Dear editor,

Our Carbon County Commissioners have a proposal for a bond to protect our water resources and the natural beauty of our county. Who would be against this, especially since the tourism it drives pays our bills?

So please help me understand why they have been completely silent on the proposed 600-foot-tall wind turbines, 29 of them, to be installed on Bethlehem water authority lands, much of which are in Carbon County. Name me a few structures in the county that are 600 feet tall. How tall is the courthouse, maybe 200 feet? Does anybody out there, besides the Bethlehem water authority, think they will just blend in with the trees?

Think about the environmental damage that will be caused installing them. New roads (erosion), deep holes drilled with lots of concrete and steel rebar. Can you imagine how deep and wide a foundation needs to be to support a 600-foot-tower with a spinning blade on top?

Only Penn Forest Township and 42 residents who enjoy their current views have reached into their own pockets to oppose it. Now a Pennsylvania court has kicked it back to Penn Forest for more legal “whack a mole.” I expect our commissioners, state reps and senators to wake up, and prepare options to address this. These are the kind of “big issues” where leaders lead. Otherwise, start promoting “wind turbine tourism” in this county and forget about the water quality. There is no more time for your silence!

John Ferguson

Towamensing Township