Recognize wind energy’s attempts to manipulate SLO County residents

March 11, 2024

Opinion by REACT Alliance President Mandy Davis

Last Saturday, KSBY reported on REACT Alliance’s very successful Save Our Seas event in Morro Bay.

In response to an inquiry on the story from KSBY, Equinor, one of the three offshore wind lease holders, was quoted as saying, “We look forward to meeting community members and to gathering more feedback, exchanging ideas and addressing concerns over the coming years as we build Atlas Wind with an emphasis on safety, community input, and bringing significant benefits to our host communities.” There are some real issues with this statement and significant inconsistencies between their recent actions and their claims to be interested in public feedback.

First, we would like to point out a common device used by the wind companies to manipulate the public without most of us realizing we are being spun…it’s called the assumptive close and it was used in this public relations release very effectively. Notice they refer to the Atlas (yes, a new name) wind project as a fait de complis… a done deal as it were.

Let’s be incredibly clear on this point; the proposed project is precisely that. It is not a “done deal” as they and many of our local politicians including John Laird, Salud Carbajal, Dawn Addis, and Bruce Gibson would have you believe and have mistakenly stated in public. The permitting process is just beginning and would take years for this ill-conceived project to successfully pass through the regulatory and public opinion gauntlet.

Next on the list is Equinor/Atlas Wind’s claim to be interested and concerned with “meeting community members and gathering more feedback.” They have proven themselves to be otherwise.

For the last couple of years, the public has been treated to numerous “dog and pony” shows in an effort to convince the public that offshore wind would have no negative impacts to our environment, our lifestyles and our economy. Public participation was not encouraged and on several occasions was disallowed.

But here’s the kicker and proof of their disingenuous claims: In a 10-day period from Feb. 27 to March 7, the wind companies canceled three public engagement opportunities when they became aware of community action that would question their claims and put them on the spot publicly and idealistically.

There will be no long-term benefits to our communities as they claim. There will be no real interest in public feedback. Finally, the claims of concern for safety are disingenuous and are clearly displayed in communities where the wind industry has already taken hold and is negatively impacting the local marine environment and related economies.

We at REACT Alliance ask the public to think for yourselves, get the facts and recognize a big industry’s attempts to manipulate the public. Let’s protect our beautiful Central Coast both now and into the future.

REACT Alliance a local organization established to educate and inform the public about the issues involved with this project and offshore wind in general has a website that is a good place to start.

 


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There’s absolutely no evidence anywhere in the world that wind turbines are harming whales. Most opposition to offshore wind turbines are based on misleading propaganda (aka lies) circulated by fossil fuel interests.


Anyone else wonder why we haven’t heard from the environmental groups-either pro or con- on this subject? Sierra Club, Surf Rider, Environmental Defense, Oceania, Center of Bio Diversity, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund to name a few.


You didn’t hear from them because you didn’t attend the huge informational event that happened in Morro Bay last Saturday. And in case you can’t guess, they are all against this project.


Dear Francesca


I was there. And I’ve been at the table with this $#% since the very beginning when BOEM approached us in Sacramento at a statewide meeting for our fisheries. I think that was in 2018. Let’s just say the environmental groups haven’t been very vocal at any of the meetings.

And another thing–please don’t assume you know where I was. Your comment was a bit mean.

Sincerely,

Smile


All the pro wind people will need to do is the same thing 3CE people did, “donations, donations, donations”.


The Enviro-Industrial Complex at full tilt now ( no pun intended).


It is not about thoughtful, clean energy production, it is about drawing in billions of dollars to fund the idea and enrich the consultants, PR groups, eco-business cartels. They’ve studied the “homeless industry” to see how to draw the bucks in .


This time though, they’ve seen the union of bipartisan activists saying not so fast on polluting the coast we all love so well and came here for.


Interesting.


This is the same thing they did to sell people on nuclear power and that, sadly, worked. Most actual environmentalists are against both this insane wind debacle and the myth of “safe” or “clean” nukes. We want our money to go to tried and true projects that have been proven to actually work and are not radioactive.


I just love that we are actually ALL standing together on protecting our coast from this rip-off.


I very rarely take the side of the enviro-weenies. However, even a deaf and blind squirrel will find a nut on occasion.


This is an issue that is squarely not in sync with the “public interest”. Wind and solar simply are not efficient enough, regardless of how many towers and panels built, to supply dependable and adequate levels of electricity 24/7/365.


One nuclear plant, with a 20 acre footprint, provides over 8% of all energy used by California. All the solar and wind towers covering tens of thousands of acres of sensitive environs across the state between all four borders, supply about 23% (and that is DOWN from 2019!).


The crazy hippy greenies are actually right about this one. Build more nuclear!


Fukushima is still completely out of control and spewing waste into the ocean. Chernobyl has created a radioactive zone larger than several countries. We still don’t have anywhere to store plutonium, which is generated by the ton by each plant every year, doesn’t exist in nature and has a half-life of 250,000 years, whilst being so toxic that one atom is sufficient to cause cancer.


I went to a colloquium on the Carrizo Plains solar installation and learned from serious environmental scientists that the wildlife was thriving over and under the panels. Strides in efficiency are happening constantly in batteries and solar generation. I have several friends with solar panels on their homes who don’t have to pay for their electricity and have leftover to charge get about vehicles and don’t go dark when the grid is down. The best time to use electricity cheaply now is during the day, instead of in the evening because of solar.


We may choose to disagree about those things, but we are all hip to the fact that this wind debacle is some environmentally devastating, opportunistic, rip-off crap.


Regarding the critical matter at hand, the parties seem oceans apart. Either, “The permitting process is just beginning” or it’s a “done deal.” I’ve always heard that it’s likely the latter rather than the former. Wish there was more clarity from the author…


She was very clear that although those who are promoting the project are pretending to us that it is “a done deal”, it most certainly is NOT. Perhaps a reread would clarify that for you.