Iberdrola abandoned Wild Meadows because of community action

To The Daily Sun,

Alexandria and Danbury took up the issue of Community Rights on March 11, 2014, by adopting a Community Bill of Rights Ordinance asserting our right to local self-governance and banning unsustainable energy projects such as industrial wind.

Alexandria and Danbury, were the host towns for the 23-turbine Wild Meadows industrial wind project proposed by Iberdrola Renewables. It has been almost two years since Iberdrola held its first local meeting to discuss the project. Since then, all towns surrounding the Wild Meadows project have unanimously voted in opposition of industrial wind turbines.

Citizens of Alexandria Rights Effort (CARE Group) and Danbury Residents Against Wind Turbines (DRAWT) petitioned Alexandria and Danbury to take their opposition a step further by adopting a Community Bill of Rights. The Community Bill of Rights Ordinance strips corporations of their supposed Constitutional "rights" at the municipal level when they violate our Community Rights as declared within the ordinance.

Iberdrola Renewables announced on Tuesday, May 27, that they have abandoned its plans for the Wild Meadows wind project proposed for Alexandria and Danbury. Iberdrola stated their reason for abandoning the project is due to the political and regulatory environment in New Hampshire being unfavorable, but Citizens of Alexandria Rights Effort (CARE Group) disagrees.

Iberdrola withdrew their ISO-NE Interconnection Queue Request for the Wild Meadows project on March 12 without any apparent press release — the day after the Community Bill of Rights Ordinance passed in Alexandria and Danbury by wide margins. CARE Group feels one of the main reasons for Iberdrola abandoning the project is local assertion of our rights to democratic local self-governance through the adoption of the Community Bill of Rights Ordinance.

Michelle Sanborn

CARE Group

Alexandria