Progress On a Ridgetop

Most people in Keyser should by now be aware of a major construction project taking place right over their heads. After several years of wrangling, construction has started and proceeded very quickly on the Green Mountain windmill project. As of today, four are completely assembled and many more are partially built.

This is one of the few major private sector initiatives I have seen in Mineral County since I moved here six years ago. Most of the people I have spoken to are amazed at the speed of construction and are interested in their progress. Not many have expressed dismay at seeing windmills on a ridgetop that overlooks McDonald's and Denny's.

Even though the school board at one time voted to discourage their construction, the tax money from the project will be a huge help to improving our schools. They also create a sense that the town and county are moving forward. Today, Mineral County is becoming a part of our nation's domestic energy production solution. Tomorrow, who knows what further steps we can take? If we keep our mind open to the possibilities and embrace the need for development and jobs, Mineral County can be a more attractive destination for investment and we can provide opportunities for more of our children.

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.

National Energy Tax Bad for West Virginia

Contact your Congressional Representative today! Tell them Al Gore's ideas are bad for West Virginia.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd E-mail: senator@byrd.senate.gov Website: byrd.senate.gov District Offices: Charleston, (304) 342-5855; Martinsburg, (304) 264-4626 Sen. John D. Rockefeller

E-mail: senator@rockefeller.senate.gov

Website: rockefeller.senate.gov

District Offices: Charleston, (304) 347-5372; Beckley, (304) 253-9704; Fairmont, (304) 367-0122; Martinsburg, (304) 262-9285

Alan B. Mollohan

Website: www.house.gov/mollohan

District Offices: Morgantown, (304) 292-3019; Parkersburg, (304) 428-0493; Wheeling, (304) 232-5390 Clarksburg, (304) 623-4422

Shelley Moore Capito

Website: http://capito.house.gov

District Offices: Charleston, (304) 925-5964; Martinsburg, (304) 264-8810

Nick J. Rahall II

Website: www.rahall.house.gov

District Offices: Beckley, (304) 252-5000; Bluefield, (304) 325-6222; Huntington, (304) 522-6425; Logan, (304) 752-4934

City of Keyser Backs Green Mountain Wind Farm

After a unanimous vote of approval, Keyser City Councilman Dave Sowers said of a proposed Green Mountain wind farm that it would generate county tax revenues, create more jobs, and help expand national renewable energy production.

Pinnacle Wind Force plans to spend $131 million to create the facility on the mountaintops above Keyser.

This puts the Keyser City Council potentially at odds with some members of the county commission who have expressed reservations about wind energy. Some concerns cited include the altering of aesthetics, damage to wildlife, and questions about what would happen if wind power was not profitable in the long run.

However Mineral County will gain benefits for years from the farm. Property tax revenues will bolster school budgets. The ripple effect from a $131 million investment will boost Keyser's flagging economy. Also it will promote the perception that Keyser and Mineral County embrace new technologies and ideas. Windmills are a symbol of clean energy independence.

Breaking Wind(mills)

Like Don Quixote, we spend a lot of time tilting windmills, especially in this neck of the woods.

First let me say that windmills are certainly a component of any alternative energy program, and they will probably have a place in any energy plan developed over the really long haul. Their principal shortcomings are these: they are currently expensive energy sources, and their power production is intermittent rather than continuous, and so other electrical power sources whose production is controllable and stable will be needed, or a wide array of windmills, tidal energy sources, and so forth will have to be hooked together in a very sophisticated grid system which rapidly shifts the origin of power in the power grid to the particular energy sources that are currently producing. There are probably some other ways to somewhat alleviate the problem, as well, which sound “Buck Rogerish,” but even with current technology would be somewhat feasible, though also very costly. For example, the domestic consumers could easily have an array of batteries as components of electrical equipment, which would turn on when the power was low and turn off when it was normal, recharging themselves automatically during the powered- up intervals.

The Western European experience with windmills is instructive to a point. Windmills are obviously proliferating there, and apparently are a commercial success; just as nuclear power plants are and have been in France for years. But bear in mind that Western Europe is largely devoid of fossil energy sources, and almost any oil or coal they use for electrical power production must be imported, and is increasingly expensive. They also, generally speaking, don't have to worry about air-conditioning the way the United States does. Their economic payoff for switching to alternative energy now is different from most of America’s. There is an economic component to the switch to windmills and other alternative energy sources that is very rewarding in Western Europe. America’s situation is different in the sense that we have no shortage of coal whatsoever,(nor oil if we were willing to let the market develop it when economic factors dictate), and coal and eventually oil could supply most of our electrical power far into the future much more cheaply than any current alternative energy source except, perhaps, nuclear power currently could now, or likely ever could. In addition, we have a carbon-based energy system built and operating quite admirably, and there would be no difficulty in attracting private investment to enlarge and improve that system, provided that government action did not threaten the economics of the current American electrical energy production and delivery system.

This is what the windmill argument really boils down to: do we need and want so-called green energy sources now or soon. If we do, we can have them. Their inefficiencies currently are so profound that only government subsidies and concessions of various sorts, including some hammerlocks on the arms and shoulders of the electric companies in order to compel them to accept expensive electrical output from alternative energy sources when it is available. Without introduction of artificial factors into the economics of energy production in the United States, there would be virtually no interest on the part of private investors in most current alternative energy sources and therefore no arguments hereabouts over windmills. Would any nationally prominent politician, however, step forward and plainly state the truth: you can only have green energy if we take taxpayer money to create it and defeat the (tax-paying) competition by taxing them and you taxpayers, or both, to do so.

Personally, I have no particular objection to the presence of windmills on the horizons. Mankind has been tinkering with landscapes since time immemorial. Sometimes a Taj Mahal or an Exeter Cathedral is created; sometimes a dismal slum is the result. Indeed, most of West Virginia was clear-cut a hundred years ago, in arguably by mankind, and probably would be again if there were enough money in it to make the option interesting. (So much for ridge line or view scape integrity).

Are the windmills inevitable? If you believe Al Gore and all the proponents of global warming who blame energy production for a good bit of that problem, windmills are inevitable and so are nuclear power plants and hydroelectric plants, etc. because those who favor alternative energy and want to eliminate most or all carbon-based electrical energy production evidently have the predisposition and the votes to force that position on everyone else. If the people like Gore say you can’t use coal, even though it is plentiful and cheap, and they have a majority of even one, you don’t get much choice but accept the windmills now or later, and in all probability accept, also, an array of government regulations on the energy efficiency of your appliances, and probably eventually the rationing of the amount of electrical energy you can use in your household, or at the least, self-rationing, brought about by the enormous growth of your electrical bill as various alternative energy sources, derived not from competitive market action but rather government subsidy and regulation, replace current efficient and effective systems of electrical energy production.

“To green, or not to green”; that is the real question in this purported land of the fuzzy and ever jolly green government giant. The question really is not specifically about windmills on the ridge lines of Mineral and adjacent counties at all. Argue as we may around here locally about windmills, what we decide doesn’t matter much unless it coincides with what the federal government decides. Government of the people, by the people, and for the people perishes at the local level bit by bit any time local interests conflict with what those politicians who seldom or never come around here decide to do to us in cases such as windmills. That’s not what the Constitution provides for, but after all, the Constitution’s just a document, a socially-constructed reality which can be ignored by anyone who doesn’t have any compunction about doing so. It’s just a baseline isn’t it; something the political class can look at so they can deviate from it to show that they are avant garde, politically savvy, hip, and all that sort of ballyhoo. Unless, of course, we’ve got people with spine enough to stand up for the kind of governance of, by and for the people that we and they really believe in and value.

Don Quixote was either a pathetic fool, or a sort of Everyman. He was inspiring although he was usually ineffectual. He always stood up for what he believed in. My inclination would normally be to favor windmills hereabouts in order to give important new technology a chance, but the Don Quixote in me says oppose them in the extreme in order to put big government in the position of having to roll on over once more we local people in pursuit of their current “flavor-of-the-month” on the ultra-liberal policy wonk circuit. That would underscore the way it really is: West Virginians must pay again for some sort of sins we didn’t commit or didn’t knowingly commit, while those who benefited ignore their own culpability in the creation of the alleged carbon crisis and global warming, and are allowed to seemingly solve the problems they created by abusing their country cousins in new and satisfying ways at least one more time. If you buy windmills, wait until you see...(whatever is your worst nightmare)? that the feds have got for you next.

More anti-economic development propaganda sent out

Last week I got more e@mails from the anti-economic development group that is trying to stop windmill based jobs, tax revenue and lease revenue from coming into our community.

This time I got a story about why they are bad in Great Britain. Well I’m not real worried about what is best for Great Britain, but I am interested it what is best for my country. Well let’s look at the differences between the UK and the US.

First the UK power grid is much smaller than ours. We actually have three semi separate power grids in the US and we are in the largest of the three. Now the article states, “In 2006, according to U.K. government statistics, the average load factor for wind turbines across the U.K. was 27.4 percent.” Again what does that have to do with power generation in the US? Nothing!

Consider that the Isle of Great Britain is a little less than 600 miles top to bottom. The east coast power grid (which includes part of Canada) is over 2000 miles from top to bottom. While the UK power grid is small enough for the wind to stop blowing over the entire country, which is almost impossible in the US. While the wind may stop here in Mineral County for the day, the odds that the wind stops in Florida, Maine, Michigan, etc at the same time are not likely. The article even states, “Wind turbine advocates have claimed that this can be avoided by the geographical spread of wind farms, perhaps by creating an international ‘super grid’.” Well we already have the ‘super grid’ in place, so we are ready.

The article also talks about the need for gas turbines to back up the wind energy when the wind doesn’t blow. In the US we will have less of a need to back up the wind turbines, because of our large power grid and if when we do need back up it is locally produced coal firing our generators. We already have the system in place.

The article goes on to talk about tax breaks. These are UK tax breaks, not US tax breaks. Our wind generation industry has much less tax breaks than the UK. The facts are our local tax revenues to the county and state will increase when the wind farms are installed.

You have to be careful when making comparisons. You must have all the facts and details. You must compare apples to apples; Great Britain is not the United States. The anti-economic development group doesn’t want you to use your common sense, but when you do our community wins.

Governor Manchin's Statesmanship

I voted for Russ Weeks last November and I am still proud of that vote because it was a statement against things as usual in West Virginia.

However, we must give credit where it is due. In the past month, Governor Manchin has emerged as a rare bird in state politics. He looks, sounds, and importantly acts like a statesman. As economic indicators drop across the country, he alternates between a Rooseveltian and a Reaganlike tone. Boosting confidence and morale is the job of a leader. Manchin has grasped this concept.

This opinion came to me when I was watching him address the Mineral County delegation on Thursday, February 12. He presented a contrast to the flailing, bumbling, power hungry Democratic president. Where Obama stokes fear, Manchin reassures. Where Obama preaches that government will save us, Manchin asks us to first start saving ourselves. Where Obama has no vision, Manchin tells us that we are not in a panic, but in a planning mode. If we had to have a Democratic president, why could it have not been someone more like this. Of course many assume he is a Republican at heart anyway.

Manchin this week unveiled a mandate demanding that 25% of state production of energy eventually come from some alternative source. This will not hurt the coal industry as energy needs will continue to expand. To the representatives present from US Windforce this was an important boost to their plans to expand windmill production into Mineral County, especially after County Commissioner Wayne Spiggle promised that he and the county would work hard to make all of the Governor's plans successful.

Vision without fear. Policies that emphasize individual effort and private sector initiative. What a welcome change compared to what we have seen from Washington lately.

Windmill Truths: Economic Impact and Jobs

Let’s face it we need jobs in our community. The economy is turning down and many in the area have been laid off and people are looking for new job creation. Many see the Windfarm on Green Mountain as a potential job creator. Both sides of the issue are putting their spin on what will happen with job creation.

The anti-windmill faction has been sending out the following information on jobs, “one maintenance employee for every 12-15 turbines. A 20 turbine windplant in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania now employs only two maintenance employees.” I was e@mailed that information again by the anti-windmill faction after yesterday’s blog, but I have seen it before. I can not attest to its accuracy, because no source was quoted. As for US Windforce’s position, they have made no official claim as to the number of jobs created.

From my own research I believe that the claim of one employee for every 12-15 turbines is probably in the ball park. Wind energy production is not very labor intensive, but how does it compare to coal electrical generation? Dominions Mt. Storm Power plant has 3 units. Unit 1 and 2 are rated at 551 Megawatts each and unit 3 at 553. (1) That gives the plant a total capacity of 1,656 MW. With 270 employees (1) that is about 6 MW generated for each employee.

The name plate capacity on the US Windforce project is 55.2 Megawatts (2). Typically a windfarm can only operate on an annual basis of about 30% of rated name plate capacity. So if we believe that the US Windforce project is only going to employ two people, then that works out to about 8 MW generated for each employee.

This means from a labor stand point that wind energy generation is slightly more efficient, but real close to what the nearest coal fire plant achieves. This begs the question; is the anti-windmill faction advocating that the Windfarm is too efficient? Efficiency leads to lower cost electricity and for most people that is a good thing.

But the permanent employment numbers are only part of the story. The anti-windmill faction provided the following information, again from an unnamed source, “of the 200 total construction jobs, only 20 were local—and all disappeared within six months.” Most construction workers don’t hang around after the job is complete. That is the nature of construction jobs; they are there until the job is complete. It doesn’t make them any less important to the community.

At the last public windmill meeting on Feb 2^nd, 2009, Mr. Shirley a local construction worker working on the Mt. Storm project indicated he had been employed for 2 years on that project. Many other workers that have been employed on that project were in attendance and expect to move to the Green Mountain project. Our area is developing a skilled work force of wind turbine erectors and these workers may begin to travel with their new skills. They will still be bringing those paychecks home. That fact is completely discounted by the anti-windmill faction. In claiming that only 20 construction jobs are local, they fail to take into consideration that the local concrete plants, lumber yards, earth movers will all be local subcontractors.

But the local economic impact is not limited to those employed by the project. The landowners will receive lease payments for the use of their land. While the lease agreements with the specific landowners on the Green Mountain project are private, typically $5,000 per windmill is what is seen in the industry for our area. That will pump around $115,000 annually into the local economy. An additional $373,000 in property taxes (2) will be paid to Mineral County.

The average wage of a Mineral County resident is $26,645 per year (3). That $488,000 in new money being brought into Mineral is the equivalent of 18 new wage earners being brought to Mineral County. We also know that each dollar brought into the local economy has a multiplier effect as it is spent.

The real effect on the economy is much more than the information being disseminated by the anti-windmill faction. In this case we are finding that even the numbers presented by US Windforce under estimate the true economic impact of the project.

Reference:

(1) May 2005, Power Engineering Magazine, “Dominion Mt. Storm”

(2) US Windforce official website

(3) US Census Bureau

A response to yesterdays Windmill blog from Kolin Jan

I received the following e@mail from Kolin Jan on yesterdays blog. It had many attachments with it, some were from unknown sources and some known, but all left out vital information on making an informed decision on the proposed windmills. I thought I would share Kolin's letter with you and my response.

_______________________________________________________

Gary,
From something you wrote today it appears you have bought into the US WindForce propaganda....especially the part about jobs. Here are several emails that might help you discover the rest of the story on this issue. The jobs are very temporary.....check out what has happened at other locations....and the advertised permanent jobs are inaccurate. Industry-wide you can expect one permanent job per 10-13 turbines (ask Jim and Joe to prove to you otherwise). I care about the environmental impacts, but what I care more about is the science behind the turbines, and how ineffective and expensive they are.
I don't blame US WindForce for taking advantage of what an uninformed Congress has allowed; after all, we're a capitalistic society. I'd just like these guys to tell the whole truth for a change and answer some basic questions in a public arena. r/ Kolin

_____________________________________________________

Kolin,

You don’t know me very well. I have been a student of Wind Energy most of my life. In grade school and high school I did science fair projects in generating electricity from the wind and won many awards up to national levels, including awards from Fortune 500 companies for my research. I have personally visited the large windfarms on the west coast and stood beneath those at Tehachapi Pass. My family generated electricity from the wind as far back as the 1930’s on their farm. I’m not some Johnny Come Lately to wind energy. I have done my own research both literal and empirical.

The information that you forwarded to me is mostly propaganda and misleading. It is not independent information you are disseminating as the truth, it comes from the anti-windmill, anti-growth faction. That being said the information coming from US Windforce is going to be favorable to their side of the issue. That is why I do not rely on the information from either source, but do my own research. My 30 years of study and experience with wind energy does tell me that US Windforce’s information is much closer to the truth than the true propaganda you just forwarded to me.

Sir, it is you relying on propaganda from only one side and distributing it to an uninformed public. I am not uninformed on this issue and I am not a NIMBY. I want to see growth in my community. I want to see jobs brought to my community. I know that you are not from here, but I think you have been here long enough to realize we are not bunch of Hillbillies. The stereotypes of West Virginia are not real. We are an educated people that can think for ourselves.

You state you want to see US Windforce answer questions in a public arena; they do the first Monday of every month. In the forum they answer most of the questions on the spot, if it is something that needs detail and cannot be answered off the cuff, then they defer it to a later meeting. They are hiding nothing as you imply with your statement. Those meetings are public and open to those that wish to attend.

I suggest you do some research of your own instead of relying only on information from the anti-wind, anti-growth loons.


Respectfully

Gary Howell

_______________________________________________________

NIMBY = Not in my backyard

Winds of Change, Words of Deceit

Monday night I had the opportunity to attend one of the monthly Windmill meetings that are open to the public and designed to keep the community informed and give the opportunity for the public to ask questions. The format is quiet simple, a presentation is made, questions are ask of the permanent panel of local leaders, then the public in attendance is allowed to ask questions. If it is something that can’t be answered immediately, then it is put on the agenda for the next meeting or a reference for that information is given. It works quite well.

Last night there were some anti-jobs people there disrupting the meeting, I’m all for exercising freedom of speech, but you don’t purposely disrupt a meeting and make accusations you can’t back up. Several times during the meeting the anti-jobs people had to be ask to be respectful to the other speakers. It was mainly a tactic to get the attention of the media present and judging by Tuesday’s paper they succeeded, as the article doesn’t accurately reflect the events of the meeting.

I especially like the quote by Greg Trainor in the newspaper, “This is more of monologue.” While it was true that Mr. Trainor said that, it fails to point out it was during Dave Friend’s presentation. The presentation was supposed to be a monologue, the question and answer session came after is presentation, not in the middle of it. Mr. Trainor didn’t want to play by the rules like the rest of the people in attendance were willing to do, and when the question and answer session came Mr. Trainor didn’t really ask questions as much as he made accusations. Mr. Trainor needs to understand you learn by listening and not shouting over the people that are trying to answer your questions.

Trainor did ask a question that is impossible to answer. “I want to know how many houses will be powered, what you really think?” But it was his point to ask a question that couldn’t be answered correctly. You can take average estimated output of the windfarm and average home electrical usage, but beyond that the question can’t be answered. Mr. Trainor knew that. He wanted an exact number that doesn’t exist, because then he could use that number to say look under these conditions that it is wrong.

Well most people are quick to understand that in the middle of the night in the fall when there is a strong wind and people are asleep using very little electric the project may meet the needs of 100,000 homes. The average person is also smart enough to understand that on a 100 degree summer day a noon and no wind is blowing that the project can’t supply work to a single electric fan. The people are smarter than Mr. Trainor believes.

In 30-days the project is filing its papers with the Public Service Commission. 99% of the questions asked by the anti-jobs group will be answered in that public filing. The Windmill project is operating releasing its information as prescribed by the laws of the state of West Virginia, but the anti-jobs group is demanding information be released in a matter not in accordance with the law. US Windforce is complying with the law as they should and when the follow the law the anti-jobs group accuses them of trying to hide something. The anti-jobs group is using deceit to stop the positive change coming to our community.

Energy Supplies and Robert Redford's "Racism"

Robert Redford's decision to attack President Bush's plan to open over a hundred thousand acres of the West to energy development drew fire recently from East Coast based black advocacy groups.

Redford described the sale of leases as "morally criminal." CORE spokesman Niger Innis shot back by arguing that increasing supply brings down prices. Innis asked that Redford relinquish his wealth and try "living like a poor person." He went on to say that high prices were functionally discriminatory and praised efforts to increase supply and reduce the burden.

This is another example of traditionally left wing groups battling over energy policy. Some left wing groups emphasize the condition of people, others want to de-emphasize the importance of people. Black advocacy groups worry about the poor heating their homes. Environmentalists have warm homes and ask what about the caribou who might have to pass by an oil well once a year.

Closer to home the debate over windmills pits clean energy advocates against those that value the preservation of every mountain view. One suggestion argued that individual homeowners ought to be encouraged to purchase their own windmills instead of allowing large windfarms.

Environmentally speaking the impact made by massive numbers of small windmills versus moderate numbers of large ones would be significant. It takes more energy to produce and transport smaller windmills. Those that fear the occasional bird death have much more to be concerned about when it comes to a vast multitude of windmills with smaller, harder to see blades.

More importantly, wind farms mean more property tax receipts. Wind farms mean better funded schools with less reliance on fundraising. Wind farms mean that the rest of us do not have to carry as high a burden to keep schools and local government running. Wind farms mean that more money comes from outside of the state directly into the pockets of locals who will turn around and buy more stuff, eat in local restaraunts more often, and deposit more money into local banks. We are historically used to an outflow of cash. An influx would be nice to see for a change.

The Future Is Now

The University of Delaware has just developed a prototype vehicle that may be the answer to rising fuel costs for small cities, businesses, and college campuses.

The V2G, or vehicle to grid, propulsion system for automobiles was created by Willett Kempton who has been refining this technology for over a decade. Kempton actually powers a Scion with this engine. The Scion is a hideous vehicle, but it is the size of a small SUV. This means that such an engine could probably run a moderately sized pickup truck, minivan, or SUV if the conventional engine and gas tank are removed. It runs on a battery that works as an energy sponge. It absorbs power from the grid when plugged in. If the battery contains excess power, it flows back into the power grid. This reduces strain upon the power system which from time to time sees its own fluctuations.

Right now the battery requires two hours to charge and has a range of 150 miles. This means that families cannot yet rely on it for vacations. However automobile fleets maintained by small towns, local busineses, or college campuses could utilize this type of engine and save money on fuel. Families can also benefit by purchasing an electric car for local use and a gasoline powered one for longer trips.

Over time, these types of vehicles will gain more power and range. Owners have already started turning to hybrids. The current electric power system cannot handle a massive demand surge for electric power that a jump in the number of electric vehicles will create. Expansion of coal, wind, and hydroelectric power now is essential to anticipate this demand. If electric vehicles are an answer to large segments of the market, then we must start preparing for it.

Conservatives are not anti-environment. We simple prefer that market solutions be allowed to occur instead of governmnet imposed ones. Conservatives also favor balancing the needs of the environment against the needs of people, rather than denying human beings what they need to prosper. The market will demand alternate energy sources as the price of oil moves more and more out of reach. This prototype developed by the University of Delaware could be a market solution to this market problem.

Sensible Leadership For Energy Solutions

In the past few weeks, the nation has seen evidence that our leadership has finally started acting on giving America sensible solutions to energy needs. And I don't mean Chicken Little Gore and his dire warnings about the death of human civilization, nor do I mean Ann Barth's interesting, yet not quite accurate statements about the continental shelf.

First we see President George W. Bush lifting the executive order banning continental shelf drilling. Now Congress needs to act to not only save their political skins, but to increase supply as quickly as possible. Critics claim that we may not see the benefit for five years, but won't we still need energy at that point even if they were correct? Wow, what if we had done this five years ago!

T. Boone Pickens, a Texan who made his money in oil, has launched a national campaign to create a more diversified energy base for America. It relies not only on domestically produced oil, but also clean coal technology, more extraction of natural gas, and also wind and solar power. This makes tremendous sense if leaders have the willingness to listen.

This brings us to our own congressional delegation. Alan Mollohan and Nick Joe Rahall continue to strenuously oppose drilling in a few thousand of the million plus acres of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge while continuing to back mountaintop removal coal mining. Do they still get a gold star from the Sierra Club? Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito joined a bipartisan group of twenty members of Congress from across the political spectrum as well as the nation. This group has made progress towards a compromise energy policy. Certainly we must encourage clean power sources such as wind, water, and solar sources, but the nation must understand that fossil fuel use will continue to be the backbone of our supply for a long time.

Americans historically react slowly to problems, but once engaged find solutions quickly. Congresswoman Capito's work on the energy study group not only will benefit her district and state, but also the nation and the world. When it comes to prosperity and security, as goes America, so goes the world. Thankfully we have a member of Congress willing to step up, disregard petty politics, and help lead the way.

WV land owners benefit from high energy prices

High energy prices around the world are impacting many people in a negative way. We are reminded each time we fill up our vehicles with $4 plus a gallon gas, but for some there is an up side. Many landowners have valuable energy that the market now wants.

Just a few years ago gas leases were running around $100 per acre, today most are in the $300 to $400 per acre range for the first 3-years with a bump to $1,700 per acre in the fourth year. Once the well starts producing the land owner will typically be able to negotiate between a 1/8th royalty on the low side and a 1/4th on the high side.

Wind farms are also providing a positive economic impact for landowners. Some are paid $5,000 per year per wind generator, while others opt for a $3,000 per unit lease with a percentage profit from the electricity generated.

Even if you are not a land owner you will see a positive impact in the local economy. Each dollar pumped into the area will act as three dollars to the local economy. The facts are people tend to spend extra money they get. After all that was why the Federal Government sent out the economic stimulus checks. They knew most people would spend them pumping money into the economy.

Most of the people receiving royalty and lease checks from the gas and wind companies will do the same thing. They will buy the boat they always wanted, build a garage they always wanted, start a business the didn't have the extra money to risk on, etc. Somebody will have to sell that boat, someone will have to build that garage, somebody will have to work at that new business. All of those people benefit indirectly from the increased wealth in the area.

Rising energy prices can benefit the local economy when you are in an energy producing region and the Potomac Highlands has the ability to be a major playing in the current energy market.

Wind Farm Windfall

Recently it was reported that Grant County earns over $500,000 per year in tax receipts from its wind energy operations. That number should skyrocket along with the number of turbines now in operation there. Last night, news reports out of Washington DC glowingly described how wind energy in Pennsylvania provided power for some suburban governments that want to gain the reputation of being environmentally friendly. Maryland's lieutenant governor spoke on television about the necessity of harnessing win, despite that state's recent decision to deny construction of new farms in western Maryland.

Some reports indicate that wind may help generate up to 20% of America's electric power needs in the future. This should not indicate that wind will replace coal. America's expanding energy market requires us to think beyond oil, especially since hybrid and electric car purchases will continue to skyrocket. Our electric power grid needs all the help it can get and coal will remain the backbone of that process. However, getting in on the ground floor of wind power will be like going back in time and buying a piece of Microsoft; it is an investment that will pay dividends for years.

Tuesday May 13th we voted on whether or not to pass an excess levy to supplement the tax money we get from our schools. Wouldn't it be better to increase the property tax base? Wind farms in Mineral County will help our environment, help create jobs, and help our schools.

The winds of change are blowing in counties around us. Time for Mineral to get on board.

Mineral County Citizens see Wind Farm as Postive for County

Monday night US WindForce held a well attended informational meeting on their proposed wind farm to be located on Green Mountain in Mineral County. Not only were US WindForce officials in attendance to answer questions, but realtors, environmental scientist, turbine construction crews and engineers were also available to answer specific questions.

The proposed project will run the ridge line starting northeast of the Pinnacle and heading towards the Potomac River and contain some 50, 2.5 megawatt wind turbines. Electricity generated from wind generally is used to replace electricity generated from inefficient oil fired plants.

According to area realty statistics home values have steadily increased in the areas where wind generators are present. Recently the single most expensive home sale in Grant County was recorded within a ½ mile of the Mt. Storm wind farm. Also ridge property is increasing in value as a possible sites for wind generators and the income they generate for the land owner.

Other concerns centered on bird and bat kills. Most opponents point to bird kill studies done at Altamont Pass Wind Farm in California. When Altamont was constructed environmental groups requested that special “rock piles” be built to offset the habitat lost to the access road construction. The rock piles became good habitats for local ground squirrels which attracted birds of prey. The combination of the older high speed wind turbines and the artificially habitat basically created the unique kill conditions at Altamont. The large slow moving, higher turbines that the Green Mountain project will use, will have bird kill ratios well below those birds killed by cars and large windows in homes.

County Commission Janice LaRue said she was worried about the taxes generated by the wind farm, but the state had recently changed the laws governing the taxation of wind energy allowing the counties to get a bigger percentage. The combined effects of increase taxes for the county, the creation of high paying maintenance jobs, and generous lease revenue for land owners will greatly benefit the counties sluggish economy.

Generally people were impressed with the scope and detail of the project they were able to see. Most left with a positive attitude about the project and want to see it completed. The wind farm will be positive growth for Mineral County.

Birds, Bats, and Bears

As a country we need to stop our foolishness. Really. We cannot afford it anymore.

I am talking about our foolish insistence of holding ourselves hostage to not the survival, but the convenience of animals. Ten years ago we could afford to be concerned that Alaskan polar bears might not want to live next to oil rigs. We could debate the problem of birds and bats possibly or not possibly hitting windmills. Power was cheap and the economy was strong. No more.

Our national security depends upon our national economy. Our national economy runs on accessible energy and transportation. Without these things, our economy would adjust, but only after a painful transition.

George W. Bush saw this coming and proposed an energy plan some years ago. This plan would research a variety of energy sources while opening up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for oil. The Republican Congress did not approve it due to skittishness over the upcoming election. Most of those don't have to worry about campaigning this year.

Had we listened to the foresight of Bush, we would not be experiencing many of the shortage problems we have now and Alaskan wildlife would be fine. White tailed deer and black bears thrive in the eastern United States. I doubt a few oil wells and pipelines would hurt wildlife in that area. ANWAR is the size of our smallest states. There is plenty of room for animals and oil production. I would predict that if it is possible, President Bush will open at least part of it to oil drilling near the end of his term via executive order.

Some propose that we lessen our dependency upon oil by driving hybrid cars. Not a bad idea and it is also a logical market reaction. The more we depend upon hybrid vehicles, the more we will need to expand production of coal while harnessing wind and water. As I pointed out recently, West Virginia has ample clean energy potential to supplement our coal. Our country needs it all. However there are some out there who would place the welfare of bats and birds above restoring sanity to the energy market. I'm sorry. When we and our neighbors struggle to pay our bills because the energy supply is constricting, we must expand the supply. Bring on the windmills! Start drilling for and using the natural gas resources that lie under our state.

People are more important than bears, birds, and bats. It is time to put some energy into finding solutions before we reach a full blown national crisis.

Batty

Apparently the Public Service Commission has bats in its belfry.


A 2005 Federal law passed by the Republican Congress and signed into law by President Bush encourages the production of renewable energy. Plain old common sense tells us that we need to put less and less cash into the dubious pockets of Middle Easterners since some of it finds its way into the bank accounts of terrorists. I know I have been a little long winded on this subject in the past, but wind driven turbines give us a clean source of renewable energy.


The Public Service Commission cited the presence of an endangered species of bat as one reason to not approve a project for Pendleton County. Amazingly even labor unions could not prove mightier than bats in this latest bizarre twist of West Virginia's governmental decision-making.


For goodness sakes! Make a decision in favor of the environment. If not the environment, make it in favor of enhancing national security. If not for those reasons, how about keeping jobs and tax money in a county like Pendleton that desperately needs it. The life of a bat should never, ever come before the good of the county, state, or nation.

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Speaking of batty, Democrat Natalie Tennant launched a series of criticisms at Secretary of State Betty Ireland about her office's handling of the 2004 elections. She apparently is still angry about a ballot format that she blames in part for her primary loss. Apparently the former television personality missed the multitude of bills passed over the years reforming state elections, including one addressing the problem cited by Tennant. Thankfully, Ireland aide Ben Beakes was more than helpful, reminding her in detail through the press. Let's hope Tennant's husband, Eric Wells, knows of these reforms. His state senate committee reviewed them all.


Betty Ireland has really shown tremendous leadership over her term of office. The only criticism Democrats can muster refers to problems no longer permitted by state law. West Virginia benefits from having her as an energetic and forcefully honest leader.

Hot Air Expended Against Wind Power

Last month, Representative Alan Mollohan told the Charleston Gazette that “Wind turbines have a devastating effect on wildlife.” Such claims have a strongly negative effect on popular support for wind energy. It is horrifying to think about a gargantuan machine chewing up beautiful birds and other airborne wildlife. Do the facts back up that image that Congressman Mollohan describes?

The National Academy of Sciences does not think so. An exhaustive 2003 study on birds and wind turbines proves that out of all birds killed by humans in the United States, less than one in ten thousand die in wind turbines. One thousand times more birds die from simply flying into buildings. Of more concern is bats’ attraction to the noises produced by the turbines, however technology will soon prevent those deaths.

As time passes, wind farms will produce more electricity more efficiently. Right now one turbine can produce enough power for 160 homes. With the evolution of technology, that efficiency rate will continue to improve. As far as its impact on the coal industry is concerned, it will likely only supplement West Virginia’s energy production and exports, not completely supplant the use of coal.

Economically speaking, this is an area where West Virginia capital can seize control of a viable energy resource. Independent power producers currently own the bulk of wind farms. With most of our coal and other resources controlled by outsiders, wind will bring increasing amounts of money into the state to stay if West Virginians themselves can develop the farms. Now that wind farms are taxed at regular instead of salvage rates, more incentive exists for local governments to invite this industry to their county.

The main critique besides dead birds is the appearance of these farms. Hill or ridge tops and mountain gaps represent two of the best locations for the turbines, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Walter Cronkite and Ted Kennedy successfully prevented one from being constructed off Martha’s Vineyard, but the farm in Tucker County has developed into a tourist destination. Likely the right shade of paint could render them invisible much of the time from a distance.

Wind farms would take advantage of a natural resource the Potomac Highlands produces in bulk without adding to pollution. It could give the state an opportunity to bring in more money and give counties a broader tax base. If liberals truly care about the environment and actually believe that man produces global warming (which I think is debatable, but that’s a different column) then they ought to get behind the construction of West Virginia wind farms. If not, their professed environmentalism is just so much hot air.

The Winds of Change?

In the early years of national independence Thomas Jefferson wrote a comprehensive survey of his state, the famous Notes on Virginia. When speaking of the western section of Virginia, Jefferson lists a number of resources such as coal. This book was published to advertise the strong character of the people and the variety of natural resources that the state had to offer. However, I doubt that Jefferson ever considered wind as a natural resource to cultivate.

Some environmentalists have told the public for years that tremendous potential exists in the power generation of wind farms. Others protest that wind farms harm the environment. Walter Cronkite and Ted Kennedy, no friends of coal or any other supplier of power, successfully prevented construction of wind farms off of Martha’s Vineyard for aesthetic reasons alone. Some argue that birds flying into the blades and shortening their lives provides a compelling reason to not construct these farms (don’t they also fly into cars, windows of buildings, and other immovable objects?)

Only one reason alone exists to build or to not build, long term viability. Can these energy sources become profitable in the long term without government support? Governor Manchin signed a bill into law recently that raises the property tax rate on wind farms from the salvage rate to the regular rate. Although this removes an incentive to construct these projects, it does give county governments a reason to try to attract them. Manchin also opened the door for wind farm operators to earn tax credits with local investment.

Will wind power displace coal as the source of energy that keeps the lights on? Not a chance. However it creates investment opportunities on land that otherwise may not be developed, helping the local tax base. It also creates a few good paying jobs while increasing West Virginia’s most profitable (legal) export, electric power. Strangely enough, the wind farm that operates now in Tucker County has proven to be a tourist attraction of sorts. You can actually see people, even in busses, stop to get their pictures taken beside the gigantic wind harnessing machines. It makes you wonder if the Dutch that built those windmills so long ago saw them as beautiful or interesting features on the landscape. If these farms can generate profits as well as power, they will create an innovative and environmentally friendly source of wealth for the state and its people.