To the editor:

Is the 2040 plan and industrial wind and solar compatible?

The 2040 plan talks about preserving the character, rural heritage and beauty of Douglas County.

Rural Douglas County has been farmland and cropland for centuries. Farmers have been keepers of the land, providing food for man and animals. They have worked to improve cropland and grassland while preserving and protecting wildlife and their habitat. It is through the hard work of past and present farmers that one can enjoy beautiful rural Douglas County.

Will industrial wind and solar preserve the farmland if it is covered with turbines or solar? Industrial wind and solar will destroy farmland and wildlife habitat. It can be leased for the next three to four generations (75-100 years).

What will the soil be like then? The ground will be packed and contaminated from oil leaks, turbine blades sluffing off per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); the soil and our water will be contaminated.

Is this what we want for Douglas County and future generations?

Is the 2040 plan and industrial wind and solar compatible? I do not believe so.

Marsha Pohl,

Baldwin City