Not an outlier, not unusual at all, it’s the most common thing you hear in the rural areas where clean energy is being most commonly sited.
“I definitely voted for Donald Trump”, said Randy Elenbaum, when I interviewed him in a closed Caseville sports bar, in Michigan’s thumb region.
A 5th generation farmer, Elenbaum has seen the benefits to his community, and to farmers, from wind development.
“Knowing that he was going to look badly at upon wind and solar energy, … I still voted for him, and I’m involved in this quite heavily. One of the reasons I agreed to do this interview is,….somebody needs to get to this new administration, and explain some of the taxation things,…so that possibly they will change their minds..” about wind and solar energy.
“It’s good for everybody,” he said. “It spreads the wealth.”
I edited in some conversations with other local leaders who back up Randy’s observations, Bill Chilman, who just retired as Superintendent of Beal City Schools, in Central Michigan, and Steve Vaughn, a County Commissioner in Huron County, where Elenbaum lives.