Rep. Diane BlackU.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., is urging the Tennessee Valley Authority to reject a $100 million wind farm proposed to be built along 1,800 acres atop the Cumberland Plateau near Crossville, Tenn.
In a letter to TVA, Black said she recently heard complaints from her constituents in the Fairfield Glade community complaining about the 23 wind turbines that Apex Clean Energy of Charlottesville, Va., wants to build in Cumberland County as part of the Crab Orchard Wind Project.
"I am hopeful we can stop this unsightly and needless project from taking place in Cumberland County residents' backyards," Black said, echoing criticisms voiced last week on the U.S. Senate floor by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
TVA has yet to receive a formal application for the Crab Orchard Wind Project, which would be built on 1,800 acres atop the Cumberland Plateau and be capable of generating 71 megawatts of electricity.
The project will be constructed on private land that will be leased from owners, but the project must still be reviewed by TVA and other federal agencies.
Wind supporters denounced Black's criticism.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I'd much rather see a wind turbine or a solar panel than a coal plant or a nuclear cooling tower because I know they are far more healthy for our environment," said Sandra Kurtz, a Sierra Club activist and supporter of more renewable power.