Wind Power and Influence in the Press

Giant utility, Florida Power and Light (FPL) is proposing a six-turbine wind energy facility for Hutchinson Island, a barrier island off the east coast of Florida. The project site is home to about 180 species of birds and animals including 36 species that are endangered or threatened. The proposal has been met with considerable opposition by area residents and environmental groups .

In a May 19 letter to St. Lucie County (FL) Board of County Commissioners, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) expressed its apparent support for the FPL wind project. An article about the letter in Scripps Treasure Coast Newspaper was originally headlined "Turbine plan gains support from National Resources Defense Council".

Members of the Save St. Lucie Alliance, a local citizen organization, responded to the letter and press coverage by contacting the letter's author, Nathanael Greene, director of renewable energy policy for NRDC. Mr. Greene disclosed that FPL had asked him to write the letter, and admitted he had no knowledge of the project site nor did he understand the potential environmental impacts should the turbines get built. He stated his intent was to express NRDC's support for wind energy in general, not this project specifically.

Mr. Greene phoned the reporter to correct the record and a correction has since been published in the paper. The updated article with new headline, "National Resources Defense Council urges fair hearing for FPL wind turbine plan", includes a sidebar stating "This article has been modified from its original version... The council has not taken a position on the [wind project]".

WindAction.org applauds local citizens, like the Save St. Lucie Alliance, willing to investigate suspicious press reports and take action to correct the record where necessary.