12-23 IAN Wind
If I were to say that I could clear up global warming tomorrow, don’t you think the whole world would say Yay! But there is no question somebody would make it controversial. When wind energy through windmills was first proposed, environmentalists wrapped their arms around them with all the love they could bring. I mean, what’s not to love. You have a natural resource, wind, blowing across the field and that wind can be harnessed, free of charge and with no pollution. Recently we find however, that there has been a terrible toll on bald eagles and Falcons. Apparently running into the fans on the windmill and getting killed. Believe it or not, there is even other controversy. Several years ago, Bingham County was in demand for wind generation projects. In fact, developers have said that the foothills near Shelley and Firth offer the best wind possibilities in the state. Thirteen wind turbines have been placed in the area already, but nearby residents have fought to stop the installation of any more, even taking their concerns to court on two occasions. So Bingham County has had public meetings to hear what residents want to do. The obvious advantage of windmills is that they provide pollution-free energy, and, after construction costs…free energy. How in the world can you argue against that? Well, there’s always another side of the story and Bingham County Commissioner Cleone Jolley points out that there are some negatives: “Part of the problem is, some of the people feel it’s a scnic area and they don’t want the windmills to be in that area or they don’t want the windmills above their cabin in the mountains.”
