The Love Creek Marina at high tide.

Earlier today we found out that the research vessel Russel W. Peterson, which has been studying the potential impact of a wind farm on birds for Bluewater Wind, was in distress and needed Coast Guard intervention. The vessel ran aground in Bethany. We’ve since learned that one of the two crew members on the R/V Russel W. Peterson is dead. Ken Hayes, President of Aqua Survey, the company who owned the vessel released this statement:

This morning the liftboat Russell W. Peterson sent out a distress signal to the US Coast Guard.

The Peterson had been offshore Rehoboth Beach, DE, studying bird migration. The Coast Guard
is to be commended for dispatching rescuers by both sea and air. The Peterson was staffed by
two captains. Both were removed by the Coast Guard. We have been informed that one of the
captains did not survive the ordeal. Aqua Survey is not releasing names at this point. Our hearts
and prayers are with the family and friends of the lost mariner.

Aqua Survey will work closely with the Coast Guard and other agencies to safely and quickly
salvage the vessel.

And this is from Peter Mandelstam, President, Bluewater Wind:

“Everyone here at Bluewater Wind is deeply saddened by this tragic occurrence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the captain’s family, friends, and loved ones.”

The public parking lot at the end of Savannah Road in Lewes. It’s all sand.

A tree blocking the eastbound lane of King’s Highway, that’s the road to Cape Henlopen High School and the District office if you’re coming from Route 1 north. School was on time, but then around 8:30 a.m., an hour after the start of the day for many schools, the automated call came from the District Office that you shouldn’t send your child to school if there was flooding in your area…little late, fellas.

Downtown Milton.

The end of Old Landing Road.

Route 1 by Five Points.

The ocean at the Indian River Inlet.

A snowplow keeping Route 1 directly north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge free of sand.

The ocean in Rehoboth Beach, Rehoboth did a good job weathering the storm so far.

A small windmill on a home in Rehoboth cranking out power like a champ.

And, the R/V Russell W. Peterson, the research vessel that Bluewater Wind launched to study the possible impact of their wind farm on avian life, has run into trouble:

From WGMD News:

The Coast Guard responded to a distress call from a research vessel off the coast of Rehoboth Beach. Authorities say two people aboard the Russell W. Peterson activated an electronic positioning radio beacon and reported that the boat was breaking up and taking on water about 14 miles off the coast. A helicopter crew from the Coast Guard air station in Atlantic City, N.J., was on the scene, and two small boats from Cape May and Ocean City were also en route. The vessel, named after a former Delaware governor active in environmental issues, was christened in Wilmington just six weeks ago and was being used by Bluewater Wind to study migratory bird routes in connection with the proposed offshore wind farm.

More to come as the tide rolls in…

The Indian River Power Plant, Delaware’s worst polluter.

Last week I started getting e-mails from various sources telling me about another public hearing in Millsboro over the issuance of a permit for the Indian River Power Plant, Delaware’s worst polluter. This time, the permit was over a proposed “Activated Carbon Injection” system designed to reduce mercury emissions from the smokestacks.

I thought, “Less mercury? Woo hoo!” But then, I started getting e-mails from various environmental groups that were filled with cautions over the plan. I didn’t get it. But now, unfortunately, I do.

NRG’s plan is to use an “Activated Carbon Injection” system to trap mercury, which is great, and apparently cost effective. What isn’t great is that when the system is saturated, the mercury infused waste will be dumped in the fly ash pile already on the plant’s site. An ash pile that has no barrier between it and the ground, it isn’t covered, and it isn’t equipped to handle toxic waste. So basically the mercury can leech into the ground, or it can simply fly off the top of the uncovered ash pile.

“A new solid waste is going to be generated and where and how this waste is managed is really a significant issue for the public.” ~ John Austin, Citizens for Clean Power AUDIO

(As an aside, it seems that even though studies are showing that fly ash piles are indeed toxic, the EPA is just getting around to thinking about it, meanwhile the piles are not regulated by either the EPA or DNREC, but what the heck, substances like arsenic couldn’t be dangerous, right?)

41st District Representative Greg Hastings, the only legislator who bothered to show up for the hearing.

“From sitting here tonight, it just makes me more aware of the work I need to do.” ~ 41st District Representative Greg Hastings AUDIO

And while an NRG Energy Representative assured the crowd the plant wanted to be a “good neighbor,” years of the facility thwarting regulations has left some, shall we say, “skeptical.”

Three representatives from NRG Energy in Millsboro. I’m showing them sitting down from behind because I’m so nice.

“You did stand here and say you want to be a “good neighbor.” I’m going to look in your face and I’m going to say, “As a physician who deals with cancer patients you be a “good neighbor,” do not fight these people, do not fight us by saying you won’t put it in a lined fly ash pit.” Do you like to sleep at night? Do you?” ~ Dr. Kim Furtado to NRG Representatives at the hearing AUDIO

Michael Fiorentino from the Mid Atlantic Environmental Law Center attended the hearing to ask questions. I think he was hired by one or more of the citizens groups in the area. I spoke with Mr. Fiorentino after the hearing to get his take on the plan:

“Our primary concern here tonight was that in the effort to control one dangerous pollutant we don’t end up squeezing that pollution out in another form.” ~ Michael Fiorentino, Mid Atlantic Environmental Law Center AUDIO

There were a few speakers who surprised me. One was a man named Brooks Freeman from Lewes:

“I’ve only spent 6 months of my entire life away from this area. I’ve never smoked, and I’ve never drank. I am a cancer survivor.” ~ Brooks Freeman AUDIO

The other was a Thomas Sullivan, a Millsboro resident:

“Three years ago my doctor warned me not to eat one fish out of the Indian River.” ~ Thomas Sullivan AUDIO

Now, I’ve got to say that the best part of the evening was when I stood up and tried to ask some questions, and for the record, I was extraordinarily polite. AUDIO But unfortunately, Hearing Officer, Robert Haynes of DNREC told me “No, no, no” and said I could ask DNREC and NRG questions after the hearing was over. I guess they didn’t want me on the record.

Well, Mr. Haynes denying me the right to ask questions really ticked off a woman in the crowd that I never saw before, and who left before I could find out who she was. I want to thank her for standing up for me like that. I found Mr. Haynes response to her unsettling, to say the least. Apparently, I’m not a “member of the public.”

“She’s a member of the press, she’s not a member of the public.” ~ DNREC Hearing Official Robert Haynes, ruling that I’m not a member of the public, and therefore I have no right to ask questions in a DNREC public hearing. AUDIO OF MY RIGHTS BEING DENIED BY A BUREAUCRAT

Now, just to add a little salt to the wound, after the hearing, the three NRG Representatives went squirrelly. One disappeared immediately, and the other two refused to answer my questions. And yeah, I have audio of the NRG people blowing me off. AUDIO OF NRG EMPLOYEES REFUSING TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS

For the record, here are the horrifying questions I was going to ask DNREC and NRG Energy

1. What is the total amount of mercury in pounds or tons put out by the IRPP per year.

2. Are you (NRG) using the cleaner burning coal now? What kind of coal are you currently burning?

3. What percentage of NRG’s electricity is contracted to Delaware energy companies, how much goes to out of state contracts?

4. Is the 80% reduction based on total output or is it for each unit?

5. How often will emissions be tested, by whom, and is NRG responsible for telling DNREC they aren’t in compliance? Who tells DNREC if there is a violation?

6. Tell us about the erosion around the fly ash pit, is the seawall compromised? Why isn’t it lined or covered? Are fly ash pits regulated by the EPA or DNREC?

7. Will NRG be “mothballing” Units 1 & 2 on schedule?

8. What is the public comment time frame?

Yes, all scandalous and out of line. No wonder DNREC Hearing Officer, Robert Haynes shut me down. HERE’S A SCANNED COPY OF MY NOTEBOOK PAGES WITH THE SCARY QUESTIONS.

So, I have been officially ruled “not a member of the public” by DNREC. And here I was walking around like I had the right to ask questions about a state permit for a facility in my backyard and in the backyard of the people in WGMD’s listening area.

Shame on me.

Incidentally, the NRG Representatives told Mr. Haynes that they have to have the permit in three weeks which means no opportunity for the public to digest what went on Wednesday night, and then add their comments to the record for consideration.

You can contact DNREC Hearing Officer Robert Haynes at 302-739-9039 and his email address is Robert.Haynes@state.de.us.

SUBTITLE: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY 

The Indian River School Board meeting in Executive Session tonight.

  

So, let’s just get right to it, the Indian River School Board met tonight in Dagsboro, and, as they warned WGMD News earlier in the day via e-mail… 

Tonight’s special meeting of the Indian River Board of Education was scheduled for the purpose of addressing the state budget crisis and its impact on our district. These discussions will take place in executive session, as will any discussion related to the situation at Sussex Central High School. There will not be a public comment session at this meeting. However, the board will host two public comment sessions at its next regular monthly meeting on May 27. 

…they went right into executive session.

Now, under the cirumstances, (you know, with Dana Goodman, the Sussex Central High School principal sitting in prison for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student), you’d think they would have taken the time to at least speak to the small group of parents who showed up.  

Incidentally, the parents didn’t want to comment on Sussex Central principal Dana Goodman, either. In fact, the only thing the parents had to say was that they were there to, “support our school and our administration,” whatever that means. They could certainly learn a lesson from the parents in the Cape Henlopen School District who take the board to task on a regular basis.

It was pretty obvious from my short interview before the meeting with Board President Charles Bireley that no one wanted to discuss Principal Dana Goodman. AUDIO For the record, he denied that the Board ever received a formal complaint from anyone about Dana Goodman. No letters, no e-mails. Just “rumors.”

Dr. Don Hattier was more forthcoming when I spoke with him on his way in, saying that if the charges against Goodman are true, “he’s gotta go.” AUDIO Holy cow, what an understatement.

Superintendent Susan Bunting said she was advised not to discuss the situation other than it being a “personnel” issue.

Is this the same Indian River School Board that fought a religious lawsuit tooth and nail? I guess maintaining the label “Easter Break” on a vacation was worth the lawsuit, while commenting on a principal who may have been boinking a student just isn’t worth the hassle.

Or maybe the Indian River School Board just cares about things that they think are popular. Apparently religion in schools is popular and protecting students from a possible sexual predator is not.

We’ll see, since they’re supposed to release a statement today.

And while I’m at it, I want to point out this comment from our blog:

It’s about time someone questioned the behaviour of the ‘victim’. 

Yeah, a 17 year old girl. I guess this commenter doesn’t think that adult male human beings have the ability to restrain themselves.

We send our kids to school for like 7 hours a day, and we have to be able to trust the teachers and administrators who come in contact with them. I don’t care if the girl left school at the end of the day to turn tricks, when she walks into Sussex Central High School, she should be out of bounds for any adult.  

Good grief. Did I actually have to take the time out of my day to explain that to some of you? 

As Uncle Ben said in Spiderman “Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility.” We give a “great responsibility” to the schools we send our kids to, and when they fail us this miserably doors shouldn’t be closed to the public.

Not that you would know it from any of the other news coverage out there, but Noe Gonzalo Mendez-Perez, the deceased driver of the Chevy Surburban that was involved in a horrific crash Saturday night at the intersection of Route 9 and Route 30 in Georgetown, was here illegally. Also, Apoliar Gutierrez Santico, the man who fled the scene, was here illegally. From WGMD News:

State police have charged a Laurel man with leaving the scene of the five-vehicle accident near Georgetown that killed four people. Police say 38-year-old Apoliar Gutierrez-Santico surrendered to police Monday morning. Other charges against him include driving without a license and failure to have proof of insurance. Police say he was driving a car that was struck during the chain reaction crash. The crash happened Saturday night at the intersection of Routes 9 and 30. Three of those killed were inside an SUV that rear-ended a car, sending it into the car driven by Gutierrez-Santico. His car also struck another vehicle. The driver of the first car, 29-year-old Rolanda Ayers of Lewes, also died. The operator of the SUV has been identified as 30 year-old Noe Gonzalo Mendez-Perez of Georgetown. Both Gutierrez-Santico and Mendez-Perez were in the country illegally. LINK 

The two passengers of Mendez-Perez’s SUV have not been identified yet. They were burned beyond recognition. Everyone else involved in the crash was a citizen of the United States, including Rolanda Ayers of Lewes who was also killed.

According to Cpl. Wes Barnett of the Delaware State Police, the cause of the crash is still being investigated.

From all accounts to date, it appears that Mendez-Perez failed to stop at the intersection, hit the cars in front of him, and triggered the crash. Why? We don’t know. But this is where we need to really stop and understand why it’s so important that people who are in the United States are here legally.

What if Mendez-Perez simply had poor eyesight, something that would have been caught at the DMV, something that could have been corrected with glasses? What if he had a history of traffic problems, like maybe a string of DUIs? Maybe Mendez-Perez was someone who wouldn’t have qualified for a driver’s license in Delaware even if he was a citizen.

The situation is unacceptable.We need to have a population of people living under the same laws. We also need a population that goes through the same processes to get certain privileges, like a driver’s license. It’s that simple.

I went to the Delaware Republican Party’s Convention this weekend at the Baycenter in Dewey Beach and it was quite a treat. I think the best way to give you the feeling of the Convention is with pictures and audio, and maybe a story or two…(if you see someone’s name highlighted, click on it and you’ll get their audio)….

Priscilla Rakestraw (left) and Michele Rollins.I had to put this picture on the top of the page, because it’s my favorite picture from the entire event. It’s Priscilla Rakestraw, the State’s Republican National Committeewoman, and Michele Rollins, who I would love to see run for office someday soon. (I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t see Michele Rollins turning the State’s serious pollution problems into a joke by wading out into the bay and staring at her Keds, and she’d kick butt on healthcare.)


From left to right this is Clerk of the Peace George Parish and his wife Bunny, Charlotte Hastings and her husband, 41st District Representative Greg Hastings.

Friday night I sat with a table of fine Sussex Countians, right in between Judson Bennett and Representative Ben Ewing. The picture above was the good looking side of the table. I kind of noticed that there were a lot of people wearing “Tim Smith” stickers where I was sitting. Tim Smith won the vote in Sussex County over Christine O’Donnell 44-35, but it was the Northern part of the State that gave her the endorsement to run for the Senate against Joe Biden. Pretty interesting considering O’Donnell got the majority of her write-in votes in 2006 from Sussex. O’Donnell needed 60% of the vote and she got 60.7%. Smith said he would stick to his promise to not primary O’Donnell.


41st District Representative Greg Hastings and US Senate Candidate Christine O’Donnell.

The “Draft Bill Lee” movement was successful, with Judge William Lee receiving over 80% of the vote to win the endorsement from the Delaware State Republican Party to run for Governor over Mike Protack. Judge Lee was in Orlando on vacation with members of his family, and was expected to happily accept the honor.


“Brud” Lee, speaking to the Convention after his father was endorsed by the Party to run for Governor.   

“I’m sure he’ll be as honored as I feel, personally, that his ideals and his name is thought of in such high regard by republicans.” ~ Brud Lee, son of Judge Bill Lee 

 

State Senator Charlie Copeland accepting the Party’s endorsement for Lt. Governor.

Delaware Republican State Chairman, Terry Strine, stepped down as party head after losing his National Committeeman seat the previous night to Laird Stabler by a 40-35 vote. Tom Ross, a New Castle County Republican, will be taking Strine’s place in the top spot.


The new Delaware Republican Party Chairman, Tom Ross

I asked the new Party Chair if he was the fighter the Delaware Republican Party needed right now:   

“I have no problem fighting. Anyone that knows me would be glad to let you know that I’m not afraid to mix it up. But we’re going to run a very aggressive, vigorous campaign because quite frankly, in a nutshell, we’re right on the issues and the other side has broken this state.” ~ New Delaware State GOP Chair, Tom Ross 

 

4th Senatorial District Candidate Michael Fleming

And how could I not mention Michael Fleming, (aka “Michael Flemming”), who’s running for Charlie Copeland’s seat in the 4th Senatorial District? I went to college with Michael, and thankfully, people thought he was older than me. That’s really why I’m mentioning him, and he knows it.

“‘Cause I love Sussex Countians.” ~ Clerk of the Peace George Parish 

That was the quote that made the entire Convention totally worth it. 

In a surprising turn of events at the Baycenter in Dewey Beach, Delaware Republican Party Chairman, Terry Strine, lost his National Committeeman seat to W. Laird Stabler, III, by a 40-35 vote.  Stabler, who’s father, Laird Stabler, Jr. served as National Committeeman for many years, felt the night was particularly meaningful since it would have been his father’s 78th birthday.

Priscilla Rakestraw retained her seat as the Delaware Republican Party’s National Committeewoman.    

Today it took me 18 minutes and 7 light cycles to get onto Route 1 in Lewes, I was about 20 cars back to start. On Tuesday my large, plain pizza from Pizza Villa was cold when I got home because you couldn’t turn left onto Route 1 from the Midway Shopping Center. My friend almost ran out of gas stuck in traffic and trying to find a gas station they could actually turn in to.

Why?

Because the Department of Transportation has Route 1 totally screwed up from the Nassau Bridge through Rehoboth Beach. One lane, each way. Two or three or four State Police cars in every intersection. No way to turn left into shopping centers. Blocked lanes, split lanes, lanes with no lines. What’s the deal?

This is a debacle. DELDOT’s inability to manage and control the Route 1 construction project is just another example of how poorly they operate. Do I need to even mention the Indian River Inlet Bridge?

Today is the kick off of the Delaware Republican Party’s Convention at the Bay Center in Dewey Beach. I can only imagine the smiles on GOPers faces as they drive through yet another dysfunctional state project. What a shame it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to take advantage of how badly the state’s been run for so many years.

Gas is too expensive to waste idling on Route 1 all day trying to turn left. But the worst part is this construction nightmare is supposed to end on May 22, just in time for the tourist season to kick in. No traffic rest for the Eastern Sussex County weary. 

Thanks Carolyn Wicks, head of DELDOT, I look forward to the day when you’re out, I wish it was today. You, and your little governor, too.

Senator Harris McDowell’s wind farm hearings may have cost the tax payers a bundle in DC lawyers and expert witnesses, but today, those few days of hearings resulted in a report, a long report. And long must mean it’s good. You can read it HERE.

That report was immediately refuted by a Minority Report put out by members of the same committee. You can see where other Senators are in disagreement with that report HERE.

But the report that everyone seems to ignore, is the Public Service Commission’s final staff report that is based on over a year of hearings, negotiations, studies, and the work of several independent consultants. That report, for those of you who can handle it, is HERE.

Meanwhile, Pat Gearity from Citizens for Clean Power is asking the Senate Energy and Transit Committee for the MOTHER LOAD of information about what they’re doing and the money they’re spending.

More to come…

From the AP:

The Senate energy committee has approved a draft report critical of a proposed wind farm off the Delaware coast. The panel voted 4-2 in favor after dropping a recommendation that the Senate vote to instruct the legislature’s controller general to vote against the wind farm, which would kill the idea. 

The panel instead recommended that the Senate instruct the controller general to give serious weight to its report.

Stanton Democrat Karen Peterson, who voted against the report, said the hearings on which it is based were biased.  Three of four state agencies delayed a vote after controller general Russell Larson said there was no consensus in the General Assembly.

I spoke with Representative John Kowalko (D-Newark) and he was to the point:

“I consider the report bogus.” ~ Representative John Kowalko

I’m sure there will be more to come…