The founders of the Kent Conservation & Preservation Alliance are the first to say that their new organization walks in the footsteps of some remarkable Kent County citizen committees. From Chestertown’s own little tea party prior to the Revolutionary War, to Kent Preservation’s stunning victories in turning back nuclear power plants and waste incineration plants in the 1970s and 80s, and more recently grassroots efforts to save the local hospital from downsizing, this small region on the Eastern Shore has had over 300 years of pushing back on what it considers to be threats to its special way of life.
But Kent County farmers Judy Gifford, Pat Langenfelder, and Janet Christensen-Lewis joined by heritage consultant Elizabeth Watson; all believe that their cause to prohibit large-scale wind and solar land use rises to the same level of concern as these other causes.
In their Spy interview, the organizers behind KCPA make their case that large corporation plans currently under consideration for new solar and wind farms in Kent County will permanently and negatively impact the region’s most precious asset, its open spaces.
This video is approximately twelve minutes in length. For more information about the pending case (Case No: 9411) mentioned in the inverview please go here. For previous stories related to the use of wind turbines, please go here
Nancy Robson says
Point of Correction: It was Kent CONSERVATION, incorporated as a 501 (c)3 in 1971, that successfully ‘turned back’ nuclear a power plant and a waste incinerator (among other things) in this county in the 70’s and 80’s. The Board of Directors of Kent Conservation, Inc. has been in serious talks with KCPA in support of KCPA’s effort and its on-going mission, which is to make sure that this small, but special county does not get run over by big money special interests. As was pointed out in the piece, our zoning laws have been worked out in public forums through an open public process. No one is against alternative energy. In fact, many in this county have, applying through the county’s public permitting process, installed alternatives that fall within the scale that fits Kent County and its laws. ‘Preemption’ by the Public Service Commission (PSC) amounts to a taking — of our county (chunk by chunk), of our self-determination and of our way of life.
Marge (Brown) Frybarger says
While I no longer live in Kenr County, I was born and bred there and I can add that for 7 years my husband and I lived in the Laurel Highlands outside Pittsburgh within 1000 yards of a small wind mill farm and I always found the sound to be so similar to the waves from the Bay that they were very homelike. The mill itself looks like clouds. We also had some next to my husband’s mountain property and after construction was over, the game was not disturbed by them: deer, black bear, coyotes and small game including Hawks and Eagles .
We can make our peace with what we want in this life and anything that provides clean renewable energy so graciously is good to me.
Joe Diamond says
Open spaces?
You mean the places where the trees used to grow? ……….Open spaces …….the place where 5% of the county population work? Open spaces……those fields surrounded by roads?
Or do you mean agribusiness; farms………..places where the machines run?
Those open spaces…….where the deer and the antelope do not play….where nobody lives. Agriculture….the employer to as few as possible.
Those open spaces?
Then I wonder who the “we” are who loves those open spaces?
Joe
Joe
Ken Noble says
Joe may be onto something in the dimension of ¨space¨. All of environmental awareness can be graphed on a simple X-Y graph of TIME and SPACE. My concern with a lot of this is the TIME part. I am not concerned about windmills being in someone else back yard for a short time…..don´t like that….give US a few in our FRONT YARD! There is zero discussion about TIME from this ¨gang of four” andt when we will run out of fossil fuels.
We obviously cannot discuss global warming, so let us discuss the diminishing supply of fossil fuels and what Kent County´s role in alternative renewable energy futures may be. Sure, there are bad things about the contracts, the business end of this AND, as I learned from local electrical engineer…..the efficiency of these solar and wind systems and their distribution system. But still, time is running out.
On the TIME dimension, the American Association of Petroleum Geologisst has in the past estimated that ¨peak oil” will be in about 150 years. Meanwhile astute ¨environmental¨ (a non term…everyone thinks in terms of TIME and SPACE and are thus ¨environmental¨) groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council have pegged that at less than 50 years off. The difference between these two projections is insignificant when you consider that we are talking about resources geologically deposited over 80 MILLION years. That combined with the fact that we will not even be able to MAKE a wind mill propeller blade, not to mention put it in place without oil, concerns me greatly. I have no problem with Kent County being part of what may be a temporary experiment…that b.t.w. puts agricultural land in RESERVE while it is done. In fact, it may make big sense to reduce erosion on some agricultural land by using it for something else for a time.
This story has just begun.
Joe Diamond says
There is something missing here,
As Ken pointed out there is the non renewable nature of fossil fuel…it will all go some day. We may be at the point where we have pumped & burned as much as we ever will; the peak oil years. Then we close in on the last supply as the lights go out and the cars stop.
What has not been mentioned is that the electricity used here now comes from elsewhere. At least some from aa oil fired generator in Delaware. The northern Kent County site for the wind turbines has been listed as fair to poor for wind generation. Perhaps that is where the switch to solar came from. Still, the objection to solar is puzzling. Solar rigs are just about invisible. They are quiet and produce energy. Solar installations have none of the possible drawbacks of nuclear generation plants…yet solar is being opposed here.
What I suspect is going on is not a movement to keep Kent scenic. It is not a movement to protect residents from wind turbine noise. It is an attempt to maintain that “Critical mass of farming economy.” Power generation is an opportunity for small landowners to get out of the maybe-break-even game of farming. Those who need to supply the machines, seed & chemicals want all that acerage to stay in production, regardless of farm profit or loss; regardless of long term needs to do something else about power production.
They do not say this. I suspect it.
Joe