'Big wind' is about easy money

Friends and neighbors, I write as a Clarendon resident, and not in my role as Select Board chairman. The people of Clarendon and the towns surrounding it are trying to understand what the Vermont Community Wind Farm project is all about. What will it mean for us? What impacts will it have on us? Why here and now?

What has brought trouble to our town's doorstep is "easy" money. We wouldn't be having this debate about wind farms if it wasn't for the tax credits and grants for alternative energy projects that the federal government has dangled out there. Only large corporations are in a position to respond, and they don't care about the communities they impact. "Big Wind" wouldn't be anywhere near our town if it weren't for "easy" money. This modern day gold rush has made the situation so one-sided that the little guy can't afford to say "no thank you, not in our town."

In Rutland County's version of this story, the players are Vermont Community Wind Farm (VCWF) and Enel, a huge, multinational conglomerate. These large corporations pay their experts to publicly justify their projects. Meanwhile, small Vermont towns are cash strapped, and too many Vermonters are out of work or just trying to get by. VCWF says they will give the towns a small percentage of their takings - table scraps, really. They admit they will make millions. You and I know it won't be spent in Vermont. Meanwhile, our land - and landscape - will be changed for ever.

Don't be fooled, neighbors, these wind towers would not lower our electric rates nor substantially reduce our property taxes, but they will shut down popular hunting and recreation areas. After all, these 400-plus-foot wind towers are electrical generation stations that may require restricted access for safety reasons. How can alternative energy that only works 30 percent of the time while destroying our ridgelines and natural areas and pits neighbor against neighbor be a boon to Vermont?

The developer of this so-called "community" wind farm has done little to build public trust or be a good steward of the land. VCWF has already repeatedly trespassed on private land, located a tower in a location that was not permitted, and talked about posting the property around Susie's Peak. They have essentially thumbed their noses at the Public Service Board, the process and the towns in which they are working.

If that isn't enough, this project could compromise the regional airport - a long-term project for many of us, including former Mayor Wennberg. In his official capacity, he worked hard with the town of Clarendon to upgrade the airport to what it is today. We all realized its importance as an economic engine for our region. More recently, the city of Rutland and town of Clarendon together gave up three lots in the industrial park so that an FAA-required radar system could be installed to enable planes to land safely in all weather conditions.

This new radar system was largely necessary due to the height of the mountain ridgelines on the east and west sides of the airport. The proposed wind towers are over 400 feet in height, but their turbine blades cover a vertical area that approaches two acres in dimension. Remember, the blades stand taller than the tower itself, and towers as much as 10 miles away can cause problems. This additional height on top of these significant peaks eliminates the effectiveness of this new radar system, and could cause the FAA to downgrade airport. It appears that VCWF and Mayor Wennberg haven't bothered to think this one through.

Did I mention that the noise from turbines makes some people who live within a mile or two sick? Last week, I traveled to Lempster, N.H., to see the wind farm recently built there. Twelve 405-foot towers sounded like jets continually flying overhead, non-stop.

I've had to spend a lot of time learning about these issues in order to understand the impacts this project will have on my community and me. Even with the plan to build on Susie's Peak dropped, this project would impact everyone in the region. This is not about one side of the county against the other, but about protecting our community as a whole.

We asked the governor to issue a moratorium on the siting of wind towers on ridgelines in Vermont. This would provide lawmakers with the time to thoughtfully address siting criteria, including appropriate setbacks from homes, roads, schools, sensitive natural areas and property lines. His staff wrote back and said he has a busy schedule and they will get back to us. We are still waiting. If he is unwilling to accommodate a sensible approach, we will do the best we can working with our legislators and local leaders, as well as the regulatory process, such as it is. We owe it to each other to be as informed as possible, and to speak of our concerns.