Dear Editor,
Solar panel installations in Wisconsin suffer from a bad case of NIM- BYism – Not In My Back Yard. It’s hard to blame anyone who holds that view. Burning fossil fuels are torching our present and our future, and clean energy holds significant promise for cleaning up our air, water, and land if we can replace those fossil fuel power sources. But commonly held beliefs are that wind turbines are tall eyesores, nuclear power plants are radioactive and dangerous, and solar farms take up valuable cropland and displace farmers.
.. Or so the story goes. New York state is pushing back against that narrative, in an 11-page letter sent to the federal government. The letter
says it best: “A recent study by Cornell found that the overwhelming majority of farmers who received solar lease payments used that income to continue or even expand farming on their land, not to exit farming or scale back operations … ” “Discouraging or inhibiting property owners’ ability to independently make choices about what they can and cannot do with their land can cause financial harm and undermine fundamental property rights.”
Perhaps solar power isn’t the boogeyman for the Wisconsin farmer; it may even be a valuable tool to enhance and preserve that way of life for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Nathan Dombeck, Janesville, WI