Vt. Lt. Gov. Phil Scott wants 2-year moratorium on wind

MONTPELIER, Vt. - Green Mountain Power is putting up a number of turbines that will generate power to thousands of homes on Lowell Mountain in Vermont.

It's a project Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott supported, but was taken back by it during a recent bike trip.

"I have to say I was struck by what I saw," said Scott.

The large turbines didn't blend in as well as Scott thought they would.

Now he wants the state to put a two-year moratorium on any new projects.

Scott says they didn't make a mistake moving ahead with wind, but before they add any new projects he wants make sure the current ones are environmentally safe.

That's an idea his opponent, Cassandra Gekas disagrees with.

"I think it's a mistake to have a 2 year moratorium on this," said Gekas.

Gekas says doing so would hurt jobs and thinks wind is an important part in reducing the state's dependence on foreign fuel.

The democrat says Scott's stance helps her.

"If this is a hot button topic for the campaign it just gives me an opportunity to spend more time listening to Vermonters and try and figure out how to make the process better," said Gekas.

Scott says he also wants to invest in renewable energies, but not at the expense of Vermont's beauty.

He also doesn't think this should be a platform for his opponent to use.

"It's not an us against them and I don't think this has to be. I think that this is a time that we just reassess," said Scott.

Vermont has seven ridgelines wind turbine projects that either in the works, or in the permitting process.