Farmer's perspective: Negative consequences of wind energy

To the Editor:

The proposed Grain Belt Express Cleanline electric transmission line to West Virginia from Kansas goes directly through my farm in Montgomery County and Macoupin County.

Wind power-generated electricity may or may not be a good thing. But, the rogue EPA is regulating, without Congressional approval, the coal producers out of business. The EPA is staffed by Obama appointed government zealots. That does not mean they are evil people; I simply think they are wrong.

I do not accept the premise that transmission lines will increase the net amount of available electricity. If constructed, Grain Belt will close down cheaper clean coal produced now by West Virginia miners costing thousands of jobs.

The construction company/owners of many "green" projects are foreigners from England, Germany, Australia, China, Italy, etc. Billions of dollars from American taxpayers will be shoveled into similar projects over the years on a continuous basis in the form of grants, loans, forgiven loans and other non-obvious ways. During the past few years, political insiders discovered ways to profit from projects similar to this one.

Historically speaking, politically connected investors squandered billions of taxpayer dollars on "feel good" green-friendly fiascos. That's called crony capitalism (Solyndra). I reject the premise on which wind power projects are funded. That premise is based on a mythical man-made "global cooling" which morphed into "global warming," and finally, "climate change." Apparently, Machiavelli was a consultant to this mostly tax-funded group of wizards.

Obama claims climate change is the greatest threat to America's future. And, key supporters encourage him to destroy climate skeptics via lawsuits demanding copies of all their records, funding sources, emails and including their personnel records. Like a pack of Siberian wolves, several members of Congress, using tax dollars, have merged with the climate change cleansing effort. They want to deny climate skeptics access to the climate change debate. They refuse to allow qualified real scientists to peer-review their work.

To this 87-year-old simple Illinois farmer, that seems an odd definition of scientific method.

Illinois mined-out underground coal land owned by farmers was ready to return as good farm land when certified rehabilitated by the appropriate state organization - no problem.

That system won't work with land used to produce wind-created energy on farm land hosting wind mills and huge unfarmable acres covered by cement, as in Illinois and Kansas. The greater cost to the farm will be its resale value. Right or wrong, many potential purchasers will not bid on land encumbered by massive electrical transmission lines anchored by tons of concrete, as in Illinois.

Grain Belt Express said it will treat fairly farmers whose land they cross. Grain Belt Express is a start-up company in a risky business. That means they could go belly up and be sold to another company who may or may not honor the original contract. Coal companies have done that very thing many times. Check it out.

When tax funded "man made climate change" scientists prove what caused a series of mile high ice to cover my family owned Macoupin-Montgomery farm a number of times over millions of years before man existed, I will listen. I suspect their answer will be more grants are needed for additional research.

Loren E. Klaus
Glen Carbon