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The Governor has been on TV talking up the benefits of industrial wind for Aroostook County as has the president of the European corporation that owns Horizon Wind. Horizon Wind has an ad every other week in the St. John Valley Times talking about how clean is wind power. Yet anytime someone speaks of noise pollution, loss of scenic beauty or decreased property values these powerful pro-development forces dismiss it as "not-in-my-back-yard" mentality. An easy argument if it's not your backyard. For those of us who are being asked to live with industrial wind turbines; health concerns, visual pollution, and the lost security of a slow but steady increase in property values are not so easily dismissed.
Wind Turbine Syndrome is a new phenomenon and is being dismissed by the powers-that-be in the same way that Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome was during the Vietnam War. Doctors in the US, England and Australia are studying this Syndrome and insist it is real. Many people have been severely effected with this condition and the only cure is to move away from the industrial wind turbines. Unfortunately decreased property values make that impossible for some.
The Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development talks at great length of Scenic Beauty of National or State significance. Those areas must be protected from the ugliness of industrial wind turbines but the natural beauty we cherish as a balance to the difficulties of life up here are to be dismissed when the state considers applications for hundreds of these gigantic turbines.
Every horizon could be dominated by structures that dwarf everything else including our hills (consider this: if a proposed turbine was built in downtown Fort Kent and someone was at the top of the ski tow that person would have to look up to see the top of that turbine.) The strobing lights will definitely change our gloriously star-studded night skies. Anyone who was in the vicinity of Soldier Pond last winter when the cell tower had a problem which resulted in a strobing white light all night had a preview of what is in store for our skies when industrial wind turbines invade our backyards. As with lightning flashes the whole sky blinked on and off with clockwork regularity and this will go on all night every night as long as those towers stand (25-50 years.)
Property is a very real issue. There is lots of talk about decreases in property taxes but little mention of the decreases in state school funding that result from tax base increases.
It is very likely property values will decrease as anyone willing to live in proximity to industrial wind turbines or transmission towers will expect to purchase the property at bargain basement prices. Right-of-ways for transmission lines may mean eminent domain seizures of property will be something else with which we will have to learn to live.
For over 30 years reputable scientists have been warning about Global Warming. Solutions that will decrease green house gas emissions and other toxins from the air we all must breath will require sacrifices but this sudden obsession by Government with alternative energy and it's typically knee-jerk and often wrong-headed solutions are unacceptable. Industrial wind energy has not been shown to decrease dependence on environmentally destructive power sources. Cap& Trade voo-doo is a blow to common sense. Our air will get dirtier while Southern NE's gets cleaner - all on paper. In reality everyone's air will just get worse.
One final point. There are abandon industrial wind turbines in Hawaii and California ( and likely elsewhere.) The companies declared bankruptcy and left the costs of maintenance
and decommission to whoever could afford it. They are still standing, leaking oil and falling apart. There will be a lot more when the generous tax breaks disappear and Cap&Trade is found to be ineffective. The industrial wind turbines up here certainly won't be able to pay for themselves with sales of electricity for consumption.
Esse H.
Wallagrass
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