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…

From Jim Lanard, Director of Strategic Planning and Communications for Bluewater Wind:

Bluewater Wind’s offshore wind park is an investment in Delaware’s future by improving Delaware’s environment, providing much needed electric generation reliability and creating hundreds of “green collar” jobs for Delawareans.  While it may be that the out-of-state wind bids Delmarva Power has solicited cost less, they will not provide these same benefits for Delaware.  Replacing Bluewater Wind’s instate wind park with wind generated in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, western Pennsylvania and Maryland will not create jobs for Delaware, will not enhance reliability and will not have the same environmental benefits for Delaware.

For months now, Delmarva Power has promised to reveal out-of-state wind bids by the end of March, but they now say the new release date won’t be before June 1st.  Delmarva has used the ever-lengthening release date as an effective way to prevent a decision from being made. Bluewater Wind offers the following facts to put Delmarva Power’s apples to oranges comparison into proper perspective.

Delmarva Power’s out-of-state wind energy plan will result in: 

• Lost Jobs.  Bluewater Wind’s instate wind park will generate 400 – 500 construction jobs and 80 – 100 operations and maintenance jobs for the life of the 25 year contract.  Delmarva Power’s plan will not generate any jobs for Delaware.

• Lost Economic Hub.  Bluewater Wind will establish Delaware as the economic hub to support the construction of offshore wind parks in the region, if Delaware becomes the first state to approve an offshore wind park.  This economic hub will position Delaware as a national leader in the new clean energy economy attracting other “green collar” jobs — purchasing wind energy from out-of-state will not.
• Lost Teaching and Training Facility.  Bluewater Wind has committed to supporting a teaching and training program in Delaware, to be launched with a $150,000 grant, so that Delaware can be the training center for workers learning how to build, operate and maintain wind parks.
• Lost Environmental Benefits.  Bluewater Wind’s offshore wind park will reduce polluting fossil fuel emissions in the Delmarva Peninsula; out-of-state wind won’t.  The National Renewable Energy Labs reports that, “according to the chief operating officer of the PJM  Regional Transmission Organization, wind energy displaced coal-fired generation about 70% of the time in this power market in 2006.”  In addition, offshore turbine foundations become artificial reefs and will benefit coastal aquatic life.
• Lost reliability.  According to experts hired by the State, the offshore wind park, coupled with the proposed backup facility, will enhance electric reliability in Delaware.  This will help avoid future “brownouts” of the type Delaware endured a few summers ago. Purchasing out-of-state wind energy will not enhance reliability.
• Hidden costs.  Delmarva Power’s out-of-state wind bid allows bidders to enter the PJM grid at any point on the system, which will likely expose ratepayers to transmission risks and higher costs than advertised due to inefficiency.  In addition, the contract Bluewater Wind negotiated with Delmarva Power guarantees liquidated damages and termination fees if Bluewater Wind does not perform its contractual obligations; the RFP for the out-of-state wind bidders does not require these protections.

If you have a cell phone, or any phone, you may have noticed that lately you’ve been getting an enormous number of phone calls from a company warning you that “this is the last call you’ll” get regarding your auto warranty which is about to expire.

If only. If only that were the “last call” on the topic of my auto warranty it would be a great day in Sunnydale! But NOOOOO! You may receive that “last call” warning two to three times a day, every day as I did. Well, finally someone has decided to act aggressively to prevent this type of illegal telemarketing.

This information was retrieved from www.verizon.com, I’ll highlight the key parts since it is rather long:

03/26/2008

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless said today it has filed a lawsuit to stop unknown telemarketers from calling its customers and employees with an offer of an extended car warranty. The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey Superior Court, alleges the telemarketers illegally used an autodialer to reach Verizon Wireless customers and used “spoofing” techniques to mask the origin of the calls.

The lawsuit alleges that Caller ID showed calls were made from a variety of numbers with 281, 614, 801, and 562 area codes. But, when Verizon Wireless customers and employees attempted to call the numbers found on Caller ID, they generally heard a fast busy signal, indicating a non-working number.

“Telemarketers are using increasingly sophisticated methods, such as illegal autodialing, to harass our customers,” said Steven E. Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel of Verizon Wireless. “Whatever the method, these unlawful telemarketing calls are an annoyance to our customers and invade their privacy, and we will continue to use every weapon in our legal arsenal to stop this activity and protect our customers.”

In the lawsuit, Verizon Wireless says that, beginning in January 2008, more than 2 million of its customers and employees received calls on their wireless telephones with a pre-recorded voice message indicating that the recipient’s car warranty was about to expire, and encouraging them to press “1” for more information. When a recipient presses “1”, he or she is connected to a person who asks for the make and model of the car. However, if the recipient asks for information about the company offering the policy, the representative simply hangs up and ends the call.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which makes it illegal to use an autodialer to make calls to wireless phones, as well as state fraud and privacy laws. By filing the lawsuit, Verizon Wireless will be able to use the discovery process to help identify the currently unknown telemarketers, and to get them to halt their practices.

Verizon Wireless’ record of protecting customer privacy puts the company at the forefront of the U.S. wireless industry. Over the past several years, Verizon Wireless has won permanent injunctions against individuals and companies that have engaged in illegal telemarketing and text message spamming to Verizon Wireless customers, and against those who have attempted to obtain information about Verizon Wireless customers to sell to third parties.

Finally, someone else has raised a fuss about these annoying calls! Hopefully with the power of Verizon behind it, this suit will put an end to the problem… until they figure out a legal loophole and start back up again.

LOTS of WGMD listeners have their own websites and Dan Gaffney gave everyone an hour to promote their hard work.  Many people have asked for the links - so here’s most of the links that were called in.

• Judson Bennett for County Council - http://www.judsonbennett.com/
• Long Neck Family Practice - http://www.longneckfp.com/
•  Extreme Brewing - http://extremebrewing.com/
• Coldwell Banker/Katy Werner - http://www.cbmove.com/katy.werner
• Katy Decorates - http://www.katydecorates.com/
• Cyber Game Lan - http://www.cybergamelan.com/
• Vintage Delaware Tags - http://www.vintagedelawaretags.com/
• LowTags.com - http://www.lowtags.com/
• Bethany Beach Vol Fire Co. - http://www.bethanybeachfire.com/
• Gumboro Mudbog - http://www.gumboromudbog.com/
• Sussex County Government - http://www.sussexcountyde.gov/
• Delmarva Insulation - http://www.delmarvainsulation.com/
• Your Pet Food Store - http://www.yourpetfoodstore.com/
• Margarita Man - http://www.margaritamande.com/
• Ghost Hunting at Five Locks Canal - http://www.freewebs.com/5locks/
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Sport Stacking - http://www.midatlanticstacking.com/
• Man-Maid Cleaning - http://www.manmaidcleaning.com/ 
• Keenote Music Studio -
  http://www.makingmusik.com/servlet/KM_DisplayMain?s=3083
• Frank Prekup’s Purple Martin Houses - http://www.atlanticbreezes.com/pprekup.htm
• Johnson’s Country Market - http://www.johnsonscountrymarket.com/
• CopyRight Inc - http://www.copyrightinc.net/
• Community of Independence - http://www.independencede.com/home/
• Delaware State Housing - http://www.destatehousing.com/
• Guardian Property Management - http://www.guardian.us.com/guardian/page.html
• My Kids Support.com - http://www.mykidssupport.com/
• Sussex County Bible Church - http://www.sussexbible.com/
• Smith’s Used Cars - http://www.shopsmiths.com/
• Bella’s Cookies - http://www.bellascookies.com/
• Food 2 Go - http://www.food2gode.com/
• Isorobic - http://www.isorobic.com/
• Millman’s Appliance - http://www.millmansappliances.com/
• Indie Rocks Blog - http://www.indierocks.org/

…and please, help me make money off of carbon credits, amen.

John Coleman thinks The Weather Channel stinks, and he should know, he started it in 1982:

“The Weather Channel had great promise, and that’s all gone now because they’ve made every mistake in the book on what they’ve done and how they’ve done it and it’s very sad,” Coleman said. “It’s now for sale and there’s a new owner of The Weather Channel will be announced – several billion dollars having changed hands in the near future. Let’s hope the new owners can recapture the vision and stop reporting the traffic, telling us what to think and start giving us useful weather information.”

I used to watch The Weather Channel all of the time to check out storm systems in the Atlantic that could turn into tropical storms or hurricanes, but now that coverage has been relegated to the last 10 minutes of the hour and I have to suffer through “When Weather Changed History,” or some kind of global warming indoctrination show before I can see a current weather map.

Unless, of course, a system has the potential to turn into a major storm and then it’s expanded, fear mongering coverage, and finally, if The Weather Channel is lucky, you ‘ll get to see Jim Cantore in a yellow rain coat leaning into the wind with stuff blowing at him.

Coleman goes on to talk about suing Al Gore and (thankfully), he talks about carbon credits:

“[I] have a feeling this is the opening,” Coleman said. “If the lawyers will take the case – sue the people who sell carbon credits. That includes Al Gore.”

Let me be clear here, selling carbon credits is a joke. Think about it, if you’re a huge polluting company, or if you like to skip around to international movie award shows in your private jet, you have an out. You can simply buy carbon credits from a company that operates the way it should anyway and thou shalt be absolved.

I feel really bad about flying around in my private jet all week looking for third world babies to adopt, this cross is burning up energy like mad, and did I really need this crown of thorns? I’ll buy some carbon credits and then I’ll feel better about myself.

If people like Al Gore REALLY cared about the global warming, and if C02 is REALLY destroying the earth, then isn’t the REAL SOLUTION requiring ALL OF THE POLLUTERS to pollute less? Or can’t people like Gore (*cough* Senator Harris McDowell *cough*) figure out how to turn that into a money making scheme?

The attending three out of six members of the Delaware Senate’s Energy and Transit Committee.

The ground rules were you had to be polite, you had five minutes, and you had to tell the committee what electric company you used at Thursday night’s Energy and Transit Committee hearing about the wind farm project that would sit 11.5 miles off of Rehoboth Beach’s shore. The Senate Chamber was standing room only, and three out of six of the committee members were in attendance. Some of the members of the General Assembly who showed up to listen to the proceedings were Representatives Gerald Hocker and John Kowalko, and Senator George Bunting.

Delmarva Power & Light President Gary Stockbridge was on hand for the Senate hearings and was glad that the public was getting a chance to comment. He’s also gotta be a little mad that a state government passed a law in 2006 telling his company who to buy power from, but state governments pass laws regulating business a lot.

(If you click on someone’s name, you’ll get their statement to the committee, or in the case of candidates or energy company representatives, the statement given to me outside of the hearings).

Governor Russ Peterson

This was the only night of hearings where the public could speak, and former Governor Russ Peterson was the first at the podium. He voiced his support for the project.

“Little states aren’t limited to doing little jobs, little states can do big jobs, too. That’s what our forefathers did when they made little Delaware the First State.” - former Governor Russ Peterson

Chad Tolman from the Sierra Club, Alan Muller from Green Delaware, bloggers Tom Noyes from Tommywonk and Nancy Willing from The Delaware Way, Lt. Governor John Carney, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Protack, Dave Walsh from the Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council which represents 22 trade unions, and Pat Gearity, a local lawyer, were among the many people who turned out to support the offshore wind farm project.

Lt. Governor John Carney was there to show support for the project. Earlier this month Carney helped negotiate a deal where Bluewater Wind would establish a hub in Delaware that would result in jobs for the state.

Among those voicing opposition to the project were Ed Ratledge from the University of Delaware, Bernadette Winston, a Wilmington Community Center Director, a representative from the Local 1238, which includes DP & L union workers, Charles Boncelet from the University of Delaware, and private citizen Tim Bond, who cited the “lack of fairness” in a process that, among other things, wouldn’t reopen bidding so Conectiv could bid a wind farm project, too.

Charles Boncelet from the University of Delaware was there to speak out against the project.

An out of state speaker, Barbara Hill, made a compelling statement in favor of offshore wind power. The organization that she represents, Clean Power Now, is the group fighting Senator Ted Kennedy in an attempt to make Cape Cod the site of the nation’s first offshore wind farm. Hill said that she would love the competition from Delaware to see who would be first in offshore wind.

One of the interesting things I learned during the hearings was that a nuclear power plant in the north east had to shut down during the drought this past summer because they didn’t have coolant water. I never knew that could happen. And probably my favorite moment was when Sussex Countian Hal Alpiar explained to the Committee how he had to regularly wipe the soot from around his home that sits “two miles as the crow flies,” from the Indian River Power Plant, a story I’ve heard a million times from county residents.

Some of the rhetorical questions brought up by speakers to the Committee were why the Senate needed to hold hearings when the PSC held extensive hearings over the same topic just last year, why there wasn’t more competition in the process, and why the Senate would stop a process that it mandated less than two years ago.

This body passed a law, this body implemented a law, and I call on this body to follow the law.” -Pat Gearity

After the hearing, I spoke with Jim Lanard from Bluewater Wind and he was very upbeat about the future of the wind farm project and was “moved” by all of the public support.

The next hearing will be Wednesday, February 13th at Legislative Hall, and speakers will include the Public Service Commission and the Public Advocate. If you’d like to tell the Energy and Transit Committee what you think, you can click HERE for a list of the members and how to reach them.

Hang on to your hats, but Delmarva Power and Light is going to pass the costs of fighting the proposed wind farm onto it’s rate payers:

Delaware’s stalled effort to find home-grown sources of electricity will cost Delmarva Power ratepayers about $4.6 million.

Delmarva insists its $3.7 million share was money well-spent. Others contend it was spent in a way to discredit offshore wind power.

Delmarva spent the money on consultants and legal fees to address a legislative mandate to seek new in-state power sources, Delmarva spokesman Bill Yingling said. He offered no breakdown, and noted that the total is a preliminary estimate.

The costs do not include time spent by Delmarva staff on the issue or the costs of polling the public, Yingling said.

So they’ve hit their customers with a 59% increase, they’re fighting a clean source of energy for the state that would bring in a significant number of new jobs, and now they’re pouring salt on the wound by forcing their customers to pay for their attempt to kill a project that their customers, according to their own study, overwhelmingly support:

After exposure to a brief conceptual description of wind power, which communicated an increased cost (not specified) and long term commitment (also not specified), favorability experienced a statistically significant decrease (87% pre-concept versus 79% post-concept); however, remained high being somewhat or very favorable among three-fourths of customers. Read the survey they commissioned HERE.

Seventy-nine percent of their customers support the wind farm even after they explain it. Yeah, they’re really fighting for their customers.

(Thanks to Tommywonk, as usual, for bringing this to my attention and giving me a wicked case of heart burn).

It’s being reported on WGMD News and other Delaware news outlets…Republican Alan Levin will not run for Governor….

UPDATE:

Statement of Alan Levin
2008 Delaware Gubernatorial Race

As many of you know, I have spent the last couple of months traveling the state meeting with Delawareans. It has been a rewarding experience, however, after considerable thought and discussion with my family, friends and colleagues I have decided not to run for governor of the State of Delaware in 2008.

I am grateful for the support of many Delawareans during my time of reflection and exploration. This has been a difficult decision for me and one that I did not take lightly. I realize that many people will be disappointed to learn that I will not be announcing my candidacy; however, I hope they understand this is the best decision for me and my family.

In the coming months, Ellen and I plan to remain active in philanthropic organizations throughout this State that we care deeply about.

Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank the Delawareans who graciously invited me into their homes and businesses to discuss ideas for our future.

We’ll keep you up to date as this story unfolds….

Steve Forbes (left) meets most likely Delaware Republican candidate for Governor Alan Levin.

Of course Alan Levin was on hand for the annual Lincoln Day Dinner held by the Delaware Republican Party. When you’re running for Governor…well…um…when you’re probably running for Governor as a Republican, it’s a good place to be seen. And Levin was looking forward to a “great night.” AUDIO

Back in September, I interviewed Levin on the air and one of the questions he was asked was about energy. Levin indicated that he supported the proposed wind farm off the coast of Rehoboth Beach. In light of the new and bizarre developments with the General Assembly and the wind farm, I asked Levin if he was still a supporter of the project.

I think we need it (the wind farm) more than ever right now…In fact, I’d even like to do it with the State of Maryland on a regionalization basis and even increase the size of it out there because I think we and Maryland can do this together and really share in a lot of the benefits. AUDIO

Then I asked Levin straight out if he was running.

We’ll see, you know we’re working through some things and we’re having a great time. I’ve been going up and down the state and we’re working through it. AUDIO

But…most of the people at the event spoke about Levin like he was already declared. While talking to me about the condition of the Delaware Republican Party, it’s former Chairman, Basil Battaglia, had this to say:

We have a great candidate in Alan Levin, he’s an excellent person. AUDIO

Come on, Alan, you know you want to tell us….

Steve Forbes won the Delaware Republican Primary in 1996. .

“You know the old joke, when Bill Gates goes into a bar, the average net worth of a patron goes up 2 billion dollars,” quipped Steve Forbes in a speech he delivered to the Delaware Republican Party Saturday night at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner. And while other sites may have flashy video of his speech, all I have is AUDIO of it, and my own interview with Steve Forbes. (And yeah, I ask him if Rudy is broke).

Forbes spoke about his relationship to Rudy Guiliani’s presidential campaign, “I’m one of the co-chairs of his campaign and senior policy advisor and saw first hand what he did in New York City and was very impressed with the major things he did there.” AUDIO

I asked Forbes if Giuliani supported his idea of a flat tax for Americans and he told me a little about where Giuliani stands on taxation. “He’s a backer of radical simplification of the tax codes,” according to Forbes and he went on to say that Giuliani is “proposing the biggest tax cut in American history.” AUDIO

We talked about the race between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Forbes said the race would be a “fierce one,” but predicted that Obama would win South Carolina. AUDIO

And finally, is the Guiliani presidential campaign in financial trouble? Well, not according to Forbes, “No, they’re focusing resources on Florida…They have over $7 million on hand.” AUDIO