Biden admin scientist raised alarm on offshore wind harming whales months ago

Top Biden administration scientist warned: 'The development of offshore wind poses risks to these species'

A senior Biden administration scientist authored an internal memo warning of the impacts offshore wind development may have on marine life months before the recent spate of whale deaths along the East Coast.

Sean Hayes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) chief of protected species, penned the memo in May 2022 and sent it to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lead biologist Brian Hooker, also copying more than a dozen other scientists from the two agencies. The memo highlighted Hayes' concerns about how offshore wind construction and surveying could disrupt the endangered Atlantic right whale.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-a...months-ago

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Wants to join the "cereal box" dating service. I've dated enough flakes and nuts...all I want is the prize now.

Everything we develop on this planet has tradeoffs.
It's odd that certain quarters are suddenly so concerned about whales.
There are still many species of whale and dolphin that are abundant. But these still have serious health problems. Mercury accumulates in their bodies, massively. That mercury would not have been there 150 years ago. It generally comes from coal fired power plants.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

It would be interesting to see you take that argument and apply it to oil.

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A little WD-40 applied to those noisy turbines should do the trick. Or we could issue ear plugs to the right whales.

Seriously, I'm not sure how these things work, but one alternative might have been to make them mobile. They could anchor on huge platforms which themselves could be anchored and then moved around as needed. It might lower the height just a bit to reduce or eliminate the toppling effect, but it would also allow them to get out of the way of hurricanes and further away from shipping lanes. They could also move closer to whatever coastal power system is purchasing their bulk power, tie into that system, and save potential transmission charges and losses. Of course, the various tie-ins would have to be developed as well. Kind of like the proposed floating nuclear power plants in the mid-80's.

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"Remember Red, Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."  - Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

It would be interesting to see you take that argument and apply it to oil.

Oil exploration and use is across the board less environmentally harmful than coal. Less carbon, less byproducts, less radioactivity, less changes to landscapes, less danger to workers.

But then you look at wind and solar and nuclear, none of which are harmless, but all three are less harmful than oil.

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A little WD-40 applied to those noisy turbines should do the trick.  Or we could issue ear plugs to the right whales.

Seriously, I'm not sure how these things work, but one alternative might have been to make them mobile.  They could anchor on huge platforms which themselves could be anchored and then moved around as needed.  It might lower the height just a bit to reduce or eliminate the toppling effect, but it would also allow them to get out of the way of hurricanes and further away from shipping lanes.  They could also move closer to whatever coastal power system is purchasing their bulk power, tie into that system, and save potential transmission charges and losses.  Of course, the various tie-ins would have to be developed as well.  Kind of like the proposed floating nuclear power plants in the mid-80's.

Putting a hinge at the base of the tower to allow it to fold down during a storm could also help matters.  I'm sure it's been explored and there's some problem we are not thinking of.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

A little WD-40 applied to those noisy turbines should do the trick. Or we could issue ear plugs to the right whales.

Seriously, I'm not sure how these things work, but one alternative might have been to make them mobile. They could anchor on huge platforms which themselves could be anchored and then moved around as needed. It might lower the height just a bit to reduce or eliminate the toppling effect, but it would also allow them to get out of the way of hurricanes and further away from shipping lanes. They could also move closer to whatever coastal power system is purchasing their bulk power, tie into that system, and save potential transmission charges and losses. Of course, the various tie-ins would have to be developed as well. Kind of like the proposed floating nuclear power plants in the mid-80's.

Just have it float in the air with some helium, get it into the jet stream.

If anyone was truthful about wind farms, they would tell the truth of all the harm they do to the environment. They kill birds, they heat the ground or water, killing whales now. They don't produce enough energy to justify the cost.

Then you get into all the destruction of the environment to just install the turbine. The environmentalists should be going crazy over the offshore farms. They have to drill into the seabed to bury the platform hundreds of feet. Drilling for oil is terrible but drilling for wind farms is great.

Also saw some meme about all the old blades not being recyclable but no clue if that's true or not.

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Putting a hinge at the base of the tower to allow it to fold down during a storm could also help matters.  I'm sure it's been explored and there's some problem we are not thinking of.

Something that is meant to withstand wind and stay upright would fail with a hinge in it most likely. The base is just a hollow cylinder basically and hinges would need to be prevented from moving. Forces would be high and the changing wind would probably stress it too much. Any type of lock would get worn from the metal rubbing and vibrating, causing it to fail at some point.

You would still need a crane to lower or raise it up because of the weight. There are ways to put another tower behind it and move that so it pushes the turbine up into position and holds it there. That complicates everything though and takes up a lot more room for each one.

They designed blades that fold up while on the turbine so they can withstand 200mph winds.

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I see all of these commercials for EVs and I would really like to own one. It would be perfect for my transportation needs. But I have feeling this is all going to come to a nasty head in about 5 years when the batteries in these cars begin to fail and the owners discover they basically bought a throwaway vehicle due to the replacement costs of the batteries. Not to mention the environmental headache from the glut of failed batteries. It will be interesting to see how it's handled.

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I see all of these commercials for EVs and I would really like to own one. It would be perfect for my transportation needs. But I have feeling this is all going to come to a nasty head in about 5 years when the batteries in these cars begin to fail and the owners discover they basically bought a throwaway vehicle due to the replacement costs of the batteries. Not to mention the environmental headache from the glut of failed batteries. It will be interesting to see how it's handled.

I hear you, but the Tesla S has been on our roads for 11 years now.  The battery life does degrade somewhat over the years, but people have found it predictable and acceptable. I knew a guy who had so many problems with his Y that he got a lemon law claim. But I've known 3 guys with the S and their only complaint is how spartan the interior is.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

I see all of these commercials for EVs and I would really like to own one. It would be perfect for my transportation needs. But I have feeling this is all going to come to a nasty head in about 5 years when the batteries in these cars begin to fail and the owners discover they basically bought a throwaway vehicle due to the replacement costs of the batteries. hippies realize the batteries are being built with African child labor. Not to mention the environmental headache from the glut of failed batteries. It will be interesting to see how it's handled.

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I was curious about the cost and availability of batteries for EVs and found the following article from a 2022 Consumer Affairs article. 

Link

Although the powertrains in hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) require less maintenance than internal combustion engines, the high-voltage batteries that power their electric motors can fail eventually.


We reached out to five mechanics and technicians from different parts of the U.S. to see how much an EV battery replacement costs for different vehicles, and the average results ranged from $4,489 all the way to a staggering $17,658.

Keep reading to find out what an EV battery is, how long it lasts, how to know if yours is going bad, what it might cost you to repair or replace yours and whether a warranty can help.

Key insights
-All EV batteries will eventually fail to hold a charge and require replacement.
-It’s hard to pinpoint how long EV batteries will last, but most have a life span between eight and 15 years.
-Sourcing a replacement EV battery from anyone but your car’s manufacturer is nearly impossible, which is the main reason replacement costs are so high.
-EV battery repair is a growing industry that may help you avoid the high cost of a replacement, but it’s not commonly available yet.



More at the link.

There is no way the average American can afford to replace a battery that ranges from $5K-$18K. They would have to put money aside every month if they didn't want to (or weren't able to) shell it all out at once. An example; if we assume the lowest cost battery has to be replaced more often it would take a person saving $625/year for 8 years to replace the battery one time. That goes up to $1200/year for 15 years to replace an $18K battery.

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I was curious about the cost and availability of batteries for EVs and found the following article from a 2022 Consumer Affairs article. 

Link

Although the powertrains in hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) require less maintenance than internal combustion engines, the high-voltage batteries that power their electric motors can fail eventually.


We reached out to five mechanics and technicians from different parts of the U.S. to see how much an EV battery replacement costs for different vehicles, and the average results ranged from $4,489 all the way to a staggering $17,658.

Keep reading to find out what an EV battery is, how long it lasts, how to know if yours is going bad, what it might cost you to repair or replace yours and whether a warranty can help.

Key insights
-All EV batteries will eventually fail to hold a charge and require replacement.
-It’s hard to pinpoint how long EV batteries will last, but most have a life span between eight and 15 years.
-Sourcing a replacement EV battery from anyone but your car’s manufacturer is nearly impossible, which is the main reason replacement costs are so high.
-EV battery repair is a growing industry that may help you avoid the high cost of a replacement, but it’s not commonly available yet.



More at the link.

There is no way the average American can afford to replace a battery that ranges from $5K-$18K. They would have to put money aside every month if they didn't want to (or weren't able to) shell it all out at once. An example; if we assume the lowest cost battery has to be replaced more often it would take a person saving $625/year for 8 years to replace the battery one time. That goes up to $1200/year for 15 years to replace an $18K battery.

It makes sense in the luxury and near-luxury car market, where people are willing and able to spend more on a per-mile and per-year basis.  But for bare bones "just get from point a to point b" and " I want to keep this car for the next 20 years" the the economics are not quite there.  If batteries get cheaper or if gas gets more expensive those economics become more favorable.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

The bigger problem than just the cost is that they can't get the batteries. The technology changes also so who knows if the batteries being manufactured at that time will even work in your old car.

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The bigger problem than just the cost is that they can't get the batteries. The technology changes also so who knows if the batteries being manufactured at that time will even work in your old car.

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That's a good point.

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