[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Irregardless of whether there are zoning laws or not, most towns usually > don't have wind ordinances on the books. So that leave towns, such as > Enfield, having to deal with this issue when it comes up. > > Rather than storm the castle (ok, Enfield Community Center) with torches, > pitch forks, and impassioned arguements for wind power, please recognize: > > * Enfield is just beginning to go through this process and needs to hear both > the pros and cons of wind energy. > * Be respectful to people with different points of view. > * Most people, including anti-wind advocates, are just as concerned about the > environment and global warming. > * Calling out anti-wind folks as NIMBY-minded, takes away from some important > issues that need to be discussed. > * Figure how to be helpful, not hurtful. >
Just to reinforce this, Dryden went through a somewhat similar process and came away with a Cornell wind farm on Mount Pleasant _not_ happening and a wind ordinance on the books that presently permits small windmills but bars large ones. That bar isn't intended to be permanent, but the idea of rushing to put up windmills here met with a chilly response from a lot of residents. (The "Model Wind Ordinance" went over like a lead balloon with the Town Board here.) I suspect that Cornell believes it worked hard to reach out to residents, but residents often had a different perspective. Cornell's information seemed to come exclusively from wind power proponents, and they often weren't well-prepared to respond to questions from other perspectives. (Perhaps the FAA's interest in the airspace where the towers would go was the reason Cornell suddenly halted the project, though that's only rumor.) These barriers aren't impossible to overcome, though I'll confess to a distinct lack of fondness for 100m towers myself. Michael's definitely right that this is an issue to approach with calm and open ears, rather than pitchforks and torches. (For more on the Cornell experience and the current state of Town of Dryden law, you can look through: http://livingindryden.org/energy/ Looking for 'Renewable' or 'Alternative' in 2006 gets you most of the Dryden law stories, and the Cornell story is mostly in early 2005.) Thanks, Simon St.Laurent http://livingindryden.org/ _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
