Library filed under Impact on Views from North Carolina
Wave goodbye to wind turbines: renters say no to alternative energy source
For Annah Bachman, a UNC first-year and Kitty Hawk resident, the Outer Banks are nothing without their views.
Near-shore offshore wind farms would have huge (negative) impact on coastal tourism
“There was a lot of support for wind energy, but no one was willing to pay more to see wind turbines from the beach by their vacation rental property. And if turbines are built close to shore, most people said they would choose a different vacation location where they wouldn’t have to see turbines."
Bald Head officials want turbines farther from lighthouse
"I think the concern is that the visitors experience the view-shed of a 200-year-old lighthouse," said Chris Webb, director of the Old Baldy Foundation. "There's been a concerted effort from the beginning ... to have a very harmonious environment, so when you look over the island you don’t see massive structures. You see some rooftops, but mostly what you see is the maritime forest’s color."
Bald Head officials want turbines farther from lighthouse
"I think the concern is that the visitors experience the view-shed of a 200-year-old lighthouse," said Chris Webb, director of the Old Baldy Foundation. "There's been a concerted effort from the beginning ... to have a very harmonious environment, so when you look over the island you don’t see massive structures. You see some rooftops, but mostly what you see is the maritime forest’s color."
Amid concerns of beach towns, leases for Carolinas offshore wind turbines expected in 2016
The first leases allowing wind turbines offshore of the Carolinas are expected to be let next year although some still worry the massive turbines could harm tourism upon which coastal communities depend.
Windmills - Learn from the mistakes of others
The bottom line here is that we really don’t know everything we need to know about wind turbines. Before we spend millions of dollars putting up turbines, we need to understand what their impact on local residents will be.
Huge industrial windmills on ridge tops a bad idea
In 1983, Sugar Top Condos were built on the top of Sugar Mountain in Avery County. Sugar Top Condos rise 131 feet above the ridgeline and can be seen for several miles. These towering condos were so devastating to the scenic splendor of the mountains that the General Assembly wisely enacted strict ridge top laws to stop these monstrosities from appearing throughout our mountains. While the statewide law was too late for Sugar Mountain, the law stopped similar projects of shocking heights and destruction of the mountains. Sugar Top Condos is a permanent reminder that once a structure is built on our mountain tops, we cannot unbuild it.
On renewable energy, reject fallacy of false choices
One need not state a falsehood to tell a lie. Misleading presentation of facts and rhetorical sleight of hand have become modern art forms. One of the most insulting practices is the framing of arguments in terms of false choices. I’m particularly disappointed to see two local environmental organizations with whom I share much common ground distilling the debate over industrial scale wind farms down to: We can let the coal industry flatten the mountains and pollute the air and water, or we can let the wind industry turn the mountains into Gary, Ind.,with slopes. Which shall we do? I’ll take C), neither of the above.
Looser windmill rules defeated
Rows of wind turbines are unlikely to be spinning atop mountain ridges anytime soon. A Senate committee on Wednesday rejected a proposal that would have paved the way for large-scale wind energy production in the mountains. Large wind turbines are banned under the state's interpretation of a law restricting ridge development. The Agriculture Committee advanced a proposal that would keep it that way, changing the ridge law to cement the ban.
Lawmakers aim to protect scenery with windmill limits
A proposed change to North Carolina's ridge protection law unveiled Tuesday would prevent large-scale wind energy production in the mountains. At the urging of some mountain senators, the state Senate Finance Committee added the restrictions to a bill moving through the General Assembly that will shape where windmills are allowed to be built statewide.
Ashe County proposal raises tough issues
Wind power would seem to be a necessary component of any strategy by North Carolina to increase the amount of energy produced here from alternative sources. Put simply, there’s plenty of wind in these parts. The downside is that sections of the state where wind currents are strongest and most consistent also happen to be ones that are heavily dependent on tourism and where there is an understandable priority on protecting natural views. That holds for the coast, and it holds for the mountains. The issue of whether and how to take advantage of mountain winds now is before the state Utilities Commission. The commission yesterday held a hearing focused on a proposed Ashe County “wind farm” — 25 or so giant turbines that would be built near Creston in the state’s far northwest. It is easy to see why the project has stirred local opposition in an area where vacation-home development is an economic mainstay.