An article in today’s N&O cites Senator Martin Nesbitt’s (D–Buncombe) argument that “industrial-scale wind turbines would destroy pristine views” as reason enough to ban commercial wind energy facilities in the mountains. (But it’s okay to have them on our pristine coastline… go figure.)
While this is clearly a stretch given the extensive site requirements of the bill, we should not be surprised as it’s just another case of NIMBYism or Not-In-My-Backyard Syndrome.
According to the North Carolina Wind Working Group, based at Appalachian State, regions in the west are just as viable as the coast. Yet it seems as long as powerful western senators are more concerned with their scenic views than renewable energy resources, we won’t see them any time soon.
Without taking into consideration the fact that wind energy is generally uneconomical, is going “green” really only okay as long as it’s not ugly? I must have missed that section of SB 3.
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