Some Thoughts on Ashfield and Wind Power

To The Moderator, Ashfield Town Common,
And……
To our citizens, one and all:

Regarding a very recent blog post entitled:
~ Maybe in Our Backyard?
~ Could wind energy be coming to Ashfield?

The simple answer that jumps to my mind is: probably not. And let me add, sadly not.

Energy related matters have a perverse way of dividing the most civil of citizens. Local, regional, and national polls consistently show that large majorities of citizens feel we should:

- use less energy;

- develop energy sources that lead to less dependence on foreign oil;

- depend more on clean, renewable sources of energy rather than fossil fuels;

- and on, and on, and on.

Following quickly on the heels of any such poll come concrete initiatives to deal with the issues enumerated above. And sadly, all too often NIMBY comes racing out of the closet to strike at the hearts and minds of all who want to effect change.

After reading about Mr. Well’s appeal in David King’s post, I just had to hit the internet. As is often the case, I ended up on Wikipedia, wondering if there was a NIMBY entry. Indeed – read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIMBY. From there, I went on to Google the issue of wind farms and found a powerful read from Change.org. Give it a look-see here: http://environment.change.org/blog/view/nimbyism_vs_wind_energy_battle_continues.

I stand opposed to NIMBY stances that citizens often take when the good of the public is subjugated to the desires of a few. In addition, and with equal fervor, I also stand opposed to our town, by way of its Selectboard, taking a formal stand on the matter of a wind farm. In my humble opinion, we are not nearly ready to take on any issue that has the power to pit one citizen against another – no matter how important, no matter how seemingly benign. Ashfield has come through a particularly tough year. Our wounds are still too deep, our nerves still too frazzled, our Selectboard still too young as a working team to tackle such a potentially divisive issue as the development of a wind farm.

I don’t think there is any doubt that we have all moved forward, and progress continues to be made. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that lawsuits (plural) remain to be settled, lost emails have yet to be recovered, and wounds beg for time to heal.

The issue before us, as outlined in Mr. Wells' appeal, is to have the Selectboard formally take a stand in opposition to H. 4687. I would suggest that in doing so, the Selectboard would need a full measure of finesse, a gallon of luck, a bit of legal advice, and the wisdom of Solomon tossed in for good measure. I feel the costs associated with drafting such a potentially divisive letter are simply too great a burden to bear for our town in the sensitive state we are still in.

Are there alternatives? Indeed there are. A phone call to our State Representative costs nothing but time. A letter penned to that Representative costs a mere 44 cents in postage. Another venue for individual opinions are the editorial pages of our three local and regional newspapers. Why not start there? Let all our voices and opinions be heard! And in fairness to the Selectboard, let’s not burden them with the task of attempting to frame an opinion that will need to speak for all of the citizens they were elected to represent.

Paul Swem
Baptist Corner Road