Wind vs. Coal - a monkey could figure this one out

[kgrandia]

One of the guys who writes for me from time to time, sent along an article on a proposed wind power project in Cold River in the Appalachians. The Appalachians have been massacred by coal industry over the years, and anyone who's been there will tell you it has done nothing to help the economic situation - in fact, as coal production has increased, jobs have continued to bleed in the region.

People in the Cold River area have worked hard on a proposal for an amazing new wind power project, that will:

* Create 200 local employment opportunities during construction, and 50
permanent jobs during the life of the wind farm. It takes only 35 years
for a wind farm to provide a greater number of one-year jobs than the
proposed four surface mines combined.
* Provide 440MW or
enough energy for 150,000 homes -- indefinitely, as well as a sustained
tax income that could be used for the construction of new schools for
the county.
* Allow for concurrent uses of the mountain,
including harvesting of wild ginseng and valuable forest plants,
sustainable forestry, and mountain tourism, as Coal River Mountain is
one of West Virginia's finest mountains.
* Preserve the
historic Coal River Mountain heritage, and protect the land and
communities from blasting, dusting, poisonous drinking water, increased
flooding, damaged homes and personal property, and devastated wildlife
habitat.

http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/appalachians-propose-solution-dirty-coal

It is total insanity that we continue to burn coal, when alternatives like this can be built today.

[pberq]

1. Congratulations to the people of Cold River