He said the beautiful rural Mad River Valley was turning into a scene from <MI>Avatar<D> with eyesore solar collectors sprouting up like mushrooms and proposals for huge ridgetop windmills being seriously considered. I tried to change the subject to something less controversial by asking him about the mosque proposed two blocks from "ground zero."
He didn't bite. Going on he said Vermonter's must be out of their minds to recklessly risk the pastoral scenic nature that tourists thrive on, particularly in the Mad River Valley, to install highly subsidized, marginal solar and wind energy eyesores. He asked me whether Vermonters realized that none of these energy systems would be built without huge subsidies. I told him that Vermonters are practical people. So when someone else is buying (even if it's with their own tax money) they belly up for their share. He said he doubted that Vermonters would like to see their energy bills go up three to four times if solar and wind provided their power while at the same time undermining the precious tourist industry. I'm afraid he just didn't get it.
I told him at base it's not about power; it's about appearing to be on the right side environmentally and politically. I also suggested to him that once one gets beyond the bovine rural aesthetic that tourists love, solar arrays would be viewed as symbols of environmental commitment. Wind farms will be celebrated as graceful kinetic ornaments on Vermont's barren mountaintops.
The conservation was going nowhere. I suggested to my friend that he go for a hike up Mount Abraham for a fleetingly view our Valley in its pristine glory. When he returned invigorated, we opened a bottle of highly subsidized chilled French sauvignon blanc and ruminated on global aesthetic issues.
Michael Barker lives in Warren.
