December 10, 2011
Letters, Oregon

Blighted views

oregonlive.com 9 December 2011

The editorial “Facing cellphone towers instead of ducking the issue” (Dec. 4) highlighted the double standard in our region that residents and the media apply to regulating scenic impact. Cellphone towers inside Portland are presented as ugly, yet 400-foot wind turbines in the Columbia Gorge are not? Shouldn’t the same consideration be given to any kind of development that destroys scenery, especially in a scenic area that draws visitors from around the world?

I don’t think a tourist would complain about Portland’s cellphone towers, but the turbines proposed for Whistling Ridge in Washington near Hood River are clearly out of place for our region’s tourism crown jewel. What people see outside their windows, outside their cars or outside when enjoying recreation matters. Gorge residents and visitors “shouldn’t be forced to live with ugly,” as the editorial says regarding Portland.

When located improperly, wind power’s impact is far more destructive than what a cell tower does to the view in an urban setting. Let’s get our priorities straight; the cell tower brouhaha makes me think we’re living in the Portland National Scenic Area.

CHRIS CARVALHO
Aloha


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/10/blighted-views/