Turbines won’t turn area around
Jim Lisa | Observer Today | www.observertoday.com
This letter is in response to a commentary “Arkwright’s wind plans in making for 13 years” (March 19).
It’s a well-written letter, which brings out his personal point of view. So let’s take his point of view apart step by step. First calling the article and views of those opposed to wind turbines as fake news, then turning around and giving his interpretation of the real news. These are personal opinions mixed with actual concerns about the proposed windmills.
There are those who do not want them and those who do, all for personal reasons. Let’s forget all the statistics for now and concentrate on the personal reasons for and against. Some people just want peace and quiet; they move to the country to get away from the noise, traffic, congestion – they do not like commercial plants or businesses incorporated into their living environment.
Second, they do not like the look of the giant windmills, which change the landscape of the countryside for the worse. They also do not like the idea of wells that they get their water from becoming contaminated from all the digging and destruction. The countryside is being torn up, trees uprooted, roadways being built for large-size trucks, which will frequent the highways of the small countryside. So, plain and simple, I don’t want windmills around my property.
Now, let’s talk statistics, of which everyone has one to produce.
First, starting with property values of homes located near windmills plummet – just do a search on the internet with the words “property values of homes located near windmills plummet,” it states they do not gain any value.
This information was provided by PR Newswire: “Land-based wind turbines can cause property values within two miles of the 30 to 50 story high structures to plummet by 15 percent to 40 percent, according to comprehensive appraisal studies.”
The following is taken from the Forbes website: “A key point of contention against wind (and solar) farms is that they require much larger amounts of land to generate the same amount of electricity, an important downgrade of their “greenness” that goes conveniently ignored. Wind power is naturally intermittent, and plants typically operate at about 25 percent of full capacity, compared to coal and natural gas plants operating at 90 percent.
“Thus, it can take four to five wind plants to produce the same amount of electricity as a single fossil fuel plant.”
The U.S. Department of Energy has concluded that generating 20 percent of electricity (which is likely the highest we could go, see here) with land-based wind installations would demand at least 20,000 square miles, or the size of Maryland and Vermont combined. By comparison, all U.S. nuclear power plants, which produce around 20 percent of power, occupy only 110 square miles.
Perhaps most importantly, wind farms flicker, make noise, cause health problems, and can be “visual intrusions,” so their impact on property values, especially as wind power grows, is increasingly concerning.
Enough statistics for now, the writer mentions the future of the whole community will be affected by this project. With this I do agree, but it will be for the worse not the better. As for Arkwright, being a poor, rural town – that is the way most people like it. The poor part I do have a problem with since the homes in the area are well-to-do homes. If we need to reduce spending, try shared services like other communities.
Just how much will windmills reduce your taxes? Who knows Dunkirk was promised a goldmine with Urban Renewal, look how that turned out. It is as the commentary mentions, not just a matter of dollar signs, but it is a key point. A few will profit – the landowners who have one sitting on their property – the rest of us will be stuck till the day we die looking at these ugly monstrosities. If the other side’s only defense is the dollar sign, I feel you are selling your soul to the devil for it. This should be brought to a vote by the people of Arkwright to find out if we want them at all.
A couple last things, NRG will be firing back up and solar energy is in high demand. This electric is not for us, it’s for downstate, but we get the eyesore, destruction and lower property values.
I strongly oppose the Arkwright windmill project.
James Lisa is an Arkwright property owner.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/04/10/turbines-wont-turn-area-around/