Jaffke opposes wind turbines in Clark County

Vox Pop

Clark and Marathon Counties are facing the prospect of numerous wind turbines destroying our landscape and the farming industry as we currently know it. At the Curtiss meeting on March 27, much information was given about the harmful effects of these massive 600’ (or higher) turbines: 1. Taking rich farmland out of production. At what point will we not have enough land to feed ourselves?

2. Tax credits for the rich and also China. Where do you think the batteries are produced that store the energy from the turbines?

3. Deleterious health effects on people and animals. As critical as all that is, let’s talk economics. According to a Harvard study, wind and solar produce little or no energy 70% of the time. Therefore, we still have to pay for full time power-on-demand to keep our electricity on 24/7. And what is the cost for this parttime power? Using figures from the Brookings Institute and US Energy Information, coal costs 3.4 cents/KWh, natural gas is 6.5 cents and wind is 13 cents.

Another hidden cost for the taxpayer is generous federal tax subsidies. I ran across an interesting article written by Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling. They describe an incentive called the Production Tax Credit, which expires after the first 10 years of a project’s life. The PTC, a lucrative federal subsidy paid to wind turbine operators, is “creating a perverse incentive to prematurely refurbish or replace wind projects long before the end of their useful life.” I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to have any more taxpayer dollars wasted.

These wind turbines have no place in Clark and Marathon Counties. They are a waste of money and will cost residents dearly in so many ways. They can be stopped. Please get informed, attend meetings, and contact your town chairman and state legislators. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose.

— Pamela Jaffke, Owen