Oppose Antelope Ridge
The Observer, www.lagrandeobserver.com 20 December 2010
For myself, wind energy is pretty awesome and should be developed throughout our nation. But I am strongly against development at the cost of scenic beauty that is highly valued by local residents. That is why I voted “no,” but I am very hurt and angry toward the response my honest and sincere vote received.
Horizon Wind Energy sent a letter explaining how unimportant my “no” vote was while soliciting my support toward development of Antelope Ridge Wind Farm within the same breath. That was very bad PR.
Nevertheless, the benefits I am told are promised jobs and promised tax revenue for local communities and fulfillment of clean energy policies mandated by government officials. But remember, those officials don’t live here in our community and some of them helped create policies that shut down our forests, our lumber mills and cost many families more jobs than Horizon can ever promise.
If it really is about jobs, then why are out-of-state companies repairing our roads along our scenic byways, remodeling local university facilities and logs from Idaho being hauled to the few mills we have left in the region instead of our own logs?
We are great at providing jobs for other states and for certain the money doesn’t stay here. Why aren’t government officials drawing on Oregon companies and putting our timber industry and construction workers back to work?
Why are we willing to disrupt our own natural environment and scenic beauty on a promise of a few long-term jobs from a company that doesn’t even reside in the state of Oregon? Why aren’t the environmentalists speaking out against this or is the Grande Ronde Valley unimportant like my vote was?
Floyd Mitchell
Union
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/12/20/oppose-antelope-ridge/