Originally published February 15 2006
Debate over wind farms continues into another year
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Corvallis Gazette-Times takes a long look at the debate raging over wind farms, as opponent claim they damage the landscape and wildlife.
Giant windmills are popping up on farms, scenic mountain ridges, prairie grass and now an Indian reservation, dramatically changing the nation's landscape and spinning a debate about where they belong.
Wind power grew rapidly in 2005, becoming more competitive as natural gas prices jumped and crude oil prices reached record highs.
Officials in Atlantic City, N.J., in December dedicated the nation's first coastal wind farm.
Last year, Klickitat County in south-central Washington state took a bold step by creating a so-called Energy Overlay Zone, a planning tool aimed at expediting renewable energy development.
Wind power still makes up less than 1 percent of the nation's electricity, but experts expect wind to generate at least 5 percent by 2020.
"The wind resource in the United States is comparable to the oil resource in Saudi Arabia,'' said Tom Gray, deputy executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, an industry trade group.
While windmills may evoke quaint images of yesteryear, they're sparking growing debate, particularly as the first offshore projects are proposed in popular tourist areas, such as Cape Cod, Long Island, N.Y., and the New Jersey shore.
The industry added about 2,500 megawatts of wind power this year, a record 35 percent increase, according to the association.
The country's wind capacity is more than 9,200 megawatts in 30 states, enough for 2.4 million average U.S homes.
The report urged federal officials to take a more active role in weighing the impact of wind power farms on bird and bat deaths, saying local and state regulators sometimes lack the necessary expertise.
A proposal to build offshore wind turbine towers along the New Jersey shore led to a 15-month moratorium on such projects while a special panel studies the issue.
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