March 14, 2013
New Hampshire, Opinions

My Turn: Stop all energy plans, now

By DONALD O’BRIEN, For the Monitor | Concord Monitor | Wednesday, March 13, 2013 | (Published in print: Thursday, March 14, 2013) | www.concordmonitor.com

Re “A new plan for the state’s energy future” (Monitor editorial, March 11):

Although I agree with part of your editorial, I have great heartburn over some of the less well-thought out reasoning. Yes, New Hampshire needs a policy concerning the regulation of power lines and other power sources in this state. It is imperative that we move ahead immediately to establish this policy.

However, the notion that it would be unfair to impose a moratorium on any and all announced plans to desecrate our state until we have adopted a well thought-out and reasonable energy policy is ludicrous. It sounds like locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen.

We need an immediate stop to all energy plans including windmills, power lines and any other method of providing power until we have a rational plan. It seems that all our neighboring states have figured out these issues and have developed methods to provide power and still protect that which many of us deem important: the visual beauty of our state. None, or very few, of the proposed projects will change our state’s needs over the near term. Most, if not all, of the electrical power projects presently under discussion will not do anything for New Hampshire. It is all destined for the “grid” to serve other areas.

The CEOs and boards of the companies involved are laughing at “Cow Hampshire” and our lack of ability to see what is happening. It is irresponsible for the Monitor to publish an editorial that supports giving these energy mongers carte blanche to ride roughshod over our state.

Let us carefully weigh the greater cost of underground power lines compared to the permanent loss of irreplaceable natural beauty. Which one is truly more important to us?

(Donald O’Brien lives in Hopkinton.)

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/03/14/my-turn-stop-all-energy-plans-now/