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J ATTORNEYS AT LAW\ PLLC 1600 LAIDLEYTOWER EO.BOX 553 CHARLESTON,WESTVIRGINIA 25322 *TELEPHONE 304-340-1000 *TELECOPIER: 304-340-1 I30 wJacksonkelkcorn DIRECT TELEPHONE: (304) 340-1214 DIRECT TELECOPIER (304) 340-1080 E-Mail: snchambersldiacksonkellv.com State Bar No. 694 May 26,2009 Via Hand Delivery Ms. Sandra Squire Executive Secretary Public Service Commission of West Virginia 201 Brooks Street Charleston, West Virginia 25301 Re: CASE NO. 09-0360-E-CS Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Application for a Siting Certificate to Authorize the Construction and Operation of an Electric Wholesale Generating Facility and Related Transmission Support Line of Less than 200 kV and Associated Interconnection Facilities in Mineral County, West Virginia. Dear Ms. Squire: Enclosed for filing on behalf of Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC in the above-styled case are an original and twelve copies of Direct Testimony of the following: 1. James D. Barnes 2. Randall A. Childs 3. Terrence J. DeWan 4. David Friend 5. Paul Kerlinger 6. Kathryn M. Kuranda 7. William E. Llewellyn 8. Jeffrey H. Maymon 9. Mike Sponsler 10. Karen Tyrell, Ph.D. {C1547103.1} Clarksburg, WV Martinsburg, WV Morgantown, WV Wheeling, WV Denver, CO Lexington, KY Pittsburgh, PA Washington, D.C. Ms. Sandra Squire May 26,2009 Page 2 Please advise if you have any questions. Sincerely, SNC/dmb Enclosures cc: John R. Auville, Esq. (w/enc.) Bradley W. Stephens, Esq. (wlenc.) Vincent Trivelli, Esq. (w/enc.) James M. Cookman (w/enc.) David K. Friend (w/enc.) Jennie Henthorn (w/enc.) {C 1453 103.1} PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WEST VIRGINIA CHARLESTON Case No. 09-0360-E-CS Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Application for a Siting Certificate to Authorize the Construction and Operation of an Electric Wholesale Generating Facility and Related Transmission Support Line of Less than 200 kV and Associated Interconnection Facilities in Mineral County, West Virginia DIRECT TESTIMONY OF JAMES D. BARNES May 26,2009 Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Case No. 09-0360-E-CS Direct Testimony of James D. Barnes Page 1 of 16 1 Q. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND BUSINESS ADDRESS. 2 A. James D. Barnes. My business address is 33 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. 3 4 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 5 Q. BY WHOM ARE YOU EMPLOYED AND IN WHAT CAPACITY? 6 A. I am a Supervisory Consultant of Acentech Incorporated ((‘Acentech”). In this role, I 7 typically serve as principal investigator and/or manager on projects that address 8 community sound associated with industrial, energy, institutional, and transportation 9 facilities. My firm has been retained by Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC (“Pinnacle Wind 10 Force”) to perform and prepare an acoustical study of the proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm 11 at New Page ((‘Project”). 12 Q. PLEASE DESCRIBE ACENTECH AND ITS WORK IN RELATION TO NOISE 13 ISSUES AND STUDIES. 14 A. Acentech is a multi-disciplinary consulting firm with offices located in Massachusetts, 15 Pennsylvania, and California. The staff of more than 50 professionals is comprised of 16 acoustical consultants, audiovisual consultants, noise and vibration consultants, and IT 17 consultants. For environmental sound studies, Acentech consultants apply experience, 18 technical expertise, current computer modeling techniques, and measurement procedures 19 to assess conditions and to develop design recommendations. 20 Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Case No. 09-0360-E-CS Direct Testimony of James D. Barnes Page 2 of 16 1 EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION 2 Q. PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATIONAL 3 BACKGROUND. 4 A. My educational and professional qualifications that relate to providing this testimony are 5 set forth on Exhibit JDB-1. I have over 35 years of experience relating to the study of 6 sound, which has encompassed interior and community noise studies for existing sources, 7 prediction of construction and operation noise levels, and ambient sound studies for 8 proposed industrial sites and transportation corridors. During this time, I have worked 9 with design team engineers, architects and planners, attorneys, equipment suppliers, 10 owners, community representatives, private citizens, and state and local government 11 personnel. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of Engineering degree 12 from Cornel1 University, am a registered Professional Engineer in multiple states, and 13 currently co-teach the Fundamentals Exam Preparation Course for the Institute of Noise 14 Control Engineering. 15 Q. HAVE YOU PREVIOUSLY TESTIFIED BEFORE THE PUBLIC SERVICE 16 COMMISSION OF WEST VIRGINIA? 17 A. Yes. I have testified before the Commission in the hearings on the Beech Ridge Energy 18 project in 2006 and the Liberty Gap Wind Force project in 2007. In addition, I have 19 presented testimony in hearings before the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board, 20 the New Hampshire Energy Facility Site Evaluation Committee, and at local town and 21 planning board meetings. 22 Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Case No. 09-0360-E-CS Direct Testimony of James D. Barnes Page 3 of 16 PURPOSE OF TESTIMONY Q. PLEASE DESCRIBE THE PURPOSE OF YOUR TESTIMONY. A. The purpose of my testimony is to sponsor the study prepared under my direction by Acentech entitled “Acoustical Study of Proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm, Mineral County, W’(“Acoustical Report”), a copy of which has been submitted to the Commission as Appendix U to the Siting Certificate Application. THE PINNACLE ACOUSTICAL REPORT 9 Q. PLEASE PROVIDE A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ACOUSTICAL REPORT. 10 A. In its Siting Rules, the Commission has adopted requirements for the study of sound to 11 aid its review of proposed electric generating facilities, including wind farm projects. 12 The Acoustical Report responded to the Siting Rules by developing information about the 13 existing land uses, noise-sensitive receptors, and ambient sound levels in the community; 14 and developing sound level estimates for the construction and operation phases of the 15 Project. Acentech reviewed the facility and site drawings, and equipment information; 16 toured the Project area; conducted sound measurements and observations of the existing 17 ambient conditions at representative community locations; and estimated construction 18 and operation sound levels for the facility. The Acoustical Report summarizes our 19 analysis and presents the pertinent results of the acoustical study. I performed or directly 20 supervised all work tasks in this study. Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Case No. 09-0360-E-CS Direct Testimony of James D. Barnes Page 4 of 16 Q. PLEASE DESCRIBE HOW NOISE IS MEASURED BY DECIBELS AND PROVIDE SOME TYPICAL SOUND LEVEL COMPARISONS. A. The magnitude, or loudness, of sound waves (pressure oscillations) is described quantitatively by the terms sound pressure level, sound level, or simply noise level. The 5 magnitude of a sound is measured in decibels, abbreviated dB. Decibels are used to 6 quantify sound pressure levels just as degrees are used to quanti@ temperature and inches 7 are used to quantify distance. Since the decibel is a logarithmic rather than linear 8 quantity, adding two sound levels of 50 dB each results in a total sound level of 53 dB 9 rather than 100 dB. The faintest sound level that can be heard by a young healthy ear is 10 about 0 dB, a moderate sound level is about 50 dB, and a loud sound level is about 100 11 dB. 12 At any location, a complete physical description of the ambient acoustic .13 environment might include its sound pressure level at various frequencies, as a function 14 of time. As a first step toward simplifylng this multi-dimensional description, it has 15 become common practice to eliminate the frequency variable by measuring the A- 16 weighted sound level (dBA) as observed on a standard sound level meter. The A- 17 weighting filter emphasizes the mid-frequency components and de-emphasizes the low 18 and high frequency components of sounds to approximate the frequency response of the 19 human ear. A-weighted sound levels correlate well with our perception of most sounds. 20 Examples of common sound levels include: 21 0 truck passby at 100 feet - 80 dBA; 22 0 lawn mower at 100 feet - 65 dBA; Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC Case No. 09-0360-E-CS Direct Testimony of James D. Barnes Page 5 of 16 ~~ ~~ 1 0 average speech - 60 dBA; 2 0 private and open offices - 40 to 50 dBA; and 3 0 calm, quiet suburban nighttime and daytime periods - 35 to 45 dBA. 4 Q. THE ACOUSTICAL STUDY REFERENCES “LEQ” AND “LDN” SOUND LEVELS. 5 PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT THE LEQ AND LDN SOUND LEVELS REPRESENT. 6 A. The equivalent sound level (Leq) is the level of steady-state sound that has the same 7 (equivalent) energy as the time-varying sound of interest, taken over a specified time 8 period. Thus, the equivalent sound level is a single-valued level that expresses the time- 9 averaged total energy of the entire ambient sound energy. It includes both the high-level 10 single event sounds (e.g., bird chirps, dog barks, or local car passbys) and the relatively 11 steady background sounds (distant traffic or steady wind in the trees). The day-night 12 sound level (Ldn or DNL) is simply the average equivalent sound for 24 hours after 10 13 dBA has been added to the nighttime sound levels from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Adding 10 14 dBA to the nighttime sound levels accounts for people’s expectations that the nighttime 15 should be a quiet period. Both the equivalent sound level (Leq) and the day-night sound 16 level (Ldn) have been selected by the US Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) 17 as the best descriptors to use for the purpose of identifying and evaluating levels of 18 environmental noise. The Siting Rules require that Ldn sound levels be provided for 19 existing ambient conditions and projected Ldn sound levels be submitted for construction 20 and operation phases.