LETTER: Scenic Corridor not an industrial zone

Scenic Corridor not an industrial zone

The proposed facility will be located also on state land. It will consist of 47  390-feet tall 1.5 MW turbines and miles of power lines going down the mesa to the grid northward. These enormous wind towers will be easily seen from Interstate 25 between Tecolote and South San Isidro (as far as mile marker 312) and from the north end of Route 3.

This proposed area, across from the Glorieta Mesa, is actually a Scenic Corridor and registered as a National Scenic Byway. The Pecos River Valley and I-25 was designated fortunately not by a power company, but by the unanimous decision of the people who live here and by those who value the culture and history reflected in this unique landscape.

This scenery happens to be so highly valued for its natural beauty and serenity that it compelled those in leadership to protect our “quality of life” by establishing the San Miguel County Comprehensive Plan for 2004-2014.

Invenergy’s project director quipped that these turbines might actually be considered “scenic” by some people. People will always disagree about whether wind turbines are “scenic” or not. I suppose it is true that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. But few people disagree about whether a Scenic Corridor is actually “scenic” or not.

This mesa is not only our backyard, it is our front yard. This is our home — not an industrial zone.

Deborah Seavey

Villanueva