Voices

Industry-funded conservation group out to sabotage wind, not protect birds

GUILFORD — Friends in Windham County,

Do you know about the Koch Brothers and their friends in the oil and gas industries who are trying to use their billions to control political races and to influence public opinion and voters, all while hiding behind a smokescreen of nonprofit organizations set up to conceal their true motives?

Google the American Bird Conservancy and the “Koch Brothers,” and soon you will see how the group tries to use supposed danger to birds and so on to fight the development of renewable energy resources - specifically, wind turbines.

It was the ABC that sent the letter to the chairs of the Windham and Grafton Selectboards, not a legitimate environmental organization or government agency such as the National Audubon Society, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, or the state Fish and Wildlife Department.

The folks whose outrageous wealth might be hurt a bit by wind energy really care nothing for the causes they support only to stymie clean energy - it is greed that motivates them.

Look at the employees' bios as listed on the ABC website. None of them have the academic or professional credentials you would expect of a legitimate top-flight conservation organization. Please, let's show them that Vermonters are not unsophisticated when it comes to their manipulative ways, that we will not be fooled.

Big oil money has ruined well-planned and environmentally sound wind projects elsewhere (like Cape Wind). Please don't let it happen here.

Climate change can not be denied, and we will have to take every step possible to keep it from destroying both wildlife and human life. Let's not allow the minions of greed to keep us from making good choices. Far more death will come from climate change than from wind turbines.

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