Ridges under siege 

Vermont’s ridge lines, from north to south, on private and public land,
are being threatened by the proposed development of industrial wind
turbines.

Even our protected national forests are considered fair game as wind
developers seek permission from the U.S. Forest Service to build up to
30 of the 370-foot-tall wind towers on ridges in the Green Mountain
National Forest in southern Vermont.

If approved, the wind turbine project on Vermont’s Green Mountains would
be the first in the country to be located on national forest land —
land that was specially designated as a wilderness legacy for future
generations.

Vermonters cannot let such a blatant take-back of the public trust
succeed. They must not stand idly by while the state’s ridgelines are
sacrificed to wind development.

Now is the time to become involved. The Forest Service is seeking public
comments and questions about the proposal. Two public meetings have been
scheduled as part of an 18-month environmental review into the wind
energy project by Deerfield Wind, a subsidiary of French company ENEXCO.

In the Northeast Kingdom, another wind development is being hotly
debated by residents in the Sheffield area.

UPC Wind Management of Newton, Mass., wants to construct 24 giant wind
turbines on Hardscrabble Mountain and nearby ridges. In response to this
proposal, a group of residents has formed a coalition called Ridge
Protectors with a goal of preserving the integrity of the threatened
mountains.

Tonight, an informational meeting is being held at the Sheffield Town
Hall with representatives for the developer, residents and the state’s
Department of Public Service and Agency of Natural Resources. The public
will have a chance to question the speakers about the proposed wind towers.

This is an opportunity that should not be missed. The people who would
be affected by the high-elevation utility project deserve clear answers
about what the Massachusetts company has in store for them.

All Vermonters have a stake in these discussions. Vermont’s ridge lines,
whether public or private, are the wrong place for swooping,
strobe-lighted monstrosities. The mountains are this state’s backbone,
home to wild animals and a rare, quiet place of solitude and
contemplation for its people.

Wind turbines would transform a beautiful natural landscape into an
industrial park. This doesn’t have to happen to Vermont. Speak out now.

Wind power
public meetings
Tonight, 7 p.m., informational meeting on proposed wind turbine project
in Sheffield, Town Hall, Route 122.
Public meetings on wind towers in the Green Mountain National Forest:
Aug. 3: 7 p.m., Grand Summit Resort Hotel at Mount Snow, West Dover.
Aug. 4: 7 p.m. at Whitingham Elementary School, Jacksonville.
Comments can also be sent to Gina Owens, district ranger, USDA Forest
Service, 2538 Depot St., Manchester Center, Vt. 05255; by fax to
362-1251; or e-mail to
eastern-green-mt-finger-lakes-manchester@fs.fed.us
.
For more editorials and stories on wind power, visit
www.burlingtonfreepress.com and go
to the wind turbine link.

Editorial Staff