Shennannigans on the Wind Turbine Issue Before the Board?

Butch Church

I have tried to keep out of the wind generator fight in Roanoke County for all these months after giving my thoughts on it, but I continue getting e-mails from both sides, often shrill and accusatory in tone, filled with so much information that it would take an engineer to understand them.

I have a great deal of sympathy for those who oppose the huge generators on top of a pristine mountain, but, as I said earlier, if we don't start generating alternative energy, we won't start generating alternative energy and, even with its perceived faults, this is an option that is facing us right now, one we can try. If it fails, it will and the generators can come down. If not, we have a start.

In any case, the latest note from Diana Christopulos of the Cool Cities Coalition and an ardent supporter of the generators, is troubling on a number of levels. I'll let her tell you:

"Wanted you to be aware of this troubling development regarding [tonight's] hearing on the large wind energy ordinance. Mark Hanson, one of tomorrow's speakers who supports wind energy (also started the Renewable Energy Electric Vehicle club and has taught wind energy at Dabney Lancaster Community College - he is a very knowledgeable guy), had gotten off work and made a special trip to the [Roanoke] county offices in the last day or so to see that his short video could work - showing how wind turbines really look and sound. This was to be in place of his speaking. He was told that it all worked and that he would be able to do that.

"Now, he has learned from the clerk to the board that Chairman [Butch] Church has forbidden his showing of the video. I am concerned that this continues a pattern of behavior that was evident at the first reading, when the chairman invited several wind opponents to speak but neither invited nor informed supporters of wind energy that this unusual opportunity to speak during a first reading would be allowed.

"We are concerned that the chairman will try to arbitrarily manipulate the hearing tomorrow for reasons not known."

I'll let you judge what's going on here, but Butch Church is not the sharpest pencil in the box.