August 10, 2008 05:43 am
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For anyone who's traveled north of the city recently on Route 9, the Northway or any other road with an obstructed view to the west, it's pretty hard not to notice the wind towers.
The 65 turbines being built by Noble Environmental Power in the Town of Altona along Rand Hill Road are visible far and wide. Along with hundreds of others that are being built in the region, they will be making a significant contribution to the energy needs of the state, clean energy at that. And with the North Country a prime location for wind, it's inevitable that more will soon be on the way.
Historically, there have been two ways of looking at wind developments, and they often present an especially painful quandary for environmentalists.
Proponents see them as "majestic" in appearance, a boon to the economy and tax bases of small, rural communities, a source of jobs and -- best of all -- a method of clean, carbon-free energy generation.
But others are not enamored of their appearance. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas has called them the "industrialization of the ridgelines," and construction plans in Vermont have been contentious. An off-shore wind-farm plan in Cape Cod has pitted rich and famous oceanfront property owners against less affluent residents struggling to pay utility bills.
Naysayers find them out-of-scale hulks looming over a rural landscape, spoiling the viewshed and scenic vistas.
Nearby residents fear the noise, "flickering" strobe-light effect of the rotating blades and devaluation of their property values.
But no onc is against pollution-free energy. And now, with oil hovering around $125 a barrel and the threat of global warming becoming conventional wisdom rather than a wild-eyed theory, the argument deserves a second look.
First, it's important to confront the issue in an open way, garner public opinion and plan ahead. Some towns in Clinton County have declared a moratorium to give time for careful study of whether wind towers are appropriate for their communities and, if so, where they should they be located.
This is a wise approach. Towns have zoning laws for a reason, and wind turbines should conform. They may not be the best idea for residential neighborhoods where there is public opposition and people have invested their life savings and developed emotional ties on faith that zoning regulations were in place to protect their interests and way of life. That is a reasonable expectation that should be honored.
At the same time, farmers in agricultural areas may welcome the towers to supplement their income and may not find them any more offensive to look at than barn silos. In rural areas, if there's a good site for wind development and property owners are substantially in favor, hearings can be held and zoning restrictions altered to allow such development, if that's clearly what residents want.
There's also the conflict-of-interest problem. Some local officials have apparently been more interested in striking deals with wind companies for their own land rather than taking into account the general well being of the town. This shouldn't be tolerated, even if the conflict of interest is only apparent.
But if the rules are followed, conflicts avoided and plans put into place beforehand in a transparent way with adequate public input, the energy needs of the country and the preservation of the environment require that opponents should take another look.
With a little imagination, maybe they can see the "majestic" aspect rather than dismiss them as a blight on the landscape and we look at the horrible pollution in China from industry and coal-fired power plants, and all the trouble that has caused in preparation for the Olympics, anything that will help keep the skies blue deserves the benefit of the doubt.
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