I fear greatly the rush to turn its high ground into an electrical generator for out-of-state interests. I think Gov. John Baldacci is way off base in his unbridled support of this frantic race for government handouts that will enrich a greedy few at the expense of many ... including wildlife that can't speak for itself. Mr. Carter's clear and thoughtful commentary against industrial-grade wind developments should speak loudly to citizens of Maine.

If wind power is the answer, then the question must be "How can we do the most environmental damage, with the least results and for the most cost"? ...The problem with wind is the same as it was 30 years ago. Wind can generate power but that power cannot be stored. Modern society relies on power being available at the flip of a switch.

I do agree that "those" windmills are not contributing to our demand for Mideast oil or to "wild-eyed killers" simply because the percentage of electricity produced in the United States by oil is in the single digits. The production of electricity with the power of the wind has no relevance to oil.

Recent hearings in Dartmouth make it clear that the Alternative Energy Committee of the town of Dartmouth is excited about the potential economic benefits of wind turbines. They make a decent argument in favor of having the town get into the new business of being a small utility company ...Unfortunately, this new utility company would plant its primary electricity generating facilities in the middle of a rural residential neighborhood, and for one reason: The town happens to own the land in that location.

My husband and I spent the holiday weekend in the NEK. We love the unique beauty and serenity present only in the NEK. This is the year we planned to purchase our dream home in Albany to spend our retirement years living in this unspoiled part of the world. Sadly, our dreams were shattered. Shortly after finding our dream home, our realtor informed us about the proposed Lowell wind development on the Lowell ridge lines.

It's not tiny turbines that could disrupt the quality of life and the viewshed. It's those monstrous, industrial-size wind farms. Easy to sit here and think about how neat it would be to have Virginia show renewable energy leadership by putting a bunch of huge windmills off the coast, isn't it? But what about a wind farm in the George Washington National Forest in Nelson County?

Now that the Town Council has made a wind power turbine on the transfer station property possible, is it advisable? A number of serious concerns were raised during the rezoning struggle that need to be answered. As First Warden Kim Gaffett kept saying, it was premature to introduce an extended critique of windmills into the rezoning proceedings, but the time to take up the issues has arrived.

Most of us agree that the pursuit of renewable energy sources is a necessity. We may not agree on the justification, but in the end we agree a need exists. This recognized need has resulted in a rush to build renewable energy sources without adequate regard for visual and cultural resources. Are we once again making decisions that we will regret in the future? Of particular concern is the impact of large-scale wind farms and solar fields. ...Are we repeating the errors of the past by destroying nearly pristine landscapes and historic sites with a new form of pollution?

Perhaps you have noticed the 'Stop the Wind Turbine' signs that have been put up along the highways and biways in the former Manvers Township in the past few weeks, and wondered why they are there. Manvers Township, which includes Pontypool and Bethany, is in a proposed industrial wind turbine study area. As local residents who will be affected greatly if the turbines are erected, we have a number of issues.

There were contracts drawn up for the farmers so they could lease their land for transmission, wiring, generators and windmills to provide. The contracts were in Spanish, but the wind company "forgot" that the majority of the population could not read or write. Those that could, conversed in Zapotecs, a pre-Hispanic language. Many farmers signed, trusting in the promises of the government and the Spanish companies. The farmers gave away use of their land for next to nothing so the wind farm could be constructed. For the La Ventosa wind farm, which were inaugurated in early 2009, farmers received between 25 and 100 pesos per hectare. The company had promised 30,000 pesos a year.

With all this concern about how to address global warming, we always seem to rely on some kind of "quick fix" solutions. Over the past 10 years, many so-called solutions have been proposed, but very few technologies have proved useful or cost effective. Then comes the "clean and green" movement with industrial-scale turbine projects being expedited by legislative action in the form of LD 2283.

Kermit was right: It's not easy being green. Among other things, going green can mean making changes to properties that impose new views and new sounds on neighbors, who may not welcome them. Two local communities are exploring the challenge of balancing the property rights of people greening up and the property rights of nearby homeowners.

My fellow Urkers are showing the same determination in fighting Europe's largest wind farm, the Windpark Noordoostpolder, which is planned only a few kilometres from the historical and picturesque seafront of Urk. Nearly 100 giant modern windmills, each between 150 and 200 metres high, stationed in three or four rows along the shores of the IJsselmeer. We'll be surrounded by these giants on two sides.

While the National-led Government stumbles blindly along the crooked path towards emissions trading legislation, dragging a naive Maori Party partner with it, there is one piece of news we can rejoice over. That is the refusal by the Environment Court to allow a whacking great ugly wind farm to be built by Meridian Energy in Central Otago. ...if implemented, the scheme would irredeemably sacrifice an outstanding landscape for questionable and overstated short-term benefits.

We must all become informed about life with wind turbines. In phase one, the Black Fork Wind Farm will have 112 wind turbines that are more than 400-feet tall with 159-foot blades and red strobe lights that blink on and off all night long. The wind turbines, at times, may create upward to 70 decibels of noise. The EPA says 45 decibels disturbs sleep.

By now I'm sure most of the residents of Natrona County have seen the newest addition to our skyline, the Chevron wind farm. I have noticed an increase in traffic in our area, I assume to see this mess close-up. I have spoken with many people and asked them if they would like to live next to this; I have yet to get a "yes." So why did our commissioners allow this to happen in violation of their own regulations?

The recent acknowledgment by the National Geographic Society that the Berkshires are one of the earth's 10 greatest tourist destinations (Berkshire Eagle Nov. 19) is a significant distinction. It highlights that our primary attraction is an intact natural landscape. ...Today the commonwealth's secretary of energy and environmental affairs has authored proposed legislation which has the potential of seeing over 700 wind turbines built on the Berkshire's commanding ridgelines.

Thanks to the foresight and enlightened public policy of the Yorkshire Town Board, the 30 megawatt (MW) project (approximately 15 turbines) proposed in Yorkshire has blown away. Nowhere in New York state have turbines been erected prior to the enactment of a local town law. Fortunately, the Yorkshire Board did an extensive cost-benefit analysis and correctly determined the negative impacts of industrial wind turbines in residential areas far exceed the limited economic benefits to the community.

There is a tendency in the environmental community to see renewable fuels - solar, wind, tidal energy, small hydro - as a panacea for our climate-change problem. To reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent, it will be necessary to generate a substantial portion of our energy from solar and wind sources. But renewables are not without their problems. ...If forest land in New Hampshire was converted to wind power, there is such a large release of carbon in the land-use change that the benefit from substituting wind power for fossil fuels is lost.