When Did We Lose The Fight?

To the editor: Who wants to hear a joke? Five select board members rest on their laurels and tell us there is nothing we can do to stop the pillaging of our seas from offshore wind farms. Not laughing? Me either, but it’s the unfortunate reality we face at this moment.

Anyone who does any meaningful research on the viability and “greenness” of offshore wind power can see this is not the answer. There are numerous studies out there reflecting the key issues with wind farms, including significant upfront construction fees, noise concerns, and environmental issues, including but not limited to habitat concerns, pollution, and harm to wildlife. Couple that with constant light pollution and the loss of pristine views of the ocean that we will never get back, and you have a recipe for disaster right off our shore.

Our town has left us in the lurch with their lack of indignation for this project and fighting against it, refusing to touch upon what our new administration's take on wind power could mean for rescinding current and future leases. The onus should be placed on these companies to prove to us why turbines are good for our future, instead of us having to beg for scraps through mitigation.

Kudos to all the impassioned people, both online and in-person, who spoke up on the travesty that is about to befall us. However, it only represents a small fraction of our beloved island’s residents. We need to remember that people en masse wield great power, and social media is one of the best weapons in our arsenal. It is in our best interest to get out there and scream this from the rooftops. There are many other communities out there fighting this same fight and perhaps it’s time to band together and push back. This is not a “NIMBY” issue anymore. This affects the whole Northeast coast, and by extension the entire country because if they can pull this crap here with little opposition, it sets a precedent that will be hard to recover from.

Laura Stratman