"People in the surrounding county are very enthusiastic about wind power," Miles said. "I am aware of a half-dozen people who are opposed to it."
Concerns about birds being killed by turbines contributed to the abandonment of two local wind-generation projects in the 1990s.
Columbia Gorge Audubon, a conservation group, fought the proposals, citing a high number of documented deaths of birds at a wind farm west of Palm Springs, California. Nearly 570 raptors were confirmed killed at the site over a two-year period when they were struck by spinning blades.
An environmental-impact statement for one of the newly proposed projects found that at least 16 raptor species, including eagles, falcons, hawks, and owls, were present in the region.
The Yakama Tribe of Native Americans also has opposed wind-generation projects in the region, arguing that they would destroy sensitive sacred and cultural sites.
Columbia Gorge Audubon and the Yakama Tribe remain firmly opposed to local development of wind farms. They announced last year that they would fight a plan by Enron Corp. to develop a wind-generation project on thousands of acres the company has leased in the Columbia Hills area. To date, Enron has taken no steps to develop the property.
Rising Global Interest
Darr said many of the problems associated with bird mortality have been resolved with more sensitive siting of turbines, better turbine design, and slower-turning rotors. In addition, the development of larger turbines means fewer are needed to produce the same amount of power.
"I hope all developers in the future will be very sensitive to the siting issue," Darr said.
The wind is a major energy source in Denmark and some other European nations. Global use of wind power has increased nearly four-fold in the past five years, according to the Earth Policy Institute.
In the year 2000 alone, about 4,500 megawatts of wind-powered generating capacity were installed. Most of that growth occurred outside the United States, and the Bush administration's new U.S. energy plan downplays the role of wind power.
California leads the United States in harnessing wind power, according to Miles. But the Pacific Northwest holds considerable potential for increased use.
"There is a potential in Eastern Washington for 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts of wind power," Miles said. "Harvesting the strong, steady winds of the Columbia River basin works especially well with our hydropower base," he added, "because wind can supplement hydropower in low-water periods."
(c) 2001 The Columbian
