July 15, 2017
Letters, South Dakota

Big wind spends big money to defeat county

Letter: Big wind spends big money to defeat county | Argus Leader | July 14, 2017 | www.argusleader.com

During the days leading up to the Tuesday, July 18, vote, many will be bombarded with multimedia ads promoting an industrial wind farm in Lincoln County. The developers and promoters will be giving half-truths to sugar coat how wonderful this development will be. They say that the county is banning wind energy, but that isn’t legal in this state. They will tell you the millions of dollars that this project has the potential to produce, without telling you it’s over a 40-50 year period. They won’t tell you this amount is speculative and that it is divided in so many ways between the state and locally, that it doesn’t amount to much of anything for anyone. They won’t tell you that towns will receive nothing. They will say that many jobs are created, but few jobs will remain once the building crews leave. They will say they will make electricity cheaper, yet our electric cooperatives tell us that adding wind energy has already increased our electric rates. Dakota Power Community Wind’s own survey, as slanted as it was, said that Southern Lincoln County doesn’t want to live surrounded by industrial wind turbines, yet they will attempt to use Northern Lincoln County to shove it down our throats anyway. Their motto appears to be “Divide and Conquer.”

Our commissioners spent more than three years researching this issue and decided that a home should be at least 2,640 feet from a massive industrial wind turbine to protect the people who live here. Dakota Power Community Wind disagreed and forced this election, which will cost the taxpayers of Lincoln County $25,000-$30,000. They want these towers to be 1,000-1,500 feet from a home. Why? Because they will make more money if they have more towers. They don’t care about the people of Lincoln County at all, but only their profits.

So, do you want to make wind developers and their investor’s rich using your tax dollars; or, do you want to protect Lincoln County? Please vote “yes” on July 18, so homes are at least 2,640 feet from an industrial wind turbine. Thank you.

Deanna Brouwer

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/07/15/big-wind-spends-big-money-to-defeat-county/