Windfarms and Rich Senators

So heres what I am up on my soapbox about today. It seems that the application process for all new wind farms has been stopped because a few wealthy Senator's, surprisingly including Sen. Edward Kennedy & Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are upset that a proposed wind farm in the channel between Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard would upset their multi-million dollar view. Senator John Warner, R-Virginia, had tried to stop the proposed wind farm several times and in 2002 wrote a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers saying that he visits Cape Cod often. The project moved forward until Sen. Warner slipped an amendment into a military spending bill that contained a one sentence congressional order directing the Defense Department to study whether wind towers could mask the radar signals of small aircraft. At the Defense Departments behest the FAA is blocking any new wind turbines within the scope of radar systems that are used by the military. Previously the FAA and the Air Force had both signed off on the project which would be built within miles of a missle defense radar system. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that Sen. Warner is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

This moratorium has led to stop-work orders being sent out to at least 15 wind farm proposals in the Midwest, including one outside Bloomington, Ill that would generate enough electricity to power 120,000 homes in Chicago.

So why am I up on my soapbox about this? I find it ridiculous that one Senator is putting on hold sources of clean, renewable power so he does not have to look at wind turbines on his vacation to Martha's Vineyard. Maybe instead he would like to have a beautiful oil refinery built in his back-yard or a oil drilling platform off the coast of his vacation home! It is obvious that this Senator puts his pleasure in front of the needs to the People of the United States of America.

I encourage anyone who reads this to write their Senators, Representative and the President. We the people do have the power to make a difference! We just have to pay attention to what is going on and let those in power know that we know what they are doing and we do not like it!