Regarding the Berkshire wind farm projects:
I am a lifelong Connecticut resident and own 12 acres in Savoy adjoining Savoy Mountain State Forest. I bought this wooded property 11 years ago with the intent of building there and retiring somewhere around 2008.
I was APPALLED to recently read in The Hartford Courant an exposé of the wind farms planned for the Berkshires, including one in Savoy. To quote the Green Berkshires Web site: “Wind turbines produce very little energy but a lot of tax breaks, grants, subsidies and price supports for the developers, at tremendous expense to taxpayers and electricity ratepayers.”
Add to that the destruction of the environment involved (20 acres cleared for each turbine, for starters) and it is clear these projects are ill-advised.
As regards the more personal downside to these projects, I refer again to the Green Berkshires Web site’s link to “What wind power plant neighbors say.” Here are found numerous nightmarish accounts of people who moved to the country to retire and enjoy natural surroundings, only to have these criminals arrive in the dead of night and destroy their local environment.
Worse, these poor folks are subjected to noises (“the constant hum of the blades,” “the grinding sound that the turbine makes when it is being turned”) and sights (“a strobe effect that can drive you absolutely crazy,” “a constant red light blinking in perfect view as we lie in bed”) for which they did not bargain when they purchased their retirement homes.
My intent was to ESCAPE the environmental carnage that is currently destroying what’s left of Connecticut’s open spaces. Our legislature has failed to resist evil forces intent on permanently bulldozing the environment for short-term personal gains. Therefore, unless these proposals for “farms” are turned down and a policy instituted for their future prevention, I will clearly NOT be retiring to Savoy. My property will remain undeveloped and continue to net the town a whopping $112 per year in taxes. And I will find someplace else to spend my generous state of Connecticut pension. I find it unlikely that this will be the only revenue loss the region sustains as a result of these projects.
I urge the Legislature and current residents to please, just do the right thing. SAY NO and save your wild areas from destruction such as is currently occurring in Connecticut.
John Ratches
Burlington, Conn.
Dec. 29
31 December 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/01/retirement-home-not-in-the-wind/