My name is Julie Morton and I have been consulting with the opposition to the devastating Scout/ Nimbus industrial wind installation near Green Forest. Because of my career experience, and because I had already helped defeat another billionaire “green” boondoggle, Clean Line Energy, I wanted to help. As a native Arkansan who has lived all over the state, I prize all of her unique areas, most particularly our ancient, verdant Ozarks.
Throughout this project I have heard the large landowners who will benefit from Nimbus, and their representatives in county government shriek about property rights. Apparently, these folks think they are the only ones with property rights.
I point out to those people, and to Scout that has been pushing this narrative, that we do not have a feudal governmental system in America wherein wealthy land barons are the only ones with rights. In America, if you own property, you have property rights, and those rights are equal.
I have also heard Scout tout the benefits Carroll County will reap from this travesty. This is the same blather we heard from Clean Line. Schools will get millions, except that Scout seemingly has no idea how schools in Arkansas are funded. The county will reap millions, except that Scout has proven elsewhere that as soon as the bill is due, they will try to weasel out of those taxes.
And, Arkansans will get no electricity from this installation. If you believe Scout’s line, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for you.
Scout and their landowner participants are also aware of the widely recognized health hazards these installations cause, as is pointed out repeatedly in the Scout easement. They required the landowners to give up their right to sue over these hazards. Most of the large landowners do not live on these properties, so it won’t be them suffering, it will be their neighbors and their neighbors’ children and grandchildren. Apparently that does not matter to the tiny handful of people who will profit from this unnecessary project.
Scout is taking advantage of a lack of state regulations regarding wind in Arkansas. Scout can put one of these 698 feet high monsters right next to your house, with virtually no oversight of the construction and maintenance of the behemoth.
And, because of agreements with AECC and Entergy, Arkansas, if more land is needed for the project, AECC and Entergy will use their right of eminent domain on Scout’s behalf. So are those the property rights so highly prized by the wealthy landowners?
This project is not about being “green” or property rights. This project is about powerful landowners partnering with foreign billionaires for greedy purposes. This project is about one thing, money, pure and simple. But hey, ain’t it always?