Before those of us who will be forced to live with these windmills looming over our homes and lives fall on a grenade for the rest of the city, Hoban needs to provide more convincing evidence of the supposed benefits.
Before those of us who will be forced to live with these windmills looming over our homes and lives fall on a grenade for the rest of the city, Hoban needs to provide more convincing evidence of the supposed benefits.
Recent editorials criticize Spanish Fork residents for voicing opposition to the construction of wind turbines near the mouth of Spanish Fork canyon.
The Daily Herald's editorial board portrays us as irresponsible for intervening at a late stage in the process. In a letter to the editor, Stephen Hoban accuses us of being "bereft of civic responsibility."
Both assume that the city and Wasatch Wind did everything right as they've moved forward on this project.
The truth is the majority of residents had no idea of the project.
While we certainly have an obligation to involve ourselves in local government, to shuffle the entire responsibility for the recent controversy onto our shoulders is grossly misguided. And to suggest that Wasatch Wind …
Recent editorials criticize Spanish Fork residents for voicing opposition to the construction of wind turbines near the mouth of Spanish Fork canyon.
The Daily Herald's editorial board portrays us as irresponsible for intervening at a late stage in the process. In a letter to the editor, Stephen Hoban accuses us of being "bereft of civic responsibility."
Both assume that the city and Wasatch Wind did everything right as they've moved forward on this project.
The truth is the majority of residents had no idea of the project.
While we certainly have an obligation to involve ourselves in local government, to shuffle the entire responsibility for the recent controversy onto our shoulders is grossly misguided. And to suggest that Wasatch Wind has been victimized by residents is a distortion of the facts.
The city made minimal efforts to inform residents. Given that these turbines are higher than the Statue of Liberty and will be within 600 feet of residential areas, the city and those officials elected to represent our interests had an obligation to inform residents. They did virtually nothing. The magnitude of this project demanded special efforts on their part.
Wasatch Wind circulated a letter informing residents of a meeting to discuss its plans. According to Wasatch Wind, I received the letter, though I have no recollection of it. I recently saw a copy, and I'm not surprised that it didn't catch my attention.
The letter gives no indication of plans to erect mega windmills in our backyards, and it reads more like an investment scheme than a letter outlining the realities of the project.
The letter, in fact, falsifies information to underscore the supposed "benefits" without making a single reference to potential detriments. The opening statement reads, "Join us to learn about the benefits of a Spanish Fork community-owned wind farm." The farm will hardly be "community owned." The city will not even be using the power generated by the turbines.
Wasatch Wind claims that the recent opposition has been "disheartening," since it "went out of their way to inform the public." One ill-conceived letter hardly constitutes going out of one's way.
Perhaps Wasatch Wind and Hoban can take a lesson from the many residents, including my wife, who went door to door informing people of this project and its impact on our neighborhoods.
Some of the people who will be most affected do not live in Spanish Fork. They live in Mapleton and along a small swath of ground between Mapleton and Spanish Fork. Wouldn't going out of one's way include informing everyone who will be directly affected? These people weren't even on Wasatch Wind's mailing list. They first learned about the project from my wife and others who carried the news directly to their doors.
Isn't this going out of one's way? Isn't this civic responsibility?
Finally, Hoban accuses us of being motivated by "self interest." This is the one point he gets right in his letter. Like most people, my home represents the most significant investment I will likely ever make. If these turbines threaten the value of that investment, I'm not going to sit by and let that happen. Self interest? You bet.
Hoban states that the project "will benefit the majority of residents," though he does not specify how exactly we will benefit. We won't be using the power, and as far as I can tell the only "benefit" will come in the form of property tax revenues. However, dollar figures are sketchy at best, and what percentage of that money will directly benefit our community is even sketchier.
Before those of us who will be forced to live with these windmills looming over our homes and lives fall on a grenade for the rest of the city, Hoban needs to provide more convincing evidence of the supposed benefits.
As much as the Herald and Hoban would like to point the finger at us and exonerate the city and Wasatch Wind, we all share in the responsibility. As residents, we certainly could have been more conscientious. But the city handled the situation poorly, and Wasatch Wind has much to learn about effective communication and public relations.
This project has been described as the "flagship" for future wind projects in other Utah communities. If this is true, lets hope that we all learn from our mistakes -- residents, city governments and developers alike. We all support clean, renewable energy; lets just be responsible in how we pursue these projects.
Brett McInelly represents residents affected by the Wasatch Wind project.