[Vision2020] NIMBY's strike again!

[Kai Eiselein, editor]

>From the Nogales, Arizona International

GUEST OPINION
By Jesse Froehling





Windmill idea generates hot air

It seems that everyone supports renewable energy until it comes down to
crunch time. The arguments go something like this:

"I know I should drive a hybrid to cut carbon monoxide emissions but my
Hummer has horsepower."

"Sure I'd recycle, but the garbage can is closer."

"I'd stop eating beef, but if God didn't want us to eat animals, then why
did he make them out of meat?"

Here's one that popped up at a recent meeting of the Santa Cruz County Board
of Adjustments: "My neighbors want to put up a windmill so they won't have
to depend on fossil fuels. I'm all for renewable energy, but my view is to
die for."

Robert Byerly and his wife, Christine Tudan, own five acres at 745 Rodolfo
Court in Rio Rico. Recently, they went before the Santa Cruz County Board of
Adjustment to request a zoning variance. Currently, no structure can stand
more than 35 feet tall. Byerly and Tudan asked the board to grant them 110
feet in which to perform wind tests and eventually construct a camouflaged
windmill for power. They estimated the windmill would stand approximately 60
feet tall. It would sit down the ridge from their home and poke about 30
feet above the horizon, they estimated. Their neighbors were furious.

Many of them attended the meeting to voice their concerns. One brought
graphs and maps from the U.S. Department of Energy showing that Southern
Arizona isn't a great place for wind power.

Who cares? If Byerly and Tudan want to make a go of it, then that's their
prerogative. If the windmill doesn't work, they could take it down and tie
into the grid.

The neighbors were also worried about noise pollution. Byerly and Tudan
brought figures showing that the windmill would be inaudible from outside
their property.

But perhaps the most ironic argument was environmental. One woman stood
before the board with an article stating how windmills kill bats and birds.
We need to protect these pristine hills, she said. Therefore, Byerly and
Tudan should tie into the grid and depend on fossil fuels to bring light,
heat and air conditioning to their home.

Fossil fuels emit carbon monoxide. They cause global warming, which
increases ocean temperatures and the frequency of storms such as Hurricane
Katrina. The nation's dependence on fossil fuels also ropes us into wars
such as Iraq. But I guess saving the lives of a few birds and bats is worth
it.

To be fair, the couple's decision to use wind energy will not even make a
scratch in the amount of carbon monoxide that is released into the
atmosphere. But it's a start.

In reality, what the neighbors were worried about was their view. They love
to sit on their porches and watch the sun set over hills that turn crimson
in the fading light. And it's true. As night creeps toward the horizon and
stars begin to shimmer, all things seem possible.

The neighbors don't want the rotating blades of a windmill to distract them
from their tranquility. The problem is, they don't consider their place in a
world that's running short on coal and oil and requires small sacrifices of
everyone to keep ticking. They just like their view.

After more than an hour of listening to complaints, Byerly and Tudan decided
to be neighborly and withdraw their application thereby preserving the view
that their neighbors cherish.

It's to die for.

(Editor's Note: Froehling is a reporter for the Nogales International.)

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