Published: March 15, 2008 09:28 pm      

Public still wonders about county stand on turbines

It was disappointing to note that nobody from Garrett County government (except Commissioner Gregg, John Nelson and Planning Commission member George Brady)) showed up last night (March 6) at the Maryland Public Service Commission Hearing concerning placing industrial wind turbines 460 feet tall on public land, perhaps the most important public hearing involving one of the most contentious public policy issues in many years.

Once again, the PSC hearing officer and staff, along with about 100 citizens did not have a clue as to what the county’s position is on placing these wind turbines on county public land near the towns of Mt. Lake Park and Loch Lynn Heights. Citizens raised concerns about water quality and supply issues due to blasting, public safety and health issues, and environmental degradation.

A reasonable person must wonder why their elected officials hide under their desks and are unable to do what they were elected to do — represent the people. Serious questions from citizens remain unanswered.

Could there be potential conflicts of interest, too cozy a relationship with the purveyors of corporate greed and their lobbyists, potential legal risk due to misinformation or not disclosing relevant facts? Or, is it an arrogance of power leading to outright lying — who knows?

Once again, our elected officials ignore with disdain and contempt the people they are sworn to represent, serve and protect. It’s a sad commentary on the state of what is supposed to be the freest country in the world that the Garrett County commissioners believe that citizens asking questions in a democracy is a burden, and answering them is to be considered a gift from the government.

One has to wonder what Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, or Benjamin Franklin, who had just won the Revolutionary War to ensure that freedom and God-given rights were protected, would have felt about Commissioners Gregg, Glotfelty, and Holliday trying to limit freedom of expression and the right to public information. Let’s not forget that the Constitution was written to limit our government, not to control the people.

John N. Bambacus

Frostburg