Many people who oppose industrial wind do not have a clue what it means to be a farmer in this area.

Letter to the editor from the watertown Times
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010

Scott Aubertine has tried very hard to be fair in his interpretation of the wind power issue.

The majority of people who strongly oppose wind development in our farmlands are not even familiar with that part of our town.

The windmills, if put on our farmland north of Route 12E, would not be part of the waterfront viewshed. There is no law that protects a property owner's viewshed.

The tourism industry in Lyme is about as developed as it ever will be right now. Why? Because we have no good waterfront land left for tourism development. It is covered by private homes, cottages, garages near the roads, docks of all sorts hanging out over the water and decks suspended along the shoreline.


The natural flora and fauna of our shoreline have been driven out, and people who are not fortunate enough to own a piece of this "paradise" can seldom enjoy it. I have lived here for 40 years and have never known the pleasure of a walk along the beach.

Sometimes people who work hard all their lives elsewhere to buy a piece of this paradise give the impression that people who work hard here all their lives should be indebted to them for coming here and paying "big" taxes. Many people who live and work here feel that seasonal residents look upon them as servants. This is really sad.

Many people who oppose industrial wind do not have a clue what it means to be a farmer in this area. They think of local farmers as wealthy landowners who are lazy and greedy. How can supposedly well-educated people be so uninformed?

I sincerely hope that Scott and the rest of the town board will go to work right away to develop a wind law that is reasonable. The town board should not be afraid to talk to BP or Acciona any more than New York State Energy Research and Development Authority or anybody else. The more open they are to all sources of information, the more prepared they will be. And by the way, BP is more American owned than most companies, banks or other enterprises we deal with every day.

Scott is doing a good job.

Julia Gosier

Three Mile Bay

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