I grew up in Vermont and come from a family with many generations from Vermont on both sides. Vermont values and traditions have been ingrained in my upbringing throughout my life. I learned a lot from my parents and grandparents and particularly my Grandfather Mills, who was a farmer working on the farm adjacent to my home. When I think about the Grandpa’s Knob Wind project and other ridgeline industrial wind projects in Vermont, I can’t help ruminating about how my grandfather would have felt about these projects.
Gramp never would have called himself an “environmentalist,” but he might have been happy with the label of “steward” of the land on which he lived and made a living as a farmer. He strived to leave the farm and surrounding forest land in better condition than that in which he found it. He never would have accepted the concept of doing long-term harm to the land for short-term gain. He never would have wanted to leave the land in a worse condition for his grandchildren than it was in during his youth.
Destruction of our ridgelines is very long-term. This is long-term harm that we can’t reverse, and it is harm that will impact all Vermonters, some directly and some indirectly. Yet, the gains are very short-term, they are very uncertain, and they are gains for people and corporations far away from Vermont.
Out of respect for our Vermont ancestors and for our Vermont traditions of good stewardship for our land, industrial wind development on our ridgelines must stop now. We need to take a timeout on this development and consider solutions that are in harmony with Vermont values. Please ask your legislators to support a moratorium on industrial wind development.
LISA WRIGHT GARCIA
Florence
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/12/10/time-for-a-timeout/