In Vermont, public lands harbor some of the last remaining pockets of wild forest. Vermont’s national forests also attract many people for recreation — hunters, anglers, snowmobilers and hikers.
The Iberdola Renewables company has proposed the Deerfield Wind project in an area previously protected from road building. This would bring 14 wind turbines to Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest.
The Forest Service has not adequately studied the impacts that road development in the Green Mountain National Forest could have on this sensitive wildland and its inhabitants — black bears, bobcat and bats, to name a few.
Building the project as it is currently proposed threatens the area. The Deerfield Wind project raises significant issues, because it:
- Violates a court injunction that limits activity in Lamb Brook, a roadless area that has been proposed for designation as protected wilderness
- Has not provided adequate hydrological analysis to reduce the threat of flooding if these roadless lands were opened for development
- Impacts black bears, bobcats, bats and their habitat.
At Wilderness, we support renewable energy and work to guide projects to the right places and away from sensitive lands. In order to establish a sustainable clean energy future, we need to make sure the impacts of renewable energy projects on wilderness and wildlife are minimized.
See also:
Iberdola Renewables Deerfield Wind project
Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan
“Good Idea, Wrong Place” The Rutland Herald
