Heidi Alexander: “in 1867, when the naturalist John Muir first walked into the Cumberland Mountains, he wrote: ``The scenery is far…”

“in 1867, when the naturalist John Muir first walked into the Cumberland Mountains, he wrote: ``The scenery is far grander than any I ever before beheld. . . . Such an ocean of wooded, waving, swelling mountain beauty and grandeur is not to be described.'' In January, Apex Clean Energy announced that it would spoil that mountain beauty by building twenty-three 45-story wind turbines in Cumberland County. I can still recall walking into Grassy Cove in Cumberland County one spectacular day in 1978 during my campaign for Governor. I had not seen a prettier site. Over the last few decades, pleasant weather and natural beauty have attracted thousands of retirees from Tennessee and across America to the Cumberland Plateau. The proposed Crab Orchard Wind project would be built less than 10 miles from Cumberland Mountain State Park, where for half a century Tennesseans and tourists have camped, fished, and canoed alongside herons and belted kingfishers and around Byrd Lake. It will be less than 5 miles from the scenic Ozone Falls State Natural Area, where the 110-foot waterfall is so picturesque, it was filmed as scenery in the movie ``Jungle Book.'' So here are my 10 questions for the citizens of Cumberland County and the people of Tennessee: How big are these wind turbines? I have a picture somewhere; maybe it will show up in the next few minutes.…”