Wind turbines are coming to Willacy County and soon your power bill will be going up. Recent newspaper articles have "heralded" the coming of wind turbines to Willacy County as if it was nothing but good news. It is good news for a very small number of persons but bad news for the rest of us.

How can a conservationist be opposed to wind turbines you ask? Being pro-environment does not require a person to close their eyes to issues that negatively affect the lives of their friends and neighbors in Willacy County. I have lived and worked here for nearly a quarter of a century. Many national environmental groups have sold out to the wind industry without looking at the real cost to local citizens and Willacy County Commissioners have made the same mistake. I do not question their motives but I do condemn their unwillingness to listen seriously to opposing points of view.

Here is what I explained to the Commissioners more than a year ago when they reluctantly held a public meeting on the subject. It was a classic type of public meeting where the Commissioners had already made up their minds and were anxious to get the obligatory public meeting over with fast. We, the public, were seen as obstacles that might get in the way of handing over our hard earned tax dollars to the wind energy boys on a silver platter.

Here are just a few reasons Willacy residents should be concerned: 1. Your electricity bills will go up because utility companies are forced, by law, to purchase this over priced and inefficient form of electricity. Wind turbines are built largely with your federal tax dollars and the state charges us the cost of building the transmission lines! 2. These huge turbines will be built much, much closer to peoples homes than ever before in Texas. They are noisy and emit a flickering light all night long that will cause many to lose sleep. The moving blades also make other lights in the area act like strobes. 3. Land use near the turbines will be severely restricted. Sure you can still grow crops and raise cattle but forget about higher uses such as schools, homes and businesses. Not allowed. 4. Wind energy companies were given special consideration and abatements on local taxes. The rest of us will have to make up the difference. Local schools will be hit hardest. San Perlita ISD spoke at the public meeting and explained this to all that would listen. Apparently the Commissioners and the few folks that will financially benefit were not interested in the harm done to local school children.

All these downsides were swept under the carpet by local politicians. It would be nice if, just for once, they did something that would truly benefit the county. This will only happen when they do a better job of listening to opposing points of view before voting.

At a minimum the Commissioners sold us out real, real cheap.

Walt Kitterlberger Mr. Kittelburger,

1. Electricity bills will continue to increase. That will be true whether, or not, wind farms will be built in Willacy County. Without federal tax subsidies wind farms would not be built because they cost too much. Few public companies have $500 million to invest in such a project.

Its kind of like the U.S. Interstate Highway System which was also built with federal tax dollars. It cost a lot but it certainly is convenient. I remember when we had to drive through more than a dozen towns on a trip from Harlingen to Houston and it took more than 8 hours. Would you prefer to make that trip on 2-lane roads meeting oncoming traffic all the way? 2. Noise-I have driven past windfarms in West Texas and in California coming into Los Angeles from Palm Springs. I remember them being almost silent. The only people who will be disturbed if the windmills are noisy, or if the lights are bright, are the farmers who lease their land to the windfarms. I know of no plan to build one in Port Mansfield, or downtown Raymondville. 3. Land restrictions-Again the windmills will be on land owned by farmers. I doubt that there will be any need for building schools, homes, or business on that land during the coming years. Willacy County is not a very fast growing place. 4. Tax Abatements- The taxes that will be abated for 10 years are not now being collected. The only thing taxes will be forgiven on is the $250 million in equipment that the companies will bring to this county. And the county will collect 25% of the taxes (almost a million dollars a year) in new taxes which we do not now have.

IN CLOSING, the farmers will collect extra income from their land, which they need. The county will see construction jobs (as many as 150-175) for two years, During that time the hotels and motels in Raymondville will be full and the fast food joints and cafes will be booming. The wind farms are going to be built somewhere.

It might as will be in Willacy County.

The editor