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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A Little Good News

posted by on September 18 at 12:59 PM

Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced she will overrule local objections and allow a controversial plan to install 65 towering wind turbines in hills northwest of Ellensburg….

Environmentalists urged Gregoire to support the wind-power project, saying it provided vital renewable energy at a time of growing concern about the impact coal and gas-burning power plants can have on climate change.

But the Kittitas County Commission had earlier voted to deny the project, amid objections from neighboring landowners that massive, white towers as tall as old-growth Douglas firs were out of place in a rural area near homes.

RSS icon Comments

1

It's good news, don't get me wrong, but sheesh. I was canvassing for this shit 11 months ago.

Pick up za pace, yo!

Posted by Mr. Poe | September 18, 2007 1:04 PM
2

It's about time! They should put fields of wind turbines all through that stretch between Ellensburg and the Tri Cities—it's barren fucking land out there and the wind really whips through.

Posted by Carollani | September 18, 2007 1:08 PM
3

Isn't anyone concerned about bird migration through this area, or bats? Other installations have had some large raptor tolls, it seems like a dumb idea to put wind turbines on a bird migration route.

Posted by Tlazolteotl | September 18, 2007 1:09 PM
4

You know what's ugly? The fucking oil pumps and derricks that littered the landscape where I grew up. Driving through Southeast New Mexico is like a repeating scene from a Roadrunner cartoon, only with ugly fucking pumps added in. I'd damn sure have preferred windmills to those.

Posted by Gitai | September 18, 2007 1:21 PM
5

If by "other installations", you mean "one installation over 20 years ago using a completely different design", then yes.

Posted by Aexia | September 18, 2007 1:22 PM
6

"rural area near homes" = barren acreage thats windy as fuck

Posted by Ian | September 18, 2007 1:41 PM
7

I would gladly put one in my yard... if I had a yard. In fact I'd love to have a farm that didn't rely on any outside energy sources. That'd rock.

Posted by monkey | September 18, 2007 1:42 PM
8

As if wind turbines were more unnatural than the giant eyesore vacation homes going up left and right on every barren hilltop in Chelan and Kittitas counties.

Posted by laterite | September 18, 2007 2:01 PM
9

The huge windfarm between San Bernardino and Palm Springs is one of the most surreal and sublimely beautiful works of man in the world. I will never forget riding a freight train through it at night when I was 19, high full moon, low fog, the moonlight shining off the spinning turbines.

Posted by Grant Cogswell | September 18, 2007 2:30 PM
10

I'd *love* to know how many people who instinctively and reflexively said "yah!" to this news are the same NIMBYs who are against the Children's Hospital expansion.

"But... it's different... in the RED parts of the state... life's... um... cheaper there..."

Posted by Big Sven | September 18, 2007 2:50 PM
11

@10 - And extra traffic generated by masses of people coming to see the wind turbines won't be running over the neighborhood kids.

Posted by Mahtli69 | September 18, 2007 3:02 PM
12

@1, @2 - word. @3 - stop whining.

@4 is right. You want coal fired turbines pumping toxic fumes and mercury, move to the Midwest.

But for us, wind, which is cheaper than oil and competitive with natural gas, is a wise choice.

Posted by Will in Seattle | September 18, 2007 3:10 PM
13

Tlazolteotl @3:

The issue of wind turbines chopping up birds is a bit overblown. The Altamont Pass wind project, one of the first large scale wind projects in the US, killed lots of birds. But, we've learned a lot since then. Wind project developers do wildlife surveys before they settle on a site and newer towers and turbines are designed in a way that they kill very few birds. Audubon Washington was one of the environmental groups that urged the governor to approve this project because global warming is a much bigger threat to birds than wind power.

Posted by Bill LaBorde | September 18, 2007 3:28 PM
14

I never quite got the part where birds were somehow unable to dodge/see it coming/fly around a fanblade at a slow rotational rate. Turbines don't spin around like helicopter blades or box fans, for cryin' out loud.

But then again, that's probably why the data shows that a vertical turbine is about 1/100th as deadly to birds as the average housecat.

Posted by brent | September 18, 2007 3:29 PM
15

Grant - totally. I have driven through that same area, and it is one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring sights I have ever seen.

Posted by Ingrid | September 18, 2007 3:54 PM
16

I don't oppose the windmills, but I do feel for anyone within earshot of them.

Posted by Dougsf | September 18, 2007 3:58 PM
17

@12 - How is asking a simple question in context whining? Dickhead.

@13 - Thanks for actually addressing the question.

Posted by Tlazolteotl | September 18, 2007 4:05 PM
18

@3

There are wind turbines all over western Europe, and their birds seem to be doing all right...

Posted by Greg | September 18, 2007 4:32 PM
19

The size of those things is pretty amazing and awe-inspiring. I imagine seeing a field of them in person would be quite surreal. I drove past the town in Minnesota a month or so ago where most of those are made, and as we were approaching town they were transporting one fan-blade to parts unknown. Just the size of ONE fan-blade on the back of a HUGE truck was scary. We didn't know what it was at first as it was just MASSIVE.

Posted by JessB | September 18, 2007 5:23 PM
20

@17 - asking? yeah, sure, use an argument from the anti-wind side from 20 years ago, and expect us to fawn all over you ... NOT.

@18 has the correct viewpoint.

You're either with America or you're on the side of the Saudi-financed al-Qaeda forces that use oil revenue.

Posted by Will in Seattle | September 18, 2007 5:28 PM
21

I love wind power, but isn't...

"You're either with America or you're on the side of the Saudi-financed al-Qaeda forces that use oil revenue."

...a lot like "you're with us or you're with the terrorists?"

Will, I know you're not a Republican ;^) but aren't you being a little hard on Tlazolteotl for recycling something (s)he probably heard Frank Corrado say on Birdnotes this morning?

With Reed finally showing some fucking spine today on Iraq, and Romney shooting himself in the foot re: gay marriage, let's all take the afternoon off from clubbing each other and go smear some feces on Bush bumper stickers!

Posted by Big Sven | September 18, 2007 6:22 PM
22

There's fields of turbines in north Central Iowa, and they are quite striking - very graceful.

And I remember seeing a whole line of them on some mountain range back east when I was taking the Capitol Limited last summer. I thought it was a really neat contrast, and very relaxing to look at.

Why do I suspect that most of the people who are against these wind turbines are the same ones gush over corney, old-timey farm windmills?

Posted by catalina vel-duray | September 18, 2007 9:20 PM
23

I used to live in northern california and they had them peppered throughout the hills between Livermoore and Brentwood. I actually found them kind of beautiful, certainly not as ugly as the wal-mart that is down the street that these whiners pushed for. But thats just me.

Posted by Brandon H | September 18, 2007 9:49 PM
24

@21 - I will never cease to be astounded by the struggles some people have with identifying hyperbolic exaggeration for comic effect.

Posted by Bento | September 18, 2007 10:15 PM
25

Well - all OK with me

But, remember this is a vivid example of how the execs. in Oly. can IMPOSE any solution they want on the peasants

When the Gov announces the viaduct rebuild, remember he wind generators from Kittitas

Posted by earl | September 19, 2007 5:32 AM

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