Editor’s note: This commentary is by Naomi Bindman, who is a retired educator and writer who lives in North Bennington. The Public Service Board is taking comment on new wind turbine noise standards until Thursday.
Last week I attended one of the Public Service Board’s hearings on Vermont’s proposed wind sound regulations, uncertain of the significance of those rules, or of their necessity. Through the course of the evening many Vermonters spoke about the need for wind power, and some spoke of concerns. It became clear that the 35 decibel limit is far quieter than the hum of the room’s heating and cooling system (by about 30 decibels, in fact). It is considerably less than the screeching and shrieking brakes of the freight train that keeps my community awake many nights; it is even lower than the sound of the train idling all night long. Most importantly, the proposed limits are unreasonably restrictive, and if enacted, would serve as a virtual ban on the future development of wind power in our state.
Almost 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to hear the award-winning writer Gretel Ehrlich speak in Manchester. Ehrlich had just spent a year traveling around the world, documenting for National Geographic the effects of global warming on indigenous peoples. She warned that we had only 10 years (at the then current rates of greenhouse gas increase) before the disastrous effects of climate change would be unstoppable: the polar ice caps would melt, the methane trapped in permafrost would be released, and the heating of the Earth would spiral out of control.
We are now on the brink of climate disaster. The Earth has warmed even faster than anticipated. Everything that was predicted is now happening: warming and rising oceans, flooding of coastal areas and island nations, bizarre worldwide weather patterns including drought in some areas and severe storms in others, polar ice sheets and glaciers melting, permafrost thawing, methane rising and the world’s temperature increasing and breaking records every single month.
Lest we think that the social upheaval due to drought and famine is someone else’s problem, consider the refugee crises that will only be exacerbated as more and more coastal lands become submerged. Nearly 40 percent of the Earth’s population lives within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of coastlines; this includes the majority of the world’s mega cities. When those people are forced to move inland, the pressures on existing resources — including food and water — will be extreme. We humans don’t share well.
It is irresponsible to prohibit the development of wind power in Vermont, while happily consuming power generated from coal, fracked gas and oil that devastates the ecosystems of other states and nations; sources that contribute to the drastic heating of our planet — a death spiral for humanity and most existing life forms.
Why am I reciting this litany in a piece about wind power in Vermont? Here, we are fairly insulated from the effects of climate change. Yes, we will lose our ski and maple sugaring industries, but we’re well away from coastlines, and hey, if we have a longer growing season, that’s OK. But we are not isolated. We are one Earth. Humanity is interrelated, and we cannot sit back while the world around us burns. The only thing we control is our own contribution to the problem. We must dramatically reduce our use of fossil fuels, and that means turning to renewables — now.
It is only the insatiable greed of the coal, oil and gas industries and their control over the political process that prevents a rapid switch to earth-saving energy sources. As Michael Brun, executive director of the Sierra Club, has said succinctly, “We don’t have a technological problem. We don’t even have an economic problem anymore. It’s a political problem.” Vermont’s current goal, to obtain 90 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2050, falls far short of addressing the current crisis. We, the people, must insist on the immediate implementation of safe, clean energy solutions. If we wait even another 10 years, it will be too late.
After listening to the testimony about the proposed wind sound restrictions before the PSB in Bennington last week, I felt moved by the concerns of those cautious about the possible effects on communities near future wind installations. It was also clear, however, that it is quite possible, and indeed necessary, to move rapidly and safely, to a mix of renewable sources of energy in Vermont, including small and medium, as well as some large-scale wind.
One speaker made the point that hearing is subjective: one person’s annoyance noise is to someone else unnoticeable. So, too, aesthetic preferences vary. Some people consider windmills a blot on the landscape, while others find them beautiful. My own experience driving out west through miles and miles of unexpected wind farms in Iowa and in Sweetwater, Texas, was the feeling of being in the midst of quiet giants doing a majestic dance. I have skied 100 yards away from a huge wind turbine that was virtually silent in its rotation. Even if one does not find wind turbines to be like large, lovely mobiles, all must agree that they are far less objectionable than high tension power lines, refineries, smoke stacks, tar sands, poisoned lakes and rivers, nuclear cooling towers, or mountains whose tops have been blasted into rubble.
As citizens of the world and as fellow Americans, I believe it is selfish to take the “not in my backyard” approach. It is irresponsible to prohibit the development of wind power in Vermont, while happily consuming power generated from coal, fracked gas and oil that devastates the ecosystems of other states and nations; sources that contribute to the drastic heating of our planet — a death spiral for humanity and most existing life forms.
I ask the Public Service Board to reconsider the proposed restrictive decibel limits on wind turbines and to set more reasonable levels in order to allow the thoughtful development of wind power in Vermont. I hope that Vermonters, concerned about protecting a livable Earth for future generations, will join in a loud chorus supporting the development of wind power, as one essential source of renewable energy.
