November 21, 2015
Letters, Vermont

Your vote is your voice; thank you for exercising it Nov. 17

Saint Albans Messenger; November 21, 2015 via swantonwindvt.org

Thank you to the residents of Swanton for coming out to vote on November 17th. 895 people in total voted to express their opinion on Industrial Wind in the town of Swanton. And the overwhelming result was that industrial wind is NOT appropriate to be placed in a neighborhood in Swanton. In talking with fellow citizens, they are not against renewable energy, but they do want it to be done correctly and the proposed project for this town is not a good installation. It is too large for the ridge and it is too close to people’s homes.

Will Montpelier listen to the people? They should.

These people are not misinformed or uninformed. Many of the people who voted did their homework on industrial wind turbines.

The opposition states that the vote was premature, but they have been working on this project for well over a year now. Much of that time was without the town’s knowledge and without the neighbor’s knowledge. They had more than enough time to educate the people of Swanton on what they perceive as the benefits of this project.

The developers were going door to door the same as the opposition was. They had their shiny brochures while we had our bright yellow information sheets. We felt that our reception was great and the developers felt the same way, but in the end, education on the issues with wind in Vermont and particularly this project won out and Swanton said a loud NO to this project.

The Swanton Community doesn’t want this project. The Governor doesn’t want this project. Green Mountain Power, Vermont Electric Co-op, Burlington Electric and Washington Electric do not want or need the power from this project. The upgrades to the infrastructure would be expensive and detrimental to the ratepayers. The FAA has said that this project cannot be built due to interference with Boston radar. The Vermont Army National Guard has said that this project will negatively impact rotary wing flight operations. And then there are the wetlands and the high habitat block that would be disturbed by this project and the negative impact on Fairfield Pond. If someone really cared about their community and the environment, why would they push forward with this project? If you really want to do something for the Swanton community, turn the ridge into a town forest that can be enjoyed by all for generations to come.

Thanks again Swanton – your vote is your voice and you have spoken. Now we just need to be sure that the voice of Swanton is heard in Montpelier.

Christine Lang
Swanton

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/11/21/your-vote-is-your-voice-thank-you-for-exercising-it-nov-17/