Idaho Wind

As I've already mentioned, other states (as well as countries all around the globe) are fighting the same wind battles we are. Some folks are playing catch-up-- just getting their 'wind bearings' and others are strides ahead of where we are.

World-wide, there are hundreds and hundreds of citizens' groups waging war against the corporate wind lobby.

Below is an excerpt from a letter I received from a 'wind warrior' in Idaho. And above is an interesting ad from the same state...This is the wording, in case you can't make it out:

"Something is missing from the conversation about energy.

"For nearly a century, Idaho Power has been committed to clean energy. Today about half the energy in our portfolio is generated from hydro, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. We are proud of our small carbon footprint and history of responsible energy that rivals any electric utility in the nation.

"What Happens When The Wind Doesn’t Blow?

"For the most part, people work by day and rest at night. Wind, however, sometimes does the opposite. Or it blows one minute and not the next, so integrating wind energy into the grid that brings power to our homes requires facilities that can quickly adjust to moment-to-moment fluctuations in wind activity. Unfortunately, traditional generating plants can take hours to come on-line and off, so they are not suited to the task. Integrating all of this variable capacity also undermines the time-tested, science- and technology-driven, 20-year look-forward plan that is required of all utilities. And that just isn’t right.

"Sensible. Dependable. Responsible. It’s the Right Thing.

"To learn more and make your voice heard, visit www.GetPluggedIn.com. Together, we can get wind back on a responsible track." (I haven't had time to check out that link...guess I'd better do that, huh?)

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From Idaho:

"Our moratorium bill did not move out of House Committee by 1 vote -- so disappointing. We tried to push a siting bill through during the last week of the legislative session, but it did not move out of Committee by 3 votes. However, we did have a win. In the final moments of the legislative session, Idaho's sales tax rebate for wind did not pass on the Senate for by 1 vote. That was it -- then the session was over! This was huge! I testified in the Senate Committee. When it moved out of committee, I actually left the capitol building because I could not bear to watch the Senate floor debate -- I thought it would pass for sure. I was at lunch having a quick bite to eat before I made the long trip home when our lobbyist called and said that it failed on the floor by 1 vote. I guess the Senator who was the Chairman of the committee where I testified (and 1 other person against it) was the only Senator that debated against the bill -- our lobbyist said his debate was heroic! Of course, I went back over to the capitol building after I got the news so that I could shake the lawmakers' hands. It was incredible. Our tiny group and 1 lobbyist beat their army of lobbyists (worth $1 million). It was a great day in Idaho!

"Is your legislative session still going? Did Maine propose a moratorium?"

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Maine's Legislature is still in session. And we DID write a moratorium bill, but today it was voted by the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee as "Ought Not To Pass". However, the EUT Committee is holding another work session on Tuesday, and we have hopes that they will "tweak" LD 1366 (And Act to Update the Maine Wind Energy Act...), vote that it "Ought To Pass" and support the wishes and the will of the people of Maine rather than the corporate wind lobby. There are too many very real problems with industrial wind; from the sometimes-questionable conduct of developers and government officials, to the health effects of the turbines, and the impact to property values and the environment. And on and on and on. As frustrated as we become and as hopeless as we sometimes feel, there are many good men and women in Augusta who simply didn't know all the facts behind 'wind' when they passed LD 2283 in 2008.

Please help my contacting the members of the EUT Committee and ask that they support our legislation.