Releases 

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"In conclusion, and based upon testimony and reports at the public hearings, Staff recommends that the Plan
Commission recommend that the Village Board of Trustees: 

1. APPROVE a request for a Text Amendment to Section 6-3.3 of the Libertyville Zoning Code to include Electric Services as a Special Use in the 0-2 District; 
2. APPROVE a request for a Text Amendment to Section 2-2 of the Libertyville Zoning Code to include a definition for Electric Services; 
3. APPROVE a Special Use Permit, Planned Development Concept and Final Plan, and Site Plan Permit to allow Indeck-Libertyville LLC to construct a peaker power facility in the Mallory Industrial Campus, subject to the following development conditions." 

The staff have set some helpful restrictions, but are opening Pandora's box with these recommended text amendments.

Larry Eaton, representative for Liberty Prairie Conservancy and Prairie Crossing will introduce Mr Schechter, an expert witness on the topic of Noise.

Mr Schechter will show that:

Indeck will not meet the EPA requirements for noise.

The Indeck plant will drown out all other background noises when operating at night, and most during the day.

Indeck misrepresented present ambient background noise levels in their testimony.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

Indeck will then cross-examine.

Residents who have signed up to testify, either previously, or at the beginning of the meeting, will be called to speak. 

W&W will remind the Commission the there is presently a wetland that is home to thousands of  frogs on the property, and that their pleasant sounds will die with them when that wetland, slated for destruction by Indeck, is bulldozed.

Bring your concerns and offer them to the Commission!

Larry Eaton, representative for Liberty Prairie Conservancy and Prairie Crossing will introduce the expert witnesses that they have hired to address the resident's concerns on each of the topics previously addressed by Indeck. He will outline what we expect each one to prove befor the Commission.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

Indeck will then cross-examine.

Tom Overby, Power Systems Professor from University of Illinois, will show how:

The power transmission system that supplies the Libertyville area is quite strong, and the Indeck plant is not needed.

The Indeck Plant will not prevent blackouts. Blackouts are historically caused in the midwest by failures of the local, radial distribution system, not by insufficient power generation capability. Because Indeck will connect to the transmission system (grid), their power would support all loads in the entire midwest, with no special support for Libertyville.

Far more new generation capacity has ben proposed than is expected to be needed for the next decade.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

Indeck will then cross-examine.

Residents who have signed up to testify, either previously, or at the beginning of the meeting, will be called to speak. 

W&W will review the Power Pyramid order to address electricity need: Conservation, Cogeneration, Alternative Sources, Conventional Sources. We will then remind the Commission of the opportunity of the public to conserve, through installation of more efficient air conditioners and other appliances, far more energy than Indeck intends to generate, while saving residents money. We will further remind the Commission that the $250M Energy Efficiency Trust Fund will be available to promote this later this summer, and ask them whether it is prudent to permit construction of this plant before this extremely effective measure is given time to work.

Other members are expected to reveal other new power source technologies that are likely to obsolete the need for new power plants, peaker or otherwise.

Indeck will argue that their new plant will be well built to meet permissible nose levels at the lot line.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

Residents will be allowed to ask question if there is any time left. Here are some questions that we'd like to have answered:

Indeck will argue that their new plant will be well built to meet permissible nose levels at the lot line.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

Residents will be allowed to ask question if there is any time left. Here are some questions that we'd like to have answered:

When operating, this peaker will likely obliterate many pleasant sounds previously audible in the area, both directly from the Mallory site, and also from surrounding areas (such as the Liberty Prairie Conservancy). In judging the impact of this proposed power plant to the surrounding area, we should not compare the noise levels from this peaker only with numerical EPA threshold standards, but also with the conditions previously enjoyed around the site. Indeed, the dB units they commonly quote are ratios that compare expected noise levels with a numerical standard number, not with present ambient sound levels. Ask Indeck what the present minimum sound levels are at the site. 

Last summer the sound of frogs could be heard coming from the wetlands. If any of them survive the excavation of topsoil from the site, will their calls be audible over the noise from the proposed power plant?

Many animals are sensitive to frequencies outside of the range of human hearing. Yet, the dB A, B, and C scales that are regularly used to judge noise levels are designed to mimick human sensitivity. Ask Indeck whether they have evaluated noise levels up to 100 kHz, or down to 10 Hz, and what the noise levels from their plant over that wider frequency range will be. 

Indeck claims that they will meet property line noise limits set by EPA, but the SIZE of the noise source significantly boosts the distance that the noise will travel before decreasing to less than present ambient sound levels. (You environmental scientists can compare the formulas for near field propagation from a point source v.s. near field propagation from a multiple point or line source.) Ask Indeck which formulas they are using, and whether it accounts for the size and arrangement of the two turbines.

Wind can also influence noise propagation. Do Indeck's projected noise level promises take this factor into account?

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To join the Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands Powerplant Committee contact John Chambers .

Indeck will argue that their new plant will be well built to meet permissible nose levels at the lot line.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

Residents will be allowed to ask question if there is any time left. Here are some questions that we'd like to have answered:

When operating, this peaker will likely obliterate many pleasant sounds previously audible in the area, both directly from the Mallory site, and also from surrounding areas (such as the Liberty Prairie Conservancy). In judging the impact of this proposed power plant to the surrounding area, we should not compare the noise levels from this peaker only with numerical EPA threshold standards, but also with the conditions previously enjoyed around the site. Indeed, the dB units they commonly quote are ratios that compare expected noise levels with a numerical standard number, not with present ambient sound levels. Ask Indeck what the present minimum sound levels are at the site. 

Last summer the sound of frogs could be heard coming from the wetlands. If any of them survive the excavation of topsoil from the site, will their calls be audible over the noise from the proposed power plant?

Many animals are sensitive to frequencies outside of the range of human hearing. Yet, the dB A, B, and C scales that are regularly used to judge noise levels are designed to mimick human sensitivity. Ask Indeck whether they have evaluated noise levels up to 100 kHz, or down to 10 Hz, and what the noise levels from their plant over that wider frequency range will be. 

Indeck claims that they will meet property line noise limits set by EPA, but the SIZE of the noise source significantly boosts the distance that the noise will travel before decreasing to less than present ambient sound levels. (You environmental scientists can compare the formulas for near field propagation from a point source v.s. near field propagation from a multiple point or line source.) Ask Indeck which formulas they are using, and whether it accounts for the size and arrangement of the two turbines.

Wind can also influence noise propagation. Do Indeck's projected noise level promises take this factor into account?

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To join the Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands Powerplant Committee contact John Chambers .

Indeck will argue that their new plant will be well built to minimize impact.

The Plan Commission members will then ask questions.

Residents will be allowed to ask question if there is any time left. Here are some questions that we'd like to have answered:

80% of the plants presently on the site are native, consisting of 10% trees, 35% perennial forbes, and 14% perennial sedges. How many trees over 10 inches in diameter will be cut down for construction of the site?

Here in the prairie state, less that 1% of prairies survive. Considering the fact that prairies are the only ecosystem in our region capable of sequestering CO₂, and that your plant will release 100,000 tons of CO₂ into the air per 4,000 hours of operation, what percentage of the existing prairie will be preserved?

Considering the fact that the prairie soil contains organic carbon sequestered by these plants that will be released into the air if disturbed, how much of the topsoil do you intend to excavate?

Of the 57 native species inventoried on the site, several are threatened or have conservative value. According to your unapproved wetlands destruction permit application, you intend to destroy the wetlands, and jeopardize these plants by attempting to relocate them. What percentage of these plants do you expect will actually be recovered and ultimately survive, and what data do you have to support this expectation. (Species information taken from Report, available below.)

The species inventory for the site concludes that this site suffers from various kinds of disturbance, but generally has potential for habitat restoration and recovery. How much of the existing habitat will your development of the site preserve or restore?

There are presently thousands of frogs in the threatened wetlands. Will Indeck make any effort beyond those required by the wetlands destruction permit to relocate any of these or other species presently living on the site?

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Would it be possible to modify this plant in the future by adding a secondary steam cycle to make it a combined cycle plant?

What are the pros and cons of that decision?

If you decide to do so, would you have to get a new air pollution permit?

If this plant were a combined cycle plant, would it be possible to operate just the gas turbine as a peaker, and bring the steam cycle on line later? (Isn't this regularly done during the shakedown and startup of combined cycle plants?)

Is it possible to use waste heat from gas turbine generating plants in other ways: for drying, or to produce dessicants, or even chilled water for air conditioning? (All of these systems have been available for decades, and are being implemented today with on-site Microturbines.)

Is this site close enough to any surrounding facilities to make any of these possible? (no)

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What is the voltage at the terminals of the generator? (I suspect it's less than 1000, but it's not in their testimony so far))

How does the voltage at the terminals of the generator compare to the voltage on the power lines that you want to connect to? ( less)

At the December 15th hearing Indeck testified that electrical power can only go from high voltage to low voltage. Do you intend to use a lower voltage generator to send power out onto higher voltage lines?

Will your plant connect to a transformer to increase the voltage from the generator before connecting to the 138kV line?

Will your plant rely on a chain of transformers to change the voltage up, starting with the one at your facility, and then down again, as your power continues throughout ComEd's distribution grid, in order to light Mr. Luken's house?

If you can transmit power by increasing voltage with transformers, then what will prevent ComEd from doing the same thing if they decide to transmit your power out of our region?

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How will you monitor your emissions?

If your emissions monitoring equipment is incorrect, how will you know?

How will we know?

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The facility is near a small airport. What would the consequences be for a small private aircraft if one wing encountered the plume at low altitude during operation of the plant?

• Come hear energy experts from public interest groups ask about whether our region needs new power plants.
• Conservation, Efficiency, and Load Leveling can erase the need for new plants. Have you found ways to conserve power in the context of a convenient lifestyle, upgraded your major appliances to high efficiency models, or participated in ComEd's sir conditioner control program? Testimony at this hearing will help you decide what to say at the final hearings when statements are invited. 
• If you have experienced dramatic reductions in electricity bills as a result of Conservation or  Efficiency measures (have you replaced your air conditioner recently?), consider asking whether this plant can produce as dramatic an effect on the amount of available power.
• At the last hearing, the Indeck representative said that their new plant would be unable to supply eletricity outside our region because the power lines that carry electricity beyond our region (the "Grid") operate at a higher voltage than Indeck will generate when they connect to our regional distribution lines. While it is true that the voltages will be different as they say, they are wrong that this prevents their power from getting back on the grid. This is because the connection between the high voltage "grid" and our regional distribution line is made with a transformer (not a resistor) which is capable of transmiting power in either direction. The truth is that if you connect a power source to the electricity distribution system, even at the low 110 voltage at you house, these transformers make it possible for even you to put power back on the grid. The determining factor will be whether a surplus of generating capacity is put into operation in our region, and whether there is a defficiency someplace else.
• At the last hearing, Indeck showed how electricity usage in our region has increased and the excess margin has decreased over the last few years. However, like the stock market, past behaviour is not necessarily an indication of future performance. They did not address what the principal uses are that are driving this perceived need, nor did they take into account major new programs to be rolled out this year to significantly reduce that demand. Besides the fact that consumers can save money by upgrading their air conditioners to units that use 30% less electricity, a $250M Efficiency Trust Fund will be available later in 2000 to help make it happen.  See Powerplants.
• The Indeck representative scofffed at the ability of other sources to provide additional energy to our region. However, there is presently enough are on the roofs of existing retail and residential buildings to support enough "PV" (solar cells) to supply our region's electricity needs. A study released in September reports that such high volume production will bring the costs of PV's down to levels competitive with present sources. Since peakers are more expensive to operate than conventinal sources, this could be a lower cost source of power, if we determine we need more. Microturbines are also a reality, and because they can be even less efficient, and more pollutnig than peakers, we must manage their deployment too. Fuel cells are not far behind, but since they operate on fossil fuels, will not solve the Global Warming problem.
• There will be an opportunity to ask questions at this hearing. There will be an opportunity to make statements at the final hearing.
• To join the Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands Powerplant Committee contact John Chambers .