Real issues remain obscured
Rutland Herald via Grandpa's Knob Wind ProjectRutland Herald via Grandpa's Knob Wind Project
Rutland Herald via Grandpa's Knob Wind ProjectRutland Herald via Grandpa's Knob Wind Project
The big wind and renewable energy industry and its high-priced Montpelier lobbyists must absolutely love Rebecca Reimers’ April 23 letter written in rebuttal to John McClaughry’s oped on the current energy situation.
The big wind industry’s admiration has little to do with the content of the letter, but with the fact that Ms. Reimers’ arguments take the renewable energy debate deep into the weeds of confusion. Deep in the weeds of confusion is exactly where the big wind and renewable energy industry wants the discussion because it does them no harm, as the real issues remain obscured.
As long as the debate about placing giant wind turbines on Vermont’s mountain ridges and huge fields of solar panels in peoples’ back yards stays muddled in the esoterica of adjusted gross incomes, energy subsidies and coal mining accidents somewhere else, the Vermont big wind and renewable industry couldn’t be happier.
The last thing the industry wants to talk about is the real impact of large renewable projects in Vermont. The simple fact is that erecting giant wind turbines on Vermont’s mountain ridges and placing large solar panel arrays in the back yards of Rutland neighborhoods does nothing to improve Vermont’s air quality.
Out-of-state developers can cover every square inch of Vermont with turbines and solar panels, and the people will get nothing but higher electric bills and damage to the environment in return.
The big wind and renewable industry doesn’t want the debate to focus on the simple fact that industrial turbines and solar panels give Vermonter’s essentially nothing good. They want the debate hopelessly entangled in the deep weeds of confusion, where Ms. Reimers’ letter squarely places it.
PETER YANKOWSKI
Rutland Town
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/26/real-issues-remain-obscured/