Last spring we toured the Baltic Sea. As our cruise ship entered the seaport of Copenhagen, Denmark, we were treated to the sight of hundreds of wind turbines surrounding the entrance to the harbor. It was surreal – like stepping into another world. The old world charm is radically affected. Now we have the debate in Maryland over wind turbines on our state owned lands.
The newsletter dated Jan. 14, 2008, of the Deep Creek Lake Property Owners Association details the actual scope of the plans for 100 or more of these obnoxious beasts on state owned land. The windmills are industrial turbines, 40 stories tall. The plan is to lease 400 mountaintop acres as each turbine requires that 4 to 5 acres be stripped. We are vehemently opposed to this plan on public property.
We Western Marylanders take great pride in the natural beauty of our mountains and our popular state parks which afford marvelous recreation opportunities for visitors and local residents. It is our opinion that these proposed windmills would have a negative impact upon Garrett County’s landscape and would create a terrible eyesore.
The only thing that makes these monstrosities financially practical is the huge tax incentive offered by the federal government to the developer. Without these enormous subsidies, the program would never get off the ground.
This issue does reveal an interesting irony, though. Those in the State Planning Office in Annapolis have joined in the suit to halt Terrapin Run Residential Development on private land in eastern Allegany County. The politically correct from the east end of our state want us to keep our mountain vistas pristine and free of private development. Yet they presume to come to Western Maryland and force on us this plan which will so dramatically alter the landscape forever. Such hypocrisy!
Why not build first on the beaches of the Eastern shore? No forest clearing would be required. The cost would be much lower, and those of us in this mountain region could then assess the efficiency of the program before implementing it here. You may think this is a joke, but check out wind turbines in Denmark and you will find pictures of these giant windmills constructed deep in the harbor waters.
We say NO to the wind turbines, especially NO on public land that is supposedly set aside for the recreational enjoyment of this and future generations.
Lynn and Jane Workmeister
Cumberland and Deep Creek Lake
30 January 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/30/say-no-to-wind-turbines-on-public-lands/