BURLINGTON — Supporters of a call for a three-year moratorium on wind power projects in the Vermont say the solution to global warming is to reduce the use of fossil fuels, not build industrial-scale wind projects on the state’s ridgelines.

The group that calls itself Ridgeprotectors issued a statement Monday after U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders urged Vermont lawmakers not to impose the moratorium.

Sanders says that if Vermont ceases new wind development, the message will out across the country that even in Vermont, there is not a serious commitment to combating global warming.

Ridgeprotectors say the proposed moratorium is intended as a thoughtful, bi-partisan it is a time to design a strategy for reducing emissions at their sources.

Two Vermont senators have proposed a three-year wind moratorium.