Wyoming Land Owners Fight Turbine Project (OPINION)

Several billboards have been purchased in Albany County in an effort to push public and political opinion against a wind farm project in that county.

With the title "Forever Ruined" the billboards and the website bring to light the concerns of local residents that are not often heard.

Texas based company ConnectGEN wants to build a 26,000 acre industrial wind turbine farm in the Laramie Valley. They hope to begin the project in early 2021.

If completed there would be 151 turbines at 675 feet in height. Also a 7000 square foot maintenance building. Add to that an 8 acer switch yard and 5 acers of substations.

The first concern is a ruined view causing plummeting property values. "Our goal is that Albany County revises and publishes an energy management plan, so that future projects are conducted with transparency, and with the interests of Albany County residents first and foremost." (From the website).

Along with these issues we must also bring up some important environmental concerns that come with what is mislabeled as "green energy."

The toxic nature of strip mining for rare earth minerals does not have much of an effect on Wyoming. Most of that takes place in foreign countries. Over there they have destroyed entire eco systems so we could build "green energy" here in America.

America does not worry much about the toxic nature of rare earth mineral mining and processing, but we do have to worry about disposing of it. The wind never blows evenly. That means the energy produced by these turbines must be sent to massive battery farms where the energy is stored, then drawn off evenly. Those massive battery farms become massive piles of toxic waste that America has to dispose of.

Next we find out that all of those blades, which do not last forever, are being buried underground here in Wyoming.

Besides the view and property values being destroyed, Wyomingites can add to the list of concerns bird kills and threats to migration corridors.

Not clean, not green, not sustainable, not renewable and not reliable since those blades cannot turn when there is no wind, or it is too windy, or too hot, or too cold.

Coal and Gas plants, on the other hand, take up far less land and actually produce a reliable source of energy.