Offshore Wind AFF

Inherency

1AC
Lack of fed incentives and siting prevents the aff from happening
Room 12
(Joe Romm is a Fellow at American Progress and is the Founding Editor of Climate Progress, which New York Times columnist Tom
Friedman called "the indispensable blog" and Time magazine named one of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010." In 2009, Rolling Stone put
Romm #88 on its list of 100 "people who are reinventing America." Time named him a "Hero of the Environment and The Webs
most influential climate-change blogger." Romm was acting assistant secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy
in 1997, where he oversaw $1 billion in R&D, demonstration, and deployment of low-carbon technology. He is a Senior Fellow at
American Progress and holds a Ph.D. in physics from MIT. Offshore Wind Energy: The Benefits and the Barriers JUNE 1, 2011 AT
9:59 AM, http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/06/01/232901/offshore-wind-energy/)
Unfortunately, in the United States, lack of a clear regulatory structure, inconsistent messages

from other ocean stakeholders, congressional budget battles, opposition to specific project siting, and
instability in financial markets have all played a role in preventing domestic offshore wind
from becoming a reality.

No permitting process existed when Americas first offshore wind developer, Cape Wind, began

efforts to build a wind farm off the New England coast. It was 2005 before Congress acted to define a clear permitting process for
offshore wind facilities and to extend key financial incentives to help the industry develop. Then it was nearly six more yearsover a
decade in totaluntil Cape Wind at last received the final green light from the Department of Interior to begin construction. That
decision was announced on April 19, perhaps not so coincidentally just one day before the first anniversary of the BP oil disaster. Yet,
in a move achingly typical of the three-steps-forward-two-steps-back cycle that has plagued U.S. offshore wind development, the
Department of Energy stepped in less than a month after getting the Interior Departments green light to say that the projects
application for a key piece of financial assistance would be put on hold, potentially stalling the

project yet again. This brief will provide an overview of offshore wind permitting and financing in the United States, update
the status of a few key projects, and ultimately make recommendations on how to clear a few of the remaining hurdles to promoting
offshore wind development: Increase government investment in offshore wind to make it more financially palatable Shape
transmission rules to allow for a robust offshore grid Ensure the federal Smart from the Start program, which is designed to expedite
offshore wind, is smart through the finish Engage stakeholders early in the process of identifying wind energy areas in Smart from
the Start These recommendations will allow America to catch up to other nations currently at

the vanguard of technological development. These countries are reaping the economic and
employment rewards of creating a new industry while simultaneously reducing their carbon
footprint and making great strides toward a clean, renewable energy future

Grid ADV

1AC
Windpower solves blackouts
Pr Newswire 3
(Wind Power Can Help Prevent the Next Blackout August 21, Lexis)

As more than 50 million Americans and Canadians recover from the Blackout of 2003, conversations turn
to the future and how to avoid this kind of disaster from happening again. At the Renewable Energy for
Wyoming Conference beginning today in Douglas, Wyoming, discussions will undoubtedly focus on how

wind power and other sustainable energy sources can play a larger role in the
prevention of future catastrophic blackouts. According to New York-based
developer Arcadia Windpower, Ltd. and its Wyoming partner, HTH Wind Energy, Inc., a featured conference

wind power can help solve some of the problems that

contributed to the blackout and can help reduce the likelihood of
future blackouts. "This first ever renewable energy conference in the state of Wyoming comes at
participant,

a time of rising fossil fuel prices and concern about grid reliability. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal
deserves credit for his focus on renewables and their benefits to his state," said Dan Leach, CEO of HTH

wind in Wyoming will

stimulate economic development, help stabilize electricity prices,
and provide fuel diversity in the state's generation mix. " According to Peter
D. Mandelstam, founder and president of Arcadia Windpower, " Wind power, which is
naturally clean, safe, and renewable, is also perfectly suited to
strengthening the grid, which is what's important after a blackout like
the one we had last week. Wind power needs to be part of the short-term
solution and long-term reliability of the grid." Grid stability can be
achieved through distributed generation -- placing generating
facilities throughout the region's grid so that when one section of
the grid goes down, the distribution facilities are able to keep the
rest of the grid in operation. Wind farms are particularly suitable for this strategy because
Wind Energy, Inc. "With 140 megawatts of wind electricity generators spinning,

they are scalable in nature and therefore can be sized according to local energy needs. Fossil fuel plants,

wind farms, which

can be plugged directly into a metropolitan area like New York City
or a local pocket such as Long Island, can also ease transmission
bottlenecks. The transmission bottlenecks north of New York City that likely contributed to the
on the other hand, can work only as large-scale power plants. Additionally,

Blackout of 2003 could have been reduced had a wind farm in close proximity been in place and operating
-- such as the off-shore project currently proposed for the south shore of Long Island. "One

of the
most attractive features of wind power and off-shore wind, in
particular, is the ability to site a plant close to where the electricity
will be used," said Tom Gray, Deputy Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association.
"The recent blackout makes a compelling case for a wind plant off of
Long Island that can deliver electricity directly to neighboring
communities and the region." Another benefit of wind power in a
blackout situation is that as long as the grid is operating, a wind
power facility can begin generating electricity almost immediately.
In contrast, nuclear and fossil fuel plants must go through long
restart and warm-up procedures of up to 48 hours. Time is also reduced in the
development of wind power generating facilities, which can be built in just six to nine months. A
conventional power plant generally cannot be completed from design to operation in less than two years.

Grid shutdown causes meltdowns reactor fuel rods

couldnt be contained
Stein 12

Matthew Stein is a design engineer, green builder and author. Why a Likely Natural Event Could Cause
Nuclear Reactors to Melt Down and Our Grid to Crash January 20, 2012
http://www.alternet.org/environment/153833/why_a_likely_natural_event_could_cause_nuclear_reactors_to_
melt_down_and_our_grid_to_crash?page=entire

Nuclear power
plants are designed to disconnect automatically from the grid in the
event of a local power failure or major grid anomaly, and once disconnected
they begin the process of shutting down the reactor's core. In the
event of the loss of coolant flow to an active nuclear reactor's core, the
reactor will start to melt down and fail catastrophically within a matter
of a few hours at most. It was a short-term cooling system failure that
caused the partial reactor core meltdown in March 1979 at Three Mile
Island, Pennsylvania. Similarly, according to Japanese authorities it was not direct
So what do extended grid blackouts have to do with potential nuclear catastrophes?

damage from Japan's 9.0 magnitude Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011 that caused the Fukushima

the loss of electric power to the reactor's

cooling system pumps when the reactor's backup batteries and diesel
generators were wiped out by the ensuing tsunami. In the hours and days after the tsunami
Daiichi nuclear reactor disaster, but

shuttered the cooling systems, the cores of reactors number 1, 2 and 3 were in full meltdown and released
hydrogen gas, fueling explosions which breached several reactor containment vessels and blew the roof off
the building housing the spent fuel storage pond of reactor number 4. Of even greater danger and concern
than the reactor cores themselves are the spent fuel rods stored in on-site cooling ponds. Lacking a

spent nuclear fuel storage facility, so-called "temporary"

nuclear fuel
containment ponds are features common to nearly all nuclear reactor
facilities. They typically contain the accumulated spent fuel from 10 or more decommissioned reactor
cores. Due to lack of a permanent repository, most of these fuel containment ponds
are greatly overloaded and tightly packed beyond original design. They are
permanent

generally surrounded by common light industrial buildings, with concrete walls and corrugated steel roofs.
Unlike the active reactor cores, which are encased inside massive "containment vessels" with thick walls of

the buildings surrounding spent fuel rod storage ponds

would do practically nothing to contain radioactive contaminants in
the event of prolonged cooling system failures. Since spent fuel ponds typically
hold far greater quantities of highly radioactive material then the active nuclear reactors,
they present far greater potential for the catastrophic spread of highly
radioactive contaminants over huge swaths of land, polluting the environment
for hundreds of years. A study by the NRC determined that the "boildown time" for spent fuel rod containment ponds runs from between
four and 22 days after loss of cooling system power before degenerating into a
concrete and steel,

Fukushima-like situation, depending upon the type of nuclear reactor and how recently its latest batch of

Reactor fuel rods have a protective

zirconium cladding, which if superheated while exposed to air will
burn with intense self-generating heat, much like a magnesium fire, releasing
highly radioactive aerosols and smoke . According to Arnie Gundersen -- former senior
fuel

rods

had

been

decommissioned.

vice-president for Nuclear Engineering Services Corporation, now turned nuclear whistleblower -- once a

contact
with water will result in the water dissociating into hydrogen and
oxygen gases, which will almost certainly lead to violent explosions.
zirconium fire has started, due to its extreme temperatures and high degree of reactivity,

Gundersen says that once a zirconium fuel rod fire has started, the worst thing you could do is to try to
quench the fire with water streams. Gundersen believes the massive explosion that blew the roof off the

Had it not
been for heroic efforts on the part of Japan's nuclear workers to replenish
waters in the spent fuel pool at Fukushima, those spent fuel rods would
have melted down and ignited their zirconium cladding, which most
likely would have released far more radioactive contamination than what
spent fuel pond at Fukushima was caused by zirconium-induced hydrogen dissociation.

came from the three reactor core meltdowns. Japanese officials estimate that the Fukushima Daiichi

nuclear disaster has already released into the local environment just over half the total radioactive
contamination as was released by Chernobyl, but other sources estimate it could be significantly more.

Meltdown leads to extinction

Wasserman 1
October 2001 (Harvey senior editor of the Free Press, Americas Terrorist Nuclear Threat to Itself,
p.http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2001/10/00_wasserman_nuclear-threat.htm)
The assault would not require a large jet. The safety systems are extremely complex and virtually

One or more could be wiped out with a wide range of easily

deployed small aircraft, ground-based weapons, truck bombs or
even chemical/biological assaults aimed at the operating work force. Dozens of US
reactors have repeatedly failed even modest security tests over the
years. Even heightened wartime standards cannot guarantee
protection of the vast, supremely sensitive controls required for
reactor safety. Without continous monitoring and guaranteed water flow, the thousands
of tons of radioactive rods in the cores and the thousands more
stored in those fragile pools would rapidly melt into super-hot
radioactive balls of lava that would burn into the ground and the
water table and, ultimately, the Hudson. Indeed, a jetcrash like the one on 9/11 or other forms of
indefensible.

terrorist assault at Indian Point could yield three infernal fireballs of molten radioactive lava burning

Striking water they would blast

gigantic billows of horribly radioactive steam into the atmosphere.
Prevailing winds from the north and west might initially drive these
clouds of mass death downriver into New York City and east into
Westchester and Long Island. But at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, winds ultimately
through the earth and into the aquifer and the river.

shifted around the compass to irradiate all surrounding areas with the devastating poisons released by the
on-going fiery torrent. At Indian Point,

thousands of square miles would have been

saturated with the most lethal clouds ever created or imagined,
depositing relentless genetic poisons that would kill forever. In nearby
communities like Buchanan, Nyack, Monsey and scores more, infants and small children
would quickly die en masse. Virtually all pregnant women would
spontaneously abort, or ultimately give birth to horribly deformed
offspring. Ghastly sores, rashes, ulcerations and burns would afflict
the skin of millions. Emphysema, heart attacks, stroke, multiple organ failure, hair loss, nausea,
inability to eat or drink or swallow, diarrhea and incontinance, sterility and impotence, asthma, blindness,

A terrible
metallic taste would afflict virtually everyone downwind in New York, New Jersey
and New England, a ghoulish curse similar to that endured by the fliers
who dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaskai , by those
and more would kill thousands on the spot, and doom hundreds of thousands if not millions.

living downwind from nuclear bomb tests in the south seas and Nevada, and by victims caught in the

Then comes the abominable wave of

cancers, leukemias, lymphomas, tumors and hellish diseases for
which new names will have to be invented, and new dimensions of
agony will beg description. Indeed, those who survived the initial wave
of radiation would envy those who did not. Evacuation would be
impossible, but thousands would die trying. Bridges and highways
would become killing fields for those attempting to escape to destinations that would soon
downdrafts from Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.

enough become equally deadly as the winds shifted. Attempts to quench the fires would be futile. At
Chernobyl, pilots flying helicopters that dropped boron on the fiery core died in droves. At Indian Point,
such missions would be a sure ticket to death. Their utility would be doubtful as the molten cores rage
uncontrolled for days, weeks and years, spewing ever more devastation into the eco-sphere. More than
800,000 Soviet draftees were forced through Chernobyl's seething remains in a futile attempt to clean it
up. They are dying in droves. Who would now volunteer for such an American task force? The radioactive
cloud from Chernobyl blanketed the vast Ukraine and Belarus landscape, then carried over Europe and into
the jetstream, surging through the west coast of the United States within ten days, carrying across our

The radioactive clouds from

Indian Point would enshroud New York, New Jersey, New England,
and carry deep into the Atlantic and up into Canada and across to
Europe and around the globe again and again. The immediate damage would
northern tier, circling the globe, then coming back again.

render thousands of the world's most populous and expensive square miles permanently uninhabitable. All
five boroughs of New York City would be an apocalyptic wasteland. The World Trade Center would be
rendered as unusable and even more lethal by a jet crash at Indian Point than it was by the direct hits of
9/11. All real estate and economic value would be poisonously radioactive throughout the entire region.
Irreplaceable trillions in human capital would be forever lost. As at Three Mile Island, where thousands of
farm and wild animals died in heaps, and as at Chernobyl, where soil, water and plant life have been
hopelessly irradiated,

natural eco-systems on which human and all other life

depends would be permanently and irrevocably destroyed ,
Spiritually, psychologically, financially, ecologically, our nation would
never recover. This is what we missed by a mere forty miles near New York City on September 11.
Now that we are at war, this is what could be happening as you read this. There are 103 of these potential
Bombs of the Apocalypse now operating in the United States. They generate just 18% of America's
electricity, just 8% of our total energy. As with reactors elsewhere, the two at Indian Point have both been
off-line for long periods of time with no appreciable impact on life in New York. Already an extremely
expensive source of electricity, the cost of attempting to defend these reactors will put nuclear energy
even further off the competitive scale. Since its deregulation crisis, California---already the nation's secondmost efficient state---cut further into its electric consumption by some 15%. Within a year the US could
cheaply replace virtually with increased efficiency all the reactors now so much more expensive to operate
and protect. Yet, as the bombs fall and the terror escalates, Congress is fast-tracking a form of legal
immunity to protect the operators of reactors like Indian Point from liability in case of a meltdown or
terrorist attack. Why is our nation handing its proclaimed enemies the weapons of our own mass
destruction, and then shielding from liability the companies that insist on continuing to operate them? Do

the ticking
reactor bombs that could obliterate the very core of our life and of
all future generations must be shut down.
we take this war seriously? Are we committed to the survival of our nation? If so,

Blackouts cause chemical plant explosion- equivalent of

an atomic bomb
Latynina 03
Yulia Latynina, journalist for Novaya Gazeta~World Press Review (VOL. 50,
No. 11) www.worldpress.org/Americas/1579.cfm ~
The scariest thing about the cascading power outages was not spoiled

groceries in the fridge, or elevators getting stuck, or even, however cynical it may sound, sick patients left

The scariest thing of all

was chemical plants and refineries with 24-hour operations, which, if
interrupted, can result in consequences even more disastrous and
on a larger scale than those of an atomic bomb explosion. So it is safe to
to their own devices without electricity-powered medical equipment.

say that Americans got lucky this time. Several hours after the disaster, no one could know for certain

the disaster
on the East Coast illustrates just one thing: A modern city is in itself
a bomb, regardless of whether someone sets off the detonator
intentionally or by accident.
whether the power outage was caused by an accident or someones evil design. In fact,

AT Backup Generators
Refinery backup generation fails no diesel resupply
INSS 11
Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, October
4-5, 2011 "Tabletop Exercise: Secure Grid 11" coordinated by Dr. Dr. Richard
B. Andres Energy Security Chair, Institute for National Strategic Studies
Professor of National Security Strategy, National War College
It is unknown how much backup generation refineries and other
large customers have. Although many companies have hardened
their systems to varying levels in recent years, this practice has not
been widespread. Many have purchased or leased generators for use in emergencies. Hospitals
have backup generation but only a few days of fuel. The fuel resupply problem would
apply across the board for such backup generation.

Ext Grid Shutdown -> Meltdown

A power grid shut down would cause nuclear meltdowns
it happens within hours
Cappiello 11
Dina - National environmental reporter for the Associated Press, a finalist for the Edward J. Meeman award
in environmental reporting and won first-place for investigative reporting from the Society of
Environmental Journalists. Cappiello earned masters degrees in earth and environmental science and
journalism from Columbia University. She graduated in 1995 with a B.S. in biology from Georgetown.Dina
03/29/11 Long Blackouts Pose Risk To U.S. Nuclear Reactors
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/29/blackout-risk-us-nuclear-reactors_n_841869.html

it would
take less than a day for radiation to escape from a reactor at a
Pennsylvania nuclear power plant after an earthquake, flood or fire knocked out all electrical
power and there was no way to keep the reactors cool after backup
battery power ran out. That plant, the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station outside Lancaster,
In one nightmare simulation presented by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2009,

has reactors of the same older make and model as those releasing radiation at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi
plant, which is using other means to try to cool the reactors. And like Fukushima Dai-ichi, the Peach Bottom
plant has enough battery power on site to power emergency cooling systems for eight hours. In Japan, that
wasn't enough time for power to be restored. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the
Nuclear Energy Institute trade association, three of the six reactors at the plant still can't get power to
operate the emergency cooling systems. Two were shut down at the time. In the sixth, the fuel was
removed completely and put in the spent fuel pool when it was shut down for maintenance at the time of
the disaster. A week after the March 11 earthquake, diesel generators started supplying power to two other
two reactors, Units 5 and 6, the groups said.

The risk of a blackout leading to core

damage,

while extremely remote, exists at all U.S. nuclear power plants , and
some are more susceptible than others, according to an Associated Press investigation. While regulators
say they have confidence that measures adopted in the U.S. will prevent or significantly delay a core from

the events in Japan raise questions

about whether U.S. power plants are as prepared as they could and
should be. "We didn't address a tsunami and an earthquake, but clearly we have known for some
melting and threatening a radioactive release,

time that one of the weak links that makes accidents a little more likely is losing power," said Alan
Kolaczkowski, a retired nuclear engineer who worked on a federal risk analysis of Peach Bottom released in
1990 and is familiar with the updated risk analysis. Risk analyses conducted by the plants in 1991-94 and
published by the commission in 2003 show that the chances of such an event striking a U.S. power plant
are remote, even at the plant where the risk is the highest, the Beaver Valley Power Station in

the United States since the late

has only required nuclear power plants to cope with blackouts
for four or eight hours, depending on the risk. That's about how much time batteries would
Pennsylvania. These long odds are among the reasons why
1980s

last. After that, it is assumed that power would be restored. And so far, that's been the case. Equipment
put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks could buy more time. Otherwise, the reactor's
radioactive core could begin to melt unless alternative cooling methods were employed. In Japan, the
utility has tried using portable generators and dumped tons of seawater, among other things, on the
reactors in an attempt to keep them cool. A 2003 federal analysis looking at how to estimate the risk of

it "would be
unlikely that power will be recovered in the time frame to prevent
core meltdown." In Japan, it was a one-two punch: first the earthquake, then the tsunami. Tokyo
containment failure said that should power be knocked out by an earthquake or tornado

Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled plant, found other ways to cool the reactor core and so far

the coping duration is an issue on

the table now," said Biff Bradley, director of risk assessment for the Nuclear
Energy Institute. "The industry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have to go back in
avert a full-scale meltdown without electricity. "Clearly

light of what we just observed and rethink station blackout duration." David Lochbaum, a former plant
engineer and nuclear safety director at the advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists, put it another
way: "Japan shows what happens when you play beat-the-clock and lose." Lochbaum plans to use the
Japan disaster to press lawmakers and the nuclear power industry to do more when it comes to coping with

A
poses a major

prolonged blackouts, such as having temporary generators on site that can recharge batteries.

complete loss of electrical power ,

generally

speaking,

problem for a nuclear power plant because the reactor core must be
kept cool, and back-up cooling systems mostly pumps that
replenish the core with water_ require massive amounts of power to
work. Without the electrical grid , or diesel generators, batteries can be used for a
time, but they will not last long with the power demands. And when the batteries
die, the systems that control and monitor the plant can also go dark,
making it difficult to ascertain water levels and the condition of the
core.

Power grid shutdown would cause nuclear meltdowns

Caldicott 5,
5/18/2005 (Helen president of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute, Nuclear-war threat still very real, p. lexis)

103 nuclear power plants across the United States. They all
rely on external electricity supply that powers their water-coolant
systems. If these were all knocked out, you would run the risk of
more than 100 Chernobyl-scale nuclear core meltdowns across the
United States. All the power plants have their own back-up generators, of course, but
they would all need time crank up and too often their testing and
maintenance has been neglected because they so seldom, if ever,
have had to be used in the past, and some of them don't work when
they're supposed to. Therefore there would indeed be a real risk of many Chernobyls all over the place.
There are

Economy Impact
Blackouts collapse the econ - $30 billion is lost every day
Bryan 03
[Jay, The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), August 19, SECTION: Business; Opinion on the Blackout; Pg. B1,
HEADLINE: Power grids vital in information age: "Just a few days could theoretically take economic
growth ... right down to zero" l/n]

This worsened the

already-anemic

state of a U.S. economy

that had been

hammered by a massive stock-market meltdown and a series of confidencesapping corporate scandals.

It

hurt Canada, too, weakening our biggest market.

So now, just when there are

signs of healthy growth in both countries, is the last time you'd want to see a large part of the

the immediate impacts

look modest. David Rosenberg, chief North American economist with Merrill Lynch,
estimates that the U.S. impact could amount to as much as $30
billion for each day of interrupted activity. That's roughly one
percentage point of quarterly economic growth, which means that
just a few days could theoretically take economic growth in the third
quarter right down to zero . But this is just the first step in his analysis. In reality, most
continent's electric-power network collapse. We can be grateful that

activity was returning to something close to normal by yesterday. More important, Rosenberg says, any
losses in August are likely to be recouped in September, much as economic activity rebounds to wipe out
most losses after a severe winter storm. But even if we do look back on the great blackout of '03 as a mere
hiccup for the economy, there will be little reason for complacency. As Royal Bank economist John Anania
the reliability of the power grid is
information-age economy.
notes,

absolutely

indispensable in an

Blackouts collapse the econ

Horrock 3
NICHOLAS M. HORROCK, UPI Chief White House Correspondent United Press International, 8/18/03
Analysis: Bush to sell energy bill http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2003/08/18/AnalysisBush-to-sell-energy-bill/UPI-26841061239675/
In the end, Bush would learn it was the largest electric blackout ever. Though apparently not caused by
terrorism,

in the span of just nine seconds 50 million people in New York

City and state, New England, Detroit, Cleveland, Ottawa and Toronto
would lose electric power, placing them in the hot, often waterless
darkness. Thousands would have to walk home; thousands would be trapped underground in
subways, suspended in inoperable elevators, or at schools and theaters. But very quickly in the past two

very tricky issues were posed by the

blackout that will not be easily answered . The crisis over power in the United States
may not be temporarily as devastating as Baghdad's, but in the long run the very nature of
U.S. economic and social survival may rely upon correcting the
difficulties.
days Bush and his energy team found that some

Biodiversity Adv

1AC
Offshore wind farms will create artificial coral reefs which
boost biodiversity and the benefits of outweigh the risk of
wind farms
Wilson 07
(Jennifer Claire, Msc Estuarine and Coastal science and management, Offshore wind farms:
Their impacts, and potential habitat gains as artificial reefs in particular of fish, 09/07,)

From the previous discussion of ways in which the negative environmental impacts of an offshore wind
farm development could be reduced, and potentially even be made positive, the following answers to the

The construction and operation of

offshore wind farms do have some environmental impact, such as
disruption of the seabed and noise pollution, but many of these
impacts are to a lesser extent than originally predicted . In particular, the
potential risk to nearby avian populations has been shown to be
much less than feared and publicised by certain groups. Furthermore,
those impacts which do still exist may be reduced through good planning.
Despite the loss of the existing seabed habitat to make way for the
installation of the turbines, this loss is relatively small when
compared to the remaining undisturbed habitat surrounding the
wind farm. Through careful design of the required scour protection, new habitats can
actually be created, which may be beneficial not only to the
surrounding ecosystems and environment, but also potentially to
local fishermen. These new habitats may act as artificial reefs, with
the ability to enhance what would previously have been a relatively
bare open ocean seabed. This careful design has many aspects, but the main
factors which should make the greatest difference in terms of
habitat creation and environmental benefit include: A range of
scour protection methods to be used within any individual offshore
wind farm, including synthetic fronds, gravel and large boulders.
This will mimic a broader range of natural habitats and increase
habitat heterogeneity, which has been proven to aid increased
biodiversity and abundance. Ensure that a large range of
hydrodynamic niches are created for a wider range of species. This
will allow both fast-flowing current and shelter preferring species to
find habitats within the scour protection. Maximisation of surface
area to allow maximum levels of colonisation of benthic organisms,
which will then allow the development of a food web, leading up to
supporting a diverse species community. Ensuring diversity within
this could further increase colonisation, for example a range of smooth and pitted
surfaces. 72 The use of specially designed materials, such as reef balls,
to maximise habitats and abundance. The matching of dominant
scour protection methods to the existing local ecosystems and
communities. Good planning in terms of timing, to ensure that the
turbine foundations are in place to capture plankton and allow
development of the earliest stages of the desired food webs. The
combination of all these factors should ensure that the construction
of offshore wind farms need not necessarily have a detrimental
original questions in this study can be produced:

impact on their surrounding environments, and actually have the

potential to contribute to the environment. Their application could
also potentially make the development of future, larger offshore
wind farms easier to gain consent for, as their environmental
argument would be strengthened.

Coral reef going extinct now- threatens the oceans and

food supplies
RO 10
(Red Orbit Online News Agency, Dr. Kent Carpenter, PhD Zoology University
of Hawaii, Professor of Zoology at Old Dominion university Coral Reef effect
would have devastating effect, 3/10, http://wiki.debatecoaches.org/2010
2011+%E2%80%94+Bellaire+%28TX%29+%E2%80%94+Brendan+Chou+
%26+Xin+Xin+Xu)
Coral reefs are slowly becoming extinct and could disappear entirely within the next
century which could have disastrous results all over the world, experts claim.
According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) statistics published in a March 25

roughly 19-percent of the Earths coral reefs have

already disappeared, and an additional 15-percent could be gone
Associated Press (AP) article,

within the next two decades. Furthermore, Dr. Kent Carpenter, a professor at Old Dominion University,
believes that global climate change could result in the extinction of the species in no more than 100 years
unless more is done to combat global warming. Were that to occur, the results could be catastrophic.

Coral reefs are eaten or inhabited by many of the oceanic fish

population, which in turn provide a food or income source for an
estimated one-billion people around the world. In addition to hunger
and poverty, some predict that severe political unrest could also result,
should the coral reef actually become extinct. "You could argue that a complete collapse of
the marine ecosystem would be one of the consequences of losing
corals," Carpenter told Brian Skoloff of the AP on Thursday. "Youre going to have a
tremendous cascade effect for all life in the oceans." "Whole nations
will be threatened in terms of their existence ," added Carl Gustaf Lundin of the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Theyre key to protect shorelines and prevent extinction

EPA 12
(Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an agency of the United States federal government which was
created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing
regulations based on laws passed by Congress. updated on Tuesday, March 06, 2012,
http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/habitat/factsheet.cfm accessed online July 11, 2012) TKT

Living coral reefs are the foundation for many marine species, and
thus a crucial support for human life. The coral reef ecosystem is an
intricate and diverse collection of species that interact with each
other and the physical environment. Coral reefs are the homes of
many species including crabs, shrimp, oysters, and clams. They also
provide extensive recreational and tourism opportunities . Coral reefs are among the
most diverse and biologically complex ecosystems on earth,
supporting 33% of marine fish species, according to U.S. Coral Reef
Task Force (CRTF). Reef-building corals grow where the water is clear, warm, and shallow. These

conditions occur in tropical waters near the equator, on the eastern sides of continents and around oceanic

estimated 70% of the world's reefs have been

threatened or destroyed by a variety of stressors, including
shoreline development, polluted runoff from agriculture, physical
damage, over-harvesting of fish, destructive fishing, diseases, and
warmer seawater temperatures. What is a Coral Reef? Coral reefs are colonies of various
islands. According to the CRTF, an

types of reef-building stony hard corals. Each coral colony is composed of tiny animals, also known as
polyps. Polyps stay fixed in one place to create a colony that provides a home to symbiotic algae. Each
polyp slowly secretes a hard calcium carbonate skeleton, which serves as the base or substrate for the
colony. The living animal or polyp attaches itself to the skeletal base that it creates. The skeleton provides
protection for the polyps and algae as predators approach. Calcium carbonate is continuously deposited by
the corals in the living colony, adding to the size and structure of the reef. It is these slow-growing hard
skeletal structures that build up coral reefs over long periods of time. Top of page Why are Coral Reefs
Important? Coral reefs provide a source of food and shelter for a large variety of species including fish,
shellfish, fungi, sponges, sea anemones, sea urchins, sea snakes, sea stars, worms, jellyfish, turtles, and
snails. Coral reefs protect coastlines from ocean storms and floods . Coral
reefs are environmental indicators of water quality because they can only tolerate narrow ranges of
temperature, salinity, water clarity, and other water conditions. Coral reefs make important contributions
to local economies because they attract millions of tourists every year to enjoy beaches, water sports, and

Coral reefs are important sources of new medicines that

can be used to treat diseases and other health problems. Top of page What
other activities.

is Affecting the Health of Coral Reefs? Humans contribute to the deterioration of coral reefs through
physical damage caused by boats and recreational contact, and through runoff of sediments,
contaminants, and nutrients from agriculture, industry, sewage, and land clearing in the watershed. Coral
bleaching slows the growth and reproduction of corals. Bleaching occurs when environmental conditions no
longer support the symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae, or zooxanthellae, found in coral
polyps. When the colored algae leave the coral, the coral loses its color (bleaches) and its source of food.
Over the last three decades, several new coral diseases have caused widespread mortalities. The
responsible agents are known in only a few cases, and some diseases may be caused by multiple
organisms. Poor water quality, increased pollution, and elevated water temperatures increase the
likelihood of coral disease. Top of page How Does EPA Protect Coral Reefs? EPA has several programs that
contribute to the protection of coral reefs. These include research into the causes of coral reef
deterioration and regulatory control programs for wastewater discharges, storm water runoff, and ocean
dumping of wastes. EPA scientists onboard EPAs Ocean Survey Vessel Bold monitor and assess the
impacts of natural and human-caused impacts on coral reefs such as the potential effects of dredged
material disposal or discharges from sewage treatment plants. EPA participates in the U.S. Coral Reef Task
Force. The mission of the interagency Task Force is to lead, coordinate, and strengthen U.S. Government
actions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. EPA is supporting the development of
biological assessment methods and biological criteria for states, tribes and territories to use in evaluating
the health of coral reefs and associated water quality. These methods will help us identify reefs at risk and
assess the effectiveness of protection techniques. EPA supports implementation of the United Nations
Environment Programmes Global Programme of Action to address marine degradation from land-based
activities in countries with coral reefs.

Shoreline protection key to save the horseshoe crabindependently prevents extinction

ESI 11
(Endangered Species International, Horseshoe crabs are one of the most
fascinating organisms!
http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/horseshoecrabs.htmlhttp://w
ww.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/horseshoecrabs.html)
Horseshoe crabs play an important role in the ecology and survival
of migratory shorebirds because their eggs, laid on sandy intertidal beaches, is the
main source of food for millions of birds. A female can lay 90,000 eggs and it is estimated that only ten
offspring survive, making the species very vulnerable to overfishing. When young hatch they go into the

Human threatens the

survival of horseshoe crabs by affecting spawning sites and
activities. For example, beach development and shoreline modifications prevent them from reaching
sandy sites. Protecting horseshoe crab populations are crucial for the
marine ecosystem and human being!
water and spend about a week swimming, then settle to the bottom.

Horseshoe crab key to stop bio attack

Monaghan 02
(Peter Monaghan of The Chronicle of Higher Education which is the No. 1 source of news, information, and
jobs for college and university faculty members and administrators. Based in Washington, D.C., The
Chronicle has more than 70 writers, editors, and international correspondents. The Chronicle is a nine-time
finalist for the National Magazine Awards, and one of its columnists was a finalist for a 2005 Pulitzer Prize.
The Chronicle has also received honors from the Education Writers Association, the Society of News
Design, the EPpy Awards, and the Webby Awards, among others. (Click here for a complete listing.) In 2007
The Chronicle was ranked in the 10 most credible news sources by Erdos & Morgan, a widely used survey
of thought leaders in the United States. The Utne Reader that year named The Chronicle for "best political
coverage" among independent newspapers. Horseshoe Crab's Key Role in Research Leads to a Run on
the Species, November 8, 2002 http://chronicle.com/article/In-Brief/25650/ Section: Research & Publishing
Volume 49, Issue 11, Page A14)

Your life may depend on horseshoe crabs. The distant relatives of spiders have trolled
the seafloor for more than 300 million years. But 25 years ago, they figured in a key discovery of marine

Proteins in their blood cause clotting in the presence of

common bacteria that cause illnesses, including meningitis, E. coli
poisoning, and Legionnaire's disease. Their blood, therefore, can
form a sensitive detection system, the so-called "lysate test," for checking drugs,
biology:

syringes, or any medical material that comes into contact with human blood. Now the creatures are
suffering the predations of a new, international industry, writes William Sargent, a former researcher at the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in Crab Wars: A Tale of Horseshoe Crabs, Bioterrorism, and Human
Health (University Press of New England). Q. Why can't scientists just create a synthetic version of the
clotting factor? A. It would cost about $100-million to do the research, if you found the gene that produced

nature has already

given us a wonderful system where the crabs produce the lysate
the protein that you wanted, and actually it'd be a number of genes. But

themselves. You collect the animals when they come in in the spring, bleed them, and hold them and then
bleed them again, and then release them back into the wild in the fall. It's almost a form of ocean

this a case of no one group -- drug companies or fisherman -being too greedy, but of too much demand over all? A. Exactly. All of a sudden you
have two or three users concentrating on one species, and things
get out of hand. In the lysate industry, the impact on them is not so much that the crabs are
being killed outright while they're being bled -- there's only about a 10-percent
ranching. Q. Is

mortality. But they're being collected so intensely from specific

areas. Q. How might they be responsibly exploited? A. I would like to see them used only for biomedical
purposes. South Carolina has done this. That kind of regulation is not much of a hardship on fishermen. If
you keep them alive and use them only for lysate, they're worth about $2,500 over the lifetime of the
animal. But if you chop them up and use them for bait, you get only about 75 cents for that one-time use.
Q. What's the future of the horseshoe crab? A. We're already seeing a coastwide decline, and that will
continue and become quite severe. That would affect the lysate industry, which would in turn affect the

All the
vaccines that we're readying now to fight bioterrorism have to be
tested [with the lysate test].
pharmaceutical industry. Q. Right when we're entering a new era of biological warfare? A. Right.

Bioterror attack causes Extinction

Ochs 2

Chemical Weapons Working Group Member ("Biological Weapons must be

Abolished Immediately," June
9,http://www.freefromterror.net/other_articles/abolish.html)
Of all the weapons of mass destruction, the genetically engineered
biological weapons, many without a known cure or vaccine, are an
extreme danger to the continued survival of life on earth. Any perceived
military value or deterrence pales in comparison to the great risk these weapons pose just sitting in vials in

While a "nuclear winter," resulting from a massive exchange of nuclear

could also kill off most of life on earth and severely
compromise the health of future generations, they are easier to
control. Biological weapons, on the other hand, can get out of
control very easily, as the recent anthrax attacks has demonstrated. There is no way to
laboratories.
weapons,

guarantee the security of these doomsday weapons because very tiny amounts can be stolen or

The Black Death of

the Middle Ages would be small in comparison to the potential
damage bioweapons could cause. Abolition of chemical weapons is less of a priority
accidentally released and then grow or be grown to horrendous proportions.

because, while they can also kill millions of people outright, their persistence in the environment would be
less than nuclear or biological agents or more localized. Hence, chemical weapons would have a lesser
effect on future generations of innocent people and the natural environment. Like the Holocaust, once a

nuclear and biological weapons,

the killing will probably never end. Radioactive elements last tens of
thousands of years and will keep causing cancers virtually forever.
Potentially worse than that, bio-engineered agents by the hundreds
with no known cure could wreck even greater calamity on the human
race than could persistent radiation. AIDS and ebola viruses are just
a small example of recently emerging plagues with no known cure or
vaccine. Can we imagine hundreds of such plagues? HUMAN EXTINCTION IS NOW
POSSIBLE.
localized chemical extermination is over, it is over. With

Horseshoe Crab Uniqueness/Solvency

Horseshoe Crab unsustainable now and key to the
biomedical industry.
Majawat 09
(Evangeline Majawat of New Straits Times (Malaysia) March 16, 2009 Monday accessed online July 11,
2012Definitely a cracking good crab, Lexis) TKT
MYSTERIOUS and unappreciated, horseshoe crabs are slowly revealing their secrets to a team of local
scientists. EVANGELINE MAJAWAT discovers that their findings could just be the `eureka' moment the
nation has been holding her breath for. With its primitive armour-like shell and spiny tail, this
misunderstood marine creature strikes fear in the hearts of many. But one of nature's gentlest creatures,

horseshoe crab could just be the nation's key to breakthrough

research into an exclusive multi-million biomedical industry
currently dominated by one country. For the past few years, horseshoe crabs or
the

"belangkas" have been the subject of intense but low-profile research at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
(UMT). The eight-man team has been studying two out of three species of Asian horseshoe crabs found in
our waters - Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda - in the hope of discovering a way to
produce an endotoxin test kit. If successful, Malaysia would be the second country in the world and the
first in Asia to produce a test kit derived from the famous cyan-blue blood of horseshoe crabs. More
importantly, this test kit would be an alternative to the invaluable endotoxin test "Limulus Amebocyte
Lysate" (LAL), which is produced only in the United States. The prototype is expected to be ready by the
end of this year, with the end product completed by 2010. "We're on the brink of a great breakthrough. If
we do produce this kit, then we won't have to pay so much any more (for LAL)," UMT Institute of Tropical
Aquaculture senior researcher Dr Zaleha Kassim told the New Straits Times. The LAL is the standard test
used by laboratories and hospitals worldwide to detect harmful bacteria and endotoxins in all
pharmaceutical products and medical devices. "We would cut cost for local labs and hospitals. And
Malaysia could potentially make a lot of money if this test kit gets into the market," Zaleha said. Fellow
UMT Biological Science Department senior researcher Dr Noraznawati Ismail believes that the local test kit
would cost only half the price of the imported ones. "It generally costs more than RM1,000 for just a
minute amount of LAL. We could produce local kits which would be sold for half that sum." In December
last year, UMT received a RM1.9 million research grant from the Science, Technology and Innovation
Ministry (Mosti). UMT was given two years to study and develop a scientific protocol for the extraction of
the blood compounds and production of the endotoxin test kit. The kit would be called either "Tachypleus
Amebocyte Lysate" (TAL) or "Carcinoscorpius Amebocyte Lysate" (CAL), after the genus of the two types of
horseshoe crabs. "We're in the midst of refurbishing the existing lab in UMT so we can concentrate on
studying these animals," Noraznawati said. The team is eager to extend the research to Sabah waters
where the biggest of the Asian horseshoe species, the Tachypleus tridentatus, thrives. Zaleha said a
separate team of researchers were in the midst of conducting a stock assessment study with Mosti and the
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry. She said they hoped to start work in Sabah in the middle of

Pollution,
greedy fishermen a threat to horseshoe crab ONCE considered
useless, the humble "belangkas" is thrust into the limelight as more people
discover the beneficial properties of its blood. But the attention is not always
this year. "We're on the verge of discovering something very important," she said proudly.

welcomed because with it, comes unsustainable demand and irresponsible fishing. Universiti Malaysia

the price of a
horseshoe crab had skyrocketed from a mere 50 sen to a gut-punching RM5. This, she
said, had given rise to fly-by-night companies and greedy fishermen
who were all in for the quick buck. Zaleha has had to change her mobile phone number
Terengganu Institute of Tropical Aquaculture senior researcher Dr Zaleha Kassim said

after being bombarded with calls from parties demanding she buy their catch. "I can't stand these people
who demand that the university buy from them. When we refuse, they'll blame us. We only need a small
amount. These people call us and force us to buy up to hundreds of horseshoe crabs," she said. Most of the
time, these horseshoe crabs are found to be in poor condition. "Then, there are those who call us for
advice on how to rear horseshoe crabs. They cannot be cultivated. "Most of them die in captivity within
two to three months of being caught," she said. She also explained that it takes up to nine years for a
horseshoe crab to mature sexually and be able to mate. "There is no quick get-rich-scheme with these
horseshoe crabs." Zaleha said the UMT research team would not only draw up the scientific protocol for
their blood extraction but also for the conservation of these "beautiful and gentle creatures". "Not much is
known about horseshoe crabs.

They're not a protected species but don't be

fooled into thinking that they are abundant in our waters. "It is very
important that we protect them from unsustainable fishing. This
would ensure our supply if the research is successful, " she said. There
are also threats from habitat destruction and pollution. "As mangrove
forests disappear and beaches and the sea are polluted, the number of these animals will dwindle," she
said. Horseshoe crabs are also important for migratory birds. "Horseshoe crabs are food source for
migratory birds which flock to the country every year. If we protect the crabs, then the birds come with the
bird watchers in tow. Now, isn't that eco-tourism?" Zaleha also dismissed talk that consuming horseshoe
crab meat has traditional medicinal benefits. "It is not scientifically proven," she pointed out

Offshore wind Solves

Danish study proves ability for offshore wind to build artificial
reefs.
Science Daily 12
(Science Daily is one of the Internets most popular science news web sites. Since starting in 1995, the awardwinning site has earned the loyalty of students, researchers, healthcare professionals, government agencies,
educators and the general public around the world. Now with more than 3 million monthly visitors, ScienceDaily
generates nearly 15 million page views a month and is steadily growing in its global audience. No other web site
offers readers the depth and breadth of breaking news about the latest scientific discoveries that ScienceDaily does
in such a user-friendly format all freely accessible with no subscription fees. With over 65,000 research articles,
15,000 images, 2,500 encyclopedia entries, 1,500 book reviews, and hundreds of educational videos, there is
something for everyone on ScienceDaily. Updated several times a day with breaking news and feature articles,
seven days a week, the site covers discoveries in all fields of the physical, biological, earth and applied sciences.
Stories are integrated with photographs and illustrations, links to journals and academic studies, related research
and topics, encyclopedia articles, and videos, to provide a wealth of relevant information on almost every science
topic imaginable from astrophysics to zoology. And thanks to a custom search function, readers can do their own
research using the sites extensive archive of stories, topics, articles, videos, images and books.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100118132130.htm) TKT

Offshore wind power and wave energy foundations can increase local
abundances of fish and crabs. The reef-like constructions also favour for
example blue mussels and barnacles. What's more, it is possible to increase or
decrease the abundance of various species by altering the structural design
of foundation. This was shown by Dan Wilhelmsson of the Department of
Zoology, Stockholm University, in a recently published dissertation . "Hard
surfaces are often hard currency in the ocean, and these foundations can function as artificial reefs. Rock boulders
are often placed around the structures to prevent erosion (scouring) around these, and this strengthens the reef
function," says Dan Wilhelmsson.

A major expansion of offshore wind power is

underway along European coasts, and the interest is growing in countries
such as the US, China, Japan, and India. Moreover, wave power technologies are being developed very
rapidly. Many thousand wind and wave power plants grouped in large arrays that each cover several square
kilometers can be expected. How marine life will react to this is not clear, but several research projects
investigating the impacts of noise, shadows, electromagnetic fields, and changes in hydrology etc. are underway.

Wilhelmsson studied how offshore wind turbines constitute habitats for

fish, crabs, lobsters, fouling animals, and plants. He shows that wind
turbines, even without scour protection, function as artificial reefs for
bottom dwelling fish. The seabed in the vicinity of wind turbines had higher densities of fish compared
Dan

to further away from the turbines and in reference areas. This was despite that the natural bottoms were rich in

Blue mussels dominated on the wind turbines that appeared to offer

good growth conditions. Wave power foundations, too, constituting massive concrete blocks, proved to
boulders and algae.

attract fish and large crabs. Blue mussels fall down from the surface buoys and become food for animals on the

Lobsters also settle under the foundations. In a

large-scale experiment, holes were drilled in the foundations, and this
dramatically increased numbers of crabs. The position of the holes also proved to be of
foundations and on the adjacent seabed.

importance for the crabs. However, aggregations of certain species may have a negative impact on other species.
The number of predatory animals on artificial reefs can sometimes become so large that the organisms they prey
on, such as sea-pens, starfish, and crustaceans, are decimated in the surroundings, and certain species can
disappear entirely. "With

wind and wave energy farms, it should be possible to create

large areas with biologically productive reef structures, which would
moreover be protected from bottom trawling. By carefully designing the
foundations it would be possible to favour and protect important species
or, conversely, to reduce the reef effects in order minimize the impact on
an area," says Dan Wilhelmsson.

AT Oil Rigs
Petro majors will participate --- it's a cost savings.
Texier 11 - Innovation Analyst @ Cleantech EDF [Maud Texier Offshore Oil & Gas: a renewable energy?, Sia
Partners, July 1, 2011 pg. http://tinyurl.com/c7pzupg
The IEA announces in its last annual report that the peak oil had been reached in 20061. Thousands of rigs, all
around the world, currently produce oil and gas from offshore fields. By 2050 however, their

decommissioning will be compulsory as their lifespan is limited and oil

resources are decreasing . How could we, first, dismantle those rigs and while avoiding on-site
Far from
being a burden for the petroleum industry, on the contrary, those oil rigs can represent
key-players for the energy changeover : by using them and install offshore
wind turbines on top of them. Toward the combination of offshore oil & gas with wind power
pollution, then, recycle dozens of thousands tons of steel, and guarantee an optimized profitability?

With current technologies, offshore wind turbines are still limited to water depths below 30 m. Hence, those
turbines are not able to reach greater wind potential which lies far from on-shore, beyond 30 m of water depth.
Steel-jacket oil rigs, however, are installed to 60 meters water depths, thanks to their jacket which can be to 90

By removing the topsides from the top of the jacket and replacing them
with a wind turbine, one would significantly increase the reachable wind potential,
meters high.

and on top of this, reduce noise and visual pollution usually reported by coasts
inhabitants.
This concept becomes even more interesting as areas with a high density of oil
rigs match with offshore high wind potential areas: the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico for
instance. Currently 450 oil rigs are standing in the North Sea as the average wind speed is 9 m/s. Same as in the
Gulf of Mexico with 3858 oil rigs for an average wind speed between 7 and 8,5 m/s. Those rigs have a 20 to 30-year
lifespan; hence all of them will have to be removed by 2050. We can then easily imagine in 2050, thanks to those

This concept has

indeed a great potential in the Gulf of Mexico : considering for a 5 MW2 wind turbine a load factor
rigs, offshore wind farms supplying onshore areas nearby with a high density of population.

of 23%, and for the rigs a reuse factor between 40% and 60%, depending on their shape and location, we can
estimate an annual electricity production from 15,5 to 23,3 TWh, which is equivalent to the residential electric
consumption of a city such as Chicago in 2005 3. But wind energy potential is in reality far greater: offshore winds
load factor is actually greater than onshores and can reach 30% depending on the area. An unsuspected power

Offshore wind turbines capacities are increasing, thus the real power
production will go far beyond those estimates by 2050. Several projects are making this idea into a
potential

reality: in the North Sea, a company named Talisman has installed several steel-jacket wind turbines for its project

By using offshore oil & gas know-how, long mastered technologies are now
experimentally used for an activity in development: wind energy. Actually the seed of this idea is
Beatrice.

already germinating in industrials minds: SeaEnergy Renewables Company, created by former experts from the
petroleum industry, has already bought the patent rights for this concept aiming at a future marketing, and
scientific studies on offshore wind potential have been performed in the Gulf of Mexico4. Although wind turbine and
steel jacket technologies are already fully mastered, their connection to the electric grid is still in development: DC

Supergrids are
nonetheless in the beginning of their business boom as several ongoing projects; hence we expect
first feedbacks and learnings by ten years . Moreover additional costs to plug wind
farms to the onshore electric grid, estimated today to 700 k/MW5, will be compensated, at
least partially, by the savings on rigs decommissioning . Thanks to this process of reuse,
the steel jacket is actually not removed from the seabed, what represents a saving on
current lines lying on the seabed and covering hundreds of kilometers are still very expensive.

the overall decommissioning cost : in the Gulf of Mexico, decommissioning cost

reaches 1400$/ton, what is equal to save around 11,2 M per oil rig. This cost
reduction added to feedbacks on offshore electric grids will enable to improve the

overall economics for this kind of project. By ten years answers will be given to current technical
padlocks. Furthermore, this concrete solution would enable, during the coming transition phase, to
capitalize on fossil fuels eras know-how in order to promote renewable energies
development. This offshore wind energy concept represents hence the
opportunity for petroleum majors to adapt to the new emerging energy
market and at the same time uses advantages of offshore wind energy against
onshore projects.

Turtles Scenario/Add On
Coral reefs important feeding area for sea turtles
NOAA 12
(NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of
the ocean floor as we work to keep citizens informed of the changing environment around them. From daily weather
forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and
supporting marine commerce, NOAAs products and services support economic vitality and affect more than onethird of Americas gross domestic product. NOAAs dedicated scientists use cutting-edge research and high-tech
instrumentation to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with reliable
information they need when they need it. NOAA's roots date back to 1807, when the Nations first scientific agency,
the Survey of the Coast, was established. Since then, NOAA has evolved to meet the needs of a changing country.
NOAA maintains a presence in every state and has emerged as an international leader on scientific and
environmental matters. Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) February 2012
http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/SeaTurtles/Turtle%20Factsheets/PDF/Loggerhead-Sea-Turtle.pdf) TKT

The loggerhead is widely distributed within its range . It may be found hundreds of
miles out to sea, as well as in inshore areas such as bays, lagoons, salt marshes, creeks, ship channels, and the

Coral reefs, rocky places, and ship wrecks are often used as
feeding areas. Nesting occurs mainly on open beaches or along narrow bays having suitable sand, and it is
often in association with other species of sea turtles. Most loggerhead hatchlings originating
from U.S. beaches are believed to lead a pelagic existence in the North
Atlantic gyre for an extended period of time, perhaps as long as 7 to 12
years, and are best known from the eastern Atlantic near the Azores and
Madeira. Post-hatchlings have been found floating at sea in association with Sargassum rafts. Once they reach
mouths of large rivers.

a certain size, these juvenile loggerheads begin recruiting to coastal areas in the western Atlantic where they
become benthic feeders in lagoons, estuaries, bays, river mouths, and shallow coastal waters. These juveniles
occupy coastal feeding grounds for about 13 to 20 years before maturing and making their first reproductive
migration, the females returning to their natal beach to nest.

Turtle Extinction destroys ocean and dune ecosystemnegatively affecting humans

STSL 2k

(Sea Turtle Survival League, Conservation group of Marine Biologist, Why Care
About Sea Turtles?, http://www.conserveturtles.org/sea-turtle-information.php?
page=whycareaboutseaturtles)
Sea turtles, especially green sea turtles, are one of the very few animals to eat sea
grass. Like normal lawn grass, sea grass needs to be constantly cut short to be
healthy and help it grow across the sea floor rather than just getting longer grass blades. Sea turtles and
manatees act as grazing animals that cut the grass short and help maintain the health of the sea grass beds.

Over the past decades, there has been a decline in sea grass beds. This
decline may be linked to the lower numbers of sea turtles. Sea grass beds
are important because they provide breeding and developmental grounds for many
species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans. Without sea grass beds, many marine species
humans harvest would be lost, as would the lower levels of the food chain .
The reactions could result in many more marine species being lost and
eventually impacting humans. So if sea turtles go extinct, there would be a
serious decline in sea grass beds and a decline in all the other species

dependant upon the grass beds for survival. All parts of an ecosystem are important, if you
lose one, the rest will eventually follow. . Beaches and dune systems do not get very
many nutrients during the year, so very little vegetation grows on the dunes and no
vegetation grows on the beach itself. This is because sand does not hold nutrients very well. Sea turtles use
beaches and the lower dunes to nest and lay their eggs. Sea turtles lay around 100
eggs in a nest and lay between 3 and 7 nests during the summer nesting season. Along a 20 mile stretch of beach

Not every nest will

hatch, not every egg in a nest will hatch, and not all of the hatchlings in a nest will
make it out of the nest. All the unhatched nests, eggs and trapped
hatchlings are very good sources of nutrients for the dune vegetation, even the left
over egg shells from hatched eggs provide some nutrients. Dune vegetation is able to grow and
become stronger with the presence of nutrients from turtle eggs . As the
dune vegetation grows stronger and healthier, the health of the entire beach/dune
ecosystem becomes better. Stronger vegetation and root systems helps to
hold the sand in the dunes and helps protect the beach from erosion. As the number of
turtles declines, fewer eggs are laid in the beaches, providing less
nutrients. If sea turtles went extinct, dune vegetation would lose a major
source of nutrients and would not be as healthy and would not be strong enough to
maintain the dunes, resulting in increased erosion. Once again, all parts of an ecosystem are
important, if you lose one, the rest will eventually follow. Sea turtles are part of two ecosystems, the
beach/dune system and the marine system. If sea turtles went extinct,
both the marine and beach/dune ecosystems would be negatively affected .
And since humans utilize the marine ecosystem as a natural resource for
food and since humans utilize the beach/dune system for a wide variety of
activities, a negative impact to these ecosystems would negatively affect
humans.
on the east coast of Florida sea turtles lay over 150,000 lbs of eggs in the sand.

Healthy Ocean Systems are key to human survival

Craig 03

( Associate Professor of Law @ Indiana 2003 (Robin Kundis, Taking Steps Toward
Marine Wilderness Protection? Fishing and Coral Reef Marine Reserves in Florida and
Hawaii, McGeorge Law Review, Winter [34 McGeorge L. Rev. 155], Lexis/Nexis)
Biodiversity and ecosystem function arguments for conserving marine ecosystems also exist, just as they do for
terrestrial ecosystems, but these arguments have thus far rarely been raised in political debates. For example,
besides significant tourism values - the most economically valuable ecosystem service coral reefs provide,
worldwide - coral reefs protect against storms and dampen other environmental fluctuations, services worth more
than ten times the reefs' value for food production. n856 Waste treatment is another significant, non-extractive

"ocean ecosystems
play a major role in the global geochemical cycling of all the elements that
represent the basic building blocks of living organisms, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen,
ecosystem function that intact coral reef ecosystems provide.

n857

More generally,

phosphorus, and sulfur, as well as other less abundant but necessary elements."

n858

In a very real and direct sense,

therefore,

human degradation of marine ecosystems impairs the planet's

ability to support life. Maintaining biodiversity is often critical to
maintaining the functions of marine ecosystems. Current evidence shows that, in
general, an ecosystem's ability to keep functioning in the face of disturbance
is strongly dependent on its biodiversity, "indicating that more diverse
ecosystems are more stable." n859 Coral reef ecosystems are particularly dependent on their
biodiversity. [*265] Most ecologists agree that the complexity of interactions and degree of interrelatedness
among component species is higher on coral reefs than in any other marine environment. This implies that the
ecosystem functioning that produces the most highly valued components is also complex and that many otherwise

insignificant species have strong effects on sustaining the rest of the reef system. n860 Thus, maintaining and
restoring the biodiversity of marine ecosystems is critical to maintaining and restoring the ecosystem services that
they provide. Non-use biodiversity values for marine ecosystems have been calculated in the wake of marine
disasters, like the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. n861 Similar calculations could derive preservation values for
marine wilderness. However, economic value, or economic value equivalents, should not be "the sole or even
primary justification for conservation of ocean ecosystems. Ethical arguments also have considerable force and
merit." n862 At the forefront of such arguments should be a recognition of how little we know about the sea - and
about the actual effect of human activities on marine ecosystems .

The United States has

traditionally failed to protect marine ecosystems because it was difficult
to detect anthropogenic harm to the oceans, but we now know that such
harm is occurring - even though we are not completely sure about
causation or about how to fix every problem. Ecosystems like the NWHI
coral reef ecosystem should inspire lawmakers and policymakers to admit
that most of the time we really do not know what we are doing to the sea
and hence should be preserving marine wilderness whenever we can especially when the United States has within its territory relatively
pristine marine ecosystems that may be unique in the world. We may not
know much about the sea, but we do know this much: if we kill the ocean
we kill ourselves, and we will take most of the biosphere with us. The Black Sea
is almost dead, n863 its once-complex and productive ecosystem almost entirely replaced by a monoculture of comb
jellies, "starving out fish and dolphins, emptying fishermen's nets, and converting the web of life into brainless,
wraith-like blobs of jelly." n864 More importantly, the Black Sea is not necessarily unique.

Biodiversity Impact
Every species lost weakens the environment and risks
extinction.
Diner 94

(JD and writer finds in 1994. David Diner has a J.D. from Ohio states and writes for
law reviews and environmental journals. This article is from the Military Law Review
in Winter of 1994)
Biologically diverse ecosystems

are characterized by a large number of specialist species ,

filling narrow ecological niches.

These ecosystems inherently are more stable than less diverse

systems.

"The more complex the ecosystem, the more successfully it can

resist stress... like a net, in which each knot is connected to others by

several strands, such a fabric can resist collapse better than a simple,
unbranched circle of threads -- which is cut anywhere breaks down as a whole." By causing
widespread extinctions, humans have artificially simplified many
ecosystems. As biologic simplicity increases, so does the risk of ecosystem failure. The spreading Sahara
Desert in Africa, and the dustbowl conditions of the 1930s in the United States are relatively mild examples of what

Theoretically, each new animal or plant

extinction, with all its dimly perceived and intertwined affects, could
cause total ecosystem collapse and human extinction. Each new extinction
increases the risk of disaster. Like a mechanic removing, one by one, the
rivets from an aircraft's wing, mankind may be edging closer to the abyss.
might be expected if this trend continues.

Ocean Probability Card

Relative probability means you should err affirmative.
Kunich 5 Professor of Law @ Roger Williams University School of Law [John Charles Kunich,
ARTICLE: Losing Nemo: The Mass Extinction Now Threatening the World's Ocean Hotspots,

Columbia Journal of

Environmental Law, 2005, 30 Colum. J. Envtl. L. 1

there is an unimaginable cost from failing to preserve the
marine hotspots if they contain numerous species of high value at great risk of extinction. We could
cost ourselves and our posterity untold advancements in medicine, therapies, genetic
resources, nutrients, ecosystem services, and other areas, including perhaps a cure to
a global health threat that might not materialize until centuries from now... truly a "grave
On the other hand,

error" of the first order . [*128] But if we sit on the sidelines and fail to invest in
hotspots preservation, and we "get lucky" (few species, low value, small extinction risk), our only gain is in
the form of saving the money and effort we could have spent on the hotspots. Even if this amounts to several billion

is a small benefit compared to the incalculably catastrophic

losses we could suffer if we guess wrong in betting on the inaction option.
dollars a year, it

The Decision Matrix actually under-represents the extent to which the rational decision is to invest in hotspots preservation. Because
the Decision Matrix, in tabular form, devotes equal space to each of the sixteen possible combinations of extreme variable values, it
can mislead readers into thinking that each of the sixteen outcomes is equally probable. This is most emphatically not the case.
Some of these results are far more probable than others. This problem of apparent equality of disparate results is of the same type
as a chart that depicts a person's chances of being fatally injured by a plummeting comet on the way home from work on any given
day. There are only two possible results in such a table (survives another day, or killed by meteor), and they would occupy an equal
amount of tabular space on the printed page, but the probability of the former outcome is, thankfully, much higher than the
likelihood of the latter tragic event.

As explained in this Article, it is much more likely that there are numerous, even millions, of unidentified species
currently living in the marine hotspots than that these hotspots are really not centers of profuse biodiversity.
also

It is

very probable that the extinction threat in our oceans is real, and

significant , given what we know about the horrific effects wrought on

coral reefs

and other known marine population centers by overfishing, pollution, sedimentation, and other

Recent discoveries have revealed very high rates of

endemism in small areas such as seamounts, which are extremely vulnerable to
trawl damage. n526 Even in the deep ocean areas, there is evidence that new technologies are making it
human-made stressors. n525

both a possibility and a reality to exploit the previously unexploitable biodiversity in these waters via [*129]
demersal fishing/trawling, to devastating effect. n527 Only a truly Orwellian brand of doublethink could label as
progress the development of fishing methods that do to the benthic habitats what modern clearcutting has done to
so many forests, only on a scale 150 times as severe, but it is this "progress" that has brought mass extinction to
the seas. n528 However, there is also the positive side, in light of the large numbers of marine species and habitat
types, including life forms adapted to extraordinary niches such as hydrothermal vents and the abyss. That is, it
would be surprising if there were not highly valuable genetic resources, natural medicines, potential sources of
food, and other boons waiting to be discovered there.
Therefore, the results that are linked to high, rather than low, values of each of the three variables are far more

In terms of probabilities , it is much more likely

that either a "first order grave error" or "first order jackpot" will occur than a "lucky
wager" or an "unused insurance" result. In fact, all of the combinations with either two or three "high" values of
probable than the converse outcomes.

the variables are significantly more probable that any of the combinations with two or three "low" variable values.

This means that the tilt in favor of betting on the hotspots is much more
pronounced than is apparent from a cursory glance at the Decision Matrix. The extreme results
are far likelier to fall in favor of hotspots preservation than the opposite .

Econ Adv

1AC
Port upgrades are inadequate and federal initiatives fail
private investment key
Natale 13
[We Need $30.2 Billion by 2020 By Patrick J. Natale, P.E. P.E., Executive Director, American Society of Civil
Engineers, http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2013/01/ports-matter-too.php]
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that over 95 percent of overseas trade produced or consumed by the

our ports are in danger of

losing their competitive advantage due to the slow and very complex
process of critical dredging projects. Wednesdays hearing by the Senate Environment and
United States moves through our nations 300 commercial ports. Yet,

Public Works Committee on the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and the status of the nation's ports put a giant

This issue is made all the more critical due to the

looming arrival of new, larger container ships that will begin to pass
through Americas ports once upgrades to the Panama Canal are
completed in 2015. To accommodate this new traffic, U.S. seaports and
inland waterways will need an investment of $30.2 billion by 2020 according to a report by
spotlight on that alarming fact.

the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends
in Airports, Inland Waterways, and Marine Ports Infrastructure, ASCE finds that only $14.4 billion in inland waterway
and seaport funding is anticipated by 2020, creating a funding gap of $15.8 billion. This funding gap will have

Congestion and delays in our ports lead to goods sitting on

the docks and in warehouses for shipment. These delays increase
transportation costs for businesses, and then these costs are passed on to American families at the
many consequences.

checkout counter. According to the ASCE study, if we do not invest in our nations ports and inland waterways

we are on a target to lose 738,000 jobs in 2020 and nearly $1 trillion

in personal disposable income over next seven years. The good news is
that with the additional investment between now and 2020, the nation can
eliminate this potential drag on our economy. Unless Americas infrastructure investment
systems,

gaps are filled, transporting goods will become costlier, prices will rise, and the United States will become less
competitive in the global market. The nations seaports and inland waterways are critical links that make
international commerce possible, and they deserve our attention.

And, reliance on government deepening projects devastates

port competitiveness, prevents upgrades
Economist 13
[Crying out for dollars, http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21571167-underinvestment-ports-and-inlandwaterways-imperils-american-competitiveness-crying-out]
But it will take far more than that to get Americas maritime infrastructure in the condition it ought to be. Like much

ports, locks, dams and inland waterways are old,

underinvested in, and too often ignoredto the cost of the businesses
that depend on them, and the consumers both in America and abroad who buy things that pass
through them. Some 70% of Americas imports and 75% of its exports go through
its ports. The number of ships calling at American ports is risingby 13% in
2010 after an 8% decline a year earlieras is those ships size: after expansion is
complete in 2014, the Panama Canal will accommodate 366-metre-long ships with a 15-metre
draft, compared with pre-expansion lengths of 294 metres and 12-metre drafts. The canals expansion
will make it easier for Asian ships to reach Americas east and gulf coasts
of Americas infrastructure, its

home to five of its ten busiest container portsand for American commodities to cross the Pacific. By 2030 post-

just seven
of American container ports stand ready to receive such shipsand only one of
Panamax ships are expected to comprise a majority of the worlds container ship capacity. And yet

the president approved plans

to deepen or begin the long review process of deepening ports in Charleston,
Jacksonville, Miami, New York/New Jersey and Savannah, butas the Industrial Canal lock
showsa long and winding road runs between approval and completion.
And approval does not necessarily come with funding . Kurt Nagle, who heads the
these is in the South, where population growth is highest. Last year

American Association of Ports Authorities, says that in the next five years public ports and their private partners
expect to invest $9 billion in port infrastructure There is a shared responsibility, and the federal government, we
believe, is not upholding its end of the partnership.

The impact is total breakdown in economic competitiveness

Ohare 13
[US risks falling behind competition By Kerry O'Hare Vice President, Director of Policy, Building
America's Future, http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2013/01/ports-matter-too.php]

Ports are indeed integral to the U.S. economy. Trade between the U.S. and
other countries increased by 13 percent a year between 2003 and 2008.
Our freight transportation system was not built for the explosive growth
of coast-to-coast shipping and international trade experienced over the
past two decades, and our economically vital gateways and corridors our primary
port, road, and rail routes for shipping goods in and out of the country now operate at or over
capacity. Congestion plagues our freight corridors and acts as a drag on
the American economy as a whole. In Chicago, the nations biggest rail center, congestion is so
bad that it takes a freight train longer to get through the city limits than it does to get to Los Angeles. Freight
moving by water is slowed by similar constraints on capacity and limitations of aging infrastructure. Many of our
ports were built for the last centurys economy, without sufficient intermodal access for increased container traffic.
And only two East Coast ports can currently accommodate the post-Panamax ships that will become more common
with the widening of the Panama Canal. As described in our Falling Apart and Falling Behind report, our inland
waterways are similarly overburdened as dozens of locks along major inland shipping routes are past their 50-year

The bottom line is that

delays in freight movement impose real costs on businesses that reduce
productivity, impede our economic competitiveness and increase prices for consumers.
lifespan, and some are more than a century old and showing their age.

It is clearly time for policymakers to get serious about modernizing the nations infrastructure policy. We need a
long term strategy that prioritizes investment in our economically vital gateways and corridors and on projects that
will provide the greatest economic returns. MAP-21 has started to lay the groundwork for much needed policy
reforms with regard to surface transportation but more needs to be done. For example, it has been roughly five
years since Congress approved that last WRDA bill. This looks to change in the 113th Congress as both Chairmen
Shuster and Boxer have made passage of a new WRDA a bill a priority for both of their committees. That is welcome

But until these long term strategies are put in place, the U.S. risks
having our global economic competitors pass us by. We must not allow
that to happen.
news.

Competitiveness prevents great power war

Baru, Singapore Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy visiting professor, 2009
(Sanjaya, Geopolitical Implications of the Current Global Financial Crisis, Strategic Analysis, Volume
33, Issue 2 March 2009, http://www.india-seminar.com/2009/593/593_sanjaya_baru.htm)
The management of the economy, and of the treasury, has been a vital aspect of statecraft from time
immemorial. Kautilyas Arthashastra says, From the strength of the treasury the army is born. men without wealth do not
attain their objectives even after hundreds of trials Only through wealth can material gains be
acquired, as elephants (wild) can be captured only by elephants (tamed) A state with depleted resources, even if acquired, becomes only a
liability.4 Hence, economic policies and performance do have strategic consequences.5 In the modern era, the
idea that strong economic performance is the foundation of power was argued most persuasively by historian Paul Kennedy. Victory (in war),
Kennedy claimed, has repeatedly gone to the side with more flourishing productive base.6 Drawing attention to the interrelationships between
economic wealth, technological innovation, and the ability of states to efficiently mobilize economic and technological resources for power

projection and national defence, Kennedy argued that nations that were able to better combine military and economic strength scored over others.

The fact remains, Kennedy argued, that all of the major shifts in the worlds military-power
balance have followed alterations in the productive balances; and further, that the rising and falling
of the various empires and states in the international system has been confirmed by the outcomes of
the major Great Power wars, where victory has always gone to the side with the greatest material
resources.7 In Kennedys view the geopolitical consequences of an economic crisis or even decline would be transmitted through a nations
inability to find adequate financial resources to simultaneously sustain economic growth and military power the classic guns vs butter
dilemma. Apart from such fiscal disempowerment of the state, economic under-performance would also reduce a

nations attraction as a market, a source of capital and technology, and as a knowledge power . As
power shifted from Europe to America, so did the knowledge base of the global economy. As Chinas power rises, so does its profile as a
knowledge economy. Impressed by such arguments the China Academy of Social Sciences developed the concept of Comprehensive National
Power (CNP) to get Chinas political and military leadership to focus more clearly on economic and technological performance than on military
power alone in its quest for Great Power status.8 While Chinas impressive economic performance and the consequent rise in Chinas global
profile has forced strategic analysts to acknowledge this link, the recovery of the US economy in the 1990s had reduced the appeal of the
Kennedy thesis in Washington DC. We must expect a revival of interest in Kennedys arguments in the current context. A historian of power who
took Kennedy seriously, Niall Ferguson, has helped keep the focus on the geopolitical implications of economic performance. In his masterly
survey of the role of finance in the projection of state power, Ferguson defines the square of power as the tax bureaucracy, the parliament, the
national debt and the central bank. These four institutions of fiscal empowerment of the state enable nations to project power by mobilizing and
deploying financial resources to that end.9 Ferguson shows how vital sound economic management is to strategic

policy and national power. More recently, Ferguson has been drawing a parallel between the role of debt and financial crises in
the decline of the Ottoman and Soviet empires and that of the United States of America. In an early comment on the present financial crisis,
Ferguson wrote: We are indeed living through a global shift in the balance of power very similar to that which occurred in the 1870s. This is the
story of how an over-extended empire sought to cope with an external debt crisis by selling off revenue streams to foreign investors. The empire
that suffered these setbacks in the 1870s was the Ottoman empire. Today it is the US It remains to be seen how quickly todays financial shift
will be followed by a comparable geopolitical shift in favour of the new export and energy empires of the east. Suffice to say that the historical
analogy does not bode well for Americas quasi-imperial network of bases and allies across the Middle East and Asia. Debtor empires

sooner or later have to do more than just sell shares to satisfy their creditors . as in the 1870s the balance of
financial power is shifting. Then, the move was from the ancient Oriental empires (not only the Ottoman but also the Persian and Chinese) to
Western Europe. Today the shift is from the US and other western financial centres to the autocracies of the Middle East and East Asia.10

An economic or financial crisis may not trigger the decline of an empire. It can certainly speed up a
process already underway. In the case of the Soviet Union the financial crunch caused by the Afghan war came on top of years of
economic under-performance and the loss of political legitimacy of the Soviet state. In a democratic society like the United States the political
legitimacy of the state is constantly renewed through periodic elections. Thus, the election of Barack Obama may serve to renew the legitimacy of
the state and by doing so enable the state to undertake measures that restore health to the economy. This the Soviet state was unable to do under
Gorbachev even though he repudiated the Brezhnev legacy and distanced himself from it

Only port upgrades solvespills over to global trade and

economic leadership
Kiefer et al, 2k
principal investigator for Planning and Management Consultants study authorized by Section 401 of the Water
Resources Development Act of 1999, report to the US Army Corps of Engineers (Jack, Planning and Management
Consultants, The National Dredging Needs Study of Ports and Harbors Implications to Cost-Sharing of Federal Deep
Draft Navigation Projects Due to Changes in the Maritime Industry, May 2000,
http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/docs/iwrreports/00-R-8.pdf)
Some benefits of harbor improvements are difficult or impossible to quantify. For individual projects these are given
little attention. Policy decisions concerning project authorizations and appropriations should consider intangible
benefits as well as tangible direct and secondary benefits. This idea is particularly applicable to international trade

international trade gives

the U.S. considerable leverage when dealing with foreign governments.
Thus, international trade can enhance the United States role as a world
leader. National harbors are also a vital part of our militarys power
projection platform. Economists believe in the law of comparative advantage, which states that nations
and specifically container trade. For example, America is such a big market,

benefit when they specialize in producing certain goods and services and then trade with each other rather than
producing everything themselves. For example, most people perceive that the majority of foreign trade consists of

significant portion
of U.S. foreign trade consists of semi-manufactured commodities and raw
materials such as iron and steel or crude petroleum. These products are
consumer goods such as clothing and televisions. However, as shown in Table 2-2, a

used to produce other goods, or are further processed in the importing

country. For example, in the United States imported car parts are often
used to produce exports of finished automobiles. Machinery and electrical
equipment are often used the same way. Thus, efficient flow of
international commodities is important for all nations including the United
States. Global trade is very competitive and profit margins are thin. This is
particularly true for maritime transportation including the container
shipping industry. . Growth in U.S. foreign trade, even though it is substantial, is not as high as growth in
total international trade, particularly with respect to containerships. It is quite possible for some U.S. trade to be
diverted or to be serviced by less efficient ships. This may occur if American ports and the Federal government are
not able to meet current challenges posed by developments in international trade. 2.2.4 Lost Benefits There are lost
benefits associated with delays in the construction of harbor improvement projects. Costs increase with delays, not
only because of inflation but because the construction process becomes distorted by available funds. Costs
associated with delays can and have been estimated. Typically, a years delay in schedule leads to a penalty of
more than 10 percent of project cost. This is sizable and should be considered when making cost-sharing policies.
Cost-sharing policies should seek to insure that both public ports and the Federal government fund projects in a
timely manner. There are also benefits foregone due to lost transportation cost savings with project delays. Project
delays affect the Nation in another way. Although these benefits are difficult to quantify, such effects are perhaps
more important than those that can be measured. Delays create an uncertain atmosphere that can impact
decisions to develop infrastructure elsewhere. Container ports are very capital intensive and require long term
planning. Massive containerships are rapidly being put into service at ports throughout the world. Without a clear
signal of intent to accommodate these vessels in the United States, necessary ports and facilities may be built
elsewhere. Once major investments are made elsewhere, the full efficiencies of large containerships in the form of
lower transportation costs for general cargo may be lost to the Nation for a long time to come. 2.3 Geographical
Incidence of International Trade Public ports generally have a regional or local economic development mandate
along with authorizations to improve harbor facilities. This does not mean, however, that local economies near ports
capture all or most of the benefits associated with international trade. For example, when a port unloads crude
petroleum from a ship, it charges a fee that generates revenues for the port and the local community. But imported
oil also fuels cars and homes throughout the Nation. Likewise, when a port loads grain or coal onto a ship for export,
farmers in the U.S. heartland benefit as do coal miners in the hills of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Container trade benefits all regions of the country as well. As shown in Table 2-3, fifteen U.S. ports account for
about 80 percent of international maritime trade in terms of value. These ports represent only ten states, however
much of the cargo they handle flows to other regions. Table 2-4 shows the origin and destination of international
cargo for each U.S. state measured in terms of value. On average, any given state uses the services of 15 different
ports around the country. For example, the California ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland collectively
handle about $187 billion worth of cargo, but the state of California is the origin or destination of only $106 billion.
While most container trade flows in and out of ports on the East and West Coasts, it is distributed throughout the
Nation as shown in Tables 2-5 and 2-6. For instance, the Port of Charleston, S.C. handled about 800 thousand TEUs
in 1996, but the state of South Carolina was the origin or destination of only 160 thousand of these TEUs. Similarly,

Beach and Oakland handled five million TEUs but only

2.5 million originated or were destined to sites within California. [table
omitted] 2.4 Conclusion The benefits of harbor improvements are
numerous. Expenditures for harbor improvements have facilitated
international trade by providing ships more efficient access to the Nation's
ports. International trade in turn creates and sustains jobs and generates
Federal tax revenues. Foreign commerce has become crucial to the
economic well-being of the United States. In 1946, U.S. international trade
represented a relatively small portion of the U.S. economy, but today
foreign trade accounts for 27 percent of U.S. gross domestic product.
Harbor improvements also affect prices of U.S. imports and exports. With
deeper channels vessel operators can load more cargo onto a ship and sail
deeper, or they can use larger more efficient vessels. Unit transportation
costs decline and lower transportation costs are reflected in commodity
prices. Intangible benefits are also important. Free trade promotes
international relations and stability and bolsters the United States position as a world leader.
the ports of Los Angeles, Long

Lastly, it is important to stress that the economic benefits of international trade are widespread and are not limited
to a handful of coastal states.

The plan solves expanded offshore wind development

increases port capacities and causes port upgrades
Taylor, 12
[10/25/12, OFFSHORE WIND, Phil Taylor, E&E reporter http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/10/25/1]

Port officials here are vowing to roll out the red carpet for the
nascent offshore wind industry. The Port of Virginia, home to Naval
Station Norfolk and the world's largest military-industrial complex, hopes
to become a home base for assembling, shipping and installing massive
wind turbines for mid-Atlantic power projects. It is among a handful of
East Coast ports jockeying for a piece of what business leaders here say
could be a $15 billion prize in offshore wind projects over the next
decade. "We welcome you here; we want you here," Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) told hundreds of industry officials
NORFOLK, Va. --

who gathered earlier this month at the American Wind Energy Association's annual offshore wind conference at the
Virginia Beach Convention Center. "We want this to be the epicenter of this new and growing industry." Cranes
stand guard at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Hampton Roads. State officials hope offshore wind developers use
the area to store and assemble turbine parts. Photo by Phil Taylor. Virginia officials say their state offers a steady
but powerful ocean breeze in waters that are shallow but far enough from shore to protect the coastal scenery.

Offshore wind, a keystone of the Obama administration's energy policy,

could offer significant onshore job opportunities from Savannah, Ga., to
Maine, proponents said. The sheer size and weight of offshore wind
turbines will require significant upgrades to docks and ships. Virginia officials

touted their port's deep waters, unrestricted navigation and proximity to the ocean in hopes of elbowing out
competitors in Baltimore; Narragansett, R.I.; and New Bedford, Mass. The wind industry is backed by labor groups,
including dock builders and pile drivers who sponsored an exhibit at the AWEA conference, in addition to
environmental groups that see offshore turbines as a significant opportunity to transition away from carbon-

But the industry has been hobbled by high costs, unsettled

federal energy policy and, in the case of the Cape Wind project in Massachusetts, a handful of lawsuits
intensive fuels.

over impacts to viewsheds, cultural resources and airplanes. Offshore wind development has occurred almost
exclusively in Europe -- where more than 50 projects and nearly 4,000 megawatts have been installed in the past
decade, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States could see up to 54,000 MW of projects in the
Atlantic by 2030, DOE said. J.J. Keever, senior deputy executive director for the Virginia Port Authority, said the
building boom in Europe has spawned major land-based projects like England's Green Port Hull, a collaboration
between Siemens and the owners of the Alexandra Dock, to manufacture and export offshore wind turbines.
Siemens this summer signed a deal reportedly worth $3.1 billion to supply 300 turbines for offshore projects owned
by Danish firm DONG Energy, according to the BBC. Components for those turbines would be built at the port. "I
show you that to compare it to Portsmouth Marine Terminal," he said, referring to a 285-acre former container
facility in Virginia that stands vacant along the shores of the Elizabeth River, and which port officials here are
promoting as a staging area for offshore wind. From the deck of a local tour boat, the Victory Rover, the
Portsmouth terminal's massive blue cranes could be seen standing idly along the waterfront. The terminal closed in
2010 when container-handling operations were moved to the other side of the port. A few miles north, a dump
truck rumbled over Craney Island, a man-made peninsula that for decades has served as a dumping ground for
muck dredged from the seabed. The Army Corps of Engineers has authorized the island's east end to become a

offshore wind could

generate more than $400 million in economic growth in Virginia alone,
ranging from the fabrication of turbine foundations to the outfitting of
electric service platforms, charter vessels, leasing of large port landings
and transmission upgrades. Docks and boats will need to be able to
support turbines weighing more than 325 tons and their subsea foundations, which weigh upward of 450
500-acre marine terminal, the port's fourth. 'Flash in the pan'? Keever said

tons, according to Richard Palmer, vice president of Weeks Marine Inc., a New Jersey-based vessel contractor.
Weeks in June launched the first U.S.-built vessel designed exclusively for the installation of wind turbines at sea.
The R.D. MacDonald will elevate itself by sinking eight giant legs into the seafloor, providing a platform for a crane
to lower turbines into the water. General Dynamics works on a ship on the Elizabeth River. Offshore wind

will require extensive port infrastructure, and labor,

farms

to support East Coast projects.

Photo by Phil Taylor. "What we are looking for, obviously, is a continuing industry," said Palmer. "We don't want this
to be a flash in the pan. ... We need to keep the vessel working in order to pay for it."

The plan causes colocation of manufacturing and port

upgrades creates a sustainable industry
AWEA, 11

[American Wind Energy Assosciation,

http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/factsheets/upload/Offshore-Wind-America-s-New-EnergyOpportunity.pdf]

We must act urgently to support the

development of the first generation of offshore wind projects in the United
States in order to capture a new American manufacturing opportunity and
create thousands of new American jobs. Newly created manufacturing facilities and
the associated jobs will be located in some of the areas of our country
where they are needed most, near ports along the Eastern Seaboard, the Gulf Coast and in
Offshore Wind: Americas New Energy Opportunity

the Great Lakes region. In addition, offshore wind will allow us to tap a vast new source of clean domestic energy

Once a
pipeline of projects is established, there is a tremendous opportunity for
regional port and supply chain development in support of the offshore
wind industry. Substantial industrial manufacturing jobs are expected to be
that will help to stabilize energy prices. Offshore wind energy development will create American jobs

created to manufacture turbines, foundations, blades, sub-stations, and cables. The U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) estimates that by 2030, the development of 54,000 MW of offshore wind projects in the U.S. could create
more than 43,000 permanent operations and maintenance jobs and approximately 20.7 direct jobs per annual
megawatt (MW).i The success of the land-based wind industry in the U.S., which has created over 75,000 jobs
and contributed to the placement of over 400 manufacturing facilities across 43 states, ii demonstrates the
economic development potential for offshore wind. For the wind sector overall, including both land-based and
offshore, DOE estimates that the wind industry will support 500,000 American jobs by 2030.iii Offshore wind is an
established global industry and a new opportunity for the United States The U.S. National Renewable Energy
Laboratory estimates that the potential for offshore wind power in the U.S. is four times greater than the country's
current total generating capacity from all sources.iv The first offshore wind farm was installed off the coast of
Denmark in 1991 and in Europe today, 4,000 MW of offshore wind capacity has been constructedv. This is enough
electricity to power the equivalent of almost 1.3 million homes in the U.S.vi By 2020, with an annual investment
of the equivalent of $10.76 billion, Europe is expected to have installed 40,000 MW of offshore wind capacity,vii
enough electricity to power the equivalent of almost 13 million homes in the U.S.viii China plans to increase the
combined installed capacity of its offshore wind power sector to 5,000 MW by 2015 and 30,000 MW by 2020ix,
enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1.6 million and almost 10 million U.S. homes respectively.

That ensures port and industry clusters

Bowen, 11
[Offshore Wind: Port and Staging Area Needs and Status WEBINAR, resenters: James Bowen, Program Manager,
Clean Energy Sector Development, MASSACHUSETTS CLEAN ENERGY CENTER (MASSCEC) Joel Constantino, Vice
President, Director of Operations, NEW ENGLAND STEAMSHIP AGENTS, INC. Brian Fariello, Ship Power Sales,
WARTSILA NORTH AMERICA Fred Hashway, Director of Strategic Initiatives, RHODE ISLAND DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION, http://infocastinc.com/events/offshorewindweb]

A critical infrastructure requirement for the installation of offshore wind

farms is a port facility designed to serve as the central logistical point for
delivery of components and construction of wind turbines before they are
loaded onto installation vessels. As a base of operations for offshore wind
projects, port facilities are drivers for the resulting economic development
and industry clustering that comes from the wind farm construction
activity. In Southern New England, the offshore wind industry cluster has been growing in large part due to the
expectation that New Bedford, MA and Quonset Point, RI will be the two primary regional ports used in future wind
farm installations. This webinar presented by officials representing the New Bedford and Quonset facilities will
discuss the role that port facilities play in offshore wind projects, including the following topic areas: The logistical
role of a port facility in an offshore wind project Port selection criteria and basic requirements Major design
elements of an offshore wind port facility Misconceptions and pitfalls in designing an offshore wind port facility
Compare/contrast the European port experience with the US experience

Economic development benefits

How

ports create industry clusters: Southern New England offshore wind

cluster as a case study vessel selection the process of importing
Offshore Wind components

And, causes the deepening of ports

Barlow, 11
[Jason, Jason practices in the Maritime Law and Government Contracts Practice Group at Troutman Sanders, where
his practice focuses on a variety of maritime related matters, including regulatory compliance, maritime contract,
marine insurance, general average, salvage, cargo damage, and charter party disputes, vessel documentation and
finance, marine pollution, vessel collisions, maritime personal injury and marine insurance defense and subrogation.
Jason is also a member of Troutman Sanders Renewable Energy Practice Team, which advises clients engaged in a
variety of renewable energy projects, including offshore wind energy development. Jason is a 2010 graduate of
Tulane University Law School, where he concentrated his studies on admiralty and maritime law, earning a Juris
Doctorate with Maritime Law Certificate, cum laude. While in law school, he served as Senior Notes and Comments
Editor of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal. In addition, Jason worked as law clerk at Ostendorf, Tate, Barnett, and
Wells, LLP, a New Orleans based law firm specializing in transportation, admiralty/maritime, and premises liability
litigation. He also worked as law clerk at Forrester & Dick, a Baton Rouge boutique law firm specializing in, among
other practice areas, railroad defense litigation. Prior to attending law school, Jason earned his Bachelor of Arts in
Political Science and English, with honors, from Randolph-Macon College in 2007,
http://www.troutmansanders.com/files/FileControl/2e66ece0-0b9a-4dff-bdb7-57a768601573/7483b893-e478-44a48fed-f49aa917d8cf/Presentation/File/TS%20-%20North%20American%20Windpower%20Article.pdf]
is clear that port size is critical during the initial
construction of offshore wind farms. Port facilities must have acres of
lay-down space to unload, store and pre-assemble turbine and
monopole components. The Port of Viissingen, for example, has more
than 50 acres of dedicated component-storage space. Construction
ports also need deep water and substantial pier and berth facilities to
accommodate the large vessels. Viissingen, for example, boasts water depths of over 54 feet

From the European example, it

along over 1,100 feet of berth, and

Harwich has up to 31 feet of water

along more than 3,000 feet of berth.

facilities must be sturdy and equipped with heavy-lift cranes to

load and unload the massive wind farm components. Furthermore,
transit between the construction ports and open sea must be quick, with no
These wharf

significant air or sea draft restrictions. Given these require ments, the ports of Dunkirk, Ilarwich and Viissin gen
have emerged as lead ers in offshore wind farm construc tion support. Each of these ports has substantial laydown space, an ability to accommodate large vessels, heavy- lift capability, deep water, no air draft
restrictions, and a proximity to Eu ropes largest wind farms. European offshore wind develop ers also looked
turnkey solutions. That is, ports that could provide facilities not
only to receive completed turbines, but also to manufacture and assemble the

for ports that offered

equip ment. This combination of manufac turing, pre-assembly and loading at one single port can provide
substan tial savings over facilities that require turbines to be constructed at one lo cation and then shipped to
another. The Port of Viissingen, for example, has created a separate offshore wind terminal, complete with
available ex pansion space, in an effort to court the European offshore wind industry. Smaller ports have also
played siz able roles in Europes offshore wind energy development. The Port of Rainsgate, a small commercial
fishing and recreational harbor in the U.K., has been designated as the O&M base for two of the worlds largest
offshore wind farms: the London Array project and the Thanet offshore wind farm. Location trumps port size
when it comes to lifelong O&M of offshore wind farms. To maintain the Lon don Array and Thanet projects, it is
estimated that fewer than a dozen smaller vessels, such as crew and work boats, will be needed. Several smaller
ports, such as Ramsgate, are capable of accommodating these vessels, and Ramsgates location allows these
ves- sels to sail to wind farm sites in less than an hour a distinct advantage for long-term wind farm
Along the eastern seaboard of the U.S., ports are investing in in
infrastructure and vying to establish themselves as the most suitable
port for offshore wind investment and de velopment. Drawing from European offshore wind

maintenance.

experience, offshore wind proponents in the U.S. estimate that vessels transporting component parts may
require berths of at least 450 feet and navigation channels with at least 24-foot drafts, 130-foot lateral
clearance, and air draft sufficient to transport jack-up rigs and turbines in upright positions from terminal

The final assembly and deployment of the turbines must occur

high-capacity port facilities equipped with rail and heavy-lift cranes,

facilities to wind farm sites.

at

due to

the size and weight of offshore wind farm components. Although

component parts could be manufactured off-site, cost efficiencies and transport logistics favor centralizing
manufac turing and assembly functions for turbines, towers and blades. Component manufacturers are the
primary targets for ports hoping to take the lead in offshore wind devel opment. For these manufacturers, lay
down space is a major infrastructure consideration once channel depth and vertical and lateral clearance arc
deemed sufficient to support offshore wind development. Along the east coast of the U.S., several terminals
may emerge as vi able options for manufacturers; however, due to inadequate bridge clearance or insufficicnt
lay-down acreage, sorne of these sites may be limited to support and maintenance operations or to the
manufacture of smaller component parts, rather than staging ports for final turbine assembly For example,
there is unobstruct ed access to the South Terminal in the Port of New Bedford, Mass., and the Portsmouth
Marine Terminal in the Port of Virginia. With 150 feet of lateral clearance in the channel leading to the South
Terminal, the Port of New Bedford has proposed a plan to expand the terminals berth to 1,600 feet and to
dredge a 30-foot channel to that berth and the 14 acres to 20 acres of land adjacent to it. 1hc Portsmouth
Marine lerminal sits on 219 acres of land with 3,540 feet of wharf, three berths and six cranes. Although the
Port of Virginia will build a 500,000 square-foot paper and pulp warehouse facility on term j nal property in the
next year, the port still has room for growth. The port has water depths of 43 feet at the entrance channel and
at the terminal wharf, which will allow it to accommodate large purpose-built offshore wind vessels. Its
geographic location on the mid-Atlantic coast is ideal for offshore wind manufac turers and maintainers looking
to serve wind farms north and south of Virginia. The Port of Baltimore is a deep water port with substantial
lay-down acreage and heavy-lift capability. The North Locust Point Terminal, in par ticular, sits on 90 acres and
cornes equipped with two 75-ton gantry cranes. The terminal has 19 acres of outside storage space, two sheds
with a combined 399,311 square feet of covered storage space, and five 34-foot draft finger piers. However,
the Port of Baltimore has a disadvantage when compared with other East Coast ports because it is 125 miles
inland on the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge pro vides only 1 86 feet of vertical clear ance,
which is likely insufficient to accommodate turbine assembly and delivery to offshore wind farm sites.
Savannah, Ga.s Ocean Terminal includes 73 acres of open storage, fIve dccpwatcr berths totaling 3,599 feet
with a depth alongside of 42 feet, 1.4 million square let. of covered storage with 60% immediately adjacent to
the berth, and 73 acres of paved open storage with additional lay-down area available. However, like the Port of
Baltimore, the potential of the Ocean Termina] is limited by a bridge; the Talmadge Bridge has only 185 feet of
vertical clearance. The Port of Charleston is hop ing to attract offshore wind manu facturers with a $45 million
federal grant awarded to Clemson University for the development of a wind tur bine testing laboratory at the
Clem son University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, S.C. Two of Charlestons five terminals arc ca
pable of handling traditional break bulk, heavy-lift and project cargo. Both have sufficiently deep channels and
wharves, ample warehouses, open storage and berth space, and short transit times to the ocean. Neverthe

As development of offshore wind

progresses on the east coast of the U.S., support and infrastructure
requirements will continually be refined. In the meantime, manufac
turers will take careful account of the political climate and incentives of
fered by the various East Coast states, but the main contenders will
remain the ports with the best infrastructure to support the physical
requirements of offshore wind power.
less, the Port of Charleston also has

low bridge clearance.

Offshore wind incentives solve ports

Economic incentives ensures upgrades
Sargent, 12 [Rob Sargent, U.S. Poised to Join the Race on Offshore Wind:
Lawmakers Must Commit to More Pollution-Free Energy,
http://www.environmentamerica.org/news/ame/us-poised-join-race-offshore-wind]
The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy includes details on the key milestones each Atlantic Coast state

Offshore
wind energy will be an economic powerhouse for America. Harnessing the
52 gigawatts of already-identified available Atlantic offshore wind energy
just 4 percent of the estimated generation potential of this massive
resource could generate $200 billion in economic activity, create 300,000 jobs,
and along with the wind potential and the economic benefits. Among the highlights of the report:

and sustain power for about 14 million homes. (Europe already produces enough energy from offshore wind right
now to power 4 million homes.) America is closer than ever to bringing offshore wind energy ashore. Efforts are
underway in 10 Atlantic Coast states, with over 2,000 square nautical miles of federal waters already designated for
wind energy development off of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
Environmental reviews finding no significant impacts have been completed, and leases are expected to be issued

Despite this progress, leadership is

urgently needed at both the state and federal level to ensure offshore
wind energy becomes a reality in America: President Obama should set a clear national goal
for offshore wind energy development, and each Atlantic state governor
should also a set goal for offshore wind development off their shores.
These goals must be supported by policies that prioritize offshore wind
energy and other efforts to secure buyers for this new source of reliable,
clean energy.
for some of these areas by the end of the year.

Green Jobs Econ Add-on/Solvency

Offshore wind solves jobs
Caperton et all, 12
(Richard, the Director of Clean Energy Investment, Michael Conathan is the Director of Ocean Policy, and Jackie Weidman is a Special Assistant
for the Energy Opportunity team at American Progress. Congress Needs To Push Targeted Incentives For Offshore Wind
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/01/13/403620/congress-incentives-offshore-wind/)

2011 was pretty good for advancing the U.S. offshore wind industry in many ways. The Cape Wind
project proposed for the waters off Massachusetts received its final permits from the Department of the
Interior, theoretically paving the way to begin construction on Americas first offshore wind farm. The
Obama administration advanced its Smart from the Start initiative, designating wind energy areas off
the coasts of five Atlantic coast states, and it is actively pursuing leases with potential developers. And
projects in state waters off New Jersey, Texas, and Ohio took important steps and cleared hurdles in the
planning and permitting stages. Unfortunately, as has been the case throughout the history of offshore
wind in this country, it soon became another example of three steps forward, two steps back. Less
than a month after Interior gave Cape Wind the green light, the Department of Energy informed the
company it would not be eligible for a loan guarantee. Then, in the waning days of the year, another
offshore wind pioneer, NRG Bluewater Wind, announced that it would back out of a three-year-old
power-purchase agreement with Delmarva Power because it couldnt generate sufficient investor interest.
Meanwhile, developers in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Norway, China,
South Korea, and other countries are proving that offshore wind is a viable economic model. They
have permitted more than 40,000 MW of offshore wind energy capacity. The United States has only
issued permits for 488 MW. (see table) Not only does this delay reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
and our transition to renewable energy sources, but it also prevents American innovators from
taking advantage of the design, manufacturing, and construction jobs that go along with it. In
Europe, where more than 4,000 MW of offshore wind capacity is already installed, developers
expect to create 169,000 jobs by 2020 and 300,000 by 2030.

Green Jobs key to economy

DiPasquale and Gordon 11
Christina C. DiPasquale, & Kate Gordon. 9/7/2011 [Christina DiPasquale is an Associate Director for
Press Relations at the Center for American Progress, with a portfolio focusing on national security,
energy, and immigration. Prior to joining the Communications team, she served as deputy press secretary
on Congressman Joe Sestak's (D-PA) campaign for U.S. Senate. Kate Gordon is a Senior Fellow at
American Progress. Most recently, Kate was the VP for Energy Policy at American Progress, Top 10
Reasons Why Green Jobs Are Vital to Our Economy, Center for American Progress,
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/09/top_ten_green_jobs.html]
Green jobs are integral to any effort to jumpstart our economy and reduce as rapidly as possible
our 9.1 percent unemployment rate. The rapid growth of green jobs will boost demand in our economy
by reducing unemployment, make America more competitive in the global economy, and protect
our public healthall of which will result in greater economic productivity and long-term economic
prosperity. Here are the top 10 reasons why this is the case today and into the future: 1. There are already 2.7 million jobs across the clean
economy. Clean energy is already proving to be larger job creation engine than the heavily subsidized
fossil-fuels sector, putting Americans back to work in a lackluster economy. 2. Across a range of clean energy projects, including

renewable energy, transit, and energy efficiency, for every million dollars spent, 16.7 green jobs are created. That is over three times the 5.3 jobs
per million dollars that are created from the same spending on fossil-fuel industries. 3. The clean energy sector is growing at a

rate of 8.3 percent. Solar thermal energy expanded by 18.4 percent annually from 2003 to 2010, along with solar photovoltaic power by
10.7 percent, and biofuels by 8.9 percent over the same period. Meanwhile, the U.S. wind energy industry saw 35 percent average annual growth
over the past five years, accounting for 35 percent of new U.S. power capacity in that period, according to the 2010 U.S. Wind Industry Annual
Market Report. As a whole, the clean energy sectors average growth rate of 8.3 percent annually during this period was nearly double the growth
rate of the overall economy during that time. 4. The production of cleaner cars and trucks is employing over 150,000 workers across the United
States today. These job numbers are likely to increase as improved car and light truck standards recently announced by President Barack Obama
will require more skilled employees and encourage further investment. 5. Median wages are 13 percent higher in green energy careers than the
economy average. Median salaries for green jobs are $46,343, or about $7,727 more than the median wages across the broader economy. As an
added benefit, nearly half of these jobs employ workers with a less than a four-year college degree, which accounts for a full 70 percent of our
workforce. 6. Green jobs are made in America, spurring innovation with more U.S. content than other

industries. Most of the products used in energy efficiency retrofits are more than 90 percent made in America. Sheet metal for ductwork is
over 99 percent domestically sourced, as are vinyl windows (98 percent) and rigid foam insulation (more than 95 percent). Even major
mechanical equipment such as furnaces (94 percent) and air conditioning and heat pumps (82 percent) are predominantly American made. 7. We
have a positive trade balance in solar power components such as photovoltaic components and solar heating and cooling components of $1.9
billion, and are exporting components to China. Contrast this with the oil industry, where in 2010 alone we imported over $250 billion in
petroleum-related products. As our nations basic manufacturing base declines, we risk losing our place in the forefront of innovation if we dont
invest in advanced manufacturing in the green sector. 8. Three separate programs for energy efficiency retrofits have

employed almost 25,000 Americans in three months. The Weatherization Assistance Program, Energy Efficiency Block
Grant Program, and State Energy Programs have collectively upgraded over half a million buildings since the programs began to ramp up from
April 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011, providing immediate new and sustainable job opportunities to tens of thousands of construction workers eagerly
searching for work. 9. Clean energy jobs are better for U.S. small businesses. Specialty construction companies that perform energy retrofits show
very high rates of small business participation in the construction. Ninety-one percent of the firms involved in retrofits are mall businesses with
less than 20 employees. 10. An abundance of jobs in the green sector are manufacturing jobs with an upward

career track. Forty-one percent of the nations green jobs offer medium to long-term career
building and training opportunities, and 26 percent of green jobs are in the manufacturing sector, compared to 9 percent in the
traditional economy. The bottom line: Green jobs being created through smart investments in our energy
infrastructure are expanding employment opportunities while reducing pollution of our air and
water, providing an alternative to foreign oil, and allowing us to export more American-made goods
abroad

Offshore Wind Green Jobs

Offshore leads to green jobs and lots of energy
Hopkins, 7/12
[Robert B. Hopkins, Baltimore-based partner in the Trial Practice Group of international law firm Duane
Morris LLP. He practices in the area of litigation with a concentration on transportation, products liability
and commercial litigation both domestically and internationally, Offshore Wind Farms in US Waters
Would Generate Both US and Foreign Maritime Jobs
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/07/offshore-wind-farms-in-u-s-waterswould-generate-both-u-s-and-foreign-maritime-jobs]
wind energy
legislation as a future investment in renewable energy as well as a vehicle for American job creation .
With no offshore wind energy farms yet built off U.S. coastlines, various states over the last few years have proposed offshore

The immediate future of U.S. offshore wind farms may depend on whether Congress renews certain tax credit and federal loan guarantee
programs. In the event that offshore wind farms move forward, it is likely that both U.S. maritime

and
foreign maritime workers will be involved in construction and maintenance. A recent study by The National
Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated the potential generating capacity from offshore wind farms located off
U.S. coastlines to be 4 times the present total U.S. electrical generating capacity . The construction and
maintenance of offshore wind farms to tap into even a small percentage of this potential will demand a robust and
competent maritime workforce. The U.S. understandably wants to avoid the situation that occurred in England with the installation
of the Thanet Wind Farm, currently the largest operating offshore wind farm in the world (300 megawatts). The Thanet project received criticism
for its lack of significant British job creation. U.S. wind farm developers, green energy advocates and some U.S. politicians have stressed that
offshore wind farms will create jobs for both U.S. maritime and U.S. shore-based worker s. In addition,
some have pointed to a federal statute known as the Jones Act, to assert that foreign-flagged vessels crewed by foreign maritime workers may not
even be involved in U.S. offshore wind farm projects. However, such a broad statement is not entirely accurate, and the issue is somewhat
complex.

Awesome green jobsUK proves

Bird 9
[Jenny, April 2009, Jenny Bird is a research fellow of the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Prior to joining IPPR, she studied for a Masters in Sustainable Development with Forum for the Future.
She has also worked for the Environment Agency, Institute for Public Policy Research, Green Jobs:
Prospects for creating jobs from offshore wind in the UK]
We have chosen to focus on offshore wind for four main reasons: 1. Offshore wind is a sector with growing importance for the UK The UK
currently has the largest installed offshore wind capacity in the world and has ambitious plans to promote a rapid and large-scale growth in
offshore wind farms. Offshore wind is expected to make a large contribution to meeting renewable energy

targets and carbon reduction budgets for 2020, unlike many other renewable and low-carbon energy technologies, which will not be able to be
deployed on such a short timescale (this is explored in more detail below). It is clear that if the UK expands its offshore wind capacity as planned,
then a large workforce will be needed to plan, manufacture, install and operate the new wind farms. 2. Offshore wind provides good

long-term prospects While it is understandable to want to focus on short-term job creation

opportunities that will help tackle the current recession, it is important to consider the long-term
prospects for these jobs will they still exist in decades to come? Offshore wind may not provide instant new jobs, but it does
offer good medium-term prospects. In addition, jobs in offshore wind are likely to be sustainable over
the longer term because unlike jobs in carbon-intensive industries offshore wind is likely to be a prominent
feature of the new low-carbon economy that is necessary to meet our climate change obligations . 3.
Offshore wind has potential for competitive advantage and export opportunities This is clearly a sector where the UK has the potential to develop
a competitive advantage. Germany is also developing its offshore wind market and it is possible that other countries, including the USA (the Cape
Wind Project Americas first offshore wind farm is currently going through the permitting system [Cape Wind 2009]), China and other
European countries will follow suit. Developing an experienced offshore wind workforce could therefore

provide opportunities in the future to export these skills as other markets mature . Similarly, if we are able
to attract manufacturing facilities to open in the UK, there is scope for future export of components and turbines. There is also the potential that
once companies are established, they may innovate and create new markets an opportunity that would be missed if companies locate overseas.

4. Offshore wind has the potential to provide good quality jobs in the right places It is important to give
consideration to the quality of the jobs that will be created through a Low Carbon Industrial Strategy will they provide good career development
opportunities? Will more economically deprived areas of the country be able to benefit from the new jobs? And will people who are currently
unemployed or working in industries that are likely to decline in the future be able to benefit from the new job opportunities? Although there have
not been many studies in this area, there is some evidence to suggest that offshore wind does have the potential to offer

good quality, career-track jobs. For example, studies of the Spanish and German renewables industries have shown that they offer
good job prospects, career paths and job security (UN 2008). It is also likely that a UK offshore wind industry is likely to be located in some of
the more economically deprived regions of the UK. Offshore wind could offer an alternative career option for those currently employed in the
offshore oil and gas industry, which is likely to decline over the next decade as reserves in the North Sea deplete. Many of the skills from this
sector can be transferred to offshore wind and the jobs are likely to be located in roughly the same geographical areas. There are also
opportunities for people working in the automotive and aerospace industries to move into offshore wind. Taken together, these four reasons
suggest that offshore wind is an area of strategic importance for the UK and as such would be a good subject for industrial activism.

Solvency

1AC
Plan: The United States federal government should
substantially increase its non-military development of the
Earths oceans by expediting siting regulations of offshore
wind projects in federal waters and negotiating long term
power purchase agreements for offshore wind power.
The plan solves
Environment Maryland Research & Policy Center 12
(Environment Maryland Research & Policy Center is a state wide citizens powered organization that environment
requires independent research. What Offshore Wind Means for Maryland Environmental, Economic and Public
Health Benefits Across the State Release date: Friday, March 30, 2012). TKT
Policy Recommendations. Building its first offshore wind farm will mean that Maryland has taken an important step

To capture
the many benefits of offshore wind, Maryland and the United States
should make a strong commitment to the development of wind energy off
the mid-Atlantic coast. Specifically: The Maryland Public Service Commission should solicit
toward a better future with resilient ecosystems, less air pollution, and a more robust economy.

proposals for construction of wind-powered electricity generation off of Marylands coast, and should establish

State and federal governments

should set bold goals for offshore wind development in the Atlantic, in order to provide
effective incentives to encourage offshore wind developers.

clear leadership and vision regarding the important role of offshore wind in Americas energy future and to

U.S. Department of the Interior should

expedite siting regulations for offshore wind projects in federal waters , while
demonstrate that it is a high priority. The

maintaining a high level of environmental protection. In so doing, they should maintain strong standards to make
sure that offshore wind facilities do not have major impacts on wildlife, shipping channels or military operations.

The federal government should use its buying power to facilitate the
financing of offshore wind. The government should negotiate long term
power purchase agreements with an offshore wind developer covering
electricity purchases for military installations and other federal facilities.

Federal incentives solve wind

Caperton et all, 12
(Richard, the Director of Clean Energy Investment, Michael Conathan is the Director of Ocean Policy, and Jackie
Weidman is a Special Assistant for the Energy Opportunity team at American Progress. Congress Needs To Push
Targeted Incentives For Offshore Wind http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/01/13/403620/congress-incentivesoffshore-wind/)

Congress holds the key The answer lies in part in NRG Bluewater Winds fate. NRG was unequivocal in
the reasoning behind its decision to cancel its power-purchase agreement. The companys press release stated that
it was unable to find an investment partner. Specifically, NRG placed the blame for this outcome squarely on the
shoulders of Congress:

Two aspects of the project critical for success have actually

gone backwards: the decisions of Congress to eliminate funding for the
Department of Energys loan guarantee program applicable to offshore
wind, and the failure to extend the Federal Investment and Production Tax
Credits which have rendered the Delaware project both unfinanceable
and financially untenable. While the challenges facing this project are big, theyre solvable. As NRG
alludes to, targeted, efficient incentives from the federal government would
allow this project to move forward. The production tax credit Currently, offshore

wind projects are eligible for the production tax credit. This is a credit
based on how much electricity a wind turbine generates, and is currently
worth 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. Unfortunately, this credit expires at the
end of 2012, and a long-term extension of the credit is uncertain . CAP has
called on Congress to extend the credit for four more years, which will
provide needed policy certainty for investors in wind projects. The investment
tax credit While NRG Bluewater Wind would clearly benefit from a production tax credit extension, other incentives
may be more useful for this project. For onshore wind projectswith relatively predictable performance over the life

For offshore wind, however, the credit is

less valuable to the project developer. Because offshore wind turbines are
relatively new technology and are deployed in environments that have
never been used for energy generation, developers cant predict how
much power a turbine will generate as accurately as they can with
onshore wind. Thus, developers arent as certain about how big their tax
credits will be, which affects the profitability of the project. Congress could fix this
of the projectthe production tax credit is very valuable.

problem by making offshore wind eligible for the investment tax credit. Instead of getting a tax credit as power is
generated, the investment tax credit would allow offshore wind developers to get an upfront credit for 30 percent of
their initial investment, encouraging more to invest. This is much more useful for technologies with more
performance uncertaintylike offshore windand would be a smart example of matching the tax code to the
unique circumstances facing innovative industries. Loan guarantees Uncertainty around offshore wind turbines
operational performance also makes it difficult to finance these projects. When a bank evaluates a wind farm, it
predicts how much power the turbines will produce each year and will only count the power that theyre
extremely confident will be produced. With an innovative technology like offshore wind, this could mean that only
half of the turbines expected output is bankable. This affects whether or not a bank thinks the developer will pay
back a loan, and ultimately influences whether or not a bank offers a loan. This is a significant problem for offshore

But the federal government can solve this problem by

guaranteeing a loan to a project developer. In this case the government
agrees to pay back a loan if the developer is unable to. This puts banks at
ease (after all, the U.S. government has a perfect track record of paying back loans) and will allow
financing to flow freely. Congress has two simple ways to create a loan
guarantee program for offshore wind. They can create a Clean Energy
Deployment Administration, or Green Bank, which would offer financing
tools like loan guarantees for innovative technologies. Or they can
allocate funding to cover the cost of new loan guarantees for offshore
wind under the existing Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program.
Either way forward would help drive investment in the burgeoning
offshore wind industry. Somehow, the bright outlook from just a few years
agomoving the United States toward energy independence has fogged over
wind developers.

despite overwhelming evidence from statewide polls that demonstrates sustained support for proposed projects.

Congress has the power to support constituents interests in the

innovative clean energy and economic opportunities offshore wind can
produce to move us out of the energy Stone Age and into a sustainable
future.

Federal government requiring siting allows unified coordination while getting the
advantages to local control

Salkin and Ostrow 9

(Patricia E, the Raymond and Ella Smith Distinguished Professor of Law, Associate Dean and Director of
the Government Law Center at Albany Law School, Ashira Pelman Ostrow is an Associate Professor of
Law at Hofstra University School of Law, COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM AND WIND: A NEW
FRAMEWORK FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY Hofstra Law Review, 37 Hofstra L. Rev. 1049,
Lexis)
Since the passage of the TCA, courts have worked to balance the twin aims of the Telecommunication
Siting Policy, weighing the national interest in deploying a national telecommunication network against
the desire to preserve state and local control over land use matters. n233 As the First Circuit observed,
"the statute's balance of local autonomy subject to federal limitations does not offer a single "cookie
cutter' solution for diverse local situations... . Congress conceived that this course would produce ...
individual solutions best adapted to the needs and desires of particular communities." n234 Overall, the
Telecommunication Siting Policy has proven effective in facilitating cell tower siting. Since the
Telecommunication Siting Policy was enacted, the number of cell towers has increased dramatically, from
19,844 in 1995 to 245,912 in 2009. n235 Moreover, the combination of local authority constrained by
federal law has encouraged municipal zoning officials to identify those places in their community where
cell phone towers would produce the least aesthetic harms, rather than trying to ban such towers
altogether... . The TCA also encourages cellular providers to research the propriety of possible [*1092]
sites for a new cell phone tower rather than simply choosing a site and then trying to force local officials
to approve it... . n236 The TCA provides a good model for federal-local cooperation in land use
siting because, in many ways, local opposition to cell phone towers parallels local opposition to wind
turbines. Both engender local opposition because they impose direct costs on the communities in
which they are located but provide dispersed societal benefits. n237 Given the similarities in local
opposition to telecommunication towers and wind turbines, and the national interests at stake in each
area, policy makers should look to the TCA for guidance in drafting a national wind siting policy.
In particular, a federal wind siting policy should: (a) prohibit local governments from banning wind
energy facilities; (b) require local governments to make decisions on wind siting within a reasonable
period of time; and (c) require such decisions to be made in writing and supported by substantial
evidence. The recommendations here are mainly procedural. It should be noted that the
Telecommunication Siting Policy also substantively prohibits local governments from regulating on the
basis of radio frequency emissions, to the extent that applicants comply with the FCC's radio frequency
emissions standards. n238 The Telecommunication Siting Policy thus sets a federal ceiling on regulations
designed to mitigate the health and safety effects of radio frequency emissions and fully preempts state
and local efforts to adopt more stringent or different guidelines. n239 On the basis of this provision,
courts have overturned zoning decisions influenced by health and safety concerns. n240 Given the
relative newness of wind energy technology and the vast geographic and demographic variations amongst
wind-rich communities, Congress should avoid adopting a substantive ceiling on wind energy [*1093]
facilities siting. n241 Instead, at this time, sub-national governments should be given some freedom to
experiment with the substance of siting policies, in the hopes that the resulting variation in
regulatory policy might ultimately produce a better result. n242 1. No Prohibition of Wind Facilities
The Telecommunication Siting Policy of the TCA forbids any regulation that would prohibit the
provisions of personal wireless services. n243 Thus, localities can regulate the location of cell phone
towers, but cannot exclude them entirely from the jurisdiction. n244 Although courts have divided over

precisely when local regulations "have the effect of prohibiting" wireless service, n245 it is clear that a
municipality may not enact an express ban on cell phone towers. n246 A federal wind siting statute
could, similarly, preempt local regulations that exclude, or have the effect of excluding, wind energy
facilities from a jurisdiction with wind energy potential. A similar requirement is in place in New
Hampshire, where a state law prevents localities from unreasonably limiting wind installations. n247 A
federal [*1094] wind siting policy that preempted local regulations that unreasonably exclude wind
installations would aid in the deployment of wind energy technology by overcoming NIMBY efforts
to keep wind turbines entirely out of wind-rich communities. 2. Decisions Within a Reasonable Time
The Telecommunication Siting Policy requires local governments to act on telecommunication siting
requests within a reasonable time "taking into account the nature and scope of such request." n248 The
legislative history indicates that in requiring that zoning decisions be made within a "reasonable" time,
Congress did not intend "to give preferential treatment to the personal wireless service industry in the
processing of requests, or to subject their requests to any but the generally applicable time frames for
zoning decision." n249 According to one court, "the term "reasonable' was no doubt used to allow local
authorities the flexibility to consider each application on its individual merit. As recognized by the
express language of the TCA, what is reasonable will necessarily depend upon the nature and scope of
each request." n250 In November 2009, the FCC issued a declaratory ruling to provide guidance on the
time frame that would be considered "reasonable" under the statute. n251 Under the FCC ruling, zoning
boards must respond to requests for collocation within ninety days and requests for new tower
construction within 150 days. n252 According to the FCC, the ruling "achieves a balance by defining
reasonable and achievable timeframes for State and local governments to act on zoning applications while
not dictating any substantive outcome on any particular case or otherwise limiting State and local
governments' fundamental authority over local land use." n253 [*1095] Wind developers would
similarly benefit from a federal framework that sets reasonable time limits within which decisions
on wind siting must be made. Such a time frame would prevent local communities from using the
permitting process to perpetually delay siting, resulting in less fiscal waste and quicker access to
renewable energy. 3. Decisions in Writing and Supported by Substantial Evidence The
Telecommunication Siting Policy requires local land use decisions regarding telecommunication siting to
be in writing and supported by substantial evidence contained in a written record. n254 The Sixth Circuit
has explained that "a governmental unit's decision must (1) be separate from the written record, (2)
describe the reasons for the denial, and (3) contain a sufficient explanation of the reasons for the denial to
allow a reviewing court to evaluate the evidence in the record that supports those reasons." n255 In
contrast, other courts accept any writing, including the minutes of the meeting at which the decision was
made. n256 In addition to the writing requirement, the Telecommunication Siting Policy creates a check
on the local zoning process by subjecting land use decisions to a heightened standard of judicial review.
Judicial review of local land use decisions is notoriously deferential. n257 In its [*1096] landmark
decision of Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., the Supreme Court held that a zoning ordinance
violates due process only if it is "clearly arbitrary and unreasonable, having no substantial relation to the
public health, safety, morals, or general welfare." n258 State courts generally accord local zoning
decisions a presumption of validity and refuse to overturn them unless they are arbitrary, capricious, or
unreasonable. n259 Federal courts apply an even more deferential "shocks the conscience" standard to
local administrative acts. n260 In contrast, the Telecommunication Siting Policy requires that all
decisions to deny a wireless service facilities siting request be "supported by substantial evidence
contained in a written record." n261 In Cellular Telephone Co. v. Town of Oyster Bay, the Second Circuit

explained the impact of the substantial evidence requirement as follows: Traditionally, the federal courts
have taken an extremely deferential stance in reviewing local zoning decisions, limiting the scope of
inquiry to the constitutionality of the zoning decision under a standard of rational review. Although
Congress explicitly preserved local zoning authority in all other respects over the siting of wireless
facilities, the method by which siting [*1097] decisions are made is now subject to judicial oversight.
Therefore, denials subject to the TCA are reviewed by this court more closely than standard local zoning
decisions. n262 Although the term "substantial evidence" is not defined in the statute, Congress
indicated that courts should employ "the traditional standard used for judicial review of agency actions."
n263 Generally, courts have interpreted this standard to require "such relevant evidence as a reasonable
mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion." n264 Substantial evidence typically requires,
among other things, scientific and engineering studies to support and/or refute identified concerns. A
wind siting policy that requires zoning decisions to be made in writing would compel local officials
to articulate the grounds for their decision. A written record would enable wind siting applicants to
understand and respond to local concerns, and provide an official record for courts to review. In
addition, the heightened "substantial evidence" standard of review would ensure that proposed
projects are not denied solely on the basis of NIMBY concerns without careful consideration of the
overall project benefits. VI. Conclusion Harnessing and using renewable energy is an important
way that the United States can reduce its dependence on foreign oil and slow the [*1098] pace of
global warming. The federal and state governments have recognized the importance of wind energy
to meeting these goals. Despite the national importance of renewable energy, however, the wind siting
process remains largely uncoordinated and subject to state and/or local control. As a result, wind
siting regulations vary, not only between states, but also within state. This patchwork approach has
created an inconsistent and unpredictable regulatory process that adds to the cost of renewable
energy projects and enables local communities to prevent the siting of projects that would benefit
the entire nation. Though there are advantages to empowering local communities to regulate land
use, in the context of wind energy more centralized regulation is desirable. Thus, this Article has
proposed a national wind siting regime, modeled the Telecommunication Siting Policy that leaves
primary siting authority in the hands of local zoning officials but places explicit federal constraints
on the local decision-making process. This regime would provide the regulatory uniformity
necessary for the nationwide development of renewable energy, without sacrificing the benefits of
local tailoring or experimentation. In addition, the hybrid federal-local approach would strike an
appropriate balance between local concerns regarding wind turbine siting and the national interest in
developing wind as a renewable domestic energy source.

Incentives Solve
Federal Financial incentives key for offshore wind industry, and
states and fed work together to not hurt the environment.
Chu 12
(Keith Chu is a contributor to Electric Utility Week which is published every Monday by Platts, a division of The
McGraw-Hill. BOEM opens up 743,000 acres offshore Massachusetts for wind energy leasing June 4, 2012, lexis)
TKT
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is opening a 743,000-acre area offshore Massachusetts to commercial

even as existing offshore wind proposals remain slow to get

off the ground. BOEM Director Tommy Beaudreau said the Massachusetts Wind Energy
Area was developed as part of the agency's "smart from the start"
process, designed to avoid conflicts between renewable development and
other resources, including birds and fisheries. "The area off of Massachusetts has
tremendous energy generation potential, and we will continue to evaluate and mitigate the
potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on wildlife habitat,
fisheries and sea bird migration," Beaudreau said in a statement. The Massachusetts
WEA will include 117 whole lease blocks of the Outer Continental Shelf and
20 partial blocks. Jim Lanard, president of the Offshore Wind Development Coalition, a Washington-based
wind energy leasing,

group representing offshore developers, said the BOEM announcement was welcome news. The size of the area
could provide thousands of megawatts of capacity, based on roughly 10 turbines per block, he said. " This

is a

very good step forward for development of clean, renewable offshore wind ,"
Lanard said. The Massachusetts WEA begins about 12 nautical miles south of the island of Martha's Vineyard and 13

BOEM did
exclude one area from the WEA with a high concentration of sea ducks,
and cut out another area of high value to commercial and recreational
fisheries, based on comments from stakeholders and the public. A map of the
area is available at http://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy-program/state-activities/Massachusetts.aspx. BOEM
will now conduct an environmental assessment of the Massachusetts WEA, including a study of
impacts on species and ways to minimize those effects. That effort is expected to be
nautical miles southwest of the island of Nantucket. It is roughly 47 nautical miles at its widest point.

finished this fall. Then BOEM will hold a 60-day public comment period, before beginning to sell leases, said

Although the Department of Interior and BOEM have

pushed forward efforts to speed offshore wind development, to date no
offshore wind farms have begun construction, largely due to difficulty
finding financing and buyers for their power. Despite that, BOEM received 10 responses
spokeswoman Caren Madsen.

from developers who indicated they would be interested in leasing the new area, in response to an earlier request
for comments. Those developers are: Arcadia Offshore Massachusetts, Condor Wind Energy, Deepwater Wind,
enXco Development, Energy Management, Fishermen's Energy, Iberdrola Renewables, Neptune Wind, Offshore MW
and US Mainstream Renewable. "There's a lot of pent-up interest in the development areas," despite a lag in
actually building offshore wind projects, Lanard said. "The big unknown is where will they sell their power?" BOEM
has yet to unveil how it will structure auctions for offshore wind leases, to the disappointment of Lanard and
offshore wind developers. But Madsen, of BOEM, said the auction format will vary from sale to sale, "based on the
characteristics of the area," and which will be released as part of a "notice of sale" issued this fall, after the
environmental review is complete. The Massachusetts WEA is the second to be opened for leasing by BOEM, after
the Mid-Atlantic WEA, which runs offshore New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Keith Chu

Federal financial incentives key to solve and the states and fed
work together to find solutions to the environment, PPAs get
projects off the ground
Juliano 12
(Nick Juliano contributor to Electric Utility Week, which is published every Monday by Platts, a division of The
McGraw-Hill. February 6, 2012 Interior seeking offshore lease applicants on East Coast after finding of no harm in
environmental review, Lexis) TKT

The Obama administration boosted its effort to promote the offshore wind
power industry along the East Coast last week, when it finalized one
mandatory environmental review, began another and solicited applications
for leases offshore Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on
Thursday announced completion of an environmental assessment that found
leasing the Outer Continental Shelf to wind developers offshore four MidAtlantic states would have "no significant impact" on the environment or
other ocean users, such as the fishing industry. Concurrent with that announcement,
Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began soliciting lease applications offshore two of those states,
Maryland and Virginia, following similar solicitations that had been conducted offshore the other two, New Jersey
and Delaware. Then on Friday, BOEM announced another lease solicitation for an area it identified offshore
Massachusetts and launched the environmental assessment process for that state, as required by the National

Wind leases offshore Maryland and Virginia are expected to be

issued toward the end of this year or the beginning of next year because
regulators still need to decide on a format to auction off the leases where
multiple developers are interested in competing for the same OCS blocks ,
Environmental Policy Act.

and formats they are considering have divided companies in the industry. But completion of the four-state MidAtlantic review clears the way for a noncompetitive lease to be issued sometime over the next few months for a
proposed NRG Energy project offshore Delaware. Salazar made the environmental assessment finding and initiated
the lease solicitations at an event in Baltimore Thursday, where he was joined by Maryland Governor Martin
O'Malley and BOEM Director Tommy Beaudreau. "A

lot of the heavy lifting has been done up

cooperation between federal
officials and state task forces to find areas where offshore wind
development would not conflict with key wildlife habitat, fisheries,
shipping lanes and other ocean uses. Last week's announcements marked
the latest step of the Obama administration's "smart from the start"
initiative to guide renewable energy development off the nation's coasts .
front," Beaudreau said of the environmental review, pointing to

The environmental assessment process began about a year ago, when Interior announced its intent to prepare the
assessment, which is required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Finalizing the assessment, with a "finding of
no significant impact" on the environment or other uses of the ocean, allows BOEM to begin issuing leases without

While the announcement was a welcome one for the

offshore wind industry, developers still face hurdles securing financing
commitments and power purchase agreements for potential projects.
Energy Management's Cape Wind project, slated to be the first in federal waters
offshore Massachusetts, is still searching for investors and has only signed a PPA for half the
project's power. And growing uncertainty over federal financial incentives
caused NRG Energy to abandon a PPA it had reached to sell power from
subsidiary Bluewater Wind's proposed project offshore Delaware. Finding may
performing further NEPA reviews.

trim years off permitting process The finding in the environmental assessment "has the potential to reduce the
permitting time line for offshore wind farms by as much as two years, as compared to a requirement that the
agency prepare an Environmental Impact Statement" for the offshore areas that would require two years of studies
and government reviews, said Jim Lanard, president of the Offshore Wind Development Coalition, an industry trade
group. Once a developer wins a lease and submits a construction and operations plan, BOEM will complete an EIS to
analyze such plans on a case-by-case basis. BOEM expects to conduct competitive leasing offshore Maryland and
Virginia once it receives lease nominations, and leasing offshore New Jersey is expected to start this year as well,

Delaware
will be the first state to see a lease granted for wind development off its
coasts. Only NRG Energy indicated interest in an area offshore Delaware, in response to a similar call for
after BOEM finishes analyzing responses to a lease solicitation issued for that state last year. But

nominations issued last year, and finalization of the environmental assessment clears the way for that lease to be
issued, Beaudreau said in a brief interview following the announcement. BOEM officials and NRG representatives
plan to meet soon to discuss the terms of the lease, and a date to issue it has not yet been identified, he said. While
NRG last year slowed work on its Bluewater Wind subsidiary that had been planning to develop offshore Delaware,
the company still remains interested in winning the lease. Once it has the lease in hand, NRG could proceed to
develop it or sell the lease to another developer. Nick Juliano

Case

AT Hurricanes
Offshore wind farms reduce the strength of Hurricanes
Carey 14
(Offshore wind farms could tame hurricanes before they reach land, Stanford-led study says Stanford Report, February 26, 2014
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/february/hurricane-winds-turbine-022614.html)
For the past 24 years, Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford,

has
been developing a complex computer model to study air pollution, energy, weather and climate. A
recent application of the model has been to simulate the development of hurricanes . Another has been to
determine how much energy wind turbines can extract from global wind currents. In light of these recent model studies and in the aftermath of
hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, he said, it was natural to wonder: What would happen if a hurricane encountered a large array of offshore wind
turbines? Would the energy extraction due to the storm spinning the turbines' blades slow the winds

and diminish the hurricane, or would the hurricane destroy the turbines ? So he went about
developing the model further and simulating what might happen if a hurricane encountered an
enormous wind farm stretching many miles offshore and along the coast. Amazingly, he found that
the wind turbines could disrupt a hurricane enough to reduce peak wind speeds by up to 92 mph
and decrease storm surge by up to 79 percent. The study, conducted by Jacobson, and Cristina Archer and Willett Kempton
of the University of Delaware, was published online in Nature Climate Change. The researchers simulated three hurricanes: Sandy and Isaac,
which struck New York and New Orleans, respectively, in 2012; and Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005. "We found that when wind
turbines are present, they slow down the outer rotation winds of a hurricane," Jacobson said. "This feeds back to decrease wave height, which
reduces movement of air toward the center of the hurricane, increasing the central pressure, which in turn slows the winds of the entire hurricane
and dissipates it faster." In the case of Katrina, Jacobson's model revealed that an array of 78,000 wind turbines off the coast of New Orleans
would have significantly weakened the hurricane well before it made landfall. In the computer model, by the time Hurricane Katrina reached
land, its simulated wind speeds had decreased by 36-44 meters per second (between 80 and 98 mph) and the storm surge had decreased by up to
79 percent. For Hurricane Sandy, the model projected a wind speed reduction by 35-39 meters per second (between 78 and 87 mph) and as much
as 34 percent decrease in storm surge. Jacobson acknowledges that, in the United States, there has been political resistance to installing a few
hundred offshore wind turbines, let alone tens of thousands. But he thinks there are two financial incentives that could motivate such a change.
One is the reduction of hurricane damage cost. Damage from severe hurricanes, caused by high winds and storm surge-related flooding, can run
into the billions of dollars. Hurricane Sandy, for instance, caused roughly $82 billion in damage across three states. Second, Jacobson said, the
wind turbines would pay for themselves in the long term by generating normal electricity while at the same time reducing air pollution and global
warming, and providing energy stability. "The turbines will also reduce damage if a hurricane comes through," Jacobson said. "These factors,
each on their own, reduce the cost to society of offshore turbines and should be sufficient to motivate their development." An alternative plan for
protecting coastal cities involves building massive seawalls. Jacobson said that while these might stop a storm surge, they wouldn't impact wind
speed substantially. The cost for these, too, is significant, with estimates running between $10 billion and $40 billion per installation. Current

turbines can withstand wind speeds of up to 112 mph, which is in the range of a category 2 to 3
hurricane, Jacobson said. His study suggests that the presence of massive turbine arrays will likely
prevent hurricane winds from reaching those speeds.

AT Not Cost Competitive

Startup costs irrelevant- output still makes it attractive
Clarke et al, 9
[Walter Cruikshank, U.S. Department of the Interior Soren Houmoller, 1st Mile (DK)
Chris Jenner, RPS Group (UK) Jim Manwell, University of Massachusetts Walt Musial,
ex officio, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Bonnie Ram, Energetics, U.S.
Offshore Wind Energy: A Path Forward US Offshore Wind Collaborative
http://offshorewind.net/Other_Pages/Links%20Library/PathForwardfinal.pdf]
Offshore wind farms are more expensive to build and maintain than
onshore systems. According to the U.S. DOE 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report, the capital costs for

offshore wind farms are estimated at $2,400/kW (in 2006 dollars) compared with $1,650/kW for land-based wind
projects. Windpower Monthly notes that information on the cost of offshore wind power facilities continues to be
sparse. 81 Based on limited data available from completed offshore projects, this publication estimates that a fullyinstalled offshore wind system will cost as much as 3,300/kW ($4,600/kW) compared with 1,700/kW ($2,400/kW)

Despite
the increased costs associated with building and operating turbines in
ocean and lake environments, there are several factors that make offshore
wind development extremely attractive. Benefits include a more robust and consistent wind
for landbased. These figures include the cost of the turbines, as well as installation and maintenance.

resource, and the ability to host ever-larger turbines (approaching 10 MW) and more expansive multi-turbine

Economies of scale can offset, at least

partially, the higher initial capital costs. Also, one of the most important
economic benefits of wind power (both land-based and offshore) is that it
reduces energy price risk. Once wind farms are operational, the fuel cost is
zero (in contrast to the high price volatility of fossil fuels ). Finally, for a number of
projects (with installed capacities of 1,000-3,000 MW).

states along the East Coast and Great Lakes, offshore wind offers the bestor onlyopportunity to develop utilityscale renewable energy projects. The great potential benefits of offshore wind energy warrant its serious economic
analysis.

Offshore costs are competitive

NREL, 2010 [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, September 2010, LargeScale Offshore Wind Power in the United States Assessment of Opportunities and
Barriers Walter Musial, NREL Bonnie Ram, Energetics,
www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/40745.pdf]
The overall economics of offshore turbines depend on project life-cycle costs, including the capital investment, O&M
costs, cost of fuel (zero for wind projects), and cost of capital. Total project life-cycle costs are divided by total
lifetime energy production to obtain an LCOE, which is the cost of generating power from a particular project

Offshore wind energy is roughly twice as expensive

as land-based wind, which currently costs about 58/kWh. Significant cost reductions
are possible, however, because offshore wind is a relatively new
technology and has not yet realized many of the technology optimization
and learning opportunities. The future cost of offshore wind energy will be
closely tied to the state of the technology, the maturity of the industry,
the level of deployment, and the experience gained through
implementation. Differences in the energy markets of the United States and Europe, especially how risk is
(Fingerish, Hand, and Laxson 2006).

allocated during project development and financing, could affect the cost of offshore wind in the United States.
Different government policies and project support mechanisms between EU countries and the United States might
influence both the required up-front capital investment and the cost of capital. Germany, for example, requires
utilities cover the cost of grid connection out to and including the substation, which is located several kilometers
out to sea for offshore wind, reducing the required investment cost to developers. Germany also offers feed-in
tariffs that guarantee a price of 15 euro cents for every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated by an offshore wind

project for the first 12 years of operation. By

guaranteeing revenue, the German

government reduces the risk of investing in projects, effectively reducing
the cost of capital (GWEC 2010). The effects of different policies and support mechanisms are not fully
analyzed in this report but contribute to some cost uncertainty in projecting the LCOE of initial offshore projects in
the United States. Breakdowns of the elements of LCOE are given in the studies cited in Figure 6-5, and Figure 6-6
summarizes those data. Because of differences in the way that each author cited life-cycle project costs, some
assumptions were made to allow reasonable comparisons across the various datasets (see the footnotes to Figure
6-6). Although the exact proportions of each cost category will vary with the specifics of each project, life-cycle cost
of offshore wind energy is dominated by balance of station (BOS) and O&M. The electrical and grid infrastructure,
foundations and support structures, offshore logistics and installation, and O&M represent the highest percentage of

Because project economics are dominated

by BOS and operating costs, adopting larger capacity turbines should
result in significantly lower overall costs of energy for offshore projects .
the total project cost, ranging from 57% to 71%.

O&M costs are two to three times higher than those of land-based systems (Rademakers et al. 2003) and can reach
20% to 30% of the LCOE.

AT Not Energy Effective

Offshore Wind energy effective
Renewable Energy 12
(These findings were recently published in the Elsevier journal Renewable Energy. The journal seeks to promote and
disseminate knowledge of the various topics and technologies of renewable energy and is therefore aimed at
assisting researchers, economists, manufacturers, world agencies and societies to keep abreast of new
developments in their specialist fields. Maryland Study Demonstrates Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind Capacity Jan 30,
2012 http://eponline.com/articles/2012/01/30/study-of-maryland-demonstrates-midatlantic-offshore-windcapacity.aspx) TKT

Offshore wind farms could generate more than enough energy to meet
Marylands annual electricity consumption, according to a just-published study by
researchers at the University of Delaware. The potential power output is nearly double current energy
demands for the state, even when taking into account various limitations on where to place equipment in the
Atlantic. Installing wind turbines far off the coast of Maryland would help the state generate large quantities of
electricity while creating local jobs, said study co-author Willett Kempton, professor of marine policy in UDs
College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE). Producing

more electricity this way also

displaces fossil fuel generation, thus reducing harmful carbon dioxide
emissions and improving air quality. Existing Maryland law requires 18 percent of electricity to
come from renewable energy sources by 2022. The law was passed before the potential supply of offshore wind was
documentedno one even knew whether offshore wind was of significant size. Offshore wind could be important to
meeting Marylands requirement because it is more abundant and more steady than land-based Maryland wind, and
is less expensive than solar power. If the offshore resource remains unused, meeting the states renewable energy
requirement will be more costly to Maryland, as is true for the other mid-Atlantic coastal states, Kempton noted.
The study found that a maximum of 7,800 wind turbines could provide an annual average output of 14,000
megawatts, equivalent to 189 percent of Marylands electric load. The calculation includes the use of new
technology for deep-water turbines, but even using only commercially proven, shallow-water equipment, the energy
generated would total 70 percent of the states annual demand. This is the maximum resource possible, but actual
development of offshore wind would start with power plant-sized units of 80 to 150 turbines. In determining areas of
the ocean suitable for offshore wind farm development, the researchers excluded zones of possible conflict. The
entire Chesapeake Bay was excluded. Fish havens and areas where birds migrate were not counted, as well as
shipping routes. The study also considered how visible the turbines would be from shore, placing the turbines eight

Along with the rest of the midAtlantic region, large shallow areas and strong winds off Marylands coast
make it suitable for currently available offshore windmill technology. The
nautical miles away so that visual impact would be minimal.

study found that average power output would be highest in the winter and lowest in the summer. Extra power
generated during the winter months could service neighboring states, while Maryland would need to rely on other
sources during a comparative shortage in the summer. Developers could position windmills to capitalize on
seasonal wind direction, such as to the southwest for summer winds. The findings were recently published in the
Elsevier journal Renewable Energy.

Off Case

2AC Development/Ocean
We meet aff requires the exploration and development of the
oceans
We meet Wind is generated by the currents and temperature
change of the ocean
We meet the development occurs in the ocean
We meet - Ocean development includes wind platforms
Mori 11 Kazu-hiro MORI, President, National Maritime Research Institute
Ocean DevelopmentThe Last Frontier: Initiatives by the National Maritime
Research Institute Ocean Policy Research Foundation 2011
http://www.sof.or.jp/en/news/251-300/266_1.php

With the worlds sixth largest Exclusive Economic Zone, ocean development is of great
importance for Japan. As ocean space is characterized by severe dynamics, its
development requires research, including on peripheral technologies. Along with its

research into ocean development, including floating platforms, seabed

resource development, and floating wind turbine systems, the National
Maritime Research Institute is also developing technologies for marine
environment conservation, in which it hopes to make international contributions.

Counter interp - upper limit of the ocean includes 660 feet

above the water
NOAA 8
(The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a federal agency focused on the condition of the
oceans and the atmosphere. NOAA October 8, 2008 Layers of the Ocean
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/yos/resource/JetStream/ocean/layers_ocean.htm)

Layers of the Ocean - Just as the atmosphere is divided into layers the ocean consists
of several layers itself. Epipelagic Zone This surface layer is also called the
sunlight zone and extends from the surface to 660 feet (200 meters). It is in
this zone that most of the visible light exists. With the light comes heating from sun. This
heating is responsible for wide change in temperature that occurs in this zone, both in the
latitude and each season. The sea surface temperatures range from as high as 97F (36C)
in the Persian Gulf to 28F (-2C) near the north pole.

Recent study proves what would be used is under that

Dvorak et al 13
(Michael J. Dvorak, Bethany A. Corcoran, John E. Ten Hoeve, Nicolas G. McIntyre and Mark Z. Jacobson
Atmosphere/Energy Program, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University US East
Coast offshore wind energy resources and their relationship to peak-time electricity demand Wind Energ. 2013;
https://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/Offshore/12DvorakEastCoastWindEn.pdf)

The annual USEC OWE resource was estimated with the use of 5 years of hourly, highresolution (5.0 km) mesoscale model (WRF-ARW) results at the turbine hub height of 90 m
for the years 20062010. A climatological analysis shows that these years are likely conservative estimates of the
resource. Model output was shown to be skillful in the annual aggregate by validating hourly wind speed
predictions against in situ observations from a total of 32 buoys and offshore towers spanning the USEC region.
Annual, 24-hourly maps of mean wind speed, mean power density and CF based on a representative 5 MW turbine
power curve integrated hourly with the use of modeled wind speeds at 90 m were created Wind Energ. 2013;

16:977997 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/we 993US East Coast OWE resources and their
relationship to peak-time electricity demand M. J. Dvorak et al. with the 5 years of model output. System
availability, wake and transmission losses were accounted for with a combined loss factor of 17.9%. Because of
competing ocean uses, it was assumed that one-third of the OWE out to 30-m depth and two-thirds for 31200 m
depth could be developed. In general, the OWE resource is best in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Banks, east of
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and generally diminishes southward. From FL-to-ME out to 200 m depth, based on the
minimum turbine CF cutoffs of 45% and 40%, between 965 and 1372 TWh exists annually (110157 GW average).
Most of this capacity exists from Virginia northward, which also coincides with regions with reduced severehurricane risk, with annual gross CF commonly 4050%. Between 24% and 35% of total US or 79112% of total FLto-ME 2009 US electricity sales could be generated with the use of USEC OWE alone if the resource was fully
developed, out to 200 m depth. If only shallower waters were developed (50 m depth), between 613% of US and
1841% of USEC 2009 electricity sales could be generated with USEC OWE. [] The

results here
suggest that a vast reservoir of peak-coincident wind sits near a large
population center. The extraction of such wind resource instead of the use
of fossil fuels could significantly help to reduce local air pollution and
global warming.

Prefer our interp

A Precision our definition comes from NOAA the authority on Ocean Exploration
B Their Interp overlimits makes all affs that deal with oceanic exploration on the
surface non-topical
C Also they dont lose any ground and doesnt explode limits Affs still have to be
in the Ocean
Default to reasonability prevents a race to the bottom

DA

Birds DA
Offshore wind doesnt kill birds
Fairley 7
PETER FAIRLEY Freelance writer and editor Monday, February 12, 2007 Massive Offshore Wind Turbines Safe for
Birds http://www.technologyreview.com/news/407299/massive-offshore-wind-turbines-safe-for-birds/
Uncertainty surrounding wind power's impact on wildlife--particularly the potential for deadly collisions between
birds and turbines--has tarnished its image and even delayed some wind farms. Indeed, the first large offshore wind
farm proposed for U.S. waters--the Cape Wind project in Massachusetts's Nantucket Sound--has been held up in part
by concerns that its 130 turbines could kill thousands of seabirds annually. Now a simple infrared collision-detection

The
Thermal Animal Detection System (TADS) is essentially a heat-activated infrared
video camera that watches a wind turbine around the clock, recording
deadly collisions much as a security camera captures crimes. The first results, released this winter
as part of a comprehensive $15 million study of Denmark's large offshore wind farms, show seabirds to
be remarkably adept at avoiding offshore installations. "There had been suggestions
system developed by Denmark's National Environmental Research Institute is helping clear the air.

that enormous numbers of birds would be killed," says Robert Furness, a seabird specialist at the University of
Glasgow, who chaired the study's scientific advisory panel. "There's a greater feeling now among European

marine wind farms are not going to be a major ecological

problem, and therefore going ahead with construction is not going to raise
lots of political difficulties."
politicians that

Alt causes to bird death- wind kills 20 birds a year

R. Saidur, 11

Centre of Research UMPEDAC, Level 4, Engineering Tower, Environmental impact of

wind energy http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032111000669,
accessed 10/10/12,WYO/JF
It is found that birds are one of the largest victim groups in mortality collision of wind turbines around the world
[29]. Regional and overall birds fatality rates in United States are shown in Table 4. On the other hand,

Sovacool and Benjamin stated that wind energy killed about twenty times
fewer birds than fossil fuels. The number of birds killed by wind turbines
can be negligible compared to other human activities [30]. It was found that out of
the total number of birds killed in a year, only 20 deaths were due to wind
turbines (for an installed capacity of 1000 MW), while 1500 deaths were caused by
hunters and 2000 caused by the collisions with vehicles and electricity
transmission lines (they are almost invisible for birds [31]). Summing up, it is important to
understand that whatever impacts wind turbines have, on the one hand they are very
obvious, and on the other hand, it is possible to minimize them through proper design and planning. In contrast,

the impacts of thermal or nuclear energy production are slow to appear, are
long term and no matter how much effort and money are spent , it is impossible to minimize
them. In conclusion, we must decide that if we have to produce electricity, it is certainly preferable to produce it
in a way which has the smallest possible impact on the environment. From a technical and economic standpoint,

the most mature form of renewable and clean energy is wind energy . It
can effectively contribute to combating climate change while at the same time providing various environmental,
social and economic benefits [31]. Table 5 shows the leading human-related causes of bird kills in United States

AWEA calculates that if wind energy were used to generate 100% of

U.S. electricity needs, wind energy would only cause one bird death for
[32].

every 250 human-related bird deaths with reference to the current rate of
bird kills as described inTable 5[24].

Wind power technology allows for turbines to turn themselves

off before killing massive amounts of birds
R. Saidur, 11
Centre of Research UMPEDAC, Level 4, Engineering Tower, Environmental impact of
wind energy http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032111000669,
accessed 10/10/12,WYO/JF
3.1.3.2. Guidelines and consultancy for industry In United States, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service developed voluntary guidelines for the sitting of wind energy
facilities. These guidelines make recommendations regarding sitting of the wind plants. However, the wind
industries are resisting such guidelines. A wildlife consultant may identify any issues of possible concern. The
consultant examines the proposed site and prepares a detailed report on impacts for review for the developer.

These surveys reduce the threat to avian to minimal levels [38]. 3.1.3.3. Radar
technologies Avian radar was developed for NASA and United States to
detect birds as far as four miles away. The system will determine whether
the birds are in danger or in safe. If the system detects that a bird is in
danger, it will shut down the wind turbines automatically . Once a bird
crossed the turbine safely, the system will automatically restart the
turbine [39].

Offshore wind does not affect birds

DOI, 11
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Characterization Activities on the
Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and
Virginia,
http://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/BOEM/Renewable_Energy_Program/Smart_from_
the_Start/MidAtlanticWEAs_DraftEA.pdf, accessed 10/26/12,WYO/JF
While birds may be affected by vessel discharges, the presence of
meteorological towers and buoys, and accidental fuel releases, no significant
impacts are anticipated. The risk of collision would be minor due to the
small number of meteorological towers proposed, their size, and their
distance from shore and each other. The impact of meteorological buoys on
ESA listed and non ESA listed migratory birds is expected to be negligible,
because they are much smaller and close to the water surface and similarly
dispersed. The impact of meteorological towers on ESA listed and non ESA
listed migratory birds is also expected to be minor at most for the same
reasons.

Fish DA
Turbines dont hurt fish
Vella 5
(Gero Vella, 2005, Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies, University of Liverpool,
Gero Vella is a marine biologist at the University of Liverpools Centre for Marine and
Coastal Studies. He researches the impacts of anthropogenic activities on marine
wildlife, both in a research and consultancy capacity.
http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1949&context=facpub)
Intermittent noise associated with activities during the construction of
wind farms (vessel movements, seismic sur vey, piling etc.) is well within the range of the
behavioral audio- grams of fish (Figure 1 and Figure 2). This is suppor ted by obser vations of their
Fish

reac- tions, which have commonly demonstrated changes in behavior, such as alarm and startle responses (Vella et
al., 2001). Such responses may be of par ticular significance if a wind farm is in close proximity to spawn- ing or
nursery ground areas, and particularly if construction is prolonged. Of the fish species included in Figure 2, only the
audiogram of cod falls within the noise range of the Svante turbine, suggesting that some sort of behavioral
response would be expected. Investigations at the Svante wind farm have shown that the number of cod in the local
area of the operating turbine are greater than in the surrounding area (Westerberg, 1999). This presumably reflects
the ability of animals to habituate to a continu- ous noise stimulus. Similar effects have been observed around other

loud noise may therefore

have an adverse effect on local fish popula- tions, causing alarm responses
and probable movement of fish away from construction areas . This could be
significant if construction affected spawning or nursery areas. But when wind farms are operating
normally, fish appear to readily habituate and utilize wind farm sites at
higher than normal densities, taking advantage of the shelter provided and probably also the
noisy structures such as oil platforms (Valdemarsen, 1979). Intermittent,

additional food resources provided by colonizing ani- mals (Vella et al., 2001). Furthermore, a study of the effects of
operational noise on migrating fish (Westerberg, 1999) did not show a significant effect of the Svante wind farm on
migrating eel direction.

Politics/Midterms DA
Plan popular with the public
Caperton et all, 12
(Richard, the Director of Clean Energy Investment, Michael Conathan is the Director
of Ocean Policy, and Jackie Weidman is a Special Assistant for the Energy
Opportunity team at American Progress. Congress Needs To Push Targeted
Incentives For Offshore Wind
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/01/13/403620/congress-incentives-offshorewind/)
Public support isnt the problem According to a nationwide survey conducted by the Civil Society
Institute, about 7 in 10 Americans (71 percent) support a shift of federal support for
energy away from nuclear and towards clean renewable energy such as
wind and solar. In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, undeveloped land is difficult to find. That means
renewable energy developers have to look further afieldin this case, to sea. In the early days of offshore wind, the
obstacles to development in the United States were largely borne of ignoranceconcerns that offshore turbines
visible on the horizon would destroy property values; that noise, or safety, or storage of lubricating fluid for the
turbines would pose unacceptable risks. As other countries around the world have moved ahead with offshore wind
development and seen no ill effects from those factors, however, such concerns have dramatically abated. Support
from coastal residents is fundamental to the potential success of offshore wind projects. After all, these wind farms

poll after poll has shown that coastal

residents are highly supportive of offshore wind energy . According to a
poll of New Jersey residents, offshore wind production is extremely
popular among voters and its support cuts across party and geographic
lines. The analysis demonstrates that 78 percent of all New Jersey voters and 77 percent of the states shore
will effectively be built in their backyards. And recently,

residents surveyed support the development of wind power 12 to 15 miles off their coast. Public support is strong in
Delaware as well. According to a University of Delaware poll, general statewide support for offshore wind in
Delaware is 77.8 percent, compared with an opposition of only 4.2 percent . In Maryland The
Baltimore Sun reported in October 2011 that 62 percent of Marylanders favor wind turbine construction off the
coast of Ocean City and would be willing to pay up to $2 more per month on electricity bills. Mike Tidwell, head of
the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said, Marylanders understand that the benefits of offshore wind are more
than worth a modest initial investment.

No link to politics on spending spun as jobs

Schroeder 10
(Erica, J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, 2010. M.E.M., Yale School of Forestry & Environmental
Studies, October, Turning Offshore Wind On, 98 Calif. L. Rev. 1631 - Kurr)
While this revision would likely be the hardest of the three for Congress to swallow, particularly during an economic

there is at least one compelling reason for Congress to consider it:

offshore wind power development can create jobs, both regionally and
nationally. n276 Indeed, President Obama has explicitly acknowledged the potential for clean energy to create
downturn,

new jobs, with particular urgency as the United States continues to see high rates of unemployment. n277 In
addition, the President has acknowledged the importance of public spending to stimulate the economy. n278 In

he has promised to spend significantly on renewable energy, in part

because of its job-creation potential. n279 Or, as with the other aforementioned revisions
to the CZMA, these incentives might be tied into broader revisions to the
Energy Policy Act or the creation of new climate change legislation. n280 While this idea might buck
particular,

it is well within the

realm of practical policies already being discussed.
historical trends related to federal involvement in Coastal Zone development,

Plan funds the mandate and checks pre-emption via state participation in the
CZMA
Salkin 09
(Patricia E., Raymond & Ella Smith Distinguished Professor of Law, Associate Dean and Director of the
Government Law Center of Albany Law School; Can You Hear Me Up There? Giving Voice to Local
Communities Imperative for Achieving Sustainability, 4 Envt'l & Energy L. & Pol'y J. 257 Kurr)
The Coastal Zone Management Act ("CZMA") was enacted in 1972, in part, "to encourage and assist states to exercise effectively their
responsibilities in the coastal zone through the development and implementation of management programs to achieve wise use of the land and
water resources of the coastal zone, giving full consideration to ecological, cultural, historic, and aesthetic values as well as the needs for
compatible development. [*288] . . ." n159 Enacted in 1972, the CZMA gives states the opportunity to work with local governments to achieve a
shared land use vision for coastal resources. n160 Involvement in the program is not mandatory, but there are

several incentives for the states to participate . n161 First, the states can receive increased control over
federal actions and permit approvals in their coastal areas by preparing state coastal plans under the
Act, because once a state's program has been approved by the Secretary of Commerce, federal activity and permits then must
be consistent with the state's coastal policies . n162 In addition to the regulatory powers gained by
creating a coastal zone management plan, states also receive federal funding if they participate in
the program. n163

No nimby opposition- New Jersey proves

Caperton, 12
Richard W. Caperton is the Director of Clean Energy Investment, Michael Conathan is the Director of Ocean Policy, and Jackie Weidman is a
Special Assistant for the Energy Opportunity team at American Progress. Encouraging Investment Is Key to U.S. Offshore Wind Development

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2012/01/12/10951/encouraging-investment-is-keyto-u-s-offshore-wind-development/, accessed 10/27/12,WYO/JF

Public support isnt the problem According to a nationwide survey conducted by the Civil Society Institute, about 7 in 10 Americans (71 percent)
support a shift of federal support for energy away from nuclear and towards clean renewable energy such as wind and solar. In the Northeast
and Mid-Atlantic states, undeveloped land is difficult to find. That means renewable energy developers have to look further afieldin this case,
to sea. In the early days of offshore wind, the obstacles to development in the United States were

largely borne of ignoranceconcerns that offshore turbines visible on the horizon would destroy
property values; that noise, or safety, or storage of lubricating fluid for the turbines would pose
unacceptable risks. As other countries around the world have moved ahead with offshore wind development and seen no ill effects from
those factors, however, such concerns have dramatically abated. Support from coastal residents is fundamental to the potential success of offshore
wind projects. After all, these wind farms will effectively be built in their backyards. And recently, poll after poll has shown that coastal residents
are highly supportive of offshore wind energy. According to a poll of New Jersey residents, offshore wind

production is extremely popular among voters and its support cuts across party and geographic
lines. The analysis demonstrates that 78 percent of all New Jersey voters and 77 percent of the
states shore residents surveyed support the development of wind power 12 to 15 miles off their
coast. Public support is strong in Delaware as well. According to a University of Delaware poll, general statewide support
for offshore wind in Delaware is 77.8 percent, compared with an opposition of only 4.2 percent. In Maryland The Baltimore Sun reported in
October 2011 that 62 percent of Marylanders favor wind turbine construction off the coast of Ocean City and would be willing to pay up to $2
more per month on electricity bills. Mike Tidwell, head of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said, Marylanders understand that the
benefits of offshore wind are more than worth a modest initial investment. This view is backed by Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, but as The
Washington Post reported earlier this week, his efforts to make his state a leader in offshore wind appear to be in jeopardy. Mondays article
quoted Democratic Del. Dereck E. Davis saying, The situation has gotten worse not better for offshore wind since the last time it was up
for debate. So what has changed?

CP

States CP
Uniform 50 state fiat is a voting issue
A. Skirts topic literature- avoids patchwork good bad which is
the only stable disad to states
B. No logical decision maker
C. Steals the aff
D. Reason to reject the team- deters these counterplans in the
future

Keeping multiple regulators in place stifles the industry.

Tran 9
(Sarah McQuillen, WHY HAVE DEVELOPERS BEEN POWERLESS TO DEVELOP OCEAN
POWER? Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law, 4 Tex. J. Oil Gas & Energy L.
195, Lexis)
Ocean Technologies Renewable energy may be harnessed from the ocean
in the form of wind, wave, tidal, current, solar, and hydrogen power. n14 To generate wind power, the
B.

most highly-developed renewable offshore technology, n15 wind turbines, use aerodynamic lift to convert the
kinetic energy of moving air into electricity. Offshore wind farms consist of a group of these turbines operating
independently and delivering power to onshore customers through a common undersea cable. n16 Onshore wind
turbines have been used for centuries, but offshore sites offer the advantage of stronger and more consistent wind
resources. n17 Offshore wind farms have been successfully developed and connected to electrical grids in
Denmark, England, Ireland, Holland, Sweden, and Wales. n18 In the U.S., full-scale, offshore wind parks are only in
the pre-planning and permitting stages. n19 The Cape Wind project, which is a proposed wind farm off the coast of
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is farthest along in the permitting process. n20 As planned, the project would consist of
130 wind turbines with blades [*200] extending more than 400 feet above the sea, making it one of the largest
offshore wind energy plants in the world. n21 Wave power represents another promising form of offshore renewable
energy source. Wave energy technologies generate electricity from the undulating motion of the ocean's waves.
n22 The power in a moving wave may drive a turbine or other device directly, or it may pressurize air or hydraulic
fluid to power a generator. n23 Although the United States has considerable wave energy potential, n24 testing of
ocean wave energy conversion technologies has occurred only on a small, prototype scale at a few locations.
However, wave energy projects will likely be operational and connected to the U.S. grid within the next five to ten
years. n25 Other countries have been more aggressive than the U.S. in their efforts to harness the power of ocean
waves. The Scottish government, for instance, has provided grants of $ 7.5 million for wave and tidal projects in its
waters. n26 Portugal became the site of the world's first wave farm when a Scottish developer lauched Pelamis
machines, named after the Latin word for sea snake, into Portugal's waters. The machines consist of "a series of red
tubes, each about the size of a small commuter train, linked together and pointed towards the waves . . . ." n27 As
waves travel down the tubes, a hydraulic system harnesses the resulting movement and generates electricity. n28
Tidal technologies represent yet another form of hydrokinetic energy. Unlike other forms of offshore ocean energy
technologies, tidal technologies typically occur close to shore, outside of any potential MMS jurisdiction. n29 These
technologies are nevertheless relevant to the FERC-MMS dispute because they provide the basis for the
development of the ocean current technologies that both agencies seek to regulate. n30 Tidal technologies take
various forms. Barrage technologies generate electricity from the difference of water height on either side of an
[*201] impoundment built across an area subject to tidal flow, such as a river estuary. n31 Tidal fences, another
technology, can be erected across channels between small islands or across straits between the mainland and an
island to capture the energy from tidal currents. n32 Tidal turbine technologies, which resemble underwater wind

farms, can use the energy of the tidal current to spin a turbine. n33 Ocean current energy technology is at a much
earlier stage of development than tidal technologies in the U.S and abroad, with only a small number of prototypes
and demonstration units having been tested to date. n34 Efforts to adapt tidal technology to ocean currents have
raised a number of engineering challenges. Unlike tidal technologies, ocean current technologies are located
relatively large distances from shore in sites where there is a lack of slack water and water depths range from 985
to 1,640 feet. n35 III. A JURISDICTIONAL OBSTACLE Despite the growing recognition of the value of "green" ocean
technologies, FERC and MMS have hindered their advancement by engaging in a jurisdictional battle. The
controversy originated in 2003. In that year FERC held in its AquaEnergy Group decision that the scope of its power
under the Federal Power Act ("FPA") n36 to issue permits or licenses for wave energy projects extended beyond 3
nautical mile limits, the traditional limit of navigable waters, to the limits of the territorial sea, 12 nautical miles
from the shore. n37 A couple of years later, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 granted the Secretary of the Department
of the Interior the authority, subsequently delegated to MMS, to grant leases, easements, or rights-of-way
authorizing activities that produce or support production, transportation, or transmission of energy from sources
other than oil and gas on the OCS. n38 MMS has asserted that FERC's authority does not extend beyond the
traditional three-mile boundary of the [*202] territorial sea. n39 Rather, it has declared that "[s]uch activities on the
OCS are expressly authorized and regulated by the MMS." n40 The agencies have independently developed their
own regulations to govern renewable energy projects in the disputed zone. FERC has been processing permit and
license applications for wave and tidal energy projects since its AquaEnergy decision. MMS, on the other hand, has
been establishing a cradle-to-grave process to oversee and coordinate projects from initial proposal evaluation,
permitting, and leasing, to final project decommissioning at the end of a project's useful life. n41 Commentators
have pointed out the detrimental impact this dispute could have on the development of the offshore alternative
energy industry: This struggle between FERC and MMS, whether perceived or real, may have a significant effect on
the nascent industry seeking to develop alternative energy sources on the OCS. Many companies cannot afford to
go through, for example, FERC's permitting process only to find that, in fact, they should have gone through MMS'
permitting process, or vice versa. Obtaining approvals from both agencies would also be extremely burdensome. In

interagency squabbling may delay the growth of this industry and

serve as a bar that would prevent potentially interested companies and
investors from entering into this field. n42 At a time when the development of alternative
short,

energy sources should be encouraged by the federal government to help the nation take a stance against global
warming and the U.S.'s problematic reliance on foreign fuels, it is extremely unfortunate that two federal agencies
have stifled the progress. Even though joint regulation with both agencies sharing equally in the responsibility for
protecting OCS resources and overseeing projects can be suggested as a possible resolution of the conflict, this

Joint regulation would raise the risk of too many

chefs spoiling the broth. Unless one agency accepts a subordinate
regulatory role in relation to the other, such an approach would be overly
burdensome on developers and would delay the much-needed
technological innovation of alternative energy sources. Nonetheless, the agencies
should be summarily dismissed.

have entertained the possibility of joint regulation. They spent over a year negotiating a Memorandum of
Understanding ("MOU") to [*203] allocate authority on the OCS that was designed to ensure the agencies "don't
overlap or overburden each other." n43 A draft MOU, sent from MMS to FERC on June 5, 2007, set up a three-step
process for OCS projects. n44 MMS would have taken the lead on leasing, which was an area "FERC has no desire to
get involved in." n45 Then, with the Commission's support, MMS would have headed the study phase as well. n46
Finally, FERC would have authorized the construction of projects and related transmission lines. n47 Although it was
expected that the final MOU would be released by early summer, n48 the agencies did not finalize the MOU
because they thought Congress intended to resolve the issue legislatively. n49 A legislative solution did not
materialize, and the inter-agency dispute continued as each agency effected its own regulatory regime for the new
technologies. Recently, on April 9, 2009, FERC and the Department of the Interior ("DOI") signed into effect a new
MOU that, like the earlier draft MOU, envisions a system of regulation with two lead regulators. n50 This agreement

an MOU is not
a legally binding document and, as discussed in the Postscript, may not
provide anything more than a temporary solution to the interagency
dispute. Until a legislative solution appears, regulatory uncertainty will
likely persist. A consequence of the continuing regulatory uncertainty is that
serves as a concrete indication that the government wants to resolve the dispute. However,

"companies are forced to hold off seeking funding for specific projects as financial institutions are loath to fund
projects with so much risk within the permitting arena." n51 But Congressional inaction, though stifling for the
infant industry, has an upside. Fermenting the dispute for several years has given FERC and MMS time to assert and
defend their statutory arguments, demonstrate the types of regulatory approaches they will likely administer to
future renewable energy projects on the OCS, and expose how regulation of these projects relates to their other
official responsibilities.

Federal action is key to solve federal regulatory uncertainty

Schroeder 10

(Erica, J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, 2010. M.E.M., Yale
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, 2004; B.A., Yale University, 2003,
Turning Offshore Wind On California Law Review, 98 Calif. L. Rev. 1631, lexis)
Section 388 came in response to controversy over which federal agency had
permitting authority during the early stages of the Cape Wind project, which is
described in more detail in Part IV. While Section 388 does not resolve all of the
issues relating to federal jurisdiction over offshore wind, n108 its designation of
MMS as the primary permitting agency marks Congress's first step toward a unified
review process for offshore alternative energy. n109 Nonetheless, the current
federal regulatory environment for offshore wind remains confusing. In
April 2009, President Obama took a first step toward remedying some of
that confusion by announcing a coordinated program, headed by DOI, for
federal offshore renewable energy permitting. The program will cover not only
offshore wind power generation, but also other offshore renewable energy, such as
electricity generated from ocean currents. n110 Despite this progress toward
an improved federal regulatory program, barriers to offshore wind power
still exist, largely due to the absence of a strong and effective federal
mandate promoting offshore wind power development and the powers
that states retain over project siting. n111

Biodiversity ADV CP (Endangered Species Act)

ESA fails and dont buy their 99% claims
Ridenour 05
(David Ridenour in a National Policy Analysis. "TESRA" Endangered Species Act Reform Proposal Would Do More Harm Than Good a
Publication of the National Center for Public Policy Research, August 2005, http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA531TESRA.html). TKT
Congress is once again contemplating changes to the Endangered Species Act. As in the past, prospects for the adoption of meaningful reform are
poor. This is unfortunate, as few laws have been as ineffective and counterproductive as the Endangered

Species Act. ESA's 32 Years of Failure In the 32 years the ESA has been on the books, just 34 of the nearly 1,300 U.S.
species given special protection have made their way off the "endangered" or "threatened" lists. Of this number, nine species are now
extinct, 14 appear to have been improperly listed in the first place, and just nine (.6% of all the species
listed) have recovered sufficiently to be de-listed . Two species - a plant with white to pale-blue flowers called the Hoover's
Woolly-Star and the yellow perennial, Eggert's Sunflower - appear to have made their way off the threatened list in part through "recovery" and in
part because they were not as threatened as originally believed. A less than 1% recovery rate isn't good. 1 Some

environmental groups, however, insist that this statistic proves the opposite - that the ESA has been very effective.
These organizations note that, since 99% of all the species given special protection have either
recovered or are still on the endangered and threatened lists, these species all "still exist" and,
therefore, the ESA has worked. The "still exist" standard, however, tells us little about the true
status of endangered and threatened species and certainly does not prove the efficacy of the ESA . It
is not clear that species recoveries so far can be attributed to the ESA. * The American Peregrine Falcon's
recovery benefited enormously from captive breeding programs sponsored by The Peregrine Fund and other private organizations. Such programs
would have existed without the ESA.2 * The recovery of the Aleutian Goose would have occurred without the ESA. The Goose's decline was
largely due to the introduction of a non-native predator, the Arctic Fox, to the goose's island habitat. Once the foxes were removed, the goose
again flourished.3 * The American Alligator's recovery had little to do with the ESA. There were already 734,000 alligators in 13 states by the
time the ESA became law - much of the recovery likely due to a 1967 ban on alligator hunting.4 * The Gray Whale was recovering well before
the ESA's adoption. Thanks to the collapse of the market for whale oil (due to the advent of petroleum-based alternatives in the late 1880s) and a
ban on commercial hunting of these whales in 1946, Gray Whale populations had been increasing for more than 100 years by the time they were
de-listed in 1994.5 Continued listing as a protected species under the ESA neither proves that a species exists nor that the ESA works. As the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service recently noted in its rejection of a petition to de-list the slackwater darter (etheostoma boschungi), petitions for delisting
are frequently delayed "due to low priorities assigned to delisting petitions in accordance with our Listing Priority Guidance... That guidance
identified delisting activities as the lowest priority (Tier 4)." The petition was filed by the National Wilderness Institute on February 3, 1997, but
this finding was not made until July 7, 2005 - more than eight years later. Such findings are supposed to be made within 90 days. The IvoryBilled Woodpecker, for example, was never removed from the endangered list despite widespread belief that it had been extinct for decades
before the ESA became law.6 A petition to de-list the woodpecker due to its extinction filed in 1997 was never acted upon.7 The act of delisting a
species for any reason is so politically-charged that it practically takes an act of Congress to get a species off the threatened or endangered lists.
By one estimate, 30 or more of currently listed species are extinct.8 Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers reportedly were recently spotted in Arkansas.
Some experts, including Jerome Jackson, a zoologist from Florida Gulf Coast University, have publicly disputed the evidence for the bird's
existence, however.9 Even if the bird does exist, the ESA could not be credited with its recovery. There hasn't been a rule, proposed rule, federal
agency notice, or executive order regarding the woodpeckers since June 2, 1970 - clear indications that, as far as the federal government was
concerned, the bird was extinct.10 Even for species that aren't believed to be extinct, "existing" doesn't mean

success, especially when the species are hanging on by a thread. Just 36% of the species on the
endangered and threatened lists are currently believed to be stable or improving - meaning that 64% are
declining.1

Econ ADV CP (Port deepening)

CP links to politics unpopular in congress
Spivak 11
senior research analyst at the HNTB Corporation, a transportation design and engineering firm (Jeffrey, "The Battle
of the Ports", May/June, American Planning Association, aapa.files.cms-plus.com/Battle%20of%20the%20Ports%20%20Planning%20mag%20-%20May_June%202011.pdf)
The fact is,

with the federal deficit-cutting climate

in Washington D.C.,

getting

funding for port projects could be come more difficult . For one thing, the
Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is tapped every year to help offset the
federal deficit. For another, Congress has sworn off the earmarks , or
individual projects requested by lawmakers, that were a major source of
port funding. "There is too much competition for scarce federal dollars," says
Russell Held of the Virginia Port Authority.

That costs capital

Barnett, 12
(Ron, USA Today, 5/24, East Coast ports scramble to dig deep, for supersize ships,
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-05-24/deepening-harbors/55653540/1)//DH the association
= the American Association of Port Authorities

The association is lobbying Congress for approval, which is required by

the Constitution for such projects, and for funding. But, "Because freight
doesn't really have as strong a voice as the movement of people, it's going
to take a lot of heavy lifting ," Ellis said.
"We're fighting hard enough in this country just to keep our navigation
channels maintained at their authorized depths and widths."

Federal efforts fail engineering failures and economics

Edwards, 2012
director of tax policy studies at Cato, senior economist, and expert on federal and state tax and budget issues,
senior economist on the congressional Joint Economic Committee (Chris, Cutting the Army Corps of Engineers,
CATO, March 2012, http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/usace#6)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency that constructs and
maintains a wide range of infrastructure for military and civilian purposes .1
This essay concerns the civilian part of the agency, which employs about 23,000 people and will
spend about $9.2 billion in fiscal 2012.2 The civilian part of the Corpscalled "civil works"
builds and operates locks, channels, and other navigation infrastructure
on river systems. It also builds flood control structures, dredges seaports,
manages thousands of recreation sites, and owns and operates
hydroelectric power plants across the country. While the Army Corps has
built some impressive infrastructure, many of its projects have been
economically or environmentally dubious . The agency's activities have
often subsidized private interests at the expense of federal taxpayers .
Furthermore, the Corps has a history of distorting its cost-benefit analyses

in order to justify its projects. The civilian side of the Corps grew out of the engineering expertise gained by the agency's military activities early in the
nation's history. In mid-19th century, Congress began adding civilian missions to the Corps in response to political demands and various natural disasters.
Today we are left with an agency involved in far flung activities such as beach replenishment, upgrades to city water systems, agriculture irrigation, clean-

The Corps has been greatly

mismanaged over the decades, with problems ranging from frequent cost
overruns on projects to the major engineering failures that contributed to
the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, the dominance of specialinterest politics on the agency's activities has resulted in it supporting
many wasteful projects. Fortunately, most of the Corps' activities do not need to be carried out by the federal government.
up of hazardous waste sites, and efforts to revive the Florida Everglades.

Some of its activitiessuch as flood control and the management of recreational areasshould be turned over to state and local governments. Other
activitiessuch as seaport dredging and hydropower generationshould be turned over to the private sector. This essay focuses on cutting the Corps'
spending activities, and does not address the calls for reforming the agency's regulatory functions.3 The following sections look at the history of the Army
Corps, the pork-barrel nature of its spending, its legacy of mismanagement, and its role in Hurricane Katrina. The essay concludes that the bulk of the
agency's civilian activities and assets should be privatized or transferred to state and local governments. The remaining activities of the Corps that are
truly federal in nature should be transferred to the Department of the Interior.

The

civilian side of the

Army Corps should be

closed down.

Means it doesnt access any of the case

Edwards, 2012
director of tax policy studies at Cato, senior economist, and expert on federal and state tax and budget issues,
senior economist on the congressional Joint Economic Committee (Chris, Cutting the Army Corps of Engineers,
CATO, March 2012, http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/usace#6)

longstanding problems are the result both of the agency's probuilding culture and congressional politics. The ad hoc way that the agency's projects are
funded creates further problems. New projects are typically authorized in Water Resources
Development Acts, which are passed every few years. The last of such acts was
enacted in 2007 over a veto by President George W. Bush.36 After authorization, each project
included may or may not receive funding a year at a time in annual
appropriations bills. The problem is that Congress has crammed far too
many projects into the Corps' pipeline, with the result that progress on
each project is slow and erratic. For example, Congress has authorized more than 400 municipal
These

water and sewer projects for the Corps, with a total price tag of more than $5 billion. However, only about $140

The slow progress of Corps'

projects contrasts with private sector construction projects, which are
built as quickly as possible to hold down costs . A Government Accountability Office report
on the Corps found that "funding projects in increments hinders project efficiency
by increasing costs and timelines."38 One Corps' official told the GAO, "this is one of the reasons
that a civil works project takes 20 years to execute, instead of 3 if we were fully funded from the start."39 The
Corps currently has a backlog of more than 1,000 feasibility studies and
construction projects worth more than $80 billion that have been
authorized but not funded.40 The Corps is an engineering and construction
organization, and in our economy such activities are usually carried out by
private businesses. The Corps has never been run like a private business
it doesn't have an efficient structure, it doesn't pursue the highest-return
projects, and it doesn't construct projects quickly and efficiently. Former Senate
million or so is actually appropriated for these projects each year.37

majority leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) said the Corps is "one of the most incompetent and inept organizations in all
the federal government."41 The good news is that we don't need a civilian Army Corps organization because most
of its functions could be carried out by state and local governments and the private sector.

Offshore Wind Neg

Offshore Solvency

Rhode Island
Rhode Island solving
Kessler 9/19/11
(Rebecca, science journalist based in Providence, Rhode Island, senior editor at Natural History magazine for five
years, MA from the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University, Nations
Smallest State Thinks Big When it Comes to Offshore Wind Farms http://www.climatecentral.org/news/nationssmallest-state-thinks-big-when-it-comes-to-offshore-wind-farms/)
But the nations smallest state has a big idea about how to streamline the approval process: instead of waiting for

Rhode Island has

created the nations first plan that lays out the best places for wind
farms to go, and some spots where they cant. Called the Ocean
Special Area Management Plan, or SAMP, it took two years and about $8 million to put
developers to take the lead and forcing regulators and residents to react,

together and the people who created it tried to anticipate as many potential complications as possible. They not
only documented wind resources, oceanographic conditions, marine life and human activities that might be affected
by wind farms, but also got input from numerous interested parties, including environmental groups, fishermen,

The plan instantly turns

Rhode Island into a national leader in wind farm development. [It] is a
boaters, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, and wind energy developers.

very strong tool to help us play a significant role in determining how our oceans are used, says Jennifer McCann of
the University of Rhode Islands Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant, who was a principal
architect of the document. It puts the state of Rhode Island in the drivers seat. Theres no other state that has this
tool. The Federal government formally approved the plan for state waters this past summer, and in September
gave Rhode Island additional leverage over wind energy projects and other activities in nearby federal waters.
Prior to this year, said Jane Lubchenco, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
at a ceremony in July, individual proposals for new ocean uses generated conflict that wasted time and energy. By
bringing together diverse ocean interests to the table, this plan reduces uncertainty. And in the long run the new
plan reduces costs and makes authorization of offshore renewable energy projects more efficient. Wind-energy
companies seem to agree. Soon after the July event, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the federal
government was soliciting proposals for wind energy projects in federal waters off Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
As of October 11, eight companies had formally expressed an interest. One of them is Providence-based Deepwater
Wind, which took part in the meetings leading up to the plan. The company has proposed a five-turbine
demonstration project in Rhode Island waters that it hopes will beat Cape Wind by becoming the countrys first
working offshore wind farm in 2013. Whats

been paramount to us as an industry

is that [the SAMP has] provided real renewable energy leadership,
which has been absent in many ways up till now, Paul Rich, Deepwaters Chief
Development Officer for Rhode Island, said at the July event.

No Ships
No ships for installation
Hopkins 12
Partner @ Duane Morris LLP w/ with a concentration on transportation, products liability and commercial litigation
[Robert B. Hopkins, Duane Morris LLP, Offshore Wind Farms in US Waters Would Generate Both US and Foreign
Maritime Jobs, Renewable Energy World, July 12, 2012, pg. http://tinyurl.com/9sbj8k6
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the federal agency that enforces the Jones Act, has issued a number of rulings that conclude
that the Jones Act in certain situations does not apply to the actual installation of wind turbines by large-scale vessels known as jackup lift vessels. Moreover, there has been some debate on whether the Jones Act would apply to vessels travelling to an established
wind farm located over 3 miles off the coastline in the OCS for such things as maintenance and repair. A bill clarifying that the Jones
Act would apply in this maintenance/repair scenario (HR 2360) has recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is now

foreign-flagged vessels would

participate in the installation of the proposed wind farms , but there is

awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate. Thus, at present, from a purely legal standpoint,
likely be able to

some uncertainty as to whether foreign-flagged vessels would be

able to participate in maintenance/repair work. Complicating all of this
is the dearth of U.S.-flagged jack-up lift vessels capable of
undertaking much of the very heavy work involved in the installation of offshore wind
turbines. To further confound matters, with a boom in offshore wind
farm construction in Europe and China, many foreign-flagged jackup lift vessels capable of such work are now booked for the next
several years.

Not Cost Competitive

Offshore winds not cost competitive---their projections are
wrong
Howland 12
Caitlin holds an honors degree in economics from the University of Maine. Advisors for this thesis include Gary Hunt,
PhD in Economics, Jeff Thaler, J.D. Yale, Andrew Goupee, PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Sharon Tisher, J.D. Harvard,
Sharon Wagner, PhD in Engineering and Public Policy. The Economics of Offshore Wind Energy, May,
http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1060&context=honors

Offshore wind will not be viable in the coming years without a

carbon tax and a potential government subsidy. If no developers
invest in a farm, learning curve effects will be stunted and not be
able to take the course of action predicted. The effect of learning-by-doing
over time is crucial to decreasing costs. If an aggressive pricing scheme on carbon is adopted, it is possible
deepwater offshore wind energy could become competitive in less than two decades.

Hurricanes
Hurricanes will destroy offshore wind farms- especially on US
coast
PNAS 12
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Quantifying the Hurricane risk to hurricanes offshore wind
turbines, 1/10/2012, http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/02/06/1111769109.full.pdf+html, RC)
The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that if the United States is to generate 20% of its electricity from
wind, over 50 GW will be required from shallow offshore turbines. Hurricanes are a potential risk to these turbines.

Turbine tower buckling has been observed in typhoons, but no offshore

wind turbines have yet been built in the United States. We present a
probabilistic model to estimate the number of turbines that would be
destroyed by hurricanes in an offshore wind farm. We apply this model to estimate the
risk to offshore wind farms in four representative locations in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal waters of the United
States. In the most vulnerable areas now being actively considered by developers, nearly half the turbines in a farm
are likely to be destroyed in a 20-y period. Reasonable mitigation measuresincreasing the design reference wind
load, ensuring that the nacelle can be turned into rapidly changing winds, and building most wind plants in the
areas with lower riskcan greatly enhance the probability that offshore wind can help to meet the United States
electricity needs. As a result of state renewable portfolio standards and federal tax incentives, there is growing
interest and investment in renewable sources of electricity in the United States. Wind is the renewable resource
with the largest installed-capacity growth in the last 5 y, with U.S. wind power capacity increasing from 8.7 GW in
2005 to 39.1 GW 2010 (1). All of this development has occurred onshore. U.S. offshore wind resources may also
prove to be a significant contribution to increasing the supply of renewable, low-carbon electricity. The National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that offshore wind resources can be as high as four times the U.S.
electricity generating capacity in 2010 (2). Although this estimate does not take into account siting, stakeholder,
and regulatory constraints, it indicates that U.S. offshore wind resources are significant. Though no offshore wind
projects have been developed in the United States, there are 20 offshore wind projects in the planning process (with
an estimated capacity of 2 GW) (2). The U.S. Department of Energys 2008 report, 20% Wind by 2030 (3) envisions
54 GW of shallow offshore wind capacity to optimize delivered generation and transmission costs. U.S. offshore
resources are geographically distributed through the Atlantic, Pacific, and Great Lake coasts. The most accessible
shallow resources are located in the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Resources at depths shallower than 60 m in the
Atlantic coast, from Georgia to Maine, are estimated to be 920 GW; the estimate for these resources in the Gulf

Offshore wind turbines in these areas will be at risk from Atlantic

hurricanes. Between 1949 and 2006, 93 hurricanes struck the U.S. mainland according to the HURDAT
coast is 460 GW (2).

(Hurricane Database) database of the National Hurricane Center (4). In this 58-y period, only 15 y did not incur
insured hurricane-related losses (5). The Texas region was affected by 35 hurricane events, while the southeast
region [including the coasts of Florida, where no offshore resources have been estimated (2)] had 32 events.

Hurricane risks are quite variable, both geographically and temporally .

Pielke, et al. (6) note pronounced differences in the total hurricane damages (normalized to 2005) occurring each
decade. Previous research has shown strong associations between North Atlantic hurricane activity and
atmosphere-ocean variability on different time scales, including the multidecadal (7, 8). Atlantic hurricane data
show that hurricane seasons with very high activity levels occur with some regularity; for instance, since 1950,
there have been 25 y with three or more intense hurricanes (Saffir-Simpson Category 3 or higher). There were two
2-y periods with 13 intense hurricanes: 19501951 and 20042005. 2004 and 2005 hurricanes were particularly
damaging to the Florida and Gulf Coast regions (six hurricanes made landfall in those areas in 2004 and seven the

These hurricanes resulted in critical damages to energy

infrastructure. Hurricane Katrina (2005), for example, was reported to have damaged 21 oil and gas
producing platforms and completely destroyed 44 (9). Numerous drilling rigs and hydrocarbon
pipelines were also damaged. Similarly, hurricanes have damaged powers
systems. Liu, et al. (10) reported that in 2003 Dominion Power had over 58,000 instances of the activation of
safety devices in the electrical system to isolate damages as a result of Hurricane Isabel. Although no
offshore wind turbines have been built in the United States, there is no
reason to believe that this infrastructure would be exempt from hurricane
damages. In order to successfully develop sustainable offshore resources, the risk from hurricanes
to offshore wind turbines should be analyzed and understood . Here we present a
following year).

probabilistic model to estimate the number of turbines that would be destroyed by hurricanes in an offshore wind
farm. We apply this model to estimate the risk to offshore wind farms in four representative locations in the Atlantic

and Gulf Coastal waters of the United States: Galveston County, TX; Dare County, NC; Atlantic County, NJ; and
Dukes County, MA. Leases have been signed for wind farms off the coasts of Galveston (11) and Dukes County (12);
projects off the coasts of New Jersey and North Carolina have been proposed (12). Results Wind Farm Risk from a

Wind turbines are vulnerable to hurricanes because the

maximum wind speeds in those storms can exceed the design limits of
wind turbines. Failure modes can include loss of blades and buckling of
the supporting tower. In 2003, a wind farm of seven turbines in Okinawa, Japan was destroyed by
Single Hurricane.

typhoon Maemi (13) and several turbines in China were damaged by typhoon Dujuan (14). Here we consider only
tower buckling, because blades are relatively easy to replace (although their loss can cause other structural
damage).

Lawsuits
Lawsuits prevent solvency
Ouellette 11
Apr 25 Gerry Ouellette is a retired aerospace engineer with extensive experience in electrical power generation,
storage and distribution, and in defense, radar and navigation systems and technologies. YOUR VIEW: Problems
with offshore wind farms not worth it http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/topstories/x215600042/YOUR-VIEWProblems-with-offshore-wind-farms-not-worthit#ixzz20pX3d2b3http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/highlight/x215600042/YOUR-VIEW-Problems-with-offshorewind-farms-not-worth-it?zc_p=0#axzz20pVzy6cv

The problems associated with

widespread internationally. Feb. 14,

wind

turbines

and

wind

farms

are

The Associated Press and other news media including

Bloomberg Business Week published an article on court battles in the Netherlands and other European countries. I

Of
some 200 wind energy projects studied in 2007-8 in Europe, 40 percent were
ensnared in lawsuits, and 30 percent more faced slowdowns
because of local resistance or questioning from nonprofit environmental
groups, the association said. It had no figures on how many projects were killed before they got started.
Even many of the so called green organizations are against wind farms . In
could not determine who first published the information, but key statements in most of the articles include:

addition, they cannot produce electricity competitively and require massive government subsidies for both
installation and subsequent operation. Rate payers are hit a double whammy, higher electric rates and higher taxes
to pay the subsidies.

Timeframe
Takes 6 years to solve
Conger 11
(Hanna, JD from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Summer, A Lesson from Cape Wind: Implementation of
Offshore Wind Energy in the Great Lakes Should Occur Through Multi-State Cooperation, 42 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 741 Kurr)
Lessees must submit plans and information to the BOEMRE at various stages corresponding to the leasing and
construction phases of projects. n168 Throughout the process of plan approval, the BOEMRE [*769] coordinates

The purpose of this

approval process is to demonstrate that the developer has
adequately planned the development to ensure that the activities will conform to
with relevant federal agencies and state and local governments. n169

applicable law, will be safe, will not unreasonably interfere with other uses of the outer continental shelf, will not
cause undue harm to environmental or historical resources, and will use the best available technology and
management practices, as well as properly trained personnel. n170 Developers must submit enough information to
allow the BOEMRE to complete the appropriate NEPA analysis, as well as certification indicating that the plan is

Once the plan

has been approved, n172 the developer may begin the activities
outlined in the plan. n173 Because of the multiple rounds of approval
within the BOEMRE, and the environmental reviews and
consultations with agencies and state and local governments, it
could take up to six years before construction can begin under a
lease. n174
consistent with the CZMA in at least two of the several planning and approval stages. n171

Takes at least 3 years to build- constructions risks still deter.

Arnott 10
(Sarah Arnott of The Independent (London). Offshore wind needs 10bn to avoid missing green targets, July 26,
2010 Monday, Lexis).TKT
BRITAIN'S OFFSHORE wind ambitions will face a 10bn funding gap within five years, energy experts will warn
today, and the Government's legally-binding 2020 green targets will not be met unless the deficit can be closed.
This comes a day after Energy Minister Chris Huhne revealed plans for a huge expansion of the UK's wind turbines,
saying wind power would be an "important part" of meeting the country's energy demands in the future. A
whopping 30bn of capital investment in offshore wind farms is needed over the coming decade if the UK is to
produce the 30 per cent of electricity from renewable sources needed to comply with European regulations,
according to the report from consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The number dwarfs current levels of
investment, which run at around 8bn a year for all the utilities and National Grid combined. Given that

the

average offshore wind farm takes more than three years to

construct, the 3bn annual investment requirement creates a capex exposure of 10bn by 2015. "A massive
injection of money is needed," Michael Hurley, head of energy at PwC, said. "We need a radical new plan to deal
with what is going to be one of the biggest issues facing the Government in the aftermath of the departmental
spending review [this autumn]." The problem is that the money cannot come from the cash-strapped government.
And with just 2bn of capital, the coalition government's planned Green Investment Bank will neither have sufficient
funds to solve the problem nor have the remit to solve the problems in the design of the market. Trickier still,

the

risks associated with offshore wind farms - both in terms of the

construction process and the unpredictable power price - are putting off the
companies that might build them, and the financiers that might help them raise the money.
"The real issue is the ramp-up required to meet the 2020 target is very, very significant," Mr Hurley said. "Business
as usual simply will not work." There are a variety of options available to the Government to help spur investment in
offshore wind, says PwC. The simplest - already adopted in parts of the United States - is to add a flat levy to
customer bills, to be spelled out separately from existing standing and usage charges. It is difficult to estimate the
size of such a levy. A more complex version of the same principle is to put the provision of offshore infrastructure
within the existing, regulated estate of National Grid, thus leaving the fundraising to a single corporate entity. But
the move is unlikely to prove popular with the company because it would leave it over-exposed to the massive

construction risks associated with offshore wind. Alternatively, the Government could approach the problem by
raising the returns of the investment, by boosting the number of Renewable Obligations Certificates (ROCs) - the
system already in place to reward green generation - associated with offshore wind. Whatever strategy is pursued
has to appeal to utilities and potential financial backers - ideally either pension funds or Individual Savings Account
(ISA) holders, says PwC. "You may have an economic mechanism that works but [you] still have to get someone to
finance it," Mr Hurley said. "The key is to make it attractive to pension funds, so it has to be simple." The offshore
wind industry is more bullish. Although Renewable UK supports the call for improved regulation, the lobby group
denies that without such changes, the money will not be found. "The sums are huge and the structure of finance
deals does not need a whole new approach," Maria McCaffery, the chief executive, said. "But the number of
international investors beating a path to our door suggests a healthy level of interest." There are 253 wind farms
already in the UK, and 12 offshore. Mr Huhne this weekend identified Dogger Bank in the North Sea as the potential
site for an offshore wind project.

Takes years and guarantees a loss in investment capital

Van Bussel 2
(Dr. G.J.W. van Bussel , OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY, THE RELIABILITY DILEMMA
http://www.lr.tudelft.nl/fileadmin/Faculteit/LR/Organisatie/Afdelingen_en_Leerstoelen/Afdeling_AEWE/Wind_Energy/Re
search/Publications/Publications_2002/doc/Bussel_Offshore_wind_energy.pdf, KB)
Increasing the size of offshore wind farms from the present 10 to 40 MW installed capacity per wind farm to
values of 150 and probably as large as 500 MW is not a straightforward procedure. Of course it is fairly easy to
double or triple the number of turbines in a wind farm, extending the present 10 to 20 up to maybe 40 or 50 and
hence increase its capacity proportionally. But this does require an equivalent increase in the installation time of
the wind farm. Assuming a typical value of 3 to 5 days per turbine this would already require more than half a
year of carefully planned continuous offshore activity. Weather conditions need to be favourable for installation
activities, and thus they are usually planned in the summer season. Evidently a significant amount of time can
be gained by parallel operations. This is implemented in the realisation of the Horns Rev wind farm, consisting of
80 2 MW wind

farms in front of the Danish North Sea coast near Esbjerg.

number of turbines within one year

But

installing a larger

will be virtually impossible . Thus

realising a 500 MW wind farm using present state-of-the-art 2 to 2.5 MW

wind turbines will take several years with inherent loss of
investment capital.

Wind Turbine Solvency

Turbines dont work

Newest and most qualified studies prove that turbines cant
solve
RO 13
Keeping Realistic Expectations About Wind Energy, February 25, 2013,
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112791094/wind-turbine-energy-power-solar-hydro-022513/, KB)

According to new research from the Harvard School of Engineering

and Applied Sciences, the notion that wind energy presents an
unending supply of power might be a bit misleading. While there may be no end to
breezes and gusts, the way we harness them could be counterproductive,
according to applied physicist David Keith. His latest research, which
applies mesoscale atmospheric modeling, finds large-scale wind
farms will not be as effective as previously thought. His conclusions have now
been published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The issue lies in the byproduct of these wind

As the turbines spin, the drag created by

the turbines slows the speed of the wind. A properly executed wind
farm of appropriate size accounts for wind shadow, spacing the turbines far
enough apart. Keith warns, however, as these wind farms begin to grow
and grow closer to one another, theyll begin to interact with one
another, affecting the regional-scale wind patterns. According to his research,
very large wind farm installations of 62 or more square miles apiece might
only be able to generate less than one kilowatt per square mile. There
turbines, an effect called a wind shadow.

had been

previous estimates

that

did not take wind shadow into effect.

These

estimates held these large wind farms would be able to generate as much as seven kilowatts per square mile.
Amanda Adams, a former postdoctoral fellow with Keith and currently a professor of geography and earth sciences
at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte helped Keith write this report. In a press statement, Adams says our
trying to capture the wind is in its very nature altering how much of this wind is available to us. One of the

as soon as you start to develop wind farms

and harvest the resource, you change the resource, making it
difficult to assess whats really available, said Adams.
inherent challenges of wind energy is that

Wind Shadows
Their authors are wrong wind shadows take out efficiency
AI 13
(American Interest A Shadow Falls on Wind Power, March 4, 2013, http://blogs.the-americaninterest.com/wrm/2013/03/04/a-shadow-falls-over-wind-power/, KB)

Bad news for wind farms: the earth may have far less wind capacity
than previously thought, according to a new study from professors at
Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Up to this point, most limits to wind power have
centered on our inability to efficiently harness it, permit it, and site it. But new research suggests
geophysical limits will also hamper the fledgling energy source. The
chief problem is wind shadows. These are created when the drag
from wind turbine blades slows down the air moving past them. This
problem has been understood for years. Wind farm planners take it into account when placing turbines, spacing
them far enough apart so that one turbines blades dont affect the wind supply of anothers. But just as turbines

whole wind farms create shadows that

affect local and even regional weather patterns. Current estimates
of global wind power capacity dont take this effect into account. If
they did, researchers say, they would be forced to trim their estimates of
peak production levels from 2-4 watts per square meter down to a maximum of
just one watt per square meter at large wind farms. In other words, our planets wind
slow down the air immediately behind them,

energy capacity has been overestimated by as much as two to four

times.

This doesnt mean that wind energy cant be an important component of the worlds energy mix in the

future, but it should inform policymakers looking to plan for the future.

Unreliable
Wind power is unreliable
Energy Collective 6/1
Wind Energy CO2 Emissions Reductions are Overstated July 1, 2012 http://theenergycollective.com/willempost/89476/wind-energy-co2-emissions-are-overstated
Dispatch Value, Variability and Intermittency of Wind Energy: Wind energy is different from conventional gas, coal,

wind energy is a
product of variable wind speeds, i.e., its supply is unpredictable and
uncontrollable, and therefore, it has zero-dispatch value to a grid
operator. Wind energy has a scheduling value which ERCOT, the operator of the Texas Grid, sets at 8.7% of
nuclear and hydro energy. The latter are controllable and dispatchable, whereas

installed wind turbine capacity. According to ERCOT, the scheduling value is a statistical concept created for
generator planning purposes. It is based on multi-year averages of wind energy generation at key peak demand

ERCOT's scheduling value of 8.7% does not assure that the

ENERGY of 8.7% of wind turbine rated capacity would be available at
any specified time-ahead period. Because of the randomness of
wind speeds, no one can accurately predict available wind energy at
any future time. Hence, it's not available on-demand, i.e., not dispatchable.
Because wind energy increases by the cube of the wind speed, any change in wind speed
creates significant surges and ebbs of wind energy . If such energy
were fed in larger quantities into the grid, it would create chaos, unless the grid had
times.

enough quick-ramping generators to compensate for the wind energy surges and ebbs. Wind energy generation
usually it is minimal during summer, moderate during spring and fall, and maximal during winter. Almost all the

German wind power output peaked at about

12,000 MW on July 24, 2011, four days later the peak was 315 MW. About
10-15 percent of the hours of a year wind energy is near zero , because
time it is maximal at night. Example:

wind speeds are too low (less than 7.5 mph) to turn the rotors, or too high for safety. During these hours wind
turbines draw energy FROM the grid, and also during hours with slowly turning rotors when parasitic energy
exceeds the generated energy.

Uncompetitive
Most recent studies prove that hidden costs make wind
uncompetitive
Tanton 13
(Tom Tanton - president of T2 & Associates, a consulting firm for the energy and technology industry. As president of
T2 & Associates, Tanton has conducted research regarding alternate fuels for the American Petroleum Institute
(API). Wind Energy Cost: Think Again ($0.15/kWh wholesale prohibitively expensive) January 8, 2013
http://www.masterresource.org/2013/01/wind-energy-15kwh/ KB)
Once

these hidden costs [of windpower] are included and subsidies are excluded,
wind generation is not close to being competitive with conventional
generation sources such as natural gas, coal or nuclear. - George Taylor, quoted
below. However, to meet the 33% RPS, technical studies show ramp rates may triple,
which is not possible for the [California] ISOs conventional generation as
configured today. - Clyde Loutan (Senior Advisor, CaISO), How Intermittent Renewables Impact CallSO. George
Taylor and I have published a new study for the American Tradition Institute (ATI) that finds that on a full cost basis,

wind electricity is nearly twice as expensive as what is typically

reported. The Hidden Costs of Wind Electricity provides an analysis of three major costs that past
estimates have ignored. The costs that have been left out of previous reports
are the costs of paying for the fossil-fired plants that must balance
winds variations, the inefficiencies that wind imposes on those
plants, and the cost of longer-distance transmission, said Taylor in ATIs press
release. Once these hidden costs are included and subsidies are excluded, wind generation is not close to being

Adding a
conservative estimate of the hidden but real costs to the Energy Information
Administrations (EIAs) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energys most recent generation-cost reports increases winds
projected cost from 8 cents to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
competitive with conventional generation sources such as natural gas, coal or nuclear.

No Storage
Storage of energy is not feasiblemakes wind power
impossible
Inhaber 11
Herbert, PhD in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma. Why wind power does not deliver the
expected emissions reductions. May 5, 2011. Science Direct.
There are 17 pumped storage facilities described in a recent U.S. database [7 ].

These are the only

large scale storage facilities associated with electric grids. In
principle, they could store wind and other renewable energy.
However, these facilities are geographically limitedthey require
two large reservoirs, one hundreds of feet above the other. It is
not clear how many of the 17 are sufficiently close to potential
wind and renewable energy sources to store some of their energy
production.

Grid ADV

Turn
The aff overloads the power grid causes blackouts
Neslen 12
Arthur Neslen for EurActiv, part of the Guardian Environment Network guardian.co.uk, Friday 10 February 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/10/grid-blackout-threat-renewables

The policy chief of Europe's electricity industry association has told

EurActiv that Europe will have to slow down its integration of
renewable energies or risk power cuts and systems instability because of
the slow pace of cross-border grid improvements. "Either you go very fast in the
transition - which is impossible [because] smart grids are expensive
and the storage is not there in the needed scope or you diminish
the speed for integrating renewables into the system," Susanne Nies of
Eurelectric told EurActiv in a phone interview. Given a choice between meeting the EU's target of getting 20% of
energy and 35% of the EU's electricity mix from renewables by 2020 or keeping the system stable, "I would

Nies cited a
report claiming a rise of serious systems stability incidents last year
from 300 to 1,000 across a swathe of northern Europe , and said that the
Czech Republic came close to power black-outs in November and December 2010.
rather say that system stability and avoiding blackouts is more important," she said.

No Impact
No impact
Adams 12
Rod Adams 12, Former submarine Engineer Officer, Founder, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., Has Apocalyptic
Portrayal of Climate Change Risk Backfired?, May 2, http://atomicinsights.com/2012/05/has-apocalyptic-portrayalof-climate-change-risk-backfired.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed
%3A+AtomicInsights+%28Atomic+Insights%29
Not only was the discussion enlightening about the reasons why different people end up with different opinions
about climate change responses when presented with essentially the same body of information, but it also got me

Gundersens, Caldicotts, Riccios,

Grossmans and Wassermans of the world. That group of five tend to use apocalyptic
rhetoric to describe what will happen to the world if we do not
immediately start turning our collective backs on all of the benefits that abundant
atomic energy can provide. They spin tall tales of deformed children, massive
numbers of cancers as a result of minor radioactive material releases,
swaths of land made uninhabitable for thousands of years, countries
cut in half, and clouds of hot particles raining death and destruction
ten thousand miles from the release point. Every one of those clowns have
been repeating similar stories for at least two solid decades, and continue
to repeat their stories even after supposedly catastrophic failures at
Fukushima have not resulted in a single radiation related injury or death .
According to eminent scientists like Dr. Robert Gale Fukushima is unlikely to
EVER result in any measurable increase in radiation related illness. One
thinking about a possible way to fight back against the

important element that we have to consider to assess cancer risks associated with an accident like Fukushima is our
baseline risk for developing cancer. All of us, unfortunately, have a substantial risk of developing cancer in our
lifetime. For example, a 50-year-old male has a 42% risk of developing cancer during his remaining life; its almost
the same for a 10-year-old. This risk only decreases when we get much older and only because we are dying of
other causes. Its true that excess radiation exposure can increase our cancer risk above baseline levels; its clear
from studies of the survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, of people exposed to
radiation in medical and occupational settings, and of people exposed to radon decay products in mines and home

What is the relative

magnitude of the increased risk from Fukushima compared to our baseline
cancer risk? Despite our fears, it is quite small. If the nuclear industry as small and
basements. When it comes to exposures like that of Fukushima, the question is:

unfocused as it is really wanted to take action to isolate the apocalyptic antinuclear activists, it could take a page
from the effective campaign of the fossil fuel lobby. It could start an integrated campaign to help the rest of us to

despite the dire predictions, the sky never fell, the predicted
unnatural deaths never occurred, the deformations were figments of
imagination, and the land is not really irreversibly uninhabitable for
generations. The industry would effectively share the story of Ukraines recent decision to begin repopulating
remember that,

the vast majority of the dead zone that was forcibly evacuated after the Chernobyl accident. It would put some
context into the discussion about radiation health effects; even if leaders shy away from directly challenging the
Linear No Threshold (LNT) dose assumption, they can still show that even that pessimistic model says that a tiny
dose leads to a tiny risk. Aside: My personal opinion is that the LNT is scientifically unsupportable and should be
replaced with a much better model. We deserve far less onerous regulations; there is evidence that existing
regulations actually cause harm. I hear a rumor that there is a group of mostly retired, but solidly credentialed
professionals who are organizing a special session at the annual ANS meeting to talk about effective ways to

Most of us recognize that there is no such thing as

a zero risk; repeated assertions of there is no safe level should be
addressed by accepting close enough to zero so that even the most
fearful person can stop worrying. The sky has not fallen, even though we
have experienced complete core meltdowns and secondary explosions that
did some visible damage. Nuclear plants are not perfect, there will be
accidents and there will be radioactive material releases. History is telling me that
influence policy changes. End Aside.

the risks are acceptable, especially in the context of the real world where
there is always some potential for harm. The benefits of accepting a little
nuclear risk are immense and must not be marginalized by the people who
market fear and trembling.

No deaths from nuclear meltdowns

Drum 11
Kevin, political blogger for Mother Jones, "Nukes and the Free Market", March 14, www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/03/nukes-and-freemarket

Were currently told that the death toll in Japan will be at least 10,000 people of whom approximately
zero seem to have perished in nuclear accidents . What happens when a tsunami hits an
offshore drilling platform or a natural gas pipeline? What happens to a coal mine in an
earthquake? How much environmental damage is playing out in Japan right now because of gasoline from cars pushed around? The main lesson is try
not to put critical infrastructure near a fault line but Japan is an earthquakey country, so what are they really supposed to do about this?
This is a good point: energy sources of all kind cause problems. Sometimes the problems create
screaming headlines (nuke meltdowns, offshore oil explosions, mining disasters) and sometimes they don't (increased particulate pollution,
global warming, devastation of salmon runs).
it's worth pointing out that

But the dangers are there for virtually every type of energy production . Still,

the problem with nuclear power isn't

so much

its immediate capacity to kill people . As Matt

no one has died in Japan from the partial meltdowns at its damaged nuclear plants,
and it's unlikely anyone ever will . The control rods are in place, and even in the worst case
the containment vessels will almost certainly restrict the worst damage.
points out,

No Meltdowns
No meltdowns newest studies prove that there is a low risk of a leak
Kaiser 11
Writer for Daily Tech NRC: Far Fewer People Would Die in a U.S. Nuclear Meltdown Than Previously Thought Tiffany Kaiser August 2, 2011
http://www.dailytech.com/NRC+Far+Fewer+People+Would+Die+in+a+US+Nuclear+Meltdown+Than+Previously+Thought/article22330.htm

The NRC is adjusting previous projections of how much and how quickly cesium 137 would escape
in the case of a total blackout The nuclear crisis at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan has caused a nuclear frenzy where leaders around the
world are questioning the safety of their plants. For instance, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for global nuclear review after visiting
Japan, and U.S. senators demanded that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) repeat an expensive inspection of the country's nuclear
power. But now, the NRC is close to completing a large nuclear study that may ease a few worried minds. The NRC has been working with
Sandia National Laboratories (a Department of Energy lab) on a study that revises previous projections of how quickly and how much cesium
137, which is a radioactive material made when uranium is split, could release from a plant after a nuclear core meltdown. The NRC has been
working on the study for six years, and it will not be completely finished until next spring. But the nuclear watchdog group, Union of Concerned
Scientists, has obtained an early copy of the report through a Freedom of Information Act request. The new study is based on how much and how
quickly cesium 137 could escape an American nuclear plant if a total blackout were to occur. A total blackout means complete loss of power from
the grid, and backup diesel generators and batteries have failed as well. This leads to a nuclear meltdown. NRC scientists said that a total

blackout would be rare at an American plant, but it is better to be safe than sorry. In addition, the NRC wanted to update
previous projections related to cesium 137. The NRC focused on two different types of reactors in the U.S.: the Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station in Pennsylvania, which has boiling-water reactors like Fukushima Daiichi, and the Surry Power Station in Virginia, which has
pressurized-water reactors. Over 100 different plants were studied. Through computer models and

engineering analyses, the NRC has concluded that the meltdown of a typical American reactor would lead
to "far fewer deaths" than previously thought. According to the new study, only 1 to 2 percent of a reactor
core's cesium 137 could escape during a total blackout . Previous NRC estimates concluded that 60 percent of the cesium
inventory could escape. In addition, the new study found that one person in every 4,348 within a 10-mile radius of a nuclear
meltdown would develop a "latent cancer" from radiation exposure. In previous estimates, it was one person in every 167. The
NRC said that large releases of radioactive material would not be "immediate, " meaning that people
within a 10-mile radius would have plenty of time to evacuate the premises. It concluded that the chance of death
from acute radiation exposure within a 10-mile radius would be near zero, but some would be exposed to high enough doses to
experience fatal cancers decades later. " Accidents progress more slowly , in some cases much more slowly, than previously
assumed," said Charles G. Tinkler, a senior adviser for research on severe accidents and an author of the study. "Releases are smaller, and in some
cases much smaller, of certain key radioactive materials." The NRC's revised projections report tells what temperatures, flows of water and steam
pressures would occur in a nuclear meltdown, as well as when leaks would begin after the meltdown. The NRC concluded that Peach Bottom
would not release enough radioactive material to cause fatal harm to any human immediately, but could increase the chances of fatal cancer later
on. As far as Surry goes, the number of people living within a 10-mile radius was so small that the death toll would be a fraction

of a person.

New regulations prevent potential disasters

Francis 4
David R. Francis
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor, 2004 (DS) After nuclear's meltdown, a cautious revival
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0329/p12s02-usec.html
Could

a Three Mile Island

happen again? The NRC blames that accident on "a combination of personnel error, design

led to "permanent and sweeping

changes in how NRC regulates its licensees - which, in turn, has reduced
the risk to public health and safety." David Lockbaum, an engineer at the
Union of Concerned Scientists, agrees that the NRC has become much
tougher, even before 9/11 raised the specter of terrorists flying a jet into a
nuclear power plant. Instead of inspecting nuclear plants every two years
for four safety categories, the NRC since April 2000 has been looking them
over every three months for 26 or so safety factors. "When performance starts to fall, it should
deficiencies, and component failures." The event, adds an NRC fact sheet,

show up sooner," says Mr. Lockbaum, a longtime campaigner for reducing the risks of nuclear power.

AT Econ Impact
It wont trigger an economic collapse no long lasting effects
Anderon & Geckil 3
Patrick L. Anderson, Principal Ilhan K. Geckil, Economist August 19, 2003 Northeast Blackout Likely to Reduce US Earnings by $6.4 Billion
http://www.andersoneconomicgroup.com/Portals/0/upload/Doc544.pdf

There is no lasting damage to the US economy, given the information available today, which was based on the assumption of
no fundamental flaws in the US and Canadian power grids. U.S. residents lose earnings in 2003, and pay higher electric rates in the future to pay
for repairs, but there is nothing here that would indicate the US economy as a whole will sustain lasting

damage. A $6 billion loss is about 1/10 of 1% of the US $10.7 trillion GDP, meaning that the
blackout will hurt growth for about two quarters, but not trigger a recession.

Biodiversity ADV

Birds DA
Plan kills birds which are keystone species
Sutton and Tomich 5
Victoria Sutton and Nicole Tomich, 2005, Victoria Sutton is Visiting Lecturer (Fall 2004) Yale University, Professor of
Law, Texas Tech University, Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas and Nicole Tomich has a
JD from Texas Tech University School of Law, Harnessing Wind is Not (by Nature) Environmentally Friendly, Pace
Environmental Law Review, 92.

Any artificial structure, such as a wind

turbine, is likely to have a significant negative impact on the surrounding
natural en- vironment.19 This reality increases in magnitude when the
surrounding environment encompasses threatened or endangered
species.20 Studies in Europe have revealed that the publics perception of bird
impacts can be a major factor in deciding whether a wind farm will
gain acceptance and receive the proper permitting for a particular location.21 Furthermore, the
minimal amount of existing scientific research on the environmental
impacts of wind- generated power is considered by some to be
developer-driven, and therefore incomplete, biased, and flawed. 22
2.0 THE IMPACT OF WIND FARMS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Whether flawed or not, there is existing literature on the negative impacts of wind power on the environment, and
these impacts are discussed infra. 2.1 Impact of Wind Power on Birds Evidence of negative impacts on birds from

turbine blades have

been proven to injure and kill birds-particularly birds of prey, known
as raptors, some of which are threatened or endangered.24 These
birds, such as the Bald Eagle,25 become victims of the wind turbines, primarily
because of the height at which they fly. An early study of just one wind farm site in Alinteraction with wind generation first arose in the late 1980s.23 Since then,

tamont Pass, California, reported hundreds of raptors being killed yearly.26 Studies from the site, which hosts 6,500
wind turbines on 190 kilometers of property reveal: (1) turbines within 500 feet of canyons, which are typically prey
areas, are associated with higher mortality rates; (2) mortality at end turbines is higher, but is just as high within
strings of turbines where there are gaps of 35 meters or more between turbines; and (3) the lower the turbine
density, the higher the mortality rates.27 The Altamont study was validated in the 1990s when migrating
endangered Griffon Vul- tures were dying near Tarifa, Spain from collisions with wind tur- bine rotor blades.28

Bird collisions with wind generators can occur in a number of different ways:

(1)
a bird may strike the non-moving part of a tur- bine, such as the tower or motor box; (2) a bird may hit the spinning rotor blades; or (3) a bird may become caught in the strong pressure wave, or wake of a rotor blade.29 Wake
collisions can cause a bird to become disoriented, lose control, and collide with the turbine, or be thrown down
onto the ground or into the ocean.30 The speed of revolving rotor blades can also contribute to motion smear,
which is the degradation of the visibility of rap- idly moving objects, causing birds not to see them and fly straight

40,000 birds are killed each

year by wind turbines in the United States.32 In comparison, approximately 60 million to 80
into them.31 One study estimates that approximately 10,000 to

million yearly bird deaths result from vehicles, with an additional 40 million to 50 million deaths attributed to
communication tower impacts.33 While the second set of figures seem to dwarf the importance of 10,000 to 40,000

comparison studies are often flawed because

they tend to focus on cumulative impact data rather than focusing
on losses suffered by a particular species.34 Such studies compare
the total mortalities from various sources, instead of the risk
emanating from each separate source.35 Using the figures above, and factoring in
birds killed annually by wind turbines,

approximately 230 million registered motor vehicles in the United States in the year 2000, the result is a low
average of 0.3 bird deaths per vehicle per year.36 Furthermore vehicle deaths are much less likely to affect
endangered or threatened raptors. Collisions are not the only threat posed to birds by wind power development.

Wind farms can also become a barrier to movement, causing a

migrating species to fly around rather than through a particular
production site.37 A wind farm may also block daily home-range

movements of a particular species, for instance, birds flying to and

from preferred feeding and roosting sites.38 A wind farm that
intersects a major migration path can cause a species to reroute
adding stress and forcing the species to exert extra energy.39 The
lighting of turbines may also pose a large threat to birds. Aviation
lights that blink or rotate, have long been associated with bird
mortality.40 Lighting dangers become amplified during bad weather such as fog, or heavy rain, increasing
reflection and refraction, thus increasing mortality.41 Installed wind energy generating capacity increased by an
average of 32% annually from 1998-2002;42 this ever-increasing growth rate combined with the various threats
discussed supra, creates a unique and rapidly growing threat to bird populations and habitats.

Extinction
Diner 94
[Major David, Judge Advocate General's Corps, 143 Mil. L. Rev. 161, Lexis]
Biologically diverse ecosystems are characterized by a large number of
specialist species, filling narrow ecological niches. These ecosystems inherently are
more stable than less diverse systems. "The more complex the ecosystem, the more successfully it can resist a
stress. . . . [l]ike a net, in which each knot is connected to others by several strands, such a fabric can resist
collapse better than a simple, unbranched circle of threads -- which if cut anywhere breaks down as a whole." 79

By causing widespread extinctions, humans have artificially simplified

many ecosystems. As biologic simplicity increases, so does the risk of ecosystem failure. The
spreading Sahara Desert in Africa, and the dustbowl conditions of the 1930s in the United States are relatively

each new animal or

plant extinction, with all its dimly perceived and intertwined affects, could cause total
ecosystem collapse and human extinction. Each new extinction
increases the risk of disaster. Like a mechanic removing, one by one,
the rivets from an aircraft's wings, 80 [HU]mankind may be edging
closer to the abyss.
mild examples of what might be expected if this trend continues. Theoretically,

Birds DA (2NC Links)

Wind turbines kill millions of birds and bats annually
Meera Subramanian. 2012. Freelance writer. An Ill Wind: With Turbines
Threatening Some Bird and Bat Populations, Researchers are Seeking Ways to Keep
the Skies Safe for Wildlife. http://www.ourenergypolicy.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/IllWind_Nature_21June2012.pdf

When the biologists werent looking up at the sky, they were scouring the ground for carcasses of griffon vultures
(Gyps fulvus), Spanish imperial eagles (Aquila adalberti) and other species. The Spanish Ornithological Society in

Spains 18,000 wind turbines may be killing 6 million

to 18 million birds and bats annually. A blade will cut a griffon
vulture in half, says Bechard. Ive seen them just decapitated. Wind turbines kill far
fewer birds in general each year than do many other causes linked
to humans, including domestic cats and collisions with glass windows. But wind power has a
disproportionate effect on certain species that are already
struggling for survival, such as the precarious US population of
golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos canadensis). The troubling issue with wind
development is that were seeing a growing number of birds of
conservation concern being killed by wind turbines, says Albert Manville, a
biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Arlington, Virginia. The deaths caused by
turbines have the potential to harm not only wildlife, but also the windMadrid estimates that

energy industry, which is the fastest-growing source of power worldwide, according to the World Bank. With
critics vilifying wind turbines as bird blenders, wind companies, governments and researchers are teaming up to
mitigate the problem before it reaches a crisis point. Cdiz province, for example, requires all wind-energy
projects to consider environmental issues, and helps to fund research on reducing any damage.

Wind turbines kill more species of birds than humans usually

do and threaten at least three species in danger of extinction
Meera Subramanian. 2012. Freelance writer. An Ill Wind: With Turbines

Threatening Some Bird and Bat Populations, Researchers are Seeking Ways to Keep
the Skies Safe for Wildlife. http://www.ourenergypolicy.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/IllWind_Nature_21June2012.pdf

The industry maintains that the effects on

there are only a

wildlife are minor. Although

few, limited estimates of bird fatalities at a national level, the available

data for the United

fraction of avian deaths (see Bird killers). But the

concern is that turbines threaten species that are already
struggling, such as bats, which in North America have been hit hard
by white-nose fungus. Another vulnerable group is raptors, which
are slow to reproduce and favour the wind corridors that energy
companies covet. There are species of birds that are getting killed
by wind turbines that do not get killed by autos, windows or
buildings, says Shawn Smallwood, an ecologist who has worked extensively in Altamont Pass, California,
notorious for its expansive wind farms and raptor deaths. Smallwood has found that Altamont blades
slay an average of 65 golden eagles a year 2 We could lose eagles in
this country if we keep on doing this, he says. Other species at risk
include the critically endangered California condors (Gymnogyps californicus)
which number only 226 in the wild and the few hundred

States suggest that wind farms account for a tiny

remaining whooping cranes (Grus americanus), concentrated in the central United States.
Biologists cant say whether the increase in wind farms will cause
the collapse of these or other bird species, which already face many threats. But
waiting for an answer is not an option, says Smallwood. By the time we do
understand the population-level impacts, we might be in a place
we dont want to be.

Birds DA (AT Alt Causes)

No alt causes the species killed by turbines are distinct from
the species killed by their alt cause scenarios
Subramanian 12
Meera Subramanian. 2012. Freelance writer. An Ill Wind: With Turbines Threatening Some Bird and Bat Populations,
Researchers are Seeking Ways to Keep the Skies Safe for Wildlife. http://www.ourenergypolicy.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/IllWind_Nature_21June2012.pdf

There are species of birds that are getting killed by wind turbines that
do

not get killed by autos, windows or buildings , says Shawn Smallwood, an

ecologist who has worked extensively in Altamont Pass, California, notorious for its expansive wind farms and
raptor deaths. Smallwood has found that Altamont blades slay an average of 65 golden eagles a year

Fish DA
Offshore wind destroys fish habitats turns bio-d
Ouellette 11
Apr 25 Gerry Ouellette is a retired aerospace engineer with extensive experience in electrical power generation,
storage and distribution, and in defense, radar and navigation systems and technologies. YOUR VIEW: Problems
with offshore wind farms not worth it http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/topstories/x215600042/YOUR-VIEWProblems-with-offshore-wind-farms-not-worthit#ixzz20pX3d2b3http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/highlight/x215600042/YOUR-VIEW-Problems-with-offshorewind-farms-not-worth-it?zc_p=0#axzz20pVzy6cv
The concept of offshore wind farms may at first appear attractive from a green energy concept, however it is, in
reality, a disaster of major proportions in the making.

Under the guise of green, offshore

wind farms in areas such as the Nantucket Sound, Georges Banks and the Nantucket Lightship areas
would destroy much of our countrys most productive fishing
grounds and threaten future seafood production essential to our
food supply. Although held at bay by intelligent citizens and legislators until now, they are being besieged
by bureaucrats who for reasons about which I care not to speculate, dangle leases aimed at speculators for acres in
fishing grounds wherein wind farms have no business and should never be located. It is time to examine the more
economical solutions to providing reliable and non-polluting alternatives for generating sufficient electrical power to
meet the current and future needs of our country, and it is apparent to anyone who carefully examines off shore

The heavy
equipment used in installation process will destroy the local fish
habitat for large areas around each of the tower locations and also along the channels for the hundreds of
wind farm ideas and technology that off shore wind farms are most definitely the wrong solution.

miles of high voltage cabling between the towers, and to the electrical service platform(s) and to the shore power

The tower assembly poses an obstruction at sea and also has a negative
effect on radar operations in and around the wind farm. All assemblies associated with the wind
pickup location(s).

farm also pose a hazard to towed fishing net equipment. The seriousness of these deleterious effects appears to be
shunted aside or downplayed with arcane or overly simplistic arguments. In reality, locating wind farms in fishing
grounds such as Nantucket Sound, the Georges Banks and the Nantucket Lightship areas is trading off extremely

The installation of offshore wind

farms will most definitely do irreparable damage to our nations
treasured fishing grounds and fish recovery regions along the
Atlantic seaboard. To provide electric power at all times wind farms
must be backed up with fossil fueled generating plants or small
modular nuclear reactors. They must also be highly supported with at least 30 percent
expensive electricity for extremely valuable food supplies.

government subsidies. Rate payers will get hit with the double whammy of high electric costs and more taxes to
pay the subsidies.

Oil Spills DA
Oil spills
Ouellette 11
Apr 25 Gerry Ouellette is a retired aerospace engineer with extensive experience in electrical power generation,
storage and distribution, and in defense, radar and navigation systems and technologies. YOUR VIEW: Problems
with offshore wind farms not worth it http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/topstories/x215600042/YOUR-VIEWProblems-with-offshore-wind-farms-not-worthit#ixzz20pX3d2b3http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/highlight/x215600042/YOUR-VIEW-Problems-with-offshorewind-farms-not-worth-it?zc_p=0#axzz20pVzy6cv

Wind turbines also require fairly large amounts of oil for lubrication
and other needs. With some 70,000 gallons of oil needed for the
Nantucket Shoal wind farm, under New England winter storm conditions, this much oil
distributed through the wind farm field could under certain conditions lead to oil spill problems
in rich fishing grounds, a potential hazard that has no business in the fishing grounds.

AT Turtles
Turtles are fine due to net upgrades, longlining bans; plan
cant solve due to swordfish and international fleets
Brown and Crowder 03
[Jessica (organizer for SeaWeb) and Larry (Professor of Marine Biology, Duke University) February 17, 2003.
"Leatherback Sea Turtles Careening Towards Extinction", Ascribe newswire. l/n]
Yet saving sea turtles is possible. International cooperation has worked before to reverse the decline of Kemp's
ridleys - another species of sea turtle whose numbers became dangerously low in the mid 1980's. Kemp's ridleys
sank to about 300 nesting females per year before their decline was reversed by an international effort, protecting

requiring turtle excluder devices [TEDs] in U.S. and

Mexican trawl fisheries. TEDs are metal grids placed in the backs of trawl
nets that allow the turtles to slip out of harm's way instead of being
entrapped in the net, then drowning. Since the implementation of these efforts
in the late 1980's, Kemp's ridleys have been increasing 11-13 percent per year, from a
them on their nesting beaches in Mexico and by

low of only 800 nests in 1986 to 6,200 in 2002. "People worked very hard for over a decade protecting them on

nesting beaches and in the water, and now we're seeing recovery. So there is a precedent for
success. Saving leatherbacks will be harder because of their range," says Crowder. "It will require even more
international cooperation. There is hope, but we need to act now." Unlike the Kemp's ridleys that stay in the coastal
zone of the US and Mexico - leatherbacks roam the world. In the Pacific, leatherbacks are
declining at all major rookeries, primarily due to bycatch in longlines and gillnets. What can be done to save the

to save the leatherbacks and other sea turtles, U.S. scientists and
managers are examining three options: 1] Develop and implement a gear fix to
reduce bycatch in longlines and export this technology to other longlining nations, 2] Examine
the spatial and temporal distribution of turtles and fishermen internationally to determine
the potential for time or space closures to reduce bycatch, and implement these measures accordingly
and 3] Consider trade or market-based approaches to reduce imports of target species in fisheries
that take sea turtles. Critical to the success of the first two options will be
international cooperation, implementation, and enforcement from the major longlining nations.
Pacific leatherback? In order

Scientists have examined what best predicts bycatch. Is it where the hooks are set? Is it water temperature or

the more swordfish

caught, the higher the rate of leatherback bycatch," says Crowder. To help
remedy this problem, U.S. longline fisheries already have been restricted or
closed, but this will not adequately protect leatherbacks. More that 90 percent of longlining
effort in international waters originates from international fleets, primarily from Japan,
bottom features? "Unfortunately the single best predictor is swordfish catch -

Taiwan, Korea, and China. Finding a fix across a global ocean will require both international governments' and
fishermen's buy-in.

AT Horseshoe Crabs
Horseshoe crabs arent necessary; scientists have already
cloned their blood
Hooi 03
[Alexis (Staff Writer) June 29, 2003. Horseshoe Crab study pays off for Singapore researchers. Strait Times. l/n]

The husband-and-wife team who first genetically engineered a copy of an

enzyme found in horseshoe crabs' blood is set to profit from their creation, which is being
marketed commercially as the diagnostic tool PyroGene. Until now, the crab had been the
only source of the enzyme Factor C, which is used to test for
contaminants in every drug and vaccine, every artificial limb, and every dialysis and intravenous drip.
Now, Factor C's new substitute will earn royalties for the National University of Singapore (NUS), where Professor

Factor C,
extracted from the crab's sapphire-blue blood, can detect the bacteria that
Ding Jeak Ling works in the biological sciences, and Associate Professor Ho Bow, in microbiology.

causes cholera, gonorrhoea and flu. In their presence, the crab's blood clots and turns jelly-like because of Factor C.

Each year, up to 300,000 of the crabs are caught, bled for the enzyme by the
biomedical industry, and returned alive to the sea. The substitute, introduced to the world recently by
United States-based life-science company Cambrex Corporation, opens the door to a market said
to be worth up to US$100 million (S$176 million) a year.

AT Oceans Impact
Not enough information for determining the impact of ocean
extinctions
KUNICH 05

[John Charles, (Associate Professor of Law, Roger Williams University School of Law) Losing Nemo: The
Mass Extinction Now Threatening the World's Ocean Hotspots, Columbia Journal of Environmental
Law, 30 Colum. J. Envtl. L. 1]

With regard to extinction spasms, Earth's oceans, along with all other habitats,
have been there, done that, long before now. It is generally accepted that there have
been no fewer than five mass extinctions in the earth's history, at least during the Phanerozoic Eon (the vast
expanse of time which includes the present day). [*5] These "big five" mass extinctions occurred at the boundaries
between the following geological periods: Ordovician-Silurian (O-S); near the end of the Upper Devonian (D) (usually
known as the Frasnian-Famennian events or F-F); Permian-Triassic (P-Tr); Triassic-Jurassic (Tr-J); and Cretaceous-

n4 In terms of millions of years ago (Mya), the mass extinctions have been placed at roughly 440 for
O-S, 365 for F-F, 245 for P-Tr, 210 for Tr-J, and 65 for K-T, n5 with the mass extinctions taking place over a span of
time ranging from less than 0.5 to as long as 11 million years. n6 There is some evidentiary support for other mass
Tertiary (K-T).

or near-mass extinctions in addition to the big five, including events near the end of the Early Cambrian (about 512

n7 Although much has been

written in the scientific literature about these historical extinctions, relatively little attention has
been showered on extinctions in the oceans. n8 For those areas that often remain
Mya) and at the end of the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, among several others.

submerged under thousands of feet of sea water, the usually-formidable challenges of piecing together the ancient

It is extremely difficult to arrive at a satisfactory estimate of

the magnitude of the current extinction crisis, whether in the marine
realm or on dry land. One problem is that we know so little about life on Earth today
in the first place, even in areas much more accessible that the oceans'
depths. If we do not know how many species exist, we cannot know
precisely how many are ceasing to exist; respectable estimates as to the number of species
now extant vary by an order of magnitude. Moreover, for many of the species we have
identified, we know very little about their range, their [*6] habits,
their life cycles, and other details important to an understanding of
their health or risk status.
evidence are greatly magnified.

Marine fluctuations are inevitable; ocean species are resilient

Dulvy et al 03

(Nicholas, (School of Marine Science and Tech. @ U. Newcastle), Yvonne Sadovy, (Dept. Ecology and Biodiversity @ U. Hong Kong),
and John D. Reynolds, (Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation @ School of Bio. Sci. @ U. East Anglia), Fish and Fisheries,
Extinction vulnerability in marine populations, 4:1, Blackwell-Synergy)

Great natural variability in population size is sometimes invoked to argue that ICUN
Red List criteria, as one example, are too conservative for marine fishes (Hudson and Mace 1996; Matsuda et al

a decline of 20%
within 10 years or three generations (whichever is longer) triggered a classification of
vulnerable, while declines of 50 and 80% led to classifications of
endangered and critically endangered, respectively. These criteria were designed to be applied to all
animals and plant taxa, but many marine resource biologists feel that for
marine fishes one size does not fit all (see Hutchings 2001a). They argue that
percent decline criteria are too conservative compared to the high
1997; Musick 1999; Powles et al. 2000; Hutchings 2001a). For the (1996) IUCN list,

natural variability of fish populations. Powles et al. (2000) cite the six-fold variation of the
Pacific sardine population (Sardinops sagax, Clupeidae) and a nine-fold variation in northern anchovy (Engraulis

rapid declines and increases of

up to 10-fold are relatively common in exploited fish stocks It should,
mordax, Clupeidae) over the past two millennia to suggest that

however, be borne in mind that the variation of exploited populations must be higher than unexploited populations

recruitment fluctuations increasingly drive populations when

there are few adults (Pauly et al. 2002).
because

AT Coral Reefs
Tons of alt causes to coral reef decline
NOAA 5
2005 U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hazards to Coral Reefs
http://coris.noaa.gov/about/hazards/

Reefs are

now, and always have been,

vulnerable to destructive natural events. In fact, weather-related

waves that accompany hurricanes and

damage occurs frequently. The large, powerful

cyclones

can break apart or flatten large coral heads and scatter fragments (Barnes & Hughes, 1999; Jones & Endean,
1976). Branching corals, which tend to be more delicate and become increasingly unstable as they grow, are more vulnerable to

A single storm seldom

kills off an entire colony, but slow-growing corals may be overgrown
by algae before they can recover a circumstance that may be aggravated by increased nutrient
output from runoff and sedimentation (UVI, 2001). Reefs are dependent on specific environmental conditions. Most
require a specific water temperature range (23 to 29 C) for optimal growth.
Some can tolerate higher temperatures, but only for limited periods
of time. In addition, specific levels of salinity (32 to 42 parts per thousand), water clarity
and light levels generally must be consistent throughout the year
for corals to grow optimally. Many scientists, however, believe that impacts associated
with global climate change, such as increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases, are disrupting the delicate balance of the oceans chemistry .
Warming trends can elevate seawater temperatures and levels as
well, rendering conditions unfit for coral survival (NMFS, 2001). Corals are
susceptible to exposure during periods of low tide. They may
become so stressed that they eject their zooxanthellae, bleach and
possibly die. Tidal emersionslow-tide occurrences that leave coral heads exposedalso can
damage shallow-water reefs, particularly along the reef flat and on the reef crest. The amount of damage
storm damage than massive forms such as brain coral or the stouter branching forms.

incurred depends on the time of day and the weather conditions that coincide with low tide. Chronic emersions that occur during the
day, when heat and sun are strongest, generally are more damaging to coral systems than other emersion events. During the day,
corals are exposed to the most ultraviolet radiation, which can overheat and dry out the coral. Corals may become so stressed that
they begin to expel their symbiotic zooxanthellaea circumstance that can lead to a phenomenon known as coral bleaching

Prolonged exposure to cold and rainy weather also can

damage corals (Barnes & Hughes, 1999). In some cases, corals exposed to such conditions
become covered with a grayish fuzz that consists primarily of decomposing
coral tissue (Jones & Endean, 1976). In addition, natural phenomena, such as the El Nio weather
pattern, can have lasting, and sometimes devastating, effects on coral reefs. During an El
Nio season, easterly
trade winds weaken, which depresses normal
oceanic upwelling processes and affects the climate. Rainfall
increases along the eastern Pacific, while Indonesia and Australia experience drought conditions.
El Nio can lead to increased sea-surface temperatures, decreased
sea level, and altered salinity due to excessive rainfall (Forrester, 1997).
During the 1997-1998 El Nio season, extensive and severe coral
reef bleaching occurred, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, and the Caribbean. Approximately
70 to 80 percent of all shallow-water corals were killed on many
Indo-Pacific reefs (NMFS, 2001). During the same year, coral reefs in the Florida Keys
experienced bleaching events ranging from mild to severe (NMS, 2001).
(Barnes & Hughes, 1999).

Coral reefs also are vulnerable to disease outbreaks. The onset of

disease generally is a response to biotic and/or abiotic stresses. Biotic stress
factors include the presence of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and possibly viruses. Abiotic stress factorsphysical and chemical changes
include increased sea-surface temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, and nutrient input or other pollutants (NMFS, 2001).

According to many coral researchers, rates of disease outbreaks are

increasing and affecting more reef species (NMFS, 2001). Scientists believe that the
presence of certain stress factors can create environmental
conditions favorable to disease microbes, while rendering corals
weaker and more vulnerable to colonization . Currently, the most common diseases
affecting coral are white-band disease, black-band disease, white plague and yellow-blotch disease (NMFS, 2001). Finally,

corals are vulnerable to predation. Numerous species, including parrotfish,

polychaetes, barnacles, crabs and gastropods, prey on coral polyps, destroying the
substrate in the process and preventing other corals from settling
(Jones & Endean, 1976). Recent outbreaks of one predator, the crown-of-thorns starfish
(Acanthaster planci), devastated reef systems in Guam, along Australias Great Barrier Reef and others. A.
planci is a multirayed starfish covered with long, sharp, mildly venomous spines. A full-grown specimen ranges in size from .25
to .5 m in diameter, and feeds by attaching itself to a coral head , inverting its stomach, and
digesting the underlying coral tissue. When it detaches, it leaves behind a large, white, dead
skeletal patch that is rapidly colonized by filamentous algae.
Colonies of calcareous algae and soft corals soon follow (Barnes & Hughes,
1999). In addition to natural threats, human activities pose grave threats to the viability of
coral reefs. One of the most significant threats to reefs is pollution , a
term used to describe numerous types of human-induced marine discharges. Excessive runoff, sedimentation,
and pollutant discharges can result from dredging and shoreline
modifications, coastal development activities, agricultural and
deforestation activities, and sewage treatment plant operations . In
addition, hot-water discharges from water treatment plants and large
power plants can significantly alter the water chemistry in coastal
areas (UVI, 2001). When pollutants are discharged, nutrient levels (nitrates and
phophates) in the water can increase . This can lead to an excessively
nutrient-rich environment (eutrophic), which encourages algae blooms and
the growth of other organisms that can stifle coral s or outcompete them for space
(Jones & Endean, 1976). In addition, direct sedimentation can smother a shoreline
reef, or it may increase the waters turbidity, which, in turn,
obscures the light on which corals thrive. Light deprivation
ultimately will starve a coral, which is dependent on its symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) to generate food
photosynthetically (UVI, 2001; Bryant et al., 1998). In many other areas, coral reef habitats are
overfished and/or overexploited for recreational and commercial purposes (UVI, 2001). Coral heads and brightly
colored reef fishes are collected for the growing aquarium and jewelry trade.
Reef fishes also are collected for food. Careless or untrained divers
often can trample fragile corals. In addition, their fishing techniques can be destructive not only to fish
but to the coral habitat . Blast fishing, for example, in which dynamite or other heavy
explosives are detonated to stun fish for easy capture. This fishing
method cracks coral heads apart and stresses nearby coral colonies
so much that they expel their symbiotic algae . As a result, large sections of reefs can be
destroyed. Cyanide fishing, which involves spraying or dumping cyanide onto reefs to stun and capture live fish,
also kills coral polyps, and degrades the reef habitat. In addition, one-

third to one-half of all fish collected this way die soon after they are
removedeither sometime along the trade process or, ultimately, in captivity (NMFS, 2001). According to some estimates,
more than 40 countries are affected by blast fishing, and more than
15 countries have reported cyanide fishing activities (ICRI, 1995). Other
damaging fishing techniques include deep-water trawling, which
involves dragging a fishing net along the sea bottom, and muro-ami
netting, in which reefs are pounded with weighted bags to startle fish out of crevices
(Bryant et al., 1998). Often, fishing nets left as debris. Live corals become
entangled in nets and in areas of wave disturbance are torn away from their
bases (Coles, 1996). Moreover, the impact of anchors dropped from fishing
vessels onto reefs can break and destroy coral colonies (Bryant et al., 1998).
Finally, coral reefs are directly impacted by marine-based pollution. Leaking fuels, anti-fouling paints
and coatings, and other chemicals can leach into the water,
adversely affecting corals and other species (UVI, 2001). Petroleum spills
also are a concern. It is uncertain how much petroleum spills directly affect corals - oil usually stays near the surface of
the water, and much of its volume evaporates into the atmosphere within days. However, the timing of a spill is crucial. Corals
that are spawning at the time of an oil spill can be damaged
because the eggs and sperm, which are released into the water at
very precise times, remain at shallow water depths for various times
before they settle. In addition, it is not yet fully known how dispersants used to combat oil spills might affect
corals, as this results in more oil being suspended in the water column instead of the surface.

Econ ADV

AT Jobs
Cant repair the turbines and it destroys jobs
Ouellette 11
Apr 25 Gerry Ouellette is a retired aerospace engineer with extensive experience in electrical power generation,
storage and distribution, and in defense, radar and navigation systems and technologies. YOUR VIEW: Problems
with offshore wind farms not worth it http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/topstories/x215600042/YOUR-VIEWProblems-with-offshore-wind-farms-not-worthit#ixzz20pX3d2b3http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/highlight/x215600042/YOUR-VIEW-Problems-with-offshorewind-farms-not-worth-it?zc_p=0#axzz20pVzy6cv
Land-based wind farm costs provide no comparison basis for offshore when even a simple repair takes place. To
service a land base power nacelle in any weather pleasant summer or winter storm needs only two men in a
pickup truck to drive to the tower, ride up the interior of the mast and service the nacelle equipment. Even in good

the sea farm repair is considerably more difficult by boat

and in bad weather, its a whole new ball game fraught with danger, that
may not be playable. At present (December 2010-January 2011) in Southeastern Massachusetts,
weather with moderate seas,

electric generation charges to customers are 9.1 cents per kilowatt hour without government subsidies; the
comments that customers will pay more for clean energy is moot since they will be paying all of the costs through
taxation. It may be hearsay, but over 21 cents per kilowatt hour for Cape wind and has been analyzed and is a
totally unreasonable amount. Offshore projects may appear great for job generation, but with no reasonable
financial incentive for electrical purchasers will result in wind farms being nothing but a great taxpayer rip off

the job losses in the fishing industry as a result of wind

farms in fishing areas are simply glossed over as are the destruction of valuable fishing
grounds. One myth that is quite misleading is the oft-used comment that wind farms
will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. U.S. Electric Utility Companies
boondoggle. And

responded to the threat of the 1973 Arab oil embargo by replacing petroleum fuel oil with USA coal, nuclear energy

The USA no longer depends on petroleum

to generate electricity for the power grid. The USA is not dependent
on foreign sources of energy for electricity generation.
and natural gas to power their generators.

(AmericanEnergyIndependence.com.) And as discussed below, the small modular reactor concept, if adopted, would
completely eliminate the need for the destruction of extremely valuable fishing grounds by wind farms.

Wind affects 58,000 jobs - Congressional investigation of data

proves
Linowes 12
Executive Director of the Industrial Wind Action Group, Wind Energy Jobs: Are the Numbers Pulled from Thin Air,
http://www.dailyenergyreport.com/2012/07/wind-energy-jobs-are-the-numbers-pulled-from-thin-air/
The American Wind Energy Association has made extending the Production Tax Credit (PTC) its primary focus this
year. Documents available on the trade groups website show that about $4 million of its 2012 budget ($30 million)
was directed toward securing extension of the PTC. With job growth the number one political issue in the United

AWEAs strategic plan calls for rebranding of the wind industry

as an economic engine that will produce steady job growth, particularly in the manufacturing
sector. The problem for AWEA is that the industrys own record on job
growth lacks credibility. Accurate information available in the public suggests the industry
has inflated its overall job numbers. Section 1603 and Jobs Seventy-five percent of the
Section 1603 largesse was lavished on big wind, yet, despite billions in public funding, the
wind sector experienced a net loss of 10,000 direct and indirect jobs
in 2010 bringing AWEAs reported total to 75,000 jobs[1]. In April, NREL
States,

released its estimates of direct and indirect jobs created by projects receiving 1603 funding. The agency relied on
the JEDI model[2] to estimate gross jobs, earnings, and economic output supported through the construction and

an investigation by the House

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations rightly objected to
NRELs conclusions. The Subcommittee found that NREL overstated
the number of jobs created under 1603, that it failed to report on
the more important net job creation, and ignored potential jobs that
would be created given alternative spending of Federal funds. The key sticking
operation of solar photovoltaic (PV) and large wind projects. But

point was that NREL did not validate its models using actual data from completed projects. The Subcommittee
concluded that models used to estimate job creation were no substitute for actual data and added: The Section
1603 grant program was sold to the American people as a necessary stimulus jobs program, and yet, the Treasury
and Energy Departments do not have the numbers to back up the Obama Administrations claims of its success in
creating jobs. The problem with JEDI A footnote in NRELs report provides a useful explanation for why the JEDI
model offers no meaningful information when assessing the employment benefits of government subsidies. The

As a gross analysis, this analysis does not include impacts

from displaced energy or associated jobs, earnings, and output
related to existing or planned energy generation resources (e.g., jobs lost
footnote states:

in the operation of natural gas or coal plants due to the need for less electricity production from these plants, given
increased generation from wind) or increases or decreases in jobs related to changes in electric utility revenues and
consumer energy bills, among other impacts. In other words, the model is one-sided, only considering the benefit

So what data
do we have on wind industry jobs? Not much. Apparently, AWEA is the only source of
nationwide employment statistics in the United States for wind-related jobs. Of thepurported
75,000 direct and indirect jobs, the majority (around 60%) work in
finance and consulting services, contracting and engineering services, and transportation and
logistics. Twenty thousand are employed in wind-related manufacturing
with the remaining jobs tied to construction and O&M. But validating this
side of a cost-benefit comparison and ignores everything else. Validating AWEA Job Data

information is not possible since no industry codes exist that isolate wind power establishments or wind turbine and
wind components establishments. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) bundles wind-related
manufacturers under the same code as the Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units manufacturing industry
(NAICS 333611), which includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing turbines (except aircraft) and

At the end of 2010,

the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 26,800 total jobs in this
industry. Its not credible that AWEAs estimated manufacturing jobs could represent the vast majority of
complete turbine generator set units, such as steam, hydraulic, gas, and wind.

employment under the NAICS 333611 classification.[3] Navigants Magic In December, Navigant Consulting, Inc.
released a study commissioned by AWEA that analyzed the impact of the PTC on job growth in the wind industry.
Navigant considered two scenarios, one where the PTC is extended for 4 years (2013-2016); the other where the
PTC expires at the end of this year. The study found that extension of the PTC would provide a stable economic
environment and allow the wind industry to grow to nearly 100,000 American jobs over four years, including a jump
to 46,000 manufacturing positions. Expiration of the PTC showed a loss of 37,000 jobs. The message to Congress
was clear: extend the PTC or you will be blamed for American jobs being lost. But statements by AWEA prompted
us to look at the numbers more closely. In May, AWEAs Denise Bode told Windpower Monthly that Of the estimated
75,000 wind jobs, at least 30,000 are manufacturing jobs. Somehow, wind manufacturing jobs jumped by 10,000

As it turns out,
Navigant tabulated direct and indirect jobs but also quietly added
INDUCED jobs those jobs created when the overall level of
spending in an economy rises due to workers newly receiving
incomes. Addition of induced employment is a radical departure from job figures previously provided by
AWEA. All prior reports, as well as the newer NREL study, only looked at direct and indirect jobs. We could
find no documentation that explained this change nor was the
change footnoted in the Navigant study. In looking at the Navigant
numbers, it appears the wind industry currently only provides
58,000 direct and indirect jobs, not 75,000! A four-year extension of the PTC could result in a
after Navigant released its report. Where did the additional jobs come from?

possible 70,000 direct and indirect jobs 5,000 less than the number touted by AWEA before it started including
induced jobs. Conclusion The change in job counts raises serious credibility issues about the industrys
employment strength. But the absolute numbers tell only a piece of the story. Since Navigants study is based on

JEDI, the job figures represent gross numbers and do not consider them in the context of the larger economy. In that
sense, Navigants findings, like NRELs study, tell us nothing about the true impact of the PTC. But one thing does
appear to be true: AWEAs job figures, dating back to least 2009, may be nothing more than figures pulled from thin
air. UPDATE: Windaction spoke with a representative of Navigant who suggested AWEA might have been treating
induced jobs as indirect jobs in its prior reports. If the case, this would not explain the jump in manufacturing
jobs. AWEA now supports Navigants job numbers.

Job siphoning federal investment in wind diverts investment

from more productive parts of the economy
Green, 9 - resident fellow at AEI (Kenneth, Green Illusions, 2/25,
http://aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.29443/pub_detail.asp

Let's review the reasons why governments cannot create jobs, and why labelling them "green" doesn't change the
basic dynamics. Let's start with the fallacy that governments can create jobs. This fallacy was exploded all the way
back in 1845 by a French politician and political economist named Frdric Bastiat. Bastiat pointed out that

the

only way governments can create jobs is by first obliterating other jobs .
Sometimes, they obliterate other jobs by diverting taxpayer money away from the
economic uses the taxpayer would have pursued if they had kept their taxes. Other
times, they obliterate jobs by imposing regulations that kill off one industr y in
favour of another. In still other situations, they impose mandates, such as using recycled paper to create an
artificial market for recycled paper which reduce jobs in fresh-paper production. In the green energy case, they are

Taxpayer dollars are being used to subsidize the renewable energy

sector; damaging regulations are being implemented on the traditional fossil fuel sector, and mandates for
the use of renewable energy are being issued, creating a false market in wind power
at the expense of fossil fuel and nuclear power . Governments also invariably siphon
off a good part of the money for "administration," creating civil service jobs that pay
comparatively higher wages than the private sector for similar activity. Inevitably,
government efforts to create jobs cost the economy jobs and, adding insult to
injury, divert limited resources to inefficient uses, causing economic
underperformance.
doing all of the above:

Squo Solves Port Upgrades

Status quo is upgrading ports now- New York, Georgia proves
Spivak 11 senior research analyst at the HNTB Corporation, a transportation design and engineering
firm (Jeffrey, "The Battle of the Ports", May/June, American Planning Association, aapa.files.cmsplus.com/Battle%20of%20the%20Ports%20-%20Planning%20mag%20-%20May_June
%202011.pdf//DG)
Eighteen ports along the East and Gulf coasts are already deepening their channels or pursuing
plans to do so, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Numerous ports are also building or planning new
terminals and wharfs, and some are adding highway connections to interstates and installing new
overhead cranes that are longer than a football field. In New Jersey, for instance, the New York-New Jersey port
authority is dredging its channel to 50 feet, and it recently approved raising the Bayonne Bridge 65 feet rather than demolish
and rebuild the structure. In Georgia, the Port of Savannah is midway through an eight-year, $500 million
expansion that will nearly double its container capacity, and it is pushing ahead with a dredging
project that will deepen its channel from 42 feet to 48 feet. In South Carolina, the Port of Charleston is building a $525
million container terminal on a former U.S. Navy base that, when completed in 2016, will increase the port's handling capacity by almost half.
And as part of a $600 million upgrade plan, Alabama's Port of Mobile has opened a $300 million container terminal and completed a turning
basin enlargement for Post-Panamax ships. Then there's the $2 billion in new projects planned for the port of Wilmington, North Carolina,
according to a Southern Legislative Conference survey of ports. "The expansion of the Panama Canal is the tool to help us build on our port,"
says Stephanie Ayers, director of planning and development for the North Carolina State Ports Authority. These projects illustrate the ports' high
hopes. It's unclear, however, whether they will be completed in time for the opening of the Panama Canal's new locks. The governmental reviews
required for Savannah's dredging project stretched over more than a decade, involving interests ranging from the commercial fishing industry to
environmental groups in neighboring South Carolina. "It's been a political logistics nightmare," says Tom Thomson, executive director of the
Chatham County- Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, "but it was necessary to ensure that all the issues were addressed to the
community's satisfaction."

Status quo solves upgrades now

Barnett, 12 (Ron, USA Today, 5/24, East Coast ports scramble to dig deep, for supersize ships,
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-05-24/deepening-harbors/55653540/1)
The ports

of Norfolk, Va., and Baltimore have completed projects that put them in position to be the
first to receive the big ships, some of them 1,110 feet long with the capacity to haul up to 13,000 boxcar-size freight containers, Ellis
said. Elsewhere, the work is in varying stages: The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to finish dredging a 50foot deep channel to three terminals in New York Harbor by the end of the year and to the main New York terminal by
2014, according to New York/New Jersey Port Authority spokesman Hunter Pendarvis. The authority has committed $1 billion to raise the
Bayonne Bridge by 64 feet to allow the bigger ships to pass under, he said. Miami-Dade County reached an agreement in April with
environmental groups that had raised concerns about the Port of Miami's Deep Dredge project. It is expected to be able to handle the big ships by
2014 or soon thereafter, according to Ellis. The Corps of Engineers completed a study in April finding that

Savannah, Ga.'s proposed $652-million channel deepening project is viable. The Corps is in the midst
of a study of Charleston harbor, said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority. Philadelphia
and Corpus Christi are currently involved in dredging projects, according to Ellis. Boston, Jacksonville, Canaveral
and Freeport, Texas, are among other ports pursuing deeper channels, he said.

Dredging Slow
Dredging hurdles delay solvency environmental reviews, NED, WRDA, and EPA
American Institute of Marine Underwriters, 06
(DREDGING & MARINE CONTRACTORS, May 2006, http://www.aimu.org/Dredging%20&
%20Marine%20Contractors.pdf)//RM
Over the years, dredging has made a significant contribution to the development of many world economies. Construction and maintenance of
harbors, canals, and waterways have all directly benefited from the dredging industry. Additionally, dredging is key in coastal protection, land
reclamation, and environmental restoration projects. In addition, there are many other applications to which dredging is key. In many places,
agriculture depends on irrigation and drainage with the use of canals. Dredging is often used for infrastructure projects such as road construction.
Trenches for pipelines and ables and more, are often aided with the assistance of dredging as well. In the Northeastern U.S. alone, some of the
recent dredging projects that have been completed or are currently underway and/or planned include: Baltimore harbor dredging project, which
features the creation of an artificial island that will be filled with spoils from the dredging activities. Deepening of the channel for the port of
NY/NJ, which require drilling and blasting of bedrock that had been deposited during the Ice Age. Deepening of the channel (Delaware River) for
the Port of Philadelphia Dredging to remove hazardous material (PCBs) from the Hudson river. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel project
required extensive dredging for the laying of the tunnel sections. Boston Harbor tunnel (The Big Dig). During marine construction, dredging is
often required in support of construction of piers, bridges and tunnels. Many dredging companies have diversified into Marine Contracting for
pile driving, pier construction, fender building and other marine construction. Marine Contracting tends to provide a more continuous source of
projects for owners/operators than does dredging, due to the heavily regulated nature of dredging activities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE) is responsible for the maintenance of waterways and ports/harbors within the U.S. Consequently, they control and award all dredging
projects on U.S. waters. Before any dredging project can begin, there first must be a type of cost benefit

analysis performed by the USACE called Net Economic Development Benefits (NED). The NED
attempts to determine if the project would be in the governments interest to undertake. This can
often lead to competition between neighboring ports. For example, is it in the publics best interest to pursue the
deepening of the channel for the Port of Philadelphia, or to commit our limited resources to the deepening of the Port of New York/ New Jersey?
Although not necessarily mutually exclusive, sometimes the answer may mean that one port will grow, while the other will decline. Once the

USACE has decided the NED issue, the next step is to define the scope of work and solicit
competitive bids from marine contractors. The successful bidder is usually required to post a
performance bond. The next challenge is to find possible sponsors to fund the project. The
government provides funding for the USACE under the Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA), but often additional funding is needed. The USACE will look to state and local governments, as well as
concerned industry associations. The point for underwriters is that dredging can be a cyclical business, with
the viability of companies sometimes tied to funding issues for projects. The other major hurdle in
the permit process is to perform an environmental impact study. This can be a time intensive and
onerous process, in which Federal (EPA), State and Local Authorities must review and approve the
dredging plans and disposal of spoils. Among the environmental factors considered are the impact to the environment and
marine life in the area affected by the dredging, as well as the disposal of them dredging spoils. Many river bottoms contain potentially toxic
chemicals and contaminants that have accumulated over the years, due to industry activity and previous dumping, such as residual PCBs in the
Hudson River, due to production of Agent Orange and other toxic chemicals in the past.

Dredging suffers massive delays environmental reviews slow projects - Delaware

proves
Courier Post 00Anti-dredging forces buoyed by Army report, Courier Post (Cherry Hill, New Jersey) 12/17, ProQuest,
http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/docview/436913746?accountid=14667)//JH

Army Corps and the Delaware

River Port Authority, the project's sponsor, have yet to sign an agreement to start construction.
They had hoped to begin work over the summer. Army Corps officials last week said the agreement
has been held up by technicalities. `It's just strictly wording issues,' Army Corps spokesman
Richard Chlan said. `It's lawyers talking to lawyers.' But opponents argue the agreement is
effectively on hold because of the lack of funding commitments from Delaware and New Jersey. In
Legislation appropriating $24 million for dredging has passed both houses of Congress. But the

May, a New Jersey Senate committee withheld the state's $13 million contribution because of general economic and environmental concerns.
Delaware has raised state environmental permitting issues in holding back its $4 million contribution. Pennsylvania has committed its $15 million
contribution. Opponents now likely face lobbying New Jersey and Delaware legislators to continue holding back the contributions while they
figure out a way to get a review by either the GAO or the Pentagon. `We need to kind of roll up our sleeves and see . . . what it's going to take to
get them to turn their attention to this,' Ellis said. In March, Ellis' group and the National Wildlife Federation issued a joint

study ranking the Delaware deepening as the second most wasteful Army Corps project in the
nation. The Mississippi project, which ranked third, is now on hold for at least a year, pending a new Army Corps economic analysis. The topranked project -- a massive irrigation project in eastern Arkansas -- is also on hold at the request of congressional leaders and stakeholders,
including rice farmers who questioned the economic benefits the Corps said they were to receive. Environmental groups are hoping for a similar
delay to the Delaware project, arguing the Army Corps has manipulated justifications for the deepening on behalf of the DRPA. The Philadelphia
District of the Army Corps and the DRPA, a quasi-governmental port development agency, staunchly defend the Delaware project as justifiable.
`I don't know anything about the (Mississippi) project, but the Delaware River deepening project is economically justified,' said Chlan, the Army
Corps spokesman. `And years and years of studies have shown we have met or will meet all

environmental requirements.' In the Mississippi project, an economist testified Army Corps brass
ordered him to manipulate economic data to justify lock expansion along the Mississippi and
Illinois rivers. Such allegations have never emerged in the Delaware deepening. Still, opponents maintain the
Army Corps' justifications for the Philadelphia project are thin. Although the DRPA argues the port needs a deeper channel to accommodate
bigger cargo ships, the Army Corps did not take this into consideration. Instead the Corps limited its analysis to potential

national economic benefits that could be derived through theoretically lower fuel prices resulting
from savings to refiners. The Corps estimates a deeper channel will save six major refiners along
the river $32million because tankers will have to off-load less oil at the mouth of the bay . The DRPA
insists the real stakes are the very survival of the port in face of competition from other East Coast ports for deeper draft cargo ships, an argument
that technically cannot be considered by the Army Corps. `Refiners are nice,' said Joe Diemer, a DRPA spokesman. `Butour point of view is
general cargo. Eighty percent of the jobs along the river have nothing to do with oil.' Opponents, meanwhile, maintain an Army Corps health
assessment as minimized the project's environmental impacts. The Corpscalculated levels of toxins in sediments after they would be pumpedinto
disposal sites. Corps biologist Jerry Pasquale acknowledged this approach diluted the levels of toxins

measured because polluted sediments would be mixed with cleaner sediments. But Pasquale said he was
investigating potential health exposures to people that might get onto disposal sites, not impacts on aquatic life resulting from the stirring of
toxins in the river. Opponents further maintain the Corps has developed contradictory conclusions in two separate studies determining how water
flowsi n the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which connects the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay. They argue the Army Corps came up
with a new conclusion as to the general flow of water in the canal to allay concerns that polluted and saltier water from the Delaware would harm
the more pristine upper reaches of the Chesapeake if the canal were deepened. Water generally flows in each direction because of tidal
differences, but the Corps was looking at net water flows over time, particularly during a severe drought, Army Corps oceanographer Jeffrey
Gebert said. An initial study conducted in connection with the Delaware project and released around late 1995 wrongly concluded net flow
toward the Chesapeake, Gebert said. A more thorough 1999 study related to canal deepening accurately concluded net flow toward the Delaware,
he said. `It's ludicrous for anyone to state that we said the canal runs in different directions at the same time,' Gebert said.

Alt Cause
Dredging alone cant solverail and road improvements are key
Tracy 11 Senior Specialty Writer at Orlando Sentinel (Dan, Experts question Gov. Rick Scott's portdredging plan, 3/16, McClatchy- Tribune Business News, ProQuest, http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/docview/857241224?accountid=14667)
"The big ships don't change the size of the market," said Tampa Port Director Richard Wainio. Right
now, goods delivered to the Miami port largely supply South Florida. To grab a bigger share of the shipping business,
Miami would have to increase its local demand, or move the goods farther north or south, experts
say. That may not happen for at least two reasons, said Wainio and Mark Vitner, a top economist who studies Florida for
Wells Fargo Securities. It's cheaper to keep the goods on the ship, Vitner said , and head north to other ports that have
better access to the Southeast, such as Norfolk, Va. -- where the port already is deep enough -- Savannah, Ga., or Jacksonville, both of which are
too shallow for mega-ships and do not have the permits to get deeper. Goods for southern trade could continue being offloaded at Caribbean

There is no major rail spur in the

Miami port and the roads already are clogged with traffic, he said. The rail issue could be fixed by
2012 because the port has come up with nearly $50 million in federal , state and private dollars to fix tracks and a
ports as well, experts said. More problematic for Miami, Poole said, is its road and rail network.

bridge damaged by hurricanes, said Husein Cumber, vice president of corporate development of the Florida East Coast Railway. "South Florida is
not going to miss out on international trade opportunities anymore," said Cumber. He said goods unloaded in Miami could reach virtually
anywhere in the state or the Southeast just as fast as cargo unloaded farther north . But expanding the roads could well be too

expensive, Poole said. In 2007, Poole wrote a paper suggesting the construction of a toll road leading
to and from the port that would be mostly for trucks. That could cost $1 billion or more, likely
making the tolls too high for truckers to afford on a regular basis, he said. The state already is
spending $1 billion building twin tunnels linking the MacArthur Causeway east of downtown
Miami with the port. They would get the trucks out of downtown, but still place them on already crowded highways such as Interstate
95. Without additional major rail and road improvements, Poole and Vitner said, it is unlikely ships would deliver goods in Miami slated for
Central and North Florida, much less the Southeast.

Advantage Counterplan

1NC ESA CP (Turtles/Horseshoe Crabs)

CP Text: The United States federal government should add the
migratory birds that feed on Horseshoe Crab eggs to the
Endangered Species Act and change the Endangered Species
Act to require the use of Turtle Excluder Devices and other bycatch mitigation efforts, while appropriate agencies institute
harvesting management practices for Horseshoe Crabs. The
United States federal government should create artificial coral
reefs using cinderblocks and additional necessary material at
appropriate locations.
That solves
CBD 11
(Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) is a nonprofit membership organization with approximately 220,000 members
and online activists, known for its work protecting endangered species through legal action and scientific petitions.
The Center has offices and staff in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Montana, Illinois, Minnesota, Alabama,
Alaska, Vermont and Washington, D.C. Endangered Species Act 99 Percent Effective at Saving Imperiled Species,
Immediate Release, December 5, 2011, http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2011/endangeredspecies-act-12-05-2011.html) TKT

Suckling, executive director of the Center for

Biological Diversity, will testify before the U.S. House of
Representatives Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday at a hearing called "The
WASHINGTON Kiern

Endangered Species Act: How Litigation is Costing Jobs and Impeding True Recovery Efforts." In his written

Suckling notes that the Endangered Species Act is, by any

measure, a success: 99.9 percent of species protected by the Act
have been kept from extinction and, where measured, 93 percent of
protected species are moving toward recovery. The Endangered
Species Act is the most successful law ever enacted to save wildlife
and plants from extinction, said Suckling. The Act saved the bald eagle, peregrine falcon,
testimony,

American alligator and scores of others and is in the process of saving the polar bear, Miami blue butterfly and more

Critics of the Endangered Species Act complain that the law is

failing because only 1 percent of endangered species have
recovered and been removed from the list. But these critics fail to
explain why they think more species should have recovered by now .
than a thousand other species.

There are currently 1,396 species protected under the Endangered Species Act. On average, they have been on the
list 21 years. Their federal recovery plans, however, expect that on average they will require 42 years from listing to
be recovered. Complaining that a species did not recover decades faster than what scientists said is like declaring
an antibiotic to be a failure because it did not cure an infection on the first day of a 10-day course, Suckling said. In
fact, hundreds of listed species have strong recovery trends but, as per their federal recovery plans, will not reach
full recovery for several decades. Their progress is indicative of the Endangered Species Acts effectiveness despite
the fact they are not yet recovered. Among species with strong recovery trends are the: Whooping crane, which has
grown from 54 birds in 1967 to 599 in 2011; Shortnose sturgeon, which has increased from 12,669 fish in 1979 to
56,708 in 1994-1996; Hawaiian goose, which has increased from 300 birds in 1980 to 1,744 in 2006; Florida
panther, which has increased from 30 to 40 individuals in the 1980s to 87 in 2003 and 130 in 2010; Utah prairie
dog, whose numbers increased from 3,300 in 1973 to 11,296 in 2010. Yet House Republicans continue to attack the
Endangered Species Act, including complaints over the cost of litigation that has helped to ensure that imperiled
species and their habitat are protected as the law requires. In fact, in a Sept. 11, 2011 letter to the Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service disclosed that in 2010 it spent $1.24 million to
manage, coordinate, track, and support ESA litigation brought by environmental and industry groups. This
amounts to one half of 1 percent of the endangered-species budget, which was more than $275 million in 2010.
According to the letter, the amount the Service spent on litigation has remained relatively constant over the past 10

years, meaning 2010 was a typical year in terms of the very small percentage of the endangered species budget
spent managing litigation. Although litigation has played an important role in making sure declining species get the
help they desperately need, it certainly isnt breaking the bank, Suckling said. The irony of the House leaderships
attack on environmental groups is that industry lawyers receive millions of dollars under these same enforcement
powers, and these lawsuits almost always seek to curtail protection for plants and animals, not enhance it. A 2006
review found that 80 percent of all active litigation over critical habitat in 2005 was filed by industry groups.
Similarly, the U.S. Government Accountability Office this year found that industry groups filed 48 percent of lawsuits
against the Environmental Protection Agency while environmental groups filed 30 percent.

Cinderblocks solve artificial reefs better and faster

PLAYA HERMOSA ARTIFICIAL REEF PROJECT 11 (PLAYA HERMOSA ARTIFICIAL
REEF PROJECT: "CONDOFISH", http://condofish.com/) TKT

Some reefs are erroneously constructed from car tires (a bad idea due to the
toxicity of rubber disintegrating in salt water), and some are built using broken-down
cars, old boats and scrap metal. Our goal was to ensure that fish and
other marine animals, such as crabs, octopus, and eels, looking for a
place to live and reproduce had the best environment available . The
reef project chose cinder block because the block was much easier
to handle than cars and other heavy industrial items and the
Calcium content of concrete bolsters the growth of various plant
and invertebrate life forms. Also, logistically it made more sense
because block is readily available. The fish habitats are formed into an igloo and
caterpillar shapes which offer the best environment to live, breed and find protection. Playa Hermosa Artificial
Reef Project i The very first step is to choose a low current location that is conducive to undersea life, reproduction
and feeding. In 1985, a 60-foot tuna-fishing vessel of Mexican origin was anchored close to the beach in Playa
Hermosa. A fire broke out aboard causing considerable damage and the boat sank. In 2002, fishermen living in
Playa Hermosa knew the location of boat and helped discover the wreck and the remains of the fishing vessel. The
wreck has a N-S direction. To the south is a drum with nets and ropes completely covered with vegetation and
corals, at the center is the engine and various mechanical parts of the arms. At the other end, the north, one can
see a metal cube of about 100 cubic feet that is most likely a fuel tank. The wreck lies about 400 meters west from
the beach, facing the parking lot of the first entrance to Playa Hermosa. It sits at a depth roughly 20 to 30 feet
depending on the tide. 12 fish habitats consisting of the igloo block structure are located around the wreck.. While
the CondoFish project in Playa Hermosa Costa Rica obtained full government approval for the project, this may or
may not be relevant in other international locations. Costa Rica is a very ecologically conscious country and
anything regarding natural resources or wildlife requires approval and constant surveillance.

It prevents sea turtle destruction, trawling, and other fishing

only by fisheries by changing the permission granted by the
ITS.
Griffin et al 2008
(Griffin, E., Miller, K.L., Harris, S. and Allison, Comprise Oceanas of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and
advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of
fish populations TROUBLE TURTLES For Trawl Fishing in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, July 2008,
www.oceana.org)
Sea Turtle Protection under the Endangered Species Act

All six sea turtle species in U.S.

waters are threatened with or in danger of extinction and are therefore protected by the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a result, any take of sea turtles without
government authorization is illegal. The term take means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt,
shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.16 Therefore, any
interactions between sea turtles and fisheries are takes under the
ESA and are illegal without government authorization. For federal fisheries, this
authorization is an Incidental Take Statement (ITS). The ITS is given
to the fishery as a whole, not to individual fishermen. An ITS is

based on a finding that the activities under consideration in this

case fishing will not cause jeopardy to a species, thus allowing
the permitted action to continue. Jeopardy, in terms of the ESA, occurs when an action is
reasonably expected, directly or indirectly, to diminish a species numbers, reproduction or distribution so that the
likelihood of survival and recovery in the wild is appreciably reduced.17 In state fisheries, authorization to take sea
turtles is granted through an ESA Section 10 Incidental Take Permit.

2NC
CP solves
Bleyer 12
(BILL BLEYER gathering information from National Park Service, published in News Day. May 14, 2012 COUNTING
CRABS; Volunteers help park service conduct spring survey, Lexis.) TKT
Most visitors are drawn to Sagamore Hill to learn about Theodore Roosevelt, but one recent morning more than a
dozen people gathered in a conference room for a briefing on the sex lives of horseshoe crabs. Civilian volunteers
joined National Park Service staff for training on how to count and tag horseshoe crabs as part of a population

The information
gathered during May and June at Sagamore Hill in Cove Neck and other parks will be
used by the parks to better manage the crab habitat . It will be
forwarded to the state and federal Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council to better manage harvesting of the crabs used
for bait, and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The volunteers who came to
survey being conducted at national park beaches in the Northeast this spring.

Sagamore Hill to be trained by Patti Rafferty, a park service coastal ecologist based at Fire Island, included students,
retired teachers, biology buffs and James Foote of Sea Cliff, who usually turns up at Sagamore Hill to portray the
26th president. "I was fascinated by horseshoe crabs since I was this high," Foote said, placing his hand near his
knee. Allie Holtzer of Wantagh volunteered because she had just graduated from college with a degree in history
and was looking for something to do before entering the Peace Corps. "I love the water and marine life and I love
that I grew up on an island so it's great to learn about the creatures around it," she said. Mary Wagner, 71, of
Wantagh came with her husband, Wayne, a volunteer docent who usually gives tours of Roosevelt's mansion, now
closed for restoration. "I have a tremendous interest in horseshoe crabs," she said. "I think they're interesting and I
feel sorry for them because they are harvested by fishermen." The volunteers listened attentively to Rafferty,
whose interest in the species was telegraphed by the American horseshoe crab pin on her shirt and matching
earrings. "The purpose of the project is to better understand how the horseshoe crabs are using the national parks
in the New York area as habitat," she explained. "We believe that we may be providing areas of refuge that haven't

harvesting while development has reduced the areas

where the horseshoe crabs can survive. She said surveying began at Cape Cod National
been developed" and are not subject to

Seashore a decade ago because of issues raised by harvesting by fishermen. The work expanded to three beaches
at Fire Island last year and Sagamore Hill and Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City this year.
Researchers don't know if the crabs come back to the same beaches year after year. They do know they move
around quickly and can travel very far. A horseshoe crab tagged at Sagamore Hill last year showed up five weeks
later in Connecticut. Counting the crabs that come ashore to mate and lay eggs and affixing a tag to some of them
to be able to follow their travels will help fill in some of the blanks, Rafferty said. She began the training with
Horseshoe Crab 101. "They are an important part of the ecosystem," she said. "Their eggs are an important food
source for many species, especially shorebirds." And they are used for bait by fishermen and their blood for medical
testing. Males and females mate and the female crabs come ashore at unusually high tides to dig a nest in the sand
to lay their eggs. "They time their spawning to the highest tides of May and June, and those highest tides occur
during the full and new moons," Rafferty said. "So we go out and survey two days before, the day of the full and
new moon, and two days after." Only a handful of horseshoe crabs showed up on the first cycle of the survey in
early May but the researchers are hoping for better results in the next round starting Friday. Rafferty noted that
horseshoe crabs are one of the world's oldest animals - more than 300 million years. "As old as they are," she said,
"we don't know a lot about horseshoe crabs." HORSESHOE CRABS Despite its common name, the horseshoe crab
(Limulus polyphemus) is more closely related to spiders and scorpions than crabs. Horseshoe crabs come to shore
to mate and lay eggs with peak spawning in New York in May and June, particularly during the evening high tides of
new and full moons. A female will lay 90,000 eggs or more during a spawning cycle; only about 10 will make it to
adulthood. Many spring migratory shorebirds and fish rely upon the eggs for food. Native Americans and colonists
used horseshoe crabs to fertilize crops. Horseshoe crabs have blue blood because the protein that carries oxygen in
horseshoe crab blood contains copper. The blood is used by the biomedical industry for testing and sells for up to
$5,000 per quart. The crabs are harvested for conch and eel bait.

Things can be sunk that solve artificial reefs.

Scientific Diving09
(The world of scientific diving encompasses a vast array of techniques, tools and disciplines utilized in systematic
progression to unlock the mysteries of the underwater world. It is our hope to create in conjunction with some of the
worlds most noted minds in the world of scientific diving one of the best possible resources related to this most
fascinating of all areas of diving. This will include papers written exclusively for us, reprints of articles previously
published in other mediums, photos and video of scientific diving expeditions around the world, tips, techniques,

history and so much more. Artificial Reefs for Marine Life, http://www.scientificdiving.net/scientific-diving/artificialreefs-marine-life/) TKT

Things sink. Everyone knows that. The bottom of the ocean is covered in things that have sunk throughout
history. But sometimes people decide to sink things on purpose to create an
artificial reef. It could be a few cinder blocks, tires, movie sets, an old freight container, or an
entire train. Whatever is sunk, it is sunk with the purpose of promoting
marine life. Artificial reefs can be made in any coastal waters. When
an artificial reef is sunk, it makes a great location for species like
algae, barnacles, corals, and oysters to attach and make a new
home. Over time a lively reef forms and provides great fishing locations, idyllic scuba diving sites, and superb
marine habitats. Unfortunately around the world coral reefs are suffering. Global warming, over
fishing, pollution, rising sea level, inexperienced divers, and much
more are quickly killing the ecologically fragile and diverse reefs.
Artificial reefs are a good way to help these abused reefs
regenerate because they relieve stress from reefs that are
overwhelmed by human and sea life impact. Someday those abused reefs may thrive
again. Artificial reefs help attract divers away from the fragile ecosystems of natural coral reefs by providing them
with new alternative reefs to explore. Artificial reefs are often created on shipwrecks; a type of diving that already is
alluring for most divers. In fact, many old Naval ships, after they are decommissioned, are now being sunk to create
artificial reefs and promote marine life. Its actually more politically, environmentally, and economically cheaper to

The U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, even gives guidelines on how to prepare your boat, car, or
plane if you want to sink it and make an artificial reef. Several
privately owned companies are creating jobs specifically for this
niche market. Artificial reefs are great way to promote aquatic life, but as with everything there are always
do this than take the ships apart for scraps.

people who oppose new ideas. The naysayers feel there is no major marine life benefit and that artificial reefs only
pollute the ocean. So next time youre enjoying diving on a sunken James Bond plane wreck in the Bahamas, a
sunken train in Thailand, or an underwater tire world in Florida, remember they arent natural reefs but theyre
awesome diving.

Use of TEDs reduce turtle fatalities by 97%

Griffin et al 2008
(Griffin, E., Miller, K.L., Harris, S. and Allison, Comprise Oceanas of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and
advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of
fish populations TROUBLE TURTLES For Trawl Fishing in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, July 2008,
www.oceana.org)

In the 1980s, an estimated 5,000-50,000 loggerhead and 500-5,000 Kemps ridley sea
turtles died annually in shrimp trawls.18 To address sea turtle bycatch in this fishery, the
National Marine Fisheries Service spent the 70s and 80s designing and testing turtle
excluder devices (TEDs) for shrimp trawls. A TED is a grid of bars in the
neck of the net with an opening, reminiscent of an escape hatch. The bars are spaced far enough
apart to allow shrimp and fish to pass through to the tail of the net while allowing large species,
such as sea turtles, to escape from the net through the opening . Studies
showed that trawl nets equipped with properly functioning TEDs could lead to a
97 percent reduction in sea turtle net entrapment.20As a result, in 1992 the federal
government required all U.S. shrimp trawlers in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to use TEDs in all waters,
during all seasons.21 These regulations were altered in 2003 to require a larger TED opening, which allows larger
turtles to escape from the net.