Devyn
Id like to clarify some things. First off, I have no clue as to why we use nick names on forums. Im a member of several forums. One of them several guys use there actual names. So for the record Im Gary Nachtman. I can't remember if I have met your or not. I know I met either you or your brother one time when your Dad showed some of your hay ground. Even though I haven't visited with you in person about this issue, I did attend 2 of the land owner meetings at the Chambers Community Center. I attended these meetings for one they were advertised as open to the public and I wanted to be informed as to peoples thoughts/concerns from both sides. I do try to listen to both sides of a topic before I devise an opinion. You may disagree and that's fine. Yes, you have more skin in the game than I do, as it crosses your land...maybe near your houses. It doesn't cross mine. In full disclouser I think Im about 6 miles from the proposed route. If the route potentially got moved north, I could be impacted. I also attendee the open house that NPPD hosted after the final determined route was announced. I listened to you, your wife, and your parents speak sometimes at length about your thoughts and feelings on the proposed route at these meetings. Sorry if you felt I should of talked to you personally, but I felt I had gleaned enough information to determine an opinion. I went on line that night to relax because I was in a slightly bad mood. I could of been more tact full.
After listening to all of the debate over Keystone XL in the last 4-5 years, which I was 4-5 miles from the first proposed route...some legitamite concerns others not so much...I have developed a gag reflex to reasons for opposition that don't make much sense. In full disclouser I was against KXL at first for several reasons. After they changed the route, I became neutral. Mainly due to some of the claims that Bold Nebraska made. Either build or or don't. As to wind frams or the R project for example, in Judy Wilcox's letter stating that the Ogallala Aquafer is getting muddied do to the construction of towers. Im no engineer or bio chemest, but I fail to see a logical reason that coralliates. Or the New Ag Talk thread describing health issues. In my crop insurance travels we make conversation with the insureds as we travel. In Boone & Antolope counties where wind towers are at it make an ease topic. They state they make some noise, but you get use to it. Im sure some don't get use to it, which sucks. When I read something such as the New Ag Talk thread, I kinda have to question some things since Ive visited with satisfied people first hand. Studies are funny things. Look at the debate over Zilmax, but then again there's agent orange. I guess I may be different than some, but looking at the landscape I hardly ever notice power lines for instance, unless I specifically look at them. Same with wind towers etc. I actually find it interesting to go east or north, and see all the high voltage power lines N.E. of Pierre S.D. for example, or wind farms. I realize others find them ugly. I guess I find ugliness a poor excuse to oppose progress, porviding it is progress.
Devyn, Im sure you have done a lot more research on this than I have. I respect your comments as to your opinion as to construction of the R project. Yes Im going off information that NPPD gave at its open houses. This topic came up when we were adjusting for a board member of a REA east of here....Boone county to be exact. I played devils advocate expressed the concerns of land owners such as your self. This conversation was several years ago, I don't remember the exact details but he indicated that it was needed to garuntee an adiquate power supply along with other things. Maybe we both have drank NPPD's "jim jones kool aid" and are guppies.
I wasn't intending to smear you. I like to give discriptive examples, that illistrate as to how I developed my opinion. Of the examples I could use to illistrate....one I couldn't remember enough of the details for me to feel comfortable repeating it. The other was stated at one of the land owner meetings. Even though those meetings were advertised to be public, I felt I shouldn't use that example. Where the other two were said at the NPPD open house. So yes that pretty much left you. Some of my comments in this thread are ment in general, not specifically at you. I didn't mean to belittle your shelterbelt. Since you know where I live, you surely know I have several as well. I don't specifically remember you stating the pivitol importance of the shelterbelt in your comments at the NPPD open house. What I remember was you talking how long it takes to grow one and that they are important, which I agree. Just a common theme to opposing comments was ugliness, not natural, and not on my ground. I used the power line to the plant and shelterbelts as examples to things not natural to the enviorment, and something that was put in either on fence lines or private property to benifit one profit making entity. As stated above I tend to lean towards NPPD's point of view. If they chose to cross my parents property, Id feel Id be helping my fellow citizen insuring the power grid. Will some companies profit, sure. Its a capitolistic economy. If I could put a price on my calves, I wouldn't sell them at cost or less. We will have to agree to disagree.
I don't remember any thing said about hole digging. Im curious as to the concerns about that. Erosion & voltage IMHO are legitmate concerns. I understand about putting your private business first. I have very casually visited with 2 people east of me who had concerns about the project. They worked worked with NPPD and NPPD, according to them were acomidating. Plus at the first round of open houses NPPD mapped any potential building development, shelterbelts, irrigation pivots, etc. They didn't just plot a path and say this is it. Maybe you have a higher number of concerns or they are harder to find a better solution to. I somewhat know your Dad and uncles. Your good people. I was talking about hard to deal with people in general and scuttle butt saying NPPD was hard to deal with vs what I had heard first hand. Yes, I realize scuttle butt is scuttle butt. Through insurance adjusting we deal with difficult people from time to time. Now we do follow procedure and adjust the claim properly with a contagious insured. The chance that we would go the extra mile, isn't as likely to happen.
I think we can both agree, more effort should be put towards storing generated power than generating more power and eminent domain is a powerful law that needs to be used carefully.
Gary Nachtman
Chambers, Nebraska