Dear editor:

Wind turbines in Altamont Pass, California kill 4,700 birds annually. The birds tend to be larger species like golden eagles, which reproduce slowly. Migratory bat species (important controllers of damaging moths) could go extinct as the wind force from the blades explode their bodies. On the northeast coast, right whales (almost extinct), porpoises and other marine mammals are beaching themselves due to the noises which disorient them. Fishermen are being excluded from these rich waters that have sustained them and their families for generations. Germany’s harbor porpoise may go extinct from the sonar-disrupting noise. Wind turbines are loud and make living next to them unbearable and destroy property values.

One solar farm in Ivanpah, California, killed hundreds of endangered desert tortoises and kills 6,000 birds annually by setting them on fire in midair. That is just one farm. There is no safe way to dispose of spent solar panels and this creates a toxic nightmare. Mining of the rare earth minerals used in the solar industry occurs in other countries which care not about the safety of their workers or the environment. Panels are mostly produced in China which uses slaves in many industries.

The cost of energy from these “renewable” industries is significantly more expensive than from other sources. The cost is passed on to consumers through higher bills and higher taxes as they are subsidized by the taxpayer. They require large tracts of land and are unsightly. Placing solar panels on home roofs nearly doubles the cost of the energy if the intent is to connect them to the grid.

There are other drawbacks to solar and wind energy and I encourage the reader to investigate them.

Finally, why do the big environmental groups savagely attack the fossil fuel industry while giving the “renewable” energy industries no criticism for the damages done? Time for us to rethink our approach to how to incorporate renewable energies into our grid. The costs at this point in time are too high. Sourced from Forbes magazine (author Michael Shellenberger) and Tucker Carlson Originals.

Tina Purdy

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