Every life, every work is a legacy. Survivors of the Great Depression left a legacy of extreme frugality. The ‘80s Farm Crisis impacted not just farming practices and its related lifestyle, but also our psyche, the survivor’s fear loss. They fear the loss of the farm, loss of the farming lifestyle and loss of identity. These drive farmers to hang on to property at great costs to their legacy.
Converting agricultural and wildlife area to the use of industrial wind turbines irreversibly destroys it. It is a legacy of destruction: the removal of the best soil in the world for the base, 1 and 1/2 inch-thick steel stands, supporting as much as 154,000 lbs., 269 to 545 ft. in the air on a concerte and rebar platform, weighing 1,000 tons, 30 to 50 feet across and 6 to 30 feet deep. Pylons may be driven further to anchor it. This supports the nacelle and 100 to 300 ft. long blades made of resin and fiberglass with no recyclable value. The transport weight destroying the tile lines is to metric tons. Several acres are required around the turbines including significant roads that can support the weight of transporting the enormous weight of construction.
The construction of industrial wind turbines affects aquifers, water flow, tile lines, soil erosion, soil compaction, air pressure and current. In essence, it is destruction of the farm land that the generations before us were proud of and left for us to feed the world with.
Easement contracts are another debt inadvertently left as a legacy. Easements essentially give away the rights to the land for [over 30] years. The companies that hold the leases may use them as collateral, whether they are utilizing the easement or not. Construction companies may file a lien against the landowner when the easement owner does not make payment. If the company is no longer in existence at the end of the easement agreement, or when the turbine is no longer functional, the landowner is responsible for removal at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A Blattner Energy quote states that the cost at $675,000 today. What will it be for our children and grandchildren? How much money are you going to receive for the easement over the next 30 years?
Do not sign an easement or a “good neighbor agreement” with a wind energy company or ITC.
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This letter was submitted on behalf of the Adams County Priceless Land Coalition