In an opinion piece Oregon Live Online edition, Russell Hoeflich and Judi Johansen write that, Steens Mountain wind turbines are wake-up call to Oregonians

And right there is the problem.  If wind turbines are a wake up call to a problem at Steens Mountain where “landscape, treasured by generations, is a haven for amazing wildlife” you would have expected the Oregon duo to be screaming about the existing and planned installations impacting the Appalachian Mountains.  But, you see, they don’t really care about nature and the environment – they just care about theirs since, “Local landowners and taxpayers have invested tremendous effort and millions of dollars to protect the pristine natural character of the Steens.”

And here the writers try to have it both ways:  “We couldn’t believe more strongly in the need to expand renewable power, including wind energy. We are proud of Oregon’s leadership in green technology. We also understand that new energy facilities will leave an unavoidable footprint wherever they’re situated.”

“But if industrial-scale energy plants — whether wind, wave, solar or geothermal — start going up in what are demonstrably the wrong places, our clean energy future and Oregon’s green industry are doomed.”

Yep!  They believe in wind turbines as long as you put them waaaaaaaaaaay over there, where they don’t have to deal with them.

PURE HYPOCRISY!!!  NIMBY AT ITS FINEST!!!

We are consistent here at Allegheny Treasures – We don’t want industrial wind turbines anywhere, unless you want to put one on your own property for your own use.  When it comes to industrial wind, we’re not NIMBY (not in my back yard), we’re more NOWHERE (nowhere).

So a little suggestion for writers Russell Hoeflich, Oregon director of The Nature Conservancy and co-chairman of the Natural Resources Committee of the Oregon Global Warming Commission and Judi Johansen is president of Marylhurst University, former CEO of PacifiCorp and former administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, when you get that “wake up call”, don’t hit the snooze button.  Because when you do, you do a disservice to folks who are serious about industrial wind.