Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson will host the grand opening of Michigan’s first “green” terminal at Oakland County International Airport (PTK) Tuesday, Aug. 23.
The airport’s new terminal features “green” technology such as wind and solar energy, geothermal heating and cooling, LED and fluorescent lighting, advanced insulation, electric car charging stations, and a living wall, among others.
This invitation-only event will precede the public’s opportunity to visit the airport’s new “green” terminal the following Sunday at the annual Open House and Air Show.
I find it very disconcerting that the politicians and administrators could find the funding to knock down a perfectly good building and replace it with a $5,000,000 facility. However, they were unable to find the budget to repair severely cracked, stone covered and pot hole filled taxiways between hangars.
According to reports, only some 15% of such LEED-compliant buildings meet their energy efficiency goals, but all are much more expensive to build than conventional construction. It’s no small wonder then that such buildings are found primarily at taxpayer-subsidies facilities. Private individuals and businesses do not need to be coerced to save money. If it makes sense, they’ll invest in more expensive materials. If not, it’s better to leave money for more important things. Same goes for solar farms popping up at airports – none would exist without massive wealth redistribution forced by renewable energy mandates to create artificial markets when free markets reject a costly or inferior product. Solar energy costs 5X more than coal or nuclear – no consumer in his right mind would ever pay for it.