Not worthy of the green stamp

As a Cape Cod native and former Vermont resident, I am amazed how your publication is wringing its little hands over Vermont's reluctance to blindly accept wind power (Lessons in Humility and Vermont a Challenge Like No Other, September 2003). You have dismissed the controversy over Cape Wind with a simple wave of the NIMBY wand and said nothing of the predatory developer who is trying desperately to exploit an unprotected public resource for his wind "park." Nor have you addressed the many reasons why so many people, including lawmakers, regulators and scientific experts, are horrified with how the developer is plying his trade.

You write of Vermont: "Many towns and villages have refused to have cell phone towers. Farmers regularly refuse the money offered by utilities for transmission rights-of-way. Local dirt roads remain unpaved to discourage city traffic. Most signs are outlawed throughout the state. Chain stores are often refused siting permits, with Wal-Mart particularly highly despised." It's funny how all of these things apply to Cape Cod as well. Nantucket Sound was deemed so "environmentally significant" by independent scientific reviews that it was twice nominated to become a marine sanctuary. And Cape Cod is listed as one of America's Most Endangered Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Oh, and the entire island of Nantucket is a National Historic Landmark. But we're apparently not worthy of the "green stamp" in the eyes of the wind world.

If you truly want community acceptance of your industry, you'll need to do a lot better representing all sides of the equation. There is a reason there is an effort underway to protect Nantucket Sound: this natural treasure belongs to the people, not a private developer. As a famous public resource, it is part of America's front yard.