Be wary of individuals preaching the benefits while avoiding mention of ill effects from wind turbines. They probably are set to make a bundle off the things.

But the fast-moving blades of the wind turbines form a gauntlet, a potential death trap for night-flying creatures that cannot see the danger ahead.

"Renewable power mandates merely accentuate the inefficiency and cost premiums attached to so-called renewable power sources," said Jerry Taylor, director of natural resource studies at the Cato Institute. "If renewable power saved consumers money, created jobs, or carried any of the other economic benefits so frequently claimed by environmental activists, then government would not have to pass a law to force power companies to purchase it or consumers to buy it."

One can certainly concur with concerns about how our culture's fossil fuel combustion practices help accelerate the process of global warming—without uncritically agreeing that the intrusive nature of windpower technology is even a partial solution to the problem.
Editor's Note: Ted Williams' 'Wind Advisory' is available via the link below.

Windpower will do nothing about our dependence on foreign oil and virtually nothing about global warming, despite the ardent beliefs of its supporters.

However, because of the intermittent, unpredictable nature of wind, no homes would be powered by the wind industry. Given this limitation and the fact that industrial electricity must be consumed immediately, wind can generate only energy – not capacity – to the electricity grid.

Take a good look at the beautiful skyline that you're proud to take pictures of and put them in your brochures and paper for Garrett County because it's fading, and once it's gone, it will be gone.

County officials in other states have been flat out turning down industrial wind development, mostly because they took the time to understand how huge wind turbines would negatively affect their region–unlike our officials who simply signed on the dotted line, even asking for an expedited approval without having the normal evaluation period.

Spawned, then supported, by government welfare measures at considerable public expense, it[industrial wind energy] produces no meaningful product, yet provides enormous profits to a very few, playing havoc with the environment while claiming to be saving it.

OPTIMISM IS healthy for the heart, but it's also why hopeful humans fall so often for notions that sound too good to be true.

After reading about and listening to the debate over giant wind turbines for a number of weeks now, it is the opinion of this writer that they are not a good idea for Garrett County, and we should do what we can to keep them out of here.

Turbines: It would take thousands of these clean-energy, landscape-marring machines to generate only a slice of the region's power needs.