I noticed that once again the Herald editorialized negatively against wind energy.

One of the editorial board's many points concerns what it calls "visual blight." I suppose the board thinks that open pit mines, mountain top removal, strip mines, oil and natural gas wells, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and all their associated ecological damage, provide a much more beautiful view.

Of course, these energy sources are not located in our backyard.

Wind energy is clean, as it produces no emissions. It is safer than fossil fuel production. It is subsidized, but so is the oil industry. It is costly, but no energy is free. We need to develop a blend of all renewable energy sources for the future, because nonrenewable fossil fuel sources are finite, and we are at the midpoint of depleting our known global reserves. They may be in short supply in the not-too-distant future, especially with developing countries such as China and India increasing their automobile use and gas consumption exponentially.

The Herald's editorial board may want to re-evaluate its perception of wind energy.

-- Richard Gies, Richland