Wind power should be focus

Dear editor:

"The answer....is blowing in the wind."

I don't believe Bob Dylan had our current energy concerns in mind when he sang the song way back when, but it definitely rings true at the moment.

I'm a relative newcomer to the area and I have become fascinated with the debate on the rezoning and proposed nuclear power station. I must admit that until lately I was pretty much on the fence about the whole issue; however, after much thought and research I'm convinced it is not such a good idea.

The obvious benefit for the area would be the jobs that such a facility would bring, but what you have to ask yourself is; how many local people have the experience and skills necessary to run a nuclear plant? In reality not many, so most of the better paying jobs would be outsourced and local people would be left to pick up the lower paying jobs in areas such as maintenance and security.

The cons definitely outweigh the pros in my opinion and it seems that would be essentially selling out the true treasures of the area for a few jobs. The price for these jobs would be the true wealth of Elmore County. I'm referring to the pristine air, the fresh water, the abundance of wild animals and birds, and working farms. This is the legacy I want to pass on to my children and my children's children -- not a radioactive wasteland and regrets about what could have been.

Surely a better solution to the production of energy issue is to use what we already have. I'm talking about wind.... lots of it. It makes much more sense to use a clean renewable energy source than to take the risks associated with nuclear power and the problem of disposing of the waste and contaminating the water supply. I'm sorry, but it really is that simple, a no brainer if you like.

So go ahead and rezone away and lets build wind farms that not only would be clean and renewable but also have the potential to employ more local people than a high tech nuclear facility. (Oh, by the way, handing out job applications to local people for jobs that don't exist was a devious ploy that I hope most people saw through).

Stephen James Speak