West, D. (2019, September 14). The Hamptons Love Green Energy. But That Wind Farm? Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/14/nyregion/hamptons-wind-farm.html.

 

This article talks about how counties in East New York that house billionaires’ vacation homes hope for 100% renewable energy, but are not willing to give up some space to plant a cable beneath the ground. Long term residents agree that taking the small amount of time to plant the cable beneath the ground is not too much of a problem, because the power it supplies can be used for hundreds of households. Short term residents don’t want their weekend beaches torn up for a few days to ensure renewable energy, arguing that cheaper counties should uptake the cable for an offshore wind farm. Danish and Connecticut based companies have begun this project, but due to frequent debates of where the cable should be placed- in affluent Wainscott Hampton counties or cheaper (still expensive) Montauk counties, the offshore wind farm may never seek fruition. 

Renewable energy is becoming more and more frequent, with increasing debates surrounding the issues of climate change and how to resolve it. One quote from the article really struck me, “That’s always the irony in these things: ‘It’s a great idea and we want it, but don’t do it here,’’’ said Paul Monte, the president of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce.” I found this quote very interesting because it points out the hypocrisy in the article. That while the rich want to help resolve climate change, they are unwilling to have their pristine beaches temporarily dug up to benefit the Hamptons on the whole. I strongly disagree with their reasoning because it is a small and yet temporary issue that can really make a large positive impact on the environment.