Reader opposed to allowing IWTs 

We are fortunate to live in a place that has great natural beauty, abundant wildlife, low unemployment rates, culture and industry. People travel from other counties in Indiana and states near and far to vacation and recreate here, they see that it’s special. I do too.

Montgomery County with its population of more than 38,000 people and a population density of 76 people per square mile is not an area conducive to industrial wind turbines even if you ignore the fact that most residents do not want them here. It is simply too densely populated.

Montgomery County has been growing steadily since it was founded in 1823. This indicates that Montgomery County has been a desirable place to live for almost 200 years.

I believe when you factor in the location of Montgomery County in relation to Indianapolis, Lafayette and Chicago, as well as the close proximity to the neighboring state of Illinois which is currently experiencing a mass exodus of residents, Montgomery County will continue to grow and therefore prosper because desirable places to live that are affordable are hard to come by.

The next 200 years are up to us. Do we want to turn Montgomery County into an industrial wasteland? To drive current and future residents and tourists away with industrial wind turbines placed by limited liability corporations with no long-term interest here?

Some may ask what IWT can do for the future of Montgomery County. For that I will go north to Benton County.

Benton County, with a sparse population of only 8,700 people with only 21 inhabitants per square mile has a great number of industrial wind turbines.

I have been through there frequently before the industrial wind turbines came and after. I have seen the shadow flicker on the land and have heard the sound from the turbines that you can also feel in your body as some sort of odd percussion. I have read the stories of private wells ruined, its devastating stuff.

Many of the residents there did not want IWTs there either however by the time many of the residents found out they were planned; it was too late to do much about it.

After all this, little has changed in Benton County, population continues to decline, there is still little industry, not many restaurants or even gas stations. I have not seen the great renaissance promised to Benton County residents, just a bleak landscape. People continue to leave Benton County, no one is flocking there.

To ruin people’s views would be sad. To ruin people’s quiet would be regrettable. To ruin people’s property values would be immoral. To ruin people’s health would be criminal.

Montgomery County is doing its part in using renewable energy. There are solar parks springing up everywhere. The great part about solar is it is a quiet neighbor, requires little maintenance or oil changes that require 300 to 400 gallons of oil each (that’s gallons not quarts), doesn’t tend to kill birds or animals, doesn’t threaten the groundwater. Most importantly there are no issues with casting flickering shadows or infrasound.

Montgomery County has a proud past and a promising future without industrial wind turbines, we must preserve and protect this great county – this treasure.

Michael Howell

Crawfordsville