Just what we need more obsticles in Lkae Michigan...

No way! this is a conglomerate wanting to make money off a poor economic environment. They will make money, whoever builds the windmills will make money and the citizens of Mason and Oceana counties will still pay the same price for electricity. And what a view of the windmills at sunset. Will the fishermen be able to fish this area? How many migratory birds will be killed by these monstrocities? Moneymaker for everyone but the public.

This is a really ugly idea. There's no amount of money or reduced property tax that could even begin to make it right with the riparian property owners.

The greedy developers can find another place to build this wind turbine farm, like 40 miles out into the lake, so they can not be seen from the Lundington shoreline.......and if they don't like the added expense, too bad. Who wants to look at a bunch or wirligigs out in the beautiful lake at sunset. "Problems may include reduced tourism to the affected area and lakefront property owners who won’t like seeing the wind turbines over the lake’s surface."

This is a terrible idea. Anyone watching the news these days? I and most others believe there is a global warming effect, the question is how fast is it happening and how quickly must we respond. Looks like some scientists want to make this an urgent thing by fudging data. Before we ruin the reasons most people live in and visit Ludington for, let's slow down and consider the choices carefully. The urgency point in the article makes me feel like I'm listening to a used car salesman....You must buy today or it'll be gone tomorrow. Personally, gone is fine with me! I wonder if any of these developers have ever visited, lived in or cared about Ludington before this. I've seen too many great towns ruined by "aliens" looking to make a buck.

Wow, the NIMBYs are out in force! You all sound like the late Sen. Kennedy who killed a windfarm project years ago because it would have interfered with the views from his oceanfront home. This area has almost nothing going for it in the way of jobs and here's a great opportunity to do so in the form of green energy that will pay dividends for decades. I think it's a great idea, our country needs to move away from our dependence on fossil fuels and this is a great way to do it. It'd be no more of an eyesore than the pump storage plant is.

I think that the town of Ludington has done enough to spoil the town it used to be, condos everywhere, those on Lake Michigan destroyed miles of shoreline that are only available to the wealthy now. Now they want to put in windfarms in Lake Michigan. What will this do to the fish, the wildlife, your tourist trade????? I personally don't care about the lakefront property owners who won't want to the wind turbines in their front yard, how about the wildlife? How about the thousands of people who come to Ludington to fish and bring lots of dollars with them. They will find another place to fish and spend their money.

A quick (though possibly inaccurate) calculation shows that they'd have to be 40 miles offshore to be invisible from the tallest building in town.

A Cap and Trade question and answer session is being held in Hart at Hart Middle School Auditorium similar to a previous one held in Ludington by the same people. (Tom and Gretchen Randall from Chicago are the guest speakers – they are Professional and Informative.) If you missed the previous one take a drive to Hart and learn about Cap and Trade. The Session will be December 9th, 2009 at 6:30 at the Hart Middle School Auditorium, and is free to the public. I'm coming from Muskegon to attend. This Session may answer some questions you have about global warming and also about if there is really a need for urgency in this regard. Question Please call Juanita Pierman @ 231-869-4338 Regards, Bob Carr

This is an awful idea from all different angles. The shoreline of Lake Michigan in the Ludington-Pentwater area is one of the most beautiful in the world. The pristine view out to Lake Michigan and the horizon is priceless and would be spoiled forever for generations to come if these towers are allowed to be constructed. In an age of overdevelopment everywhere you look, can’t we have one area that is off limits? Aren’t there some things that are not for sale at any price? Any perceived possible economic benefits to the area would be offset by a loss of tourism revenue, depreciation of property values, and therefore, a loss of tax revenue. The developers stand to make millions off of this and how much would it benefit the area really? Many of you probably remember when the Pumped Storage project was built in the 1970s. Out-of-state licence plates were everywhere as most of the people came in from out of the Mason County/Oceana County area to work temporarily and then leave. Is this thing worth doing, so the local restaurants can sell a few extra hamburgers? There may be a handful of maintenance jobs created for the long term but would it really even have as much effect as say, opening another Wal-Mart or Home Depot type store in the area? Is this meager economic benefit really worth transforming the character of the whole area to an industrial one? How about the possible pollution to the waters of Lake Michigan during construction and after? If they are allowed to construct a string of towers from south of Ludington to Silver Lake, it will then make expansion to the north very easy. Another 100 square mile tower island could then simply be connected to go north through Ludington to Manistee. This is one of the most important issues to face our area in years and its outcome will impact generations to come. There is a reference to public meetings to be held in January. These should not be rushed. In all fairness to the property owners (i.e. taxpayers) and other citizens who would be so adversely effected, these meetings should be postponed to the summertime so more people could be made aware of the proposal and be able to attend to express their opinions.

Are you kidding ... this is a wonderful opportunity for the Ludington area. We have many bright young students in our schools who could benefit from a clean energy industry located locally so they wouldn't be forced to leave town in order to earn good wages. Windfarms, whether on land or lake, could help us economically and make our area a leader in clean energy for the 21st century. They are not eyesores. I've seen windfarms outside of San Francisco and they are actually quite beautiful. If we don't start thinking progressively, Ludington will become yet another poverty-stricken 'has been' town with no future for our kids and grandkids.

If this happens, our prime fishing area between little and big point sauble will never be the same. This would devastate us permanently. Fishing would crumble under these shallow water located turbines. Take it south then if you must. South of little point to White Lake area. NO WONDER they didn't approach the public here first.

It's my understanding that the farther out in Lake Michigan, the better the wind conditions. Since most salmon fishing is done in waters less than 250 feet deep, that should be the minimum for the towers. This avoids conflict with the fishermen, reduces the visual impact from shore, and improves efficiency, at a small increase in cost. Also, the people in Mason and Oceana counties should get some direct benefit for having to put up with the "farm", such as reduced electricity rates.

Reminds me of a story where these two scoundrels posing as tailors make an exquisite outfit for the Emperor at an expensive price, claiming that it is of such a material that only those not worthy of their office could not see the finery of it. They then leave before the Emperor displays it before the kingdom. A little boy informed him that he was indeed wearing no clothes.

The Wind Farm concept is not unique. Florida Power and Light, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Sacramento Municipal Utility District are three of the largest electrical utilities in the USA. All three use wind energy. I use wind energy in my home, purchased from Roseville Electric. All my electrical power used in my home is from renewable sources. For the Ludington project, a wind farm 3-1/2 miles out on the Ludington shelf would be sitting on roughly a 40 meter deep rock bed. The towers do not have to be 300 feet in the air. They would be only tall enough for the propellers to clear the water at high level. Similar to the Thousand Island standards in the St. Lawrence off Lake Ontario. Which says that to be an island, it must be clear of the water 365 days of the year and support a minimum vegetation of 1 tree. At a distance of 3.5 miles, the average person would have to be 300 feet in the air to see the top 209 feet. That's 22 stories in the air. If the towers were built to just clear the water, they can still catch the surface winds. If a person was standing at street level in Ludington, he'd only see the top 50ft of the propeller at a distance of 3.5 miles. At 5 miles, the water is too deep, roughly 100 meters to install the towers. But the tower would not be visible at street level at 3.5 miles since it is not 300 ft. above the water. Not all of the citizens of Ludington spend the majority of their waking hours at the top of the tallest buildings in Ludington. (Cheap excuse.) Also, the prevailing winds in the Ludington area are from the southwest. Likely the citizens of Ludington would not see the wind generators since their propellers would be visible only from the northeast or southwest.

At the risk of sounding selfish, what is in it for Ludington? I mean what is really in it for us?

Something to think about. Some (not all) boaters can't seem to make it through summer without hitting our huge pier head. Whats going to happen when the first fog roles in and these huge wind turbines are in the water? Just a thought.

Good point Common Sense; that 100 square mile tract would make a gigantic pachinko board for the navigationally-challenged! Good thing we have a new fireboat to pick those clowns out of the water.

Have you considered.... Why isn't that no one complains about the bazillion cell phone towers littering our landscape? Everyone needs to reduce their electrical consumption by 50% Why isn't anyone complaining about the coal fired plants belching mercury and other toxins in the air? Would you rather have a nuclear power plant? Michigan has more than enough wind to take care of its electrical needs. If I could harness the hot air in this comment section . . .

Folks, Where can a join the inevitable "class action" lawsuit to stop this injustice? Notice to the "Environmental Weenies - Al Gore wannabees": Take your wind farm and shove it up your #$$'s! To our Governor and our local governmental agencies: You better get enough input from the people who live in these communities and you better LISTEN closely when they say with complete clarity the word "NO!!!" If this is rammed down the throat's of the people who call Mason and Oceana Counties home.....the litigation will last til hell freezes over...that is a promise.

My question would be in the overall concept in the community development of Wind Power initiatives where the communities would benefit from the excess power generated on land where unused properties are now located? Would a Grass Roots effort to develop commercial Wind Power be receptive in the surrounding communities?