The following letter appeared in last week's Whitman County Gazette.  Hopefully, our Commissioners are listening.

We moved into the middle of the Palouse farm-ground with our "eyes wide open." We understood there would be dust, chemical spraying, smokey stubble fires, cat-eating coyotes, huge slow-moving farming equipment on roads and roads closed by snow in winter. That's part of country life.

 

Along with that, you get the peace and serenity of the scenic rolling landscape and great neighbors as benefits. Enjoyment of abundant populations of hawks, eagles, owls, bats, migratory birds and other wildlife are all icing on the cake. What we didn't anticipate was our county paving the way for huge, greedy, out-of-state corporations to come in here and erect 500 foot tall commercial wind farms on the Palouse. These same officials zoned against you building your own home on a ridge-line you own. What's wrong with that picture?
 

I understand that commercial wind energy has become a new "religion," however, just a little research will show the horrendous negatives involved. Cover this entire state with commercial wind turbines and it still won't solve the problem! Commercial wind power hasn't proven to be the answer anywhere in this world! European countries know that. "One after another the E.U.'s green dreams of cheap, planet-saving renewable energy have been hitting the brick wall of reality." (Energy Tribune, Christopher Booker, 8/17/07) The European landscape is littered with wind turbines and they are begging their governments to build a whole lot more nuclear power stations before it is too late!

 

I am not willing to sacrifice the beautiful Palouse for something driven by greed and having no basis in economic reality! This doesn't make sense in our county or our state. If you don't speak out, these things will pop up like Canada Thistles, except there won't be any herbicides to keep them in check! 

Carolyn Kiesz, Thornton