Wind developers not concerned about safety

The foreign-owned companies that are rushing to put 406-foot industrial wind turbines in our beautiful Thousand Islands area are not thinking about our safety or welfare or even about helping the environment. They just want to line their pockets with your tax dollars.

The industrial wind turbines are subsidized with your federal and state taxes as well as surcharges collected from your electric bill. They will not reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil since we do not use much oil to make electricity. There will be no fossil-fuel power plants shutting down since they need them to stay on line at all times to back up any electricity generated from wind turbines. The wind does not blow all the time so an alternative source is always needed on standby or there would be blackouts when the wind quit blowing or slowed down.

The blasting that is needed to anchor these 40-story towers can disrupt neighbors' wells, affecting the quality as well as the quantity of water and also their septic systems. They can even disturb pockets of naturally occurring radon gas, which has already been found in our area. Will our towns protect us if something goes wrong or will we be stuck on our own trying to get a huge foreign-owned company to rectify any problems? We need guarantees in writing.

The towns of Clayton and Orleans said that it's OK to put a 406-foot industrial wind turbine 500 feet from your property line or 1,250 feet from your home. That is too close for our health and safety. PPM Energy wants to put 62 industrial wind turbines in a three-mile-by-six-mile area on the south side of Depauville and into LaFargeville. There are almost 330 families who live there, including 10 Amish families.

PPM Energy also wants to put 73 on the north side of Depauville. The people who want them are the ones who will receive money for having them on their land. The shame is that they are willing to put their neighbors at risk in the process. For more information go to the following Web sites: www.windaction.org and www.ninapierpont.com. There are serious health risks from living too close to them. Don't believe everything the wind developers say. Remember, they are in this for the money.

Marian Vaadi

LaFargeville