As important as it is to let your voice be heard and to send in comments, form emails and letters are considered by public officials to be at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to public comment and are not given much weight. I also think it's important to be as informed as possible if one is going to submit comments. Speaking from experience, individual letters, even if sent via email, are given much more weight than clicking on the Audubon links sent out earlier, especially if they contain personalized and informed comments. With that in mind, here are some resources that can help if you are interested in taking a little extra time to become engaged in this issue.
The Corps of Engineers' Public Notice on the wind farm project is here:
http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/reg/notice/PN2011-00511.pdf
The Company's Maps and Plans, which are part of this Public Notice, are located here:
http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/reg/notice/2011-00511.pdf
Finally, the person to send your comments to is the District Engineer for the Corps' Galveston District. He has to receive the comments by JULY 18, 2011. His contact is below:
Jayson M. Hudson Regulatory Branch, CESWG-PE-RE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers P.O. Box 1229 Galveston, Texas 77553-1229 409-766-3108 Phone 409-766-6301 FaxEmail:
Let me know if you have any questions about this information. Good luck,
Ross GeredienEdgewater, MD
--- On Fri, 7/8/11, Kurt R. Schwarz <> wrote:
From: Kurt R. Schwarz <>
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Support a Full EIS of Texas Wind Project
To:
Date: Friday, July 8, 2011, 3:56 PM
Dear MDOspreyer,
Sorry to pester you once again, but another important alert has been issued by National Aububon and its Texas office. A 500 wind turbine project has been proposed for the Texas coast near Corpus Christi and there is concern that it might not undergo a full environmental impact statement (EIS). Please review the below and consider filing comment by cutting and pasting this link into your browser:
http://www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1103
Kurt Schwarz
Conservation Chair
Maryland Ornithological Society
AUDUBON ALERT
A proposed wind development off the Texas coast is being rushed through without the scientific information necessary to ensure that critical bird and wildlife habitat is protected. Audubon supports properly sited wind development but only after careful review and appropriate scientific study is done to minimize impacts to birds and wildlife and ensure that sensitive habitat is avoided.
What's the Rush?
Currently, the Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing a 500-turbine project that would dot the coastline south of Corpus Christi. Because of impacts to critical coastal shoreline and wetland habitat, Audubon believes a full Environmental Impact Statement is needed before any permits can go forward.
***Take Action***
Send a comment to the Army Corps asking them to take the time needed to carefully and fully evaluate this project:
http://www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1103
The Texas Gulf Coast, including the Laguna Madre, is one of the most important regions in North America for migrating songbirds and shorebirds. After crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the Texas coastline is the first opportunity for millions of migrants to land and rest. Such a bottleneck of high numbers of birds at one time makes them vulnerable to obstacles and conditions encountered as they approach the coast. Many shorebirds and waterbirds also nest on the Texas coast, and/or winter there. The number of shorebirds is so high in habitats throughout the Laguna Madre and Padre Island National Seashore that they are designated as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site.
***Take Action***
Don't let this project be rushed through without adequate study. Tell the Army Corps of Engineers that a full environmental impact statement must be done before this project can be approved:
http://www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1103
Share this alert on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.audubonaction.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=13922.0&printer_friendly=1
Share this alert on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?status=Urgent+action+alert+from+@audubonsociety+about+wind+power:+http://bit.ly/q7IKN2
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