Keep it real, folks
The Observer, www.lagrandeobserver.com 11 January 2011
I don’t believe that large scale wind farms are the answer to our energy problems. They are not very “green.”
They use large amounts of resources to build, cover large areas of land, need long-distance transmission lines to deliver the electricity and are not cost-effective without huge subsidies and tax breaks. We should be focusing our efforts on developing localized energy sources, such as fuel cell technology and small solar energy systems. These systems would be far more green, and would be less vulnerable to disruptions.
That being said, I am really tired of the Friends of the Grande Ronde Valley’s advertising and commentaries that are so over the top. I think they have more half-truths and exaggerations than most of the political ads we hear, and that’s hard to do.
The propaganda they put out reminds me of the tactics used by the extremist anti-gun, environmental (preservationist) and animal rights groups. It almost makes me hope Antelope Ridge is approved, just so we can see how many of these terrible things don’t happen.
Something that is seldom mentioned is that this is being done on private property, not on public lands. I’m sure this would be a lifeline for some of the property owners and could potentially give them the financial means to improve the area’s habitat.
I wonder how many FGRV members would turn down a windfall like this if they owned the property. It is fine to disagree with something, but let’s keep it real.
Mark Barber
La Grande
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/11/keep-it-real-folks/