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Locals Split Over Proposed Upper Valley Wind Farm

80-Ton Windmill Parts Shipped To New Hampshire

POSTED: 12:17 am EDT September 9, 2008

People are preparing for a new wind farm in the Upper Valley, but not everyone is excited.

Parts of a windmill that weigh 80 tons were loaded onto a truck at the Claremont train station on Monday and hauled off to Lempster Mountain in New Hampshire, where a new wind farm is scheduled to be up and running by November.

"We are in the final stages of moving parts of these windmill components called nacelles," said Kathy Langan, from Professional Logistics Group.

News Channel 5's Jackie Bender reported some residents are they're excited for the potential environmental benefits that the wind farm could bring to the surrounding community.

"I think it's going to be very exciting for the area," said Mary Coderre. "I think it's going to do a lot of good for the area. I'm hoping it does, and I can't wait to see it finished."

In Vermont, a state known for being green, there's only one wind farm.

"The one problem about wind is that if you depend on wind, when the wind stops blowing, you have to have a coal or an oil facility to make up the difference," said Jack Anderson, of Newbury, Vt.

Anderson said the required backup from other resources can prove costly and inefficient.

"If the wind doesn't blow or changes, then everybody still has their TV, AC, computer, lights" to power, he said.

In New Hampshire, Coderre said, people are anxious to see the project pay off.

"Some people are saying that it's a waste of money, that they're putting all this money and time into doing this, and it's not going to produce enough to save us," she acknowledged.

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