Political Winds: How Misinformation Spreads

By Gordon HopkinsIt’s no secret that NextEra’s plan to build a second wind farm in Jefferson County is a controversial topic.That controversy arises largely because there is a legitimate debate to be had about whether wind farms, and the aesthetic, financial, and environmental risks that come along with them, are worth the clean energy rewards.For example, opponents might claim wind energy is not ‘green energy’ because of the substantial carbon footprint (the total amount of greenhouse gases generated) required to create a turbine in the first place, while proponents could counter by arguing that every other form of energy generation facility also requires a carbon footprint to be constructed.Unfortunately, discussion about the second wind farm has been marred by factual inaccuracies, such as when a member of the Jefferson County Wind Watchers (JCWW) claimed during a public meeting on March 8, 2022, that NextEra is a foreign-owned company. When asked his source for this, the member cited a book entitled, “Paradise Destroyed: The Destruction of Rural Living by the Wind Energy Scam.”However, this book in fact does not claim NextEra is foreign owned but describes it accurately as multinational. The book defines multinational as “having wind projects anywhere outside the US.”NextEra is an American-owned, publicly traded company. Details of the company’s ownership are readily available online. Still, the statement at the public meeting spawned a rumor that NextEra is foreign owned.In a private message, a member of the JCWW acknowledged that they only meant that NextEra had projects outside of the United States and was not actually owned by foreign interests.Harming theDiscourseMisstatements have also plagued the discussion surrounding the logistical and environmental impacts of disposing of turbine blades. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE-www.energy.gov/eere) has confirmed that wind turbine blades can be recycled.But during a presentation by NextEra to county commissioners several months ago about the recycling process, an individual claimed that a blade recycling operation in Texas had been halted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).FJN reached out to the EPA’s office in Texas, which advised that “The EPA has not stopped the recycling of wind turbine blades in Texas for NextEra.”Even so, the false claim of EPA involvement was repeated months later at a presentation about the costs and benefits of renewable energy by University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s John Hay earlier this summer. When asked the source of this information, the person making the claim cited the previous commissioners meeting.Cherry Picking and Conflicting DataIn a debate, people will often quote data that supports a position while ignoring data that does not. In political discourse, this is referred to as ‘cherry picking.’Hay appeared at the Diller Opera House the evening of June 7 and again June 21 at the Fairbury Community Building to discuss how education helps separate fact from fiction.“Research is complicated,” Hay said at one of his presentations. “Because when we look at research, we’re going to look at property values (for example) at this one place in this time period. And this is what we saw. And then you’re going to get another research paper that says, ‘Well, yeah, we looked at it in this place in this time. And, and then we expanded that to look at it this other from the seller angle.’ And so, you have to be careful, if you’re going to take something and say this is the reality. Well, you’re going to have somebody else say, well, no, this is the reality.”Hay recommends that “it helps you read multiple papers and try to understand some of the complexity and situation to try to make that argument.”Next stepsThere is a moratorium on new turbine permits in Jefferson County, which is scheduled to end in April of next year. This is to review and update regulations and to allow the public to provide input.Legitimate controversies remain for the commission to resolve in the coming months. For example, there are questions about tax credit eligibility for producers of renewable energy, including wind farm operators like NextEra. But the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a part of the U.S. Department of Energy, points out that these circumstances are not unique to wind farms. “Every energy source receives significant federal subsidies; it is disingenuous to expect wind energy to compete in the marketplace without the incentives enjoyed by established technologies.”Uncertainties remain about the height of the turbines as well. Matthew Jones, Project Director, Development for NextEra, stated at a meeting of the Jansen Village Board on April 5, 2022, that the turbines will be no taller than 550 feet. A height restriction is one element that JCWW would like to see added to the regulations.A meeting of the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled for Thursday, August 18. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.

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