Don'tcha just love these Vermont controversies. Some are about removing dams on rivers that are used to produce relatively cheap hydropower so the fishing will improve. Others, like this one, aim to keep man-made structures like causeways because the turtles seem to need 'em. What do ya s'pose the turtles did before causeways? Still others revolve around the capacity and the reliability of the electric transmission.
Many would despoil Vermont's pristine ridgelines to build monstrous 300+ foot wind turbines vainly seeking a tiny, unreliable natural source of electric power. The good news is that the Burlington Free Press opposes this development.
At the same time, some of these same folks oppose upgrading our power transmission system arguing that we can conserve our way out of the rising demand. How do they expect the wind energy electricity to get from our mountaintops to the grid supplying homes and businesses? Oh, and if upgrading the transmission grid, the NIMBYs want the line buried or moved so their view is unobstructed. Some even resort to junk science to support their claims that EMF causes all manner of terrible diesase and defects. To their credit, the Vermont Public Service Board refused to reopen ["For the reasons explained above, we decline to exercise our discretion to reopen this proceeding, and we deny New Haven's and CLF's motions to do so."]their decision to allow the upgrade.
And... some want to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon which produces the cheapest 1/3 of Vermont's electricity without offering anything to replace it beyond conservation and windmills.
What a place!!
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