August 15, 2013
Letters, New Hampshire

Proposed wind developments are a disaster waiting to happen

The Laconia Daily Sun | 15 August 2013 | www.laconiadailysun.com

Wind Developers plans for 100 turbines+, constructed on four stunningly beautiful lakeside sites between Groton and Grafton, will, according to many local residents, change the this community for the next quarter century.

How can a commercial wind investment of a half billion dollars, on 15 miles of local ridge lines, not make an impact? The most obvious impacts are: watershed damage, deforestation damage, wildlife damage, river and stream damage, seep damage, visual damage, etc. What’s your concern?

Opposition for these next three wind projects have increased.

Locals are worried about the damage to their livelihood (home values) and to tourism. I heard a few comments at the Antique Auto Show that stopped me in my tracks. Comments like: “New Hampshire will be disfigured” and “This is a massacre of our beautiful landscape”; one asked, “Would the governor like these monstrosities in front of her house?”

Another statement I heard was: “If the turbines are not running or are not connected to the the grid, they won’t provide any power at all, would National Grid then take over. The answer is no. The promise of electricity for thousands of consumers is spin, not fact!”

Yet state politicians want to ruin our livelihood. Have they forgotten that our communities represent families too, not just votes?

The proposed 15 miles of turbines would make this community resemble a wind park. What’s more, to create this “park”, it would be necessary to deforest much of the mountain-tops as well as blast into them, and upset the environment for decades to come. The whole thing is a disaster waiting to happen.

I believe these turbines were meant to be built in Massachusetts, but, of course they don’t want them spoiling their communities either. It’s amazing how wealthier people have much more influence than us country folk.

However, New Hampshire Wind Watch is hopeful that it’s not too late to fight these next proposals: “We have initiatives in place, it’s not a done deal, and the more people who protest, the better.

I also heard a new tourism opportunity at the show…this wind proposal is not necessarily a negative – we could organize jeep tours to go up and view them – because they are so beautiful (LOL – had to put that in at the end…it did make me laugh).

Ray Cunningham
Bridgewater


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/08/15/proposed-wind-developments-are-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen-2/