State Rep. Margaret Cheney has a new job. She’ll leave the Legislature to become one of the three members of the state’s Public Service Board, which regulates utility and telecom issues.

And thus, she enters the curious Twilight Zone of the wind-energy debate — her image bifurcating into diametrically opposed concepts. You make the call:

Cheney no. 1 is a former teacher and journalist who’s in her third term in the House. As vice chair of the House Energy Committee, she is very familiar with the issues facing the PSB. She is, as VTDigger reported, “a leader in the Green Mountain State for renewable energy reforms and programs.”

Impressive. An ideal choice, it would seem.

But then there’s Cheney no. 2: a lackey of corporate interests, bought and paid for through campaign contributions. Her appointment is just another example of “crony capitalism,” and her tenure in the Legislature a “mistake” by the voters.

(Well, technically, three mistakes, since those darn voters kept sending her back to Montpelier.)

The first Cheney emerges from two sources: her long and very public record, and her colleagues in state government.

The second? Two guesses, and the first doesn’t count.  

Cheney no. 2 is a golem created by opponents of ridgeline wind energy, or “Windies,” as I unaffectionately call ’em. They see her as a corrupt, soulless sellout, fundamentally unfit for public office.

Which tells you more about the Windies than about Cheney’s record or character. Because the Windies see everything through the prism of ridgeline wind. Those who oppose it are champions of the people; those who support it are unscrupulous crooks.

Let’s take a closer look at the Windy sociopathy on display in VTDigger’s Comments section, shall we?

“She opposes any participation of communities and towns in the siting and placement of energy generation.”

False. She might oppose giving veto power to a community — or to a dead-ender subset of a community — but she is not at all opposed to “any participation.”

“She doesn’t listen to anyone who opposes the corporate interests that have funded the careers of her, her husband or the governor with whom she shares party affiliation.”

“Doesn’t listen to anyone”? Come on, now. The Windies’ definition of “doesn’t listen” goes something like this: “fails to accept the righteousness of Our Cause.” I know; I’ve been accused of not listening to anti-wind arguments. Truth is, I’ve listened to them all; I simply find them unconvincing.

“Ms. Cheney has taken political donations from corporate energy players in Vermont. That is an alarming potential conflict of interest…”

This is one of the milder versions of a common theme: Cheney is a bought-and-paid-for puppet of Big Wind. But let’s take a closer look at this corporate largesse.

Margaret Cheney ran a low-budget campaign in 2012, raising and spending barely $1,000. She received $250 from Windy bete noire David Blittersdorf, and $200 from those soulless corporate hacks at Renewable Energy Vermont.

And that’s it.

$450.

Geezum. If that’s all it takes to buy Margaret Cheney, she’s the bargain of the century.  

It’s nonsense, of course. To the Windies, the fact that Cheney isn’t a member of their tribe automatically tabs her as a corporate tool. There’s no middle ground.

“Cheney… is a leader for renewable energy reform and in this state that means charging full speed ahead to achieve 90% renewables…”

Well, f*ck yeah! If that’s her position, then I’m all for Cheney. Climate change is the single overriding environmental challenge of our age. Building a renewables-based energy system is a necessary step in limiting climate change, and our public officials should be praised for moving us in that direction.

That includes small, home- and community-based systems and an all-out commitment to energy efficiency — but it also includes larger installations as well. It’s not enough for individuals to button up their homes or build a windmill or go off the grid; we need solutions that will sustainably energize a technology-based society capable of feeding, housing, and employing hundreds of millions of people. If Vermont can play a small part in that effort, then we owe it to our planet and our fellow Earthlings to do so.

FInally, let’s hear from Dona Quixote herself, Annette Smith, who weighs in with a juicy anecdote supposedly illustrating Cheney’s corporate-vassal status:

She attended the PSB’s August hearing on GMP’s violations of the noise standard for the Lowell wind project. I thought, “good for her, a legislator is actually showing interest in what happens at the Board.” Then I watched as she sat with GMP’s people, and waved and smiled to GMP’s general counsel, who then came and sat next to her.

Aha! You see? Cheney is chummy with Big Energy! Worse, she “waved and smiled” at a corporate lawyer! OMG!

Cough.

What Smith doesn’t seem to realize is that the Statehouse is a very small place, and everybody knows everybody. I’ve seen people who are sworn political enemies greet each other warmly in the hallways, displaying all the markers of affection and friendship. During a recess in a very contentious floor proceeding in the Senate this year, I saw a Republican and a Progressive Senator (who were diametrically opposed on the issue in question) engage in a very friendly conversation, with no hint of the impassioned arguments that took place mere minutes before.

It’s a little bit disconcerting to the outsider, and I don’t know that I could act that way toward my political opponents. But it’s the way of the Statehouse, and Cheney’s actions are perfectly normal. Hell, if she saw El Jefe General John McClaughry in that hearing room, she’d probably offer him a handshake and a heartfelt greeting.

So no, the fact that Cheney is friendly with GMP officials doesn’t mean she’s in their pocket.

But then, the Windies’ only real question is: Are you with us or agin’ us?

And Cheney’s not with ’em, so therefore she must be agin’ ’em.

Nonsense.