February 24, 2012
Letters, Wisconsin

Against wind towers

Hudson Star-Observer, www.hudsonstarobserver.com 24 February 2012

Two possible reasons Emerging Energies, LLC/Highland Wind dropped its potential $25 million lawsuit against the Town of Forest: 1. this developer knows it would be unwise to open up township records to legal scrutiny, and 2. the wind developer is trying to improve its image with other townships it may be targeting next. Any township near the Town of Forest is likely ripe for the expansion of an industrial wind turbine project.

Seventy percent of Forest residents are against living in a wind energy factory. Attempting to “force” the project via the PSC amounts to a hostile take-over of our township with no regard for consequences to our quality of life and property investments. Studies by leading scientists, physicians, acousticians, electrical engineers, and appraisers link evidence directly to health problems and property devaluation wherever ill-sited industrial wind projects exist. The most compelling evidence is the Shirley Wind Project in the Town of Glenmore, Wis., Go to www.youtube.com. Search “Shirley Wind Project.” Witness the families suffering negative health effects and livestock deaths they believe are the result of eight 500-foot tall German-made industrial wind turbines sited in their community and installed by the same wind developer, Emerging Energies.

Emerging Energies’ public relations tactics do not fool us who oppose the wind project in the Town of Forest. Industrial wind energy does not work, wastes of billions of taxpayer dollars, results in few permanent jobs, does not close down coal plants, and is negligent and irresponsible when sited too close to homes and livestock. Bill Rakocy of Emerging Energies has been quoted saying: “We’re excited to develop as much wind (power) as we can in Wisconsin.” Of course the developer is; eight turbines in the Shirley Project netted $13 million dollars in taxpayer subsidy.

The people of Forest that stand together against industrial wind will not stand down and allow our township to be taken over by greed under the guise of noble-sounding, planet-saving rhetoric which is not based on the facts. As taxpayers and residents of northwestern Wisconsin, how will you respond when Big Wind comes knocking on your township’s back door and attempts to take your property to site industrial wind turbines next to your home without your agreement? One would have to question what it means to live in the United States of America if corporate interests can supersede constitutional rights.

Brenda Salseg, Town of Forest


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/02/24/against-wind-towers/