Protesters turned out on the Statehouse lawn on Wednesday to oppose a wind energy project in Lowell and others planned around the state. The critics of large-scale wind say solar power is the better way to meet Vermont’s energy needs.
VPR’s John Dillon reports: Listen In
(Host) Protesters turned out on the Statehouse lawn on Wednesday to oppose a wind energy project in Lowell and others planned around the state. The critics of large-scale wind say solar power is the better way to meet Vermont’s energy needs.
VPR’s John Dillon reports: Text
(Dillon) They came by bus, many from the Northeast Kingdom, the region of the state that’s now in the bull’s eye of ridgeline wind development. Luke Snelling is with Energize Vermont, a group that opposes the projects. He told the crowd that solar energy is getting cheaper and is the better, less environmentally damaging alternative.
(Snelling) “We’re here fighting for our energy liberation. We can no longer expect that corporations in this state will set the tone for our energy future. We can’t allow it. So we’re here today to say to say no more! No more to GMP setting the agenda!” Crowd cheers.
(Dillon) Green Mountain Power is the developer of a 21 turbine project planned for the Lowell Mountain ridgeline. The project would be the largest wind development in the state, and it’s won almost all the permits it needs from state regulators. But the protesters want Governor Peter Shumlin to drop his support for large-scale wind. Organizer Steve Wright from Craftsbury delivered a letter to Shumlin’s office. He says a four-mile long road planned for the Lowell ridgeline will be 405 feet wide at each of the 21 turbine sites.
(Wright) “That’s a crime against the landscape of Vermont. We don’t need to do it, we’re smarter than that. Vermonters know how to stay warm without burning the furniture in their own house.” Read on