I have been following the process which may lead to the installation of 410-foot-high wind turbines in Searsburg and Readsboro. These towers will dwarf the existing turbines. Their size will require strobe lights on the ends of their blades due to FAA regulations.
Simply put, I believe that this development would be a grave mistake. For 40 years our environmental laws have protected our ridgelines from development (except for the white monster in Dover). By doing so we have preserved the scenic grandeur of our area, and the state, in general. My recollection is that the existing turbines were a pilot program grant of $11 million paid for by the federal government. I am told that they are now obsolete and parts are no longer available. I suspect that they have not produced one penny of profit, if the grant money would have had to be repaid.
Southeastern Vermont now produces approximately 50% of the energy demands of the state of Vermont (Yankee nuclear, Somerset and Harriman hydro, and a few peanuts from Searsburg wind turbines). The amount of power to be generated by this new turbine proposal will not contribute a significant amount of our needs (please note that the actual electric generation is 20% to 30% of the stated capacity due to no-wind times and breakdown time). For this we must suffer visual pollution, light pollution, and noise pollution.
Please stand with me and ClearSkyVt.org to stop this silly project.
Marv Neuman
Wilmington
21 November 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/11/22/shoulder-to-shoulder-to-stop-silly-wind-project/