October 20, 2010
Massachusetts

Wind power controversy is topic of BCC forum

www.iberkshires.com 19 October 2010

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A prominent opponent of industrial wind power will speak at a special Berkshire Community College Forum next Tuesday, Oct. 26 co-sponsored by the college’s Green Team. Eleanor Tillinghast, president of Green Berkshires, Inc., will present a talk and slide show on “The Wind Power Controversy – And What it Means for the Berkshires”, at 12:15 p.m. in K-111, BCC’s small theater. The program is free and open to the public.

At a time when many people support development of “green energy” from renewable sources, a growing number are also raising concerns about industrial-scale wind plants.

Critics claim that the 50-story turbines fragment wildlife habitats, cause health effects in neighbors, reduce property values and raise utility rates – all the while producing too little electricity to justify the cost.

With a panel of travel experts recently rating the Berkshires the seventh most attractive destination in the world, local opponents of industrial wind power also argue that “visual blight” threatens an economy dependent on tourists who come here for the scenic beauty.

Tillinghast led the citizens’ lobby that stalled passage of the controversial Wind Siting Reform Act earlier this year. As a speaker, she is much sought after in communities around the state that are now facing the prospect of industrial wind developments.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/10/20/wind-power-controversy-is-topic-of-bcc-forum/