Readers Write: Wind turbine recycling, 2024 campaign
Recycling solutions are in reach.
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I am writing on behalf of the American Clean Power Association (ACP) regarding the recent article about the wind turbine blade disposal issue in Grand Meadow, Minn. The situation highlights an opportunity the renewable energy industry is working diligently to resolve (“Passing the buck on giant trash,” Aug. 11).
Roughly 80 to 94% of a wind turbine (by mass) is made up of readily recyclable materials, including steel, copper, aluminum and iron. The blades, made of durable fiberglass and carbon fiber, present unique disposal challenges. A variety of techniques exist for blade recycling and repurposing, but transportation costs significantly impact the feasibility of any disposal solution. Further, blade disposal and recycling infrastructure is currently limited in the number of blades that can be processed annually; expanding this infrastructure could make recycling more achievable at the volume the industry needs, as some blades today may need to travel over 1,600 miles to reach their destination.
Wind manufacturers are also developing new technologies for blade materials that will enhance recycling opportunities as well as supporting more durable, cost-effective and longer wind turbine blades, boosting energy capture and reliability.
Alongside the crucial transition to renewable energy comes the responsibility to manage infrastructure life cycles. As champions of wind energy, we understand the frustration of the Grand Meadow community as recycling and reuse options continue to ramp up to accept the volume of available blades and to bring costs down. On a broader scale, the industry is investing in research and development to create more efficient and accessible recycling methods, but these efforts take time. As the renewable energy sector matures, so will the solutions to these challenges.
To learn more about blade disposal options, see an ACP paper at tinyurl.com/decommissioned-blades.
Tom Vinson, Washington, D.C.
The writer is vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at the American Clean Power Association.
2024 CAMPAIGN
Call it what you want — it’s price control
An Aug. 23 letter writer criticizes Andy Brehm’s recent commentary on Gov. Tim Walz (“The governor doth project too much,” Strib Voices, Aug. 21) by saying, “He states that the Democrats are proposing price and rent controls. Neither President Joe Biden nor the Harris-Walz campaign has remotely suggested either.”
That isn’t true. Harris has said that she will ban price gouging. Price gouging is a sudden increase in prices because of a sudden increase in demand. For example, if there is a blizzard and the demand for snow shovels goes up, stores with snow shovels may increase the price of those shovels. Lots of folks are against price gouging because it seems unfair that a store is taking advantage of a temporary situation to boost prices. However, if there are 1,000 people who want shovels and only 100 shovels available, there has to be some method of allocating the shovels to people. Adjusting the prices to reflect the new supply and demand situation is a reasonable way to allocate the limited supply of shovels to people who want them. If the government bans price gouging, it is controlling prices. Price gouging laws put limits on what the prices of goods and services can be, thus controlling the prices.
James Brandt, New Brighton
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The letter “What a makeover” (Aug. 22) struck me, not for its substance, but for its disdain for Harris-Walz voters. The writer calls them “fickle” and “easily played,” dismissing them as part of an “alternate universe.”
Sounds like sour grapes.
Let’s review some realities of the 2024 election to determine whether these voters are gullible as the writer suggests.
- Harris is qualified. She is the vice president, the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history. She held statewide office twice in the largest state in the country. She is more qualified than Donald Trump ever was. Perhaps these voters are committed to electing a qualified person.
- If you believe Trump that he does not plan to implement Project 2025, then he has no policy objective beyond retribution. Perhaps these voters are not interested in losing more rights via Project 2025. Perhaps they reject vapid leadership.
- Trump has based his entire campaign on lies and conspiracies. Perhaps these voters are tired of being gaslit.
- Joy is contagious and motivating. You cannot deny Harris’ and Walz’s joy and genuine concern for their fellow Americans. Perhaps these voters prefer optimism. Perhaps they reject a felon whose racism and misogyny are palpable and who repeatedly calls the United States a “failing nation.”
This is not a “makeover.” It is the “unveiling” of a sharp, tough, future president. These voters are not “fickle.” They are reliable — loyal to a vision of our country that reliably progresses toward a better future for everyone.
Brooke Anthony, Edina
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The Aug. 21 article “Democrats confident of a down-ballot boost” is another example of the media not understanding political campaigning. Effective campaigning is not top-down — it is a bottom-up exercise! Door-knocking for your local state House DFL rep will help elect Harris-Walz more than Harris-Walz advertisements will help get state reps elected. This is because someone who votes for their local state House Democratic candidate will absolutely vote Democratic candidate up the ballot, but a voter for Harris-Walz will not necessarily vote for Democrats down ballot.
The headline should read “Harris and Walz hope dedicated Democratic door-knockers in swing state House races will help them win the state.”
Jerry Gale, Brooklyn Park
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Why are there so many former school teachers who end up going into public office? Our late great Sen. Paul Wellstone was a college professor. Other successful political figures started as educators as well, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Eleanor Roosevelt and former President Lyndon Johnson. As a retired high school English teacher, I can think of at least a couple of reasons why the transition from the classroom to politician works to create some of our best government leaders.
The first is that, in teaching, you have to keep trying even when the odds seem impossible. It doesn’t matter if you have a troubled or difficult student or a whole classroom of them. It doesn’t matter if you have what you think is a great lesson and it flops terribly. The very next day you will be facing these same kids again and have to give it another go. It’s both a humbling and exhilarating process. No wonder Walz proclaimed “Never underestimate a public school teacher.” Giving up is not an option, at least until the semester ends, and by then you might just love the process and your students enough to want to stay.
Another reason teachers make good politicians is because of what they see in their students, who, like all of us, mostly just want to be seen and heard. In roughly 200 days of a school year, a teacher gets to know their students’ individual stories, triumphs, struggles, who they are and who they might become. These stories make us laugh and sometimes break our hearts. Most of us get caught up in these stories wanting to help students on their journey in any way we can. But a few will decide to broaden their scope and help differently. They become politicians. Knowing something about these stories of the people, it’s not surprising that Harris picked a former teacher as her running mate.
Peggy Ludtke, Stillwater
