Guest editorial – MB writes:

Here’s a quote from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s piece on wind turbines:

"All of us need periodically to experience wilderness to renew our
spirits and reconnect ourselves to the common history of our nation,
humanity and to God. The worst trap that environmentalists can fall
into is the conviction that the only wilderness worth preserving is in
the Rocky Mountains or Alaska. To the contrary, our most important
wildernesses are those that are closest to our densest population
centers, like Nantucket Sound."

Forested hills, lovely farmland, beautiful streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds, and clean air–all of these things abound in the Southern Tier of NY and Northeast PA. And–wonder of wonders–the area containing these clean and green treasures is home to millions of people and within easy traveling distance for millions more. What a great place to renew our spirits! Wow–if one didn’t know better, it would seem that Kennedy was writing about OUR region!!!

But no. It was Nantucket Sound he wanted to protect. From a wind farm.

I understand that wind farms present problems. I really do. Yet, frankly, at this point I would jump for joy if we could have wind farms instead of gas drilling. At least then any sacrifices we might make would be for truly clean and renewable energy and my husband and I wouldn’t have to worry about our house exploding, our water catching fire, our bodies being contaminated with endocrine disruptors and NORMS, our road being filled with dangerous truck traffic, our lungs being filled with smog, or the possibility that we might at some point be told to evacuate because of a gas well fire or a chemical spill or a pipeline explosion (assuming we had not already been killed by the fire or the spill or the explosion). And it’s bad enough that we–who have already had 25 good years here, will be subjected to the nightmare of drilling–what about the little kids who will grow up surrounded by it? Not to worry: I’m sure we can “mitigate” the damage caused to these children’s bodies and spirits by locking them inside (out of the smog) and having them watch videos of beautiful Nantucket Sound on their computer screens.

I used to think that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was a real environmentalist. I didn’t think he was just one more rich guy protecting his own turf at someone else’s expense. Guess I was mistaken.