At first glance, you’d figure that billionaire businessman Donald Trump and the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy wouldn’t have much in common other than an eye for the ladies. But now there’s another item you can add to that checklist: offshore wind farms.
Just as Kennedy led the charge against an offshore wind project on Cape Cod, Trump is girding for a fight with the Scottish government over plans to build an offshore wind farm directly off the coast of the golf resort he’s building outside of the Scottish city of Aberdeen.
In a letter to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Trump made it abundantly clear where he stands on the government’s renewable energy plans. “With the reckless installation of these monsters, you will single-handedly have done more damage to Scotland than any event in Scottish history,” wrote Trump.
Considering that Scotland has suffered the depredation of English and Roman armies as well as assault from Luftwaffe bombers, it would be easy of to accuse Trump of engaging in hyperbole. Then again, I haven’t invested $1.2 billion in a 1,400-acre luxury resort that includes two golf courses, a hotel, golf academy and a residential community. And I shouldn’t neglect to mention the 3 miles of “sugar-sand” coastline. The resort, known as the Trump International Golf Links, is scheduled to open in July.
Eric McErlain blogs at Off Wing Opinion, a Forbes “Best of the Web” winner. In 2006 he wrote a “bloggers bill of rights” to help integrate bloggers into the Washington Capitals’ press box. Eric has also written for Deadspin, NBC Sports and the Sporting News, and covers sports television for The TV News. Follow Eric on Twitter.