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<< Back to "Your Voice" Archive“YOUR VOICE”Citizens Benefit from Wind-Farms Renewable energy is the best kind of energy. The conversion of solar radiation to usable energy in this country is our best hope for breaking our international oil dependence and for creating a clean and healthy energy future for America. Solar energy comes is many forms, direct solar conversion to electricity through photoelectric cells, heating and storage of heat in heat reservoirs for home and factory, hydroelectric power depending upon the climatic rain production capability of the sun, and wind energy. The rise in the cost of oil imported to this country has made solar-wind power economically justifiable in the US. This economic change has made the construction of wind farms economically justifiable. Wind is a natural resource that exists in many parts of the country, especially here in West Virginia, over our mountain ridges, but is nonexistent in economically reasonable amounts in other parts of the country. It is one of our natural resources here that belongs to all of us who live with the cold detrimental aspects of high winds. It is being taken, as with any natural resource, away from this area in the form of electricity. But where is the benefit to West Virginians. The recent construction of wind farms such as the one on Backbone Mountain has resulted in no economic benefit to the people. Even the construction of these wind farms is done primarily by imported (skilled?) labor, not by West Virginians. Wind is one of our natural resources, just like coal. We should not give it away. The citizens of West Virginia should benefit from this natural resource through lower electric bills and through other forms of compensation for the fact that we have to live with the wind farms that provide energy to areas that do not have this natural resource. Just like with our coal resources, it is time for West Virginians to benefit from their natural wealth rather than stand by as outsiders benefit and gain the profits from our land. Energy policy in the United States has overlooked us in West Virginia while making great profit at our expense. This situation must be reversed. If Americans need West Virginian resources, they must give us back the things that they have and we need, such as increased funding for health care, education and economic development. Cast your vote this November for open and honest representation. Write-In:
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