Editor, Gazette-Journal:
I attended the recent Mathews County Planning Commission hearing on solar farms. I heard many logical objections to the specific proposal being considered. However, many objections seemed to be directed toward the general environmental impacts of solar farms.
Living for 20 years in York County with a coal-fired electrical power plant, I have a little different view on the environmental concerns. Of all the ways to generate electricity in Mathews County, I would prefer solar farms to all other ways.
When I lived in York County, the coal-fired plant covered everything with soot for miles around. In addition, the plant was an eyesore, it was noisy, and coal trains blocked traffic and were noisy themselves.
All of this time, Mathews County was getting at least some of its electrical energy from York County with few, or greatly reduced, environmental side effects.
I don’t believe anyone in Mathews County wants to give up their electricity. But we should bear our fai...