Castleton decision is appreciated
Rutland Herald | via: grandpasknobwind.wordpress.com 15 June 2012
A heartfelt thank-you to the Select Board of the town of Castleton for their stand against the proposed industrial wind project on the Grandpa’s Knob ridgeline. Your willingness to listen to and acknowledge the overwhelming opposition of your citizens to this project is a wonderful statement in support of the democratic process.
As a resident of West Rutland, I hope that our Select Board will also support the will of the people and oppose Reunion Power’s proposal. Pittsford, will you also follow Castleton’s lead? Please?
As more and more of these industrial wind farms come on line, both here in Vermont and other areas adjacent to residential communities, it is becoming clearer and clearer that they are not the benign “free energy” generators they are held to be by the developers.
More and more studies are revealing the negative health impacts of the inaudible sound waves they produce, the shadow flickers cast by their tremendous blades, the huge impact on property values in the neighborhoods they are located in, and the environmental destruction caused by their construction, disruption of the fragile ecosystem and wildlife corridors – especially with this specific project – while providing no real benefit to the power grid. There is also a growing belief that industrial wind is actually a contributor to greenhouse gases due to their unreliable energy generation, which forces other generating sources to ramp up and down too frequently, reducing their efficient operation.
Is there a place for industrial wind in the energy mix? Absolutely – in the appropriate locations. Look at the examples Reunion Power offered during their presentations to the impacted towns. Each of these examples clearly illustrated the appropriate locations. They were not on top of mountains, they were not adjacent to communities, and they were in areas where the wind blows consistently enough for them to produce a steady, reliable stream of power.
I call on the towns of Pittsford, West Rutland, and Hubbardton to step up to the plate, recognize the overwhelming opposition to this project by your citizens, and join hands with the Castleton Select Board in opposing this project.
BRIAN HARRINGTON
West Rutland
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/06/15/castleton-decision-is-appreciated/