Cuba City Graduate Frustrated by Community Opposition to Wind Farm

By Andrew Alt

 

A former supervisor of mine keeps a sign posted in his office to this day. It reads, "In God We Trust; all others bring data." As a senior engineer at one of our nation's premiere medical device manufacturers, I have learned the value of these words. Millions of people around the world count on our products to work, leaving no room for errors in judgment when it comes to product quality and reliability. That is why we employ only the best and brightest people who utilize cutting-edge tools and techniques to make informed, data-driven decisions in everything we do.

 

Using data to make decisions has become second nature to me thanks in no small part to the fine education I received from Saint Rose School, Cuba City High School, and UW-Platteville. That's why I get frustrated when I see or hear of people from my hometown area making poor decisions based on bad information rather than concrete evidence. Case in point: people against wind energy.

 

Make no mistake about it; the advantages of wind energy far outweigh the disadvantages. Unfortunately, this truth does not stop the naysayers from spreading their misinformation, mistruths, and misguided fears about the subject.

 

Probably the most outrageous claim that the naysayers have leveraged against wind energy is that it's not safe. I have to ask - not safe compared to what? Unlike coal, oil, and natural gas, there are no smokestacks billowing out huge clouds of smoke that poison our air (and ultimately our lungs), and no carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming. Unlike nuclear energy, there is no toxic waste that we must not only find a way to store but also protect from the hands of terrorists. Certainly, one must agree that these energy sources have bigger safety concerns than wind energy!

 

Furthermore, the safety concerns that the naysayers weigh against wind energy would seem a lot more credible if they didn't change everyday. First, they were concerned about the noise. Upon finding that wind turbines are actually very quiet, they changed their "concern" to the weakly supported theory that wind turbines cause epileptic seizures (yes, it's as crazy as it sounds). Then they were "concerned" about "ice throw". Now the latest so-called concern is Dr. Nina Pierpont's "Wind Turbine Syndrome". It seems to me like the reason for not wanting wind turbines changes every time someone finds a new insane and unsupported claim on the internet.

 

Really, I think this issue is less about being against wind farms and more about certain people in the community selfishly not wanting this in their backyards. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that most everyone reading this article uses electricity in their daily lives, and this electricity has to come from somewhere. I'm sure it's convenient for those living in Smelser Township and the surrounding areas that their electricity is generated far away in places like Cassville. But what if those plants no longer existed? What type of facility would you build then? If you're against wind energy, then what form of electricity generation are you for? Would you rather build a coal-burning plant? How about a nuclear plant? Perhaps you'd like to go with solar? (Just note that you might have some dark winters if you do.)