing worse, and you understand that hurricanes can tear up turbines, why would you support them?  Because you don’t care about the people of the state. Can you imagine what the hurricanes illustrated below would do to the wind turbine fields off the northeast coast?

Look at this track

Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 1938

How about 1944

Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1944

Carol 1954. Cat 3

Edna, 11 days later

Donna 1960

Gerda, in 1969, went right through The Nantucker turbine fields.

Belle, though weakened, would have had an impact.

Gloria

Bob

Even if only a small percentage of these turbines are damaged, with any one storm, what if the wear and tear of numerous noreasters and a cluster of storms in upcoming years like we would expect to return SIMPLY BECAUSE OF NATURE, NOT CO2, would lead to the destruction of the northeast beaches. Do you realize what it takes to clean up all the material from these things? Look at what has been going on with the one turbine that, even without a storm, has failed off Nantucket. Who knows the underwater damage already caused to marine life?

What kind of hypocrisy is it when elected officials tell people hurricanes will be worse than ever, then advocate erecting vulnerable turbines in their path?

What’s even more insulting is that they apparently lack knowledge or appreciation of what has happened before. Given what we just saw in China, and with the recent turbine failure off the East Coast this year, I think people had best wake up.

The Biggest Little State in the Union has the chance to lead the way to responsible energy policy.