Northwest Land Rush to Build Wind Farms

[jpak]

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=945608§ionID=1

ELLENSBURG, WA 2006-07-24 There's a new crop growing in the fields of eastern Washington and Oregon. It's wind turbines.

Eight years ago, there wasn't a single wind farm in the Northwest. Today, enough turbines are operating and under construction to power about 350,000 homes.

<snip>

Chris Taylor: "The most obvious ones are obviously a clean source of energy with no emissions of any variety that's free of all fuel price volatility. And then the tax base -- Kittitas, the town of Kittitas, their school district, has seen their tax base literally doubled overnight."

<snip>

The people who own the land under the turbines also profit. They can make up to $6000 per turbine per year.

<more>

[liberal N proud]

1. The neat part about this new crop is it can co-exist with the existing

crops.
Wind farms can be build in existing farmlands while still using the land below the tower for farming. The land used by most towers is relatively small for the energy they will potentially generate.

[bullimiami]

2. what a great deal for farmland. crops or pastures and wind energy.

[phantom power]

3. Excellent timing, actually...

Seeing as how the future of growing *food* out there is starting to look dubious
:evilgrin:

[jpak]

4. Link!!! Link!!!

:evilgrin: