Wind Towers-Complaining for all the wrong reasons.

I don’t usually blog about local matters but this controversy about wind towers being built atop some of our mountains and ridges is beginning to get my goat. And just so you know, I think it’s a viable solution to begin pulling away from our dependency on the power grid or at the very least, a darn good start.

The natives of Vermont have always had the reputation of being extremely independent, ornery and well, stubborn to say the least but more often then not, they always had a good dose of common sense as well. But now, in the ever growing controversy that surrounds generating power from wind towers to offset the rising cost of energy, there has been a fair amount of opposition from the towns that are situated at the base of the mountains that these proposed wind towers will be built upon and even from the general population as well.

This is to be expected but what really irks the hell out of me is the reason quite often heard concerning this opposition. There are way too many groups circulating petitions in order to try and stop these wind towers not because of the possible impact on wildlife or the increased noise pollution, no, nothing sensible like that. These people are worried about their view! Yeah, you heard me, they don’t want this non polluting renewable type energy to be considered because it will spoil their view.

These are some of the same folks that opposed badly needed cell towers that would be used to finally cover the rural areas currently not covered by cell service. Services that not only provide that needed cell coverage but also provide the ability for the folks in those areas the ability to call the appropriate authorities when an emergency arose and they didn’t have access to regular land lines. Why did these groups oppose these cell towers? Because the towers would be unsightly! It spoils their view for crissakes! Even the ones they disguise as trees.

If you don’t understand how important this is, just consider that farming is considered one of the most dangerous occupations in the world and what happens if there’s a problem out in the fields? And for those who work in the woods? What about them? Truckers stuck on the highway with no cell service or a mother with children stuck in a snow storm somewhere there’s no coverage? We also have a lot of old folks around here who enjoy walking around the countryside who have been clamoring for this service as well for obvious reasons. For those that don’t know, there are many areas in Vermont that the land lines don’t reach even today. What are those folks supposed to do when an emergency arises. When it comes to this badly needed coverage, you opposition groups can just take a powder. You don’t like it? Go live somewhere else where your view is better.

So my response to these view mongers is this: You’re wasting our time and the the time allotted to town meetings with your selfish oppositions.  If you want to oppose these wind towers than oppose them for viable reasons that might concern more important things like our wildlife and the effect thereof, or the impact on our local environment, possible noise pollution and yes, even the the impact on tourism. Oppose them because you don’t like the politics behind them or because there are kick backs and tax subsidies that are benefiting all the wrong people and entities but for heavens sake, not because it spoils your damned view.

I can always respect viable concerns but opposition for selfish reasons or for a "Not In My Backyard" attitude to something that really needs to be seriously considered, I’ll tell you what…

We’ll just park a couple of new Nuke plants along the Connecticut River instead. How about that?