April 7, 2019
South Dakota

Not happy with Noem’s stance on wind energy

The Daily Republic | Apr 6, 2019 | www.mitchellrepublic.com

In response to Gov. Noem’s letter “Enhancing SD’s Energy Potential” it sounded like a Big Wind lobbyist might have written it.

Some South Dakota residents choose not to “throw open the window” as the wind turbine outside is too loud or the window may be covered over with dark shades to prevent the shadow flicker from entering their living space.

When the governor uses the term “all of the above” that’s code words for “Green New Deal.” When our grassroots organization was asking for safe setbacks from wind turbines (HB1226) the governor told us in a private meeting that “she wouldn’t oppose it.”

But she did. She sent her lawyer/lobbyist Aaron Scheibe to testify right alongside the Big Wind and Sierra Club lobbyists. She repeated this effort with SB15, which takes away most of the chance for citizens to protect their homes through the intervention process. Although she claims she’s working with the PUC, I would say it’s more like “working over” the PUC.

She vetoed the PUC sponsored bill that would give the citizens and the PUC more time in the application process. Then she says, “tap into homegrown energy sources that will reduce prices.” Show me one press release or one utility bill in which wind has reduced prices and I’ll show you five where it increased prices.

Instead of comparing South Dakota to Mississippi, why not compare it to our bordering state Minnesota, where their utility bills were 20 percent below the national average until they started this wind turbine craze and now their bills are above the national average?

Our governor, along with AOC and John Thune, has drank the climate change Kool-Aid while in Washington, D.C. and her plan is to turn South Dakota into Iowa or Minnesota, one big wind farm with taxpayers providing the money and the multinational and foreign corporations making billions (and funding her campaigns). She’s part of the scam, don’t be fooled. South Dakota rural residents are being robbed of their quality of life “for the greater good.”

Gregg Hubner

Avon

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/04/07/not-happy-with-noems-stance-on-wind-energy/