Need windmill regulations before it’s too late
The sudden and spectacular interest in wind turbines is here. Newspapers, magazines, and study groups all over the country are taking positions on wind turbines now and the current situation seems about like this:
The federal government doesn’t prohibit wind turbines. Vermont doesn’t prohibit wind turbines. Wilmington doesn’t prohibit wind turbines.
There are hundreds of small, and some large, companies in the wind turbine business around the country—several in Vermont.
If you want to put a 300-foot turbine in your back yard, you can probably make a deal with a turbine company, which will give you cash up front and a nice annual income, even if your neighbor doesn’t like it.
Some people think wind turbines are a great idea. They provide free electricity and will save the world. Others think 100 or more turbines on our ridge lines will be a visual catastrophe and destroy the village’s tourist business and real estate values.
I think the town needs to have a special Town Meeting to find out what wind turbine regulations, if any, we should have and vote for that decision. Otherwise, the wind turbine industry will be making the decisions for us.
It’s already late.
Lee Rich
Wilmington
4 September 2008
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Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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