NIMBY or Concerned Citizen?

Glenn Schleede

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What About Necessary Energy Facilities?

Are some of these facilities necessary and in the national and public interest? Certainly; but that doesn’t diminish the critical questions, including:

Where should they be located?
Who should bear the adverse effects on environmental, scenic, and property values, and health and safety risks?
How should those who are adversely affected be compensated?
Should eminent domain laws be changed to give greater protection and/or compensation to those who are adversely affected?
How should people in rural areas be protected, particularly if they are not covered by zoning laws or have inadequate political representation?

Alternatives should be evaluated. Perhaps more facilities, such as electric generating plants, should be located near or in the heart of the metropolitan areas they are serving, eliminating the need for long transmission lines with attendant losses of electricity. Many cities have blighted areas that could be restored with properly constructed generating plants. Those plants needn’t be as large as those built at a distance—just large enough to supply a significant amount of electricity demand.

—Glenn Schleede is semiretired after spending more than 35 years dealing with energy related matters in the federal government and private sector. He writes frequently about wind and other energy issues, particularly government policies that have adverse effects on taxpayers and consumers. He is a leading advocate against current wind energy policy.

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