Many questions about wind
Toolbox
Published: November 7, 2009
Thank you to Art Kruegger for raising the question about whether big wind turbines built on Vermont's mountaintops will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That is a question Vermonters for a Clean Environment has been attempting to answer for seven months, and we are still looking for answers. When taking into account wind's intermittency and the need for spinning reserves, steel turbine bases made in China (from coal generation), thousands of truckloads of aggregate and concrete hauled to the tops of mountains, habitat fragmentation and wildlife impacts, the complexities of cap-and-trade systems, tax credits and incentives, and impacts from noise on nearby residents, the answer is not as clear-cut as might be assumed. Nor is his over-simplified description of our position on the issues accurate. We encourage the public to ask questions, demand answers, and learn more for themselves about the complex issues associated with large wind turbines on Vermont's mountains.
ANNETTE SMITH
(Executive director,
Vermonters for a
Clean Environment)
Danby
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