To the editor:

There are many things I could do better on a daily basis to help conserve resources and our environment.

Yes, I mulch my leaves and grass, return my returnables and heat my home with corn, among other things, but there is always room for improvement.

One thing I am passionate about is the belief that we must, as a nation, wean ourselves slowly from our dependence on foreign oil by any means possible.

That is one of the reasons why, when I found out that Volinia Township is to vote on a resolution Dec. 13 that will ban all commercial wind power development, I had to take a stand.

First a little background. Several companies have been making their way around the county signing wind leases with local landowners for the ability to build wind towers if all things come together.

My estimate is that maybe 5,000 to 6,000 acres have been signed up. My family has been reviewing a contract for over a year, but has yet to make a decision.

The companies are interested in a wind development in northeast Cass County that will hook up with an existing power line running south from the Van Buren line east down Dewey Lake Street running cross country toward Marcellus.

This line is under six years old and has much unused capacity. One particular wind company is so interested that it spent north of $75,000 to install a tower to measure wind speed near the old cemetery in Charleston near the Van Buren line.

Whether you believe wind power is an asset or an ugly liability, the fact is that it is a homegrown renewable energy that is grown right here in Cass County.

At $2.5 million to $3 million per tower and possibly a $150 million investment, it could be our county’s biggest investment. It would be an added boost to our tax base and therefore our schools without having to make any needed infrastructure investments like a factory and increased population would need.

The ban Volinia Township is proposing is very similar to a ban in Schoolcraft Township early last decade that zoned out any new construction at chicken farms.

That zoning ended badly for residents of the township and was settled in court to the tune of $2.5 million.

Recent court cases say governments can not enact exclusionary zoning to completely ban an action or establishment unless it is a public health or safety issue. The 1,200 people of Volinia Township cannot afford these litigation costs.

Everpower Wind Holdings is collecting data that started in August and it takes a year worth of data to gain any knowledge on our winds. Please let them determine if we, in Cass County truly do have a wind asset. If it is determined that we do not, we would already have a defacto ban in place.

Volinia Township trustees have a decision to make Dec. 13. Please write and make your opinion known to: Supervisor Gwenn Johnson, 50357 Decatur Road, Decatur, MI 49045.

Any concerned citizen of southwest Michigan should write because if this ban is enacted, any wind development in this part of the state would be harder to initiate.

Please protect our private property rights.

We must draw a line in the sand or who knows what personal rights, (i.e. hunting, fishing, gun ownership or smoking) will be next.

Brian McKenzie

Volinia Township resident