Protect our natural treasures
North Coast Journal | July 04, 2019 | www.northcoastjournal.com
In a world that rushes to develop everything, we have spectacular natural beauty, a place people come to restore their connection to nature. We are a travel destination for those seeking solace. If we care about the world that our grandchildren will have, we must choose to protect our natural treasures.
Terra-Gen created this list of impacts in the draft impact statement: environmental aesthetics and visual resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, noise and vibration, transportation and circulation, tribal cultural resources and wildfire (“Why I Support Terra-Gen’s Wind Project,” June 27).
The turbines will have lasting negative impacts for our environment, beyond visual ones. Changed wind patterns will further dry out the land, making wildfire more likely with flammable petroleum products delivered regularly.
Significant research and controversy exist on the ill-effects of the sub-audible sound waves on human health. More nighttime light will disrupt sleep cycles. The condors are at risk; the endangered species marbled murrelets are immediately threatened by this project. Our tribe’s appeals for respect of their ancestral ceremonial lands are ignored.
Energy Capital Partners, the petroleum and nuclear materials transportation company that bought Terra-Gen, is a $2.25 billion venture capitalist company. They are here to make big money; The company they formed, Humboldt Wind LLC, will do that.
The winds near Humboldt Bay are among the best. RCEA already applied for a commercial offshore wind lease able to be developed within five to seven years. It would provide 100 to 150 megawatts, the same as Terra-Gen’s potential, with more following. Within 15 years, we could fulfill our power needs and export surplus energy without devastating our ridges.
Do we have the foresight to craft a solution that feeds our future? Protect the beauty of our natural resources; Be a voice to craft a sustainable future. Please, speak up.
Claire Robbins, Eureka
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/07/04/protect-our-natural-treasures/