The citizens of Tazewell County will regret the decision rendered by the Board of Supervisors concerning the wind turbine ordinance. It’s an example of how they appease the wealthy influential instead of looking out for the common good of the people. Instead of being progressive for the future, we are living in a county with little opportunity and ever increasing poverty and crime rates.
The opponents main concerns seemed to be the environment and destruction of natural beauty. We should look very closely at these mountains and we’ll see that they have been annihilated by logging. This is a major ecological disaster that affects many ecosystems and will take nature decades to correct. The collateral damage such as flooding, filling watersheds with silt, and destroying wildlife habitat is being paid for by all of us. So where is the opposition to logging? A few years ago they stopped logging above Sedgewood because of citizen complaints. Why the double standards? Why do we allow ugly cell towers in areas that emit dangerous radio waves? Why do we allow ugly billboards to litter our highways? The list could go on and on. So why would wind turbines be any different?
This project would have made a major economic impact for the area. Even if the electricity goes elsewhere, think of our rate increases that everyone is so mad about. Remove the politics from any issue and cost boils down to supply and demand. We need alternative energy sources to increase supply.
This issue is of such importance should have been put on a referendum to let the people decide. One vote determined the fate of thousands of citizens. Dave Anderson said 90 percent of his constituents supported the ordinance. That’s simply not true. Everyone knows that opposition groups are far more vociferous than supporters.
We need to hold these supervisors accountable for not understanding the needs of the citizens. I encourage them to visit some of the more run-down communities in this county. Look around at the poverty and get a scanner to listen to the constant crime and mayhem that’s happening. As Delegate Will Morefield explained to me it’s ... jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Apparently, some of the supervisors don’t get it.
Bobby McCall
Cedar Bluff, Va.
