So I'm browsing in a health food store over the weekend, checking out all the earthy posters when I run across one trying to raise support to keep a wind turbine farm from being built 15 miles from Lewisburg, WV. As I read the poster, I just got madder and madder about the claims the author was making. Claims of noise, decline in property values, reduction in tourism, destroyed habitat and other such things. It just really bugged me. We're always being told we need to develop alternative energy sources and I'm on board. I'd bet this guy supported the idea as well until someone decided to build a wind farm near his place, now they're evil.

I wrote down the website and had a look at Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy . More on the evils of wind turbines, but I also noticed it seems to be one man's crusade. It also looked like he was misrepresenting and distorting some facts and that bugged me too. Suppose everything he says about them is true (which I doubt), we're all going to have to make some sacrifices in order to end our dependancy on fossil fuels and sun, wind and water are some really good places to start. I guess I felt that once I was buying into the whole thing, this earth advocate betrays the cause and starts worrying about his slice of the capital pie.

And I've been to the wind farm in Thomas, WV that he mentions. Personally, I think its really cool and quite the attraction. I didn't notice a lot of noise either, under the turbines or about half a mile away. The vegatation has regrown and its a pretty nice site. I liked it so much I took a bunch of pictures.

Anyway, if we're really going to change how this country operates, we're going to have to develop and support these types of efforts. Otherwise, we can just keep burning coal and oil or just move to the moon and live in a shack.

I totally agree Rabban. If we don't start taking advantage of the non-renewable resources now, it will be far too late once our fossil fuels run low. But just think, we could always start a one-child policy instead of destorying the tourism in Lewisburg when we are out of oil.

If he thinks that's noisy, he should visit a hydroelectric dam sometime, or a coal fired electicity plant. I guess he's all for wind power as long as it isn't in his back yard. Hypocrite.

And excuse me for being blase, but that ridge he's "trying to save" isn't even very attractive or pristine looking. Looks like a tree farm gone bad.

One more reason to hate hippies.

Last edited: Friday, April 21, 2006 at 10:14:51 AM

Those do not look like they are 400+ ft.

...would he rather we put a nuclear power station on his doorstep instead?

And I thought this was going to be about hippies.