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Our area of Oregon recently banned new solar farms on the grounds that it detracts from the beauty of the landscape – a wine region with lots of tourism. Ironic

• foolfoolz 6y ago
  eh i don’t see anything wrong with this. some areas are beautiful and should remain that way. we have a ton of space in oregon and the us. tons of space that no one is ever going to care about. i think it’s ok for people to protect places that have interest and economic benefits
  • gdubs 6y ago
    I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with trying to protect the character of the region. In fact, the beauty is something that — hopefully — makes visitors appreciate the environment. But when you look at what’s already allowed in farm-use zones, there’s plenty of eye-sore potential. So, my issue is with painting with too wide a brush (and unfairly singling out a use that’s arguably important to preserving the environment over the longer term). They should have the ability to look case-by-case. If someone has an area on their property that’s shielded from public view, why not let them use it for a solar array? Studies have shown that, properly configured, solar arrays can actually improve prairie soils. And like the large array in Hawaii, grazers like sheep can be incorporated into the design. Just seems bonkers to me to outright ban the solar arrays.
• quotemstr 6y ago
  Let's be real for a second. Climate change isn't going to destroy Oregon's wine-growing regions within our lifetimes. A solar farm will change it within months. You can support or oppose solar farm bans according to your liking, but you should do so on the basis of facts. The two forces aren't even close to equal in magnitude and timing.
  • evan_ 6y ago
    I suppose I must be different than you, in that I love my children
  • orev 6y ago
    The “not within my lifetime so who cares” trope has been around for decades, and guess what? Climate change is happening faster than anyone imagined, mostly because scientists can only present findings on things they are certain about, which makes the predictions conservative. Most people are already seeing the impact of climate change, and if it’s not visible to you personally, it has never been easier to seek out information on those that are. If you really can’t see past your own lifetime and feel that you should be able to take whatever you want from the planet simply because you don’t need to deal with the repercussions, then you are not part of human society and are free to leave the planet at any time.
    • jodrellblank 6y ago
      No matter how you try to write it politely, "I don't agree with your position, kill yourself" is a shitty comment.
  • guerrilla 6y ago
    It's already partially responsible [1] for negatively impacting Northern California's wine growing and this year could be worse. 1. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/climate-change-california-power-outage/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/climate-c...
  • atomi 6y ago
    > isn't going to destroy Oregon's wine-growing regions within our lifetimes Shameless.
  • imtringued 6y ago
    Is that supposed a joke? Solar panels are just blue squares. Other than aesthetics they do practically nothing to hurt Oregon.
  • 6y ago