October 1, 2003
Opinions

Thanks Neighbor

Never before have I seen such an ugly example of “screw-your- neighborism” as I witnessed the other night when Zilkha Renewable Energy Corp. held their open house on Main St. in Springville.  As one of the people protesting outside, I watched in amazement as one by one,  many of my Sardinia neighbors paraded in, glowing with their new found concern for the ozone, and did their best to get a piece of the Zilkha cash cow.  There were Town board members, farmers, mechanics, land owners….all hoping to be wind mill millionaires.  I can’t help but think if it weren’t for Zilkha bursting at the seams with taxpayer money, that this wind turbine controversy bitterly pittting a few large landowners against hundreds of ordinary citizens, would never have happened.
         

For those of us on the Sardinia hilltops who are being victimized by this assault from the wind barons, there is no debate.  Wind turbines are too big and too loud to be placed anywhere near populated areas.  If we wanted to live in the middle of a Disney attraction we would have built our homes in Orlando.  Oh yeah, and to you folks who say “well why don’t you just move” – it’s not gonna happen.  We were here long before Zilkha blew into town, and we’ll be here long after they pack up their carpetbags and leave.
         

As long as my formerly considerate Sardinia neighbors seem to have no qualms about giving everyone for miles around the 400 foot high finger,  they can rest assured that those of us on the receiving end will have no qualms about being in their faces everywhere we can – on the picket line, in the media, in government and eventually in court. 
         

Although it’s an absolute shame that so many decent people have been conned by developers into thinking wind power will somehow reduce our need for fossil fuels, it’s an even greater shame that those same developers need only wave a handful of cash in front of some of our neighbors – and they’re tripping over each other to get it.

Leo McCarthy, Sardinia (NY)

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2003/10/01/622/