Locals frustrated as unused wind turbines accumulate in their town: ‘A dangerous situation’
Locals Fed-Up as Decommissioned Wind Turbines Pile Up in Their Small Town: ‘A Hazard All the Way Around’
Residents in small towns in Texas and Iowa are facing a growing problem with wind farm waste, according to Texas Monthly. The massive turbines used in onshore wind developments can reach up to 200 feet in length and are made of rigid materials, making them difficult to remove or recycle once they are decommissioned. This has resulted in mounting piles of turbines in communities like Sweetwater, Texas, causing frustration and concern among locals.
“It’s just a hazard all the way around,” said Sweetwater resident Pamala Meyer. “It’s just a big rattlesnake farm.”
Currently, around 30 acres of land in Sweetwater are occupied by discarded turbines, posing potential dangers such as rattlesnake dens and mosquito breeding grounds. While the company responsible for the waste claims to have made arrangements for its disposal, most of the waste remains in plots of land around Sweetwater, leaving the community to deal with the consequences.
“They have, in my view, abandoned them there,” said Samantha Morrow, the Nolan County attorney. “The county doesn’t have and cannot find millions of dollars to clean this up.”
Sweetwater is not the only town grappling with wind turbine waste. In Newton, Iowa, approximately 1,300 blades have accumulated, leading state officials to conclude that there is no recycling plan in place and that the company responsible for handling the waste is effectively dumping it illegally.
Frank Liebl, executive director of the Newton Development Corporation, has repeatedly asked the company about their recycling plans but has received vague responses. Despite reports that General Electric purchased the material for recycling, little progress has been made in removing the waste. Although a deal was reached to have the waste removed by the end of 2023, no turbines had been taken away as of mid-August.
The increasing production of wind turbines and the resulting waste could pose a significant problem. Wind power is a crucial element of the Biden administration’s long-term goals to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. power sector by 2035 and for the wider American economy to reach net-zero by 2050.
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The post Locals Fed-Up as Decommissioned Wind Turbines Pile Up in Their Small Town: ‘A Hazard All the Way Around’ appeared first on The Western Journal.
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