Where Ever You Go NIMBY Is There
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
As a non-believer in the scientific theory of climate change, especially the part where we as humans are to blame for having any meaningful impact in causing it – or preventing it…I can’t help but chuckle whenever I read about how the solution to our over-sized carbon foot print (alternative energy) isn’t an acceptable option either.
Over the past couple of days I’ve gotten more exposure to how we ought to be careful about alternative energy development than I might care to have been alerted to. This is one such mention that caught my eye.
Naturally, regardless of where any development project (alternative or evil carbon-based) is placed, responsible actions should be required. The choices aren’t between “trash it” or “don’t do anything”. It is appropriate to figure out the best way to proceed and then to do so with due diligence to minimizing impact.
In our haste to be careful though, we should recognize that stepping on the brake at the same time you’re pressing the accelerator for “green energy – political correctness” is only going to cause a lot of smoke.
Whether its about not wanting to negatively affect Sage Grouse in Nevada by locating wind farms…not wanting to crunch the soil in a desert with solar panel installation…or precluding a necessary power line from being installed to bring electricity from a geothermal facility in the middle of nowhere – you gotta put something somewhere!
Let’s keep the discussion on how to responsibly move forward and not fall to the temptation of saying “No” to everything.
As a non-believer in the scientific theory of climate change, especially the part where we as humans are to blame for having any meaningful impact in causing it – or preventing it…I can’t help but chuckle whenever I read about how the solution to our over-sized carbon foot print (alternative energy) isn’t an acceptable option either.
Over the past couple of days I’ve gotten more exposure to how we ought to be careful about alternative energy development than I might care to have been alerted to. This is one such mention that caught my eye.
Naturally, regardless of where any development project (alternative or evil carbon-based) is placed, responsible actions should be required. The choices aren’t between “trash it” or “don’t do anything”. It is appropriate to figure out the best way to proceed and then to do so with due diligence to minimizing impact.
In our haste to be careful though, we should recognize that stepping on the brake at the same time you’re pressing the accelerator for “green energy – political correctness” is only going to cause a lot of smoke.
Whether its about not wanting to negatively affect Sage Grouse in Nevada by locating wind farms…not wanting to crunch the soil in a desert with solar panel installation…or precluding a necessary power line from being installed to bring electricity from a geothermal facility in the middle of nowhere – you gotta put something somewhere!
Let’s keep the discussion on how to responsibly move forward and not fall to the temptation of saying “No” to everything.
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