Public Service Commission of West Virginia Grants Siting Certificate for Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage

January 11, 2010 -- The Public Service Commission (PSC) of West Virginia granted a Siting Certificate for the construction of the Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage. The project, developed by Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Wind Force, LLC, is the product of a joint development agreement between US Wind Force and Edison Mission Group (EMG).

"Pinnacle is delighted that the public service commission has granted the permit. While we have not yet had the opportunity to review the entire order, we are ready to put skilled West Virginians to work building this clean, renewable energy project. We anticipate that construction will likely begin once the terms of a power purchase agreement are finalized", said Dave Friend, vice president of US Wind Force.
The 23 turbine Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage will be located on Green Mountain, near Keyser WV, in Mineral County. The turbines will generate approximately 55 megawatts of power, which is enough electricity for over 14,000 households. The cost to construct the project is estimated at $130 million. County property taxes are projected to average more than $433,000 annually, placing it among the county's largest taxpayers. Additionally, Pinnacle has voluntarily committed to establish a community benefit fund that will provide locally controlled financial resources for community projects throughout the life of the project.

NewPage Corporation, the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America, is partnering with the project by placing six of the turbines on NewPage property near the company's Luke, Maryland facility. “NewPage is proud to partner strategically with US Wind Force, especially during a time when our country is facing significant energy challenges. This partnership is an example of our commitment to support the growth of sustainable energy and is consistent with our goal to continuously explore renewable energy opportunities for our facilities," said David Bonistall, vice president, environmental, health and safety for NewPage.

As part of the project planning process, a Community Advisory Panel (CAP) was established to create an ongoing dialogue with community members from the Keyser, New Creek, Piedmont, and Elk Garden areas. Members continue to meet to discuss the project and its progress. In addition to meeting with CAP members, US Wind Force has met with local civic and service organizations in Mineral County and conducted open house events. Friend added, "[W]e appreciate the tremendous amount of support the project has received from stakeholders in the local community and their willingness to provide valuable input throughout this phase of the process."

To learn more about the Pinnacle Project, please visit the US Wind Force website at www.uswindforce.com. Project area residents may stop by one of the community information repositories located at the Keyser Public Library, the Elk Garden Community School, and the Piedmont Public Library to see a copy of the application. A toll-free project line, 1-866-929-4429, is also available to anyone with questions about the project.
US Wind Force, LLC, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is a privately held developer of utility-scale wind energy projects.

EMG companies rank as the seventh largest developer of wind energy projects in the United States with a current portfolio of 27 wind projects capable of producing more than 1,500 MW of electricity in operation or under construction in 10 states, including two projects in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. EMG also operates a power generating facility in Grant Town, West Virginia, which uses waste coal to generate electricity. EMG is headquartered in Irvine, California and is a subsidiary of Edison International.

Alan Mollohan's Opposition to Windmill Construction

Last night at the US Windforce meeting in the Wind Lea Conference Center in Keyser, a letter was produced and distributed containing a several page long list of objections by Congressman Alan Mollohan to this development.

Mollohan cited a number of concerns in his letter, starting first with the fear that windmills might adversely affect the bat population. Next he asserted that the Beech Ridge project was constructed without regard for the positions of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, again citing an as yet unknown effect on birds. Finally he complained that it affects the aesthetics of mountain views. Congressman Mollohan believed the effects on tourism would be dire.

This letter was passed around as evidence of Congressman Mollohan's antagonism to wind power. Whether or not the congressman feels the same today as he did in the letter may be debatable since it was dated July 26, 2006. Since that point we have had two congressional and one presidential election. No matter what other nonsense the dominant party has spewed since last January, a commitment to wind power has been one of their goals. Would Congressman Mollohan issue a detailed statement so diametrically opposed to wind power today? Perhaps, but then again perhaps not. After all, windmills do not permanently alter the contours of the mountains that he so wonderfully describes. I doubt that he would reject a new limited access highway carving through the hills and ridges of his district, nor would I want him to.

The letter's predictions, however, are worthy of study. Did windmills in Tucker County affect tourism? I see busses stopped at windmills there all the time so people can have their pictures taken with them. Have the numbers of people who visited that county dropped since the construction of windmills more than what would be normal in a recession? The answer to that could be interesting.

At the end of the day the practical numbers are what is important. How many local companies and individuals will be involved? How much will the heightened tax revenue help our cash strapped school system? How much money will the property owners who benefit from these projects spend in Mineral County?

My thought on aesthetics is that I do not see a ridge near a town as an unspoiled view. We have development extending from Keyser up Green Mountain. The Department of Highways is considering the construction of a highway perhaps a generation from now in the same general spot. Certainly there are areas some areas with a unique quality where we'd rather not have them. Having them sitting above the lights of a large town does less visual harm.

I also disagree with anyone who believes that wind will ever come close to substituting for coal. Wind power helps to bolster our output and enhance even further our energy exports. Congressman Mollohan in 2006 took a narrow view when he said that power exports only help those outside the state. Producing more power than you consume helps keep rates from increasing even faster than they do now. Expanding all possible sources of power, as the representative from the state Department of Energy expert explained at the meeting, increases jobs and state tax revenues. West Virginia can now also boast of being one of only a few states pursuing both alternative and renewable energy resources.

Most developments in the state, once done, cannot ever be completely undone. Coal companies try to restore the original contours of mountain ridges as much as possible. Highways snake across the landscape cutting through the hills. Industrial parks are permenent monuments of concrete, block, and steel. Windmills are one of the few things that, if they do not work, their removal would leave the natural view almost unchanged. Some fear that if wind power goes belly up, they will have to look at decaying structures with no purpose. I would doubt that, with the ever increasing price of scrap metal, that they would go unclaimed for long. People in the last election stole campaign signs for the steel mounts because metal is now such a lucrative product. If this is a major concern, the Legislature could hold wind power companies to the same standard as coal; when you are done, remove the evidence of your presence.

We want development. We want more clean and cheap power. Wind power provides a minimum of risk with a broad potential for gain.