September 2007
Monthly Archive
Monthly Archive
Posted by robert.w.burke on 19 Sep 2007 | Tagged as: General
Wayne, New Jersey. 9/17/07
Wayne Auto Spa announced today that its application for a rebate to install a wind turbine has been approved by the State of New Jersey.
Specifically, the environmentally friendly car wash/quick lube said that the State has agreed to fund 60% of its latest green endeavor.
Rob Burke, co-owner of Wayne Auto Spa, noted that the wind turbine would not be viable without the State of New Jersey rebate. “In fact,” he noted, “even with the State of New Jersey rebate, it is difficult to justify our wind turbine project from a financial point of view.”
“This project isn’t about economics. Its about changing our priorities so that the preservation of our habitat becomes chief among them,” he said.
The State rebate will expire if the wind turbine is not fully installed by June 6, 2008. Installation work cannot commence without permission from Wayne Township.
“We hope that the Wayne Township Board of Adjustment collaborates with us with a view to bringing our application to a successful conclusion quickly, so that we can meet the State mandated installation deadline,” he said.
If the Township chooses to, it could easily delay the decision on the wind turbine variance application to ensure that the State funding is lost, thereby ensuring that the turbine is never installed.
William Brennan, candidate for Wayne’s Town Council in Ward Six, commented, “The current [Wayne Township] administration is on course to lose this wind turbine. It’s time to change course.”
Frank DeWitt, co-owner of Alternative Energy Associates in Augusta, New Jersey, noted that “our choices are not simply whether or not to allow a wind turbine to meet our energy needs.” He continued, “without wind turbines and other renewable energy sources, the steady increase in our energy consumption will require us to augment our infrastructure with more high tension wires fed by additional nuclear, coal or natural gas power plants.”
Previously, Wayne Township officials have discouraged the green car wash/quick lube from pursuing a wind turbine. Burke said that he has already collected several hundred signatures from area residents in support of the project.
Rob Kaplan, co-owner of Wayne Auto Spa concluded that “regardless of the outcome of our variance application, we hope that we are elevating awareness of these important issues.”