Opinions
To win approval from the county Planning Commission, the McEvoys had to move the windmill away from the road and reduce its height by more than half to minimize its visual impact.
The time and money they spent in pursuit of a much-touted form of green energy does not bode well for the ability of the Marin Energy Authority, the county's new power agency, to meet its goal of having about 30 percent of its electrical power created by windmills.
That is if our public power brokers hope to accomplish that goal locally.
The county's "green" general plan includes wording that is aimed at clearing away political hurdles for green-energy generating projects. But often there's a big difference between words and implementation.
Imagine the time- and money-consuming battles if Marin Clean Energy leaders tried to take advantage of some of Marin's windiest locations to generate electricity.
We're not talking about a single windmill, but possibly dozens - a wind farm.
We doubt locals would stand still for having giant windmills on breezy Wolfback Ridge.
What about windmills atop Angel Island? Oops, we forgot. The state wouldn't let the county plant a radio tower on top of Mount Livermore because it didn't fit into its nature restoration project.
How about Paradise Cay or Bel Marin Keys? Even projects on the coast or offshore are sure to generate fierce opposition, especially from those who could question whether the windmills would clash with wilderness and ocean protections.
It is going to take a seismic shift in the political mindset of Marin residents for any of that to happen. One county consultant urged the launching of a public education campaign to reduce expected local resistance.
It would be unfortunate if Marin takes the path of least resistance and depends on other communities who are willing to allow wind farms to generate the green energy that Marin is so committed to having.
Congratulations to McEvoy Ranch for its commitment to green energy. We had some initial concerns about the size and location of the windmill, but have supported its goal of making the ranch a model of sustainability.
We need more such examples.
That's why the Redwood Landfill's interest in creating a biodigestor that would turn trash into power deserves public and political support.
Importing our power - regardless of how green it is - is not the best model for sustainability.
At the same time, the time and trouble that it took McEvoy Ranch to get a lone windmill approved and operating makes us skeptical about Marin's capacity for tapping the power of local breezes on a larger scale.
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