filed: November 7, 2010 • Georgia

McCleskey says Spanish energy company is after federal money

Credit: Written by Jimmy Holbrook, www.chattooga1180.com 7 November 2010 ~~

The debate over a proposed wind-farm continues in Chattooga County. After a report in the local paper interviewing a local resident who was in favor of wind turbine technology and it’s possibilities in Chattooga County, some Cloudland residents are vowing to continue to fight the idea.

Carl McCleskey, a twenty plus year resident on Lookout Mountain spoke with AM 1180 about concerns residents on the mountain have with the wind farm idea. McCleskey said that the term “wind farm” should be “industrial complex,” citing the 450′ wind turbine towers as being an eye-sore that would hurt tourism on Lookout Mountain.

Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters told AM 1180 that he and Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskel talked with a representative from Iberdrola Renewables about the proposed wind turbines, and that the company representative indicated that they didn’t want to come into an area with such resistance mounting from residents.

McCleskey is not so sure that Iberdrola Renewables is abandoning the idea of wind turbines on Lookout Mountain and says that he and the group of citizens he is a member of will continue to fight the idea. McCleskey said that with millions of federal dollars up for grabs in the form of grants to alternative energy companies, they can be a formidable opponent.

AM 1180 will have an interview with Carl McClesky on our Newsmakers Interview program, coming up on Monday morning at 8:15 AM and again at 12:45 PM.

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