On Thursday the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Vermont League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (VLCV-EF), Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) issued a statement in support of the development of wind energy in Vermont.
This collective statement of support for wind and other renewable energy technologies is based on our deep concern that society has not moved fast or aggressively enough to address the most urgent environmental crisis in human history: climate change.
We want to move the debate away from whether wind energy has a legitimate role to play in Vermont’s energy mix. We believe that wind power in Vermont, from backyard turbines to commercial scale, should combine to meet a meaningful portion of our state’s electricity supply. Our challenge is developing wind energy in Vermont in a manner that balances our moral obligation to combat climate change with protecting our natural resources, including wildlife populations, safeguarding water quality and forest health and promoting the best interests of Vermonters. We believe we can and must strike that balance.
Our organizations are working together to identify the best approaches and strategies to accomplish those goals. We believe wind is an important part of Vermont — and the world’s — solutions to the energy and climate crisis we face. We are committed to working collaboratively together, and with others, to achieve these objectives.
