To the Editor:
Dear Mr. Bono and Town Board of Madison,
(June 2013) I am a property owner in the proposed wind project area (Robinson Hill). I currently reside in Tennessee and return as often as I can to visit family and enjoy the natural beauty of the land. When I was young I never knew how absolutely beautiful central New York is until I had been gone for some years. It was for the stunning beauty, vistas, and memories that I bought from my father this small corner of what had been our family farm.
Currently electric power generation accounts for 40 per cent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions every year; that is 2.4 BILLION tons every year being added to the atmosphere. Some people believe that climate change is all just a contrived hoax. Yet it is a visible fact that all over the world glaciers and ice sheets are receding at unprecedented rates. The more ice that disappears the more the atmosphere and oceans will heat up. At some perhaps not distant time our natural planetary air conditioning (the ice) will be overwhelmed and temperatures then could be like a runaway train.
Last year here in Nashville in June an all time record high of 113 degrees was set. Fortunately we only had a week or 10 days of that.
So, will I allow wind turbines to be placed on or near the beautiful land which has been in our family going on four generations? Yes, I most certainly will. It is the very least I can do. There are people using electricity who are happy to use it so long as THEY don’t have the coal, gas or nuclear plant in their line of sight, but they are going to scream and holler because they might see some wind turbines in their “VIEWSHED”? If only they could see past the end of their noses they might see what the future holds for their grandchildren. It is not pretty. Educated young people understand this, and that they are getting the shaft.
I thought it was exciting when the first turbines went in on Carl Stone’s property. We could see them from Dad’s living room window – no one was bummed out about it. I went up to Carl’s near the turbines – I couldn’t hear them. Carl hadn’t seen any dead birds. Cars and cats are a much greater threat to birds.
Financially, the wind project is good for the schools, town, and all the property owners. I know it means a lot to me as it will pay the taxes and provide some supplemental income.
In fact, if there are 7,500 acres involved in the project, then that is 7,500 acres on which the taxes will be paid for sure. Land which otherwise is difficult to make a living on.
Also, if anything, I would think that this project will be beneficial for tourism, as many people will come from cities and elsewhere to see and visit the very beautiful countryside with the turbines.
Finally, I am amazed by the group of people fighting this project. Who are these people? Are they a majority opinion or just a very loud, very well financed minority? Do they prefer to get their electricity from fossil fuels? Are they even slightly aware that fossil fuels are causing great environmental problems? Are they climate change deniers? Do they care? And financially why would they deny the schools, township and private landowners income? Again, do they care?
Sincerely,
Tom and Barbara Elliott
Summertown, Tn.