I attended a public hearing last night. Tazewell county, Virginia is considering an ordinance to regulate the construction of "tall structures" on ridge lines in the Central Appalachian county.

BP Wind Energy and a power company called Dominion want to put 400-feet tall wind turbines on a mountain in the Clinch Mountain range here, according to our local paper. They've already bought over 2500 acres.

I spoke at the hearing. As a former member of the county's Economic Development Commission and as a county resident, I commented on some specific ways in which the proposed ordinance could be improved. And I talked about the need for a strong ordinance that would define the obligations of the companies involved.

The hearing was entertaining. A blizzard was in progress. I reckon we've gotten 14 inches of snow in the last 48 hours - a fair amount for here. Wind chills tonight are suppose to hit the -15F range. And yet the school auditorium was filled with people who'd driven 20 or more miles to speak. Speakers got two minutes each. I was speaker number 41. During a break I talked to the guy that held ticket number 94 to speak - a medical doctor.


© JoshMcConnell





The speakers mostly represented two extremes. There were those who thought that the idea of a 400-foot wind turbine within site of their house was a horrible thing. They talked about perceived health hazards, potential environmental impact, the likely damage to the county's tourism industry (which is based on scenic beauty and rural historic charm), and similar frets they had. And there were those who saw the coming turbines as either economic opportunity or our bit in the war against global warming.

The majority of speakers seemed to labor under the misconception that a local board of supervisors (most states would call the body a county commission) had it within their power to prevent a multinational corporation from building a wind turbine on land they'd already purchased. I doubt they have such authority.

I have mixed emotions, myself. I'd like to think that I don't have NIMBY syndrome (NIMBY = "not in my back yard"). I'm certainly not opposed to wind energy. But I also can't help but think that there's probably a more appropriate place for the turbines than on the edge of some of the Eastern US's most beautiful national forest land.

It will be interesting to see how events progress.