As most readers already know, PPM Energy, a subsidiary of a Spanish-owned company, has sought permission to build 17 wind turbines along the ridge line in Readsboro and Searsburg, adjacent to the existing wind factory. The turbines would be more than twice the height of the existing turbines, taller than the Statue of Liberty and the Bennington Monument, and lit 24 hours a day. They would be a token gesture only and would supply at most one-and-a-half percent of Vermont’s electrical energy. If granted, the factory would be the first wind farm in a national forest in the United States, setting the precedent for widespread desecration of our pristine forests and ridge lines throughout the country. This high price of defiling Vermont’s ridge lines and night sky for such a small return is simply not worth it. More energy would be gained by turing out the lights in a room not in use, or turning off your computer when not in use.
What can you do to help? The decision will be made by the Public Service Board in Montpelier. You can write to or e-mail the board at 112 State Street, Drawer 20, Montpelier, VT, 05620, or psb.clerk@state.vt.us (refer to Docket 7250, Deerfield Wind Project). Also, you can attend the special meeting in Wilmington next Wednesday, December 12, to voice your opinion. Finally, you can help the cause by sending a donation to Save Vermont Ridgelines, PO Box 722, Wilmington. Letters to the editor, signs, and pamphlets are helpful at the local level, but the real battle will be fought by lawyers and professionals who give expert testimony, and more lawyers in Montpelier. It will be very expensive. PPM and their Spanish parent company, aided by huge tax incentives that we all will eventually pay for, have deep pockets. Please help.
Richard Mattern
Wilmington
6 December 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/12/06/turbines-are-not-the-answer/