To the editor:

I must respond to the letter to the editor drafted by Dr. Richard Calhoun and printed in the Nov. 4 issue of the Jefferson Post.

In his letter Dr. Calhoun extols the virtue of large utility scale wind generation as the answer to our current energy crisis. This sounds familiar.

This same argument was used in 1973 during the Arab oil embargo when a proposal was made to construct a hydroelectric dam on the New River in Virginia. The proposed project would have flooded 42,000 acres in North Carolina and southwestern Virginia.

The forward thinking citizens of Ashe County, along with others, banded together and defeated the project. And aren’t we glad they did! Our river remains one of our region’s most spectacular resources. It, like our mountain ridges, is sacred to the heart of this county.

In much the same way as the dam would have destroyed our valleys, utility scale wind turbine generating plants threaten to deface our beautiful mountain ridges. The 400 to 600-foot tall towers, and the hundreds of miles of transmission lines required to transport the power, would irreparably change our landscape.

In 1982 our state legislature passed the Mountain Ridge Protection Act or “Ridge Law” in response to the construction of a high-rise condominium that dominates nearby Sugar Mountain. The public was so alarmed by the immensity of this extraordinarily unattractive structure that local governments joined with the state in adopting a law that prevents a repeat of such a bad decision. The speculation by some that large utility scale wind turbine plants are exempt from the Ridge Law (as are church steeples, chimneys and residential “windmills”) is ludicrous. Our newly re-elected NC Attorney General, Roy Cooper, agrees. The intent of the Ridge Law is clearly to protect the ridges of North Carolina.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s say we allow thousands of utility scale wind turbines to line our mountain ridges. At best, the potential power generation would be less than 7 percent of the state’s current energy needs. And that’s just when the wind blows. With North Carolina’s demand for power increasing at a rate of 3 percent per year in less than three years we would be back where we started, searching for additional sources of power. In the meantime, we would have lost hundreds of miles of beautiful mountain ridges.

By comparison, and according to T. Boone Pickens, building large utility scale wind generation plants in the “wind corridor” that stretches from the Texas panhandle to North Dakota could produce 20 percent of the electricity needed to power the entire United States. At this magnitude and in this relatively isolated location, wind power plants make sense. And as Dr. Calhoun suggests, perhaps it is also reasonable to solicit a wind turbine manufacturing facility to locate in Ashe County to supply turbines to areas that are more suited to their purpose.

Ashe County commissioners took a very courageous stand last year with the adoption of the Ordinance to Regulate Wind Energy Systems. The commissioners heard the concerns of our citizens and responded appropriately. The ordinance accommodates small to medium scale wind energy generation systems and at the same time protects nearby property owners from nuisance. There are provisions to waive setbacks in the event adjacent property owners agree to do so. The height limit of 199 feet alleviates the need for aviation warning lights, thus protecting our night sky. With the ordinance in effect, and North Carolina state law permitting, anyone in this county with adequate wind resources may generate power for his or her home or farm.

Our county commissions should be applauded for their actions. They have shown the same level of courage and foresight once demonstrated by those who helped save the New River.

Maria Whaley

North Carolina Mountain Federation