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Compared to the vistas of this:

The environmentalists have changed the below landscape to the two upper vistas. It might be noted that none of the windmill projects are economically viable for construction, not even considering maintenance and replacement costs after a 20 year life span, just simply construction alone, without government subsidies.

One can watch the construction projects for the above windmills begin within 30-45 days after the state of CA annually votes to approve funding for the subsidies, and within 30 days after the funds are depleted, all activity halts in the vicinity other than those already operating. Even maintenance ceases when the funds are depleted annually.

IMHO, wind power is a racket controlled by higher political interests with no check or balance on how they are destroying the environment, all under the guise of helping the environment. Like most other environmental regulations, there will indubitably arise future regulation upon independent honorable contractors after the irresponsible ones have raped the community of its financing, vistas, and leave a mess to clean up.

There are already a number of abandoned windmills, which were from previous designs, but fallen under disrepair, littering and rusting near Edom Hill and sorted amongst some of the other windmill sites. Count on over 50% of the existing windmills to be abandoned in place after a 10-15 year operational cycle and somebody sells the paper to somebody who never visits. The lands they occupy are outside local municipalities so there probably won;t be much interest in holding them accountable either in original design, present maintenance, or future liabilities to others.

It is interesting to note that SoCA politics blocked off shore drilling based upon aesthetic interests, resulting in higher risks of oil pollution from tanker ship transfers mishaps, while ignoring the aesthetics of desert vistas, which IMHO, are one of the very few aesthetics the desert has to offer.

Unlike the oil platforms, the windmills are generally small business startups and limited partnerships, whereas the oil platforms which would have been safer, less risky environmental hazards, would have been funded and maintained by large oil/gas corporations with existing regulations to require proper maintenance and control aesthetic risks.

IMHO, most of the hullaballoo over environmentalism is merely a political cover to influence control of large financial interests and has little to nothing whatever to do with the environment. It's BS.

Hit a subject I am very much on. My favorite County Commissioner here in Texas wants wind farms here, detailed me to do research.

Long ago, I lived in N.C. saw an early farm go up in appropriately named Blowing Rock. Slice and dice windmills, very noisey, shut down over commplaints of all sorts.

The new models, two primary types are 1.5 megawatt per. Cvenger, a football field is only a slight exaggeration, blades are 120', flex on the last 20'. Unlike earlier models, these turn at a steady rate regardless of wind speed, slightly over one rev per second, I drive by them once a week, I have stopped and timed them. They need only 6 MPH to start, shut down at about 40 MPH, turn at the same speed regardless. Above 40 the vanes feather out and lock down, too much stress on the reduction gearing.

It would take a remarkably stupid bird to commit suicide on this stately turning blade. In the year I have been driving this route, I have seen the number of windmills more than double, literally more going up every day.

As to NIMBY, I have stood at the base of these big rascals, they do make an audible noise, but nothing like the "whoop whoop" that closed down Blowing Rock. And saganite, "oil derricks that used to dot West Texas"; I service 300+ wells a month, at $70 a Bbl, the pumpjacks are going strong.

Koblenz, the windfarm south of Abilene is hardly middle of a desert. It is on the south face of a ridge that really runs from Ablene to Pecos, very scenic terrain.

NoBlueStates, we should be so lucky as to see these mills take out grackles. Nuisance birds, it is said that all God's creatures have a purpose, far as I can tell the purpose of a grackle is to provide me with target practice.

I have spoken, off record, with people in the industry. They admit, this energy alternative lives or dies on a two cent per KWH subsidy (tax incentive, all same, nevermind), even with oil at $70. The question then becomes, are we willing to pay a quality of life excise for wind energy?

Finally, on nukes, I worked concrete crew at the last commercial nuclear plant uilt in America, Shearon Harris in N.C. Big fan of nuclear power. One of the things I helped build was a spent rod containment capable of holding 150% of the spent rods over the projected life of the reactors. Screw Yucca Mt. we need to recycle spent fuel, not bury it.

Hope this helps, wind is worth going after, but down to the nut-cuttin', if every promising wind site in America were developed, and every ear of corn turned into ethanol, and every acre of suitable ground paved in solar cells, all that might amount to 18-20% of energy needs. Short term, open ANWAR, long term, build nukes, fast as we can build them.

I promise you, domestic oilfield is doing all it can, out of greed if not patriotism. Everybody I know in oilfield now is doing 60/70 hour weeks. Money is nice, be nice to have a life. Hay while the sun shines. Bumper sticker from the 80's; "Please God, give us one more oil boom, we promise not to pi** it away".