Don't let wind turbines ruin wilderness
In today’s Free Press there was a letter from Tom Shea of Searsburg regarding building 400-foot monstrosities on top of our beautiful and perfect mountains. (“Nothing beautiful about wind turbines,” Dec. 12 ) I wonder if the people who support such a desecration of the beauty of our state have any idea how a 400-foot- tall wind turbine would look up there. God awful is the answer. All those who complain about putting cell towers on hills around the state should be working to fight to stop the wind turbines. This electricity is not even for us. Isn’t it time we realize we have a precious jewel here in Vermont and that Vermont is the precious jewel.
Are there so many new people in the state that they don’t know the true beauty of the wilder areas — where, coincidentally, the providers would like to put the wind turbines. I was floored a month or two ago to see that the Public Service Board had actually approved a group of turbines for the Sheffield area. All of Vermont needs to be preserved (though I guess it’s too late to do anything about Taft Corners), especially the Northeast Kingdom. Sheffield is part of the Northeast Kingdom, which is home to some of the last wilderness areas of the state.
I do know that I will put my money where my mouth is and be happy to purchase solar panels for my home rather than have turbines on our mountains. I will also be happy to do anything I can to prevent construction, including putting my body in the way, even if I’m alone. Bring us the Internet, not power production for Massachusetts and Connecticut. They have their own mountains, let them ruin those. Bring us proper cell towers, tall and thin, barely noticeable on a local hill, so our rescue squads can communicate with hospitals as they rush toward them.
Vermont derives a lot of its income from tourism. How many tourists will want to look at our mountains with 15 or 20 behemoths grinding away on top of them. By the way, just to note, they look even worse when they’re not working. I am seriously concerned about the future of this state. We have already lost a lot of what made it so special, let’s not lose any more.
Taffy Todd
Taffy Todd lives in Greensboro.
18 December 2007
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Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
