October 14, 2015
Letters, Virginia

Few realize the threat from Botetourt wind farms

Jamison: Few realize the threat from Botetourt wind farms | The Roanoke Times | October 14, 2015 | www.roanoke.com

The winds of change have been blowing quietly and almost without perception through Botetourt County. The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors has set its sails in hopes of catching those winds. Their hope is that they will blow money into Botetourt County’s bankrupt treasury while gaining notoriety as Virginia’s first county to allow construction of industrial wind projects.

Most Botetourt County residents that I have talked to are unaware of this threat to their quality of life. Of those who are aware, only a handful realizes the impact that 25 wind turbines will have on North Mountain – each as much as 550 feet tall, or 230 feet taller than Roanoke’s Wells Fargo Bank building.

The reason for this is that Apex and the board of supervisors have done a very good job of controlling the information flow.

For example, almost no one is aware that James Madison University has already assessed Botetourt County for potential wind turbine sites. They have designated 10 such sites, including Tinker Mountain, Price Mountain, Switzer Mountain, Purgatory Mountain and Coyner Mountain. These mountains are among the highest and most beautiful in Botetourt County.

Can you imagine what Botetourt County will look like in a few years if these wind projects are allowed to be constructed? As a land owner in Alleghany County, I am concerned about the negative impact that Botetourt County’s industrial wind projects will have on views that are sacred to visitors and residents of Alleghany, Rockbridge and Botetourt counties. The visual pollution from the Rocky Forge Project would desecrate those views from Interstates 64-81, U.S. 220 and even the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I hope you will do your own research and find out the truth about this wind scam. Don’t rely on the industrial wind lobby to force-feed information to you. Think twice about building industrial wind facilities that will alter our natural surroundings for at least a generation.

There are many new technologies being implemented today in the solar and energy conservation industries that can fight global warming and conserve energy without destroying our beautiful mountains.