Opinions
Wind energy sneaking in under cloak of darkness
The current political wind is in favor of the developers and industrial wind energy interests, thereby significantly influencing the pressure on our natural environment. If the trend continues, how much of our national, state and private forests will remain when our fast expanding population will likely be desperate for a little breathing room in the future - 25, 50 and 100 years from today? I am well aware of the issues of global warming and the nation's energy requirements and am totally convinced that industrial wind energy projects on the ridge tops of the mountains in the Eastern United States is not the solution and unworthy of the billions of dollars that we are bestowing upon this industry.
A major reason for the increasing opposition to the development of large industrial wind projects in the mountains is loss of visual amenity, the effects of highly visible vertical man-made structures with rotating blades located in predominantly horizontal, static natural hillscapes. The loss of beautiful scenery, favorite views and inspiring landscapes are objections dismissed by large corporate developers as emotional and subjective. ...In conclusion, the negative issues, problems and drawbacks of siting industrial wind turbines on the pristine mountains is not the answer our nation's need for energy sources. Why are we allowing them to infiltrate our ecologically fragile landscapes and cause huge negative impacts?
April 3, 2008
by Larry Thomas
in The Recorder
In December 2004 it was announced that an application for siting an industrial wind energy project in Pendleton County had been filed with the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Because I had no idea of the affect the proposed project would have on our county, I embarked on a monumental fact-finding project to determine what industrial wind energy projects are all about and whether the claims advanced by the project developers and the industry were valid.
I started my fact finding with a review of Web sites of both proponents and opponents of industrial wind energy, attended meetings and had... [continue via Web link]
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