It's an impractical daydream to try to replace coal as our primary energy source. Clean up the coal-fired power plants? Of course. It will be done. Our governor has mandated that a portion of electric power should come from wind and solar. I haven't heard that a dime has been appropriated for neighborly, user-friendly solar panels. Instead, we will have unwelcome turbines hanging over our heads - and for most of us, for the rest of our lives.

Did you know that there's enough wind energy every day across the planet to power all human needs? Ditto for solar energy. Knowing that I know this, what I say next may seem illogical: Wind and solar energy are not viable energy alternatives to power our country and likely never will be.

By all accounts, Engelbrecht, a member of the Two Creeks Town Board, accepted cash from a wind farm company shortly before voting on an ordinance to authorize and regulate such farms in his town. ...In fall 2004, the Manitowoc County Board OK'd the wind farm proposal, and it breezed through the three-member Two Creeks Town Board later that year, with Engelbrecht and Duvenek voting in favor.

The County Board of Trempealeau, Wis., is to be commended for its recent rejection of the proposed draft ordinance on wind turbine development in the county and for responding favorably to our petition to extend the moratorium on wind turbine development until a truly comprehensive ordinance can be put together with the guidance of a Citizens Advisory Committee, to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the county.

The Trempealeau County Board is to be commended for its recent rejection of the proposed draft ordinance on wind turbine development in the county and for responding favorably to our petition to extend the moratorium on wind turbine development until a truly comprehensive ordinance can be put together with the guidance of a citizens advisory committee to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the county.

That pretty much leaves energy conservation as the only option everyone can agree on, and the challenge won't be resolved simply by building more energy-efficient devices and turning off the lights in rooms we're not using. Either the "green" movement needs to lighten up on alternatives to fossil fuel or get used to the idea that we're going to be burning a lot of coal and natural gas for the long haul.

We should explore ways of developing wind power in the county (on a smaller scale) that would actually benefit the majority of the residents. What is about to be crammed down our throats would only benefit the few landowners who are willing to trade the beauty of our county for monetary gain.

Good neighbor? It was interesting reading the wind turbine article in the May 6 Tribune, but I have to comment on one part that really caught my attention. Is Ag Wind, one of the developers, saying it will give landowners within a half-mile of the projects $500 per year? A couple things strike as odd. Why landowners within one-half mile? Why not one mile? Why at all? Is there a relationship between wind turbines and the half-mile mark? If turbines are so great, why then does Ag Wind apparently feel the need to pay nearby landowners to be "good neighbors?"

"Does it seem odd to anyone but me that the April 2005 through March 2006 bird study shows exactly what Forward Energy was looking for - even though it was compiled and analyzed by people who have far less professional experience than those who have written studies that are contrary to this one," stated Dr. Kaspar. "Furthermore, the data does not support the conclusions."

Until the ordinance is rewritten to protect the health and property rights of all residents (not just those hosting the turbines), this project must be put on hold. Further, without full and honest disclosure of Invenergy's plans, it is irresponsible of the zoning committee and county board to consider, let alone approve, a conditional use permit.

Our group, Calumet County Citizens for Responsible Energy, is in favor of 1,000-foot property setbacks, not against renewable energy. We understand and support the need for a renewable energy source. But the county board has been provided with a significant amount of information on health-related issues caused by wind turbines and citizen concerns to find an overall fair solution.

If the recent, controversy over the wind turbine farms planned by Navitas Energy and Emerging Energies, has taught us anything, it is that it is better to have a land-use policy in place than to invent one as we go. The county got into a controversy over the issue of permitting the wind turbines because it did not have a policy in place.

Regarding the upcoming town elections, I would like to inform the taxpayers of Ridgeville of some hard financial facts.

On Aug. 15, the people of Ridgeville will be voting in a recall election to recall a board that clearly supports bringing a large wind turbine project into our community. This will be the most important election of our lifetime.

It is not a given that Wisconsin become one vast industrial wind facility at the expense of its citizens. ..... Woosh, woosh, woosh, indeed.

Decisions on electricity needs challenge all of us to use the best reasoning skills we have to solve real problems. The issues are many, and the evaluations of them are complex.

When did it happen that the quality of life and safety of humans and wildlife became expendable and unimportant? When did it become acceptable that a widow can’t sell the family farm due to a possible wind development?

If a NIMBY is someone who fights to protect health and safety, wind and property rights, property values, and tax dollars of the residence of this county, or if a NIMBY is someone concerned about the general welfare of neighbors, then yes, I am a NIMBY.

A developer should show some degree of integrity and professionalism by educating the community. Show the community and citizens of the county its benefits and potential drawbacks. Waving checks to some, pitting neighbor against neighbor, sliding agendas through the back door sounds like bureaucratic bull we’re all fed up with.

Many other members of the church feel the same as I do. When we spoke to the council members, they stated that our insurance would not cover this damage and wondered whom you approach to pay for it.