Posted on 05/11/2006 1:22:17 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
AUSTIN, Texas - The nation's largest offshore wind farm will be built off the Padre Island seashore, a critical migratory bird flyway, Texas officials announced Thursday.
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson lauded what he said would be an 40,000-acre span of turbines about 400 feet tall able to generate energy to power 125,000 homes.
"The wind rush is on," Patterson said. "We want to be number one. We want to attract the businesses that build the turbines, that build the blades. ... We want to be the leader in the United States, if not the world."
Superior Renewable Energy Inc., based in Houston, would build the farm and pay the estimated $1 billion to $2 billion construction costs.
But some environmentalists say the promise of clean energy may not be worth the deaths of countless birds that migrate through the area each year on their way to and from winter grounds in Mexico and Central America.
"You probably couldn't pick a worse location, unless you're trying to settle the issue as to how damaging they are to migratory birds," said Walter Kittelberger, chairman of the Lower Laguna Madre Foundation. Laguna Madre is the strip of water between the mainland and Padre Island.
The offshore wind farm is the second announced in less than a year for the Texas Coast, joining 50 wind turbines planned off Galveston.
It would have up to 500 turbines looming off Texas ranch land and spinning up to 500 megawatts of electricity.
The nation's largest currently operating wind farm is on the Stateline Wind Energy Center on the Oregon-Washington border, which produces about 300 megawatts of electricity. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the U.S. produces 9,149 megawatts of wind power, enough to power 2.3 million homes annually. President Bush has said wind energy could produce 20 percent of the nation's electricity.
Wind farm plans have also sparked disputes, including a bitter fight over a proposed 130-turbine wind farm off Cape Cod, Mass., where the residents fear the turbines will be unsightly.
In Texas, the state controls waters up to 10.3 miles off the coast and can make quick deals with developers, Patterson said. He said this project would be located off a remote, unpopulated part of Padre Island National Seashore.
"Those who are concerned about view sheds shouldn't have a problem," he said. "There's nobody there to look at it."
But you can count on the Cape Codites demanding a share of the power generated.
Hope the recap of wind farms around the world included Washington, D. C. If not, it should have. There is more wind and hot air available every day. The politicians and news media are first class when it come to hot air and wind.
I have. They take a short cut.
But the ROUTE is, in no way, remotely set.
A Route is set by low hills or flat areas (less to fly over). Over the gulf, this is a non-issue.
Indeed, they'd give wide birth to anything they have to fly over.
You've fallen for a made-up liberal non-issue.
Go sit in the dark now. Turn off your computer, too.
Couldn't there simply be some kind of sound generator that makes noise at about the range that birds hate, like a "danger sqwauk" that sits atop these things?
Enough to power Karl Rove's hurricaine machine. It's ingenious!
Hey, how about this? An electric boat powered by its own windmill!
< /Cosmo Kramer >
1.21 jigawatts? Great Scott!
LOL, all that power will be generated and it won't help us a bit with the power lines blown down!!
Way to argue your point, hurling insults. Look, my husband and I just had a discussion about wind turbines on the Texas coast and he's not worried about the birds either. He just thinks it's totally unessasary, unsightly and ridiculous. Me too....
How?
That's what makes them wackos....concern for birds?
Don't people think anymore?
Free, but unsightly.... Personally, I'd rather go nuclear.
I'm not too worried about the birds being sliced and diced by the turbines, but I do remember writing some articles long ago about the Rio Grande Valley being a confluence of 4 major migratory flyways and that many North American birds either winter in the area or make it their last stop before heading out over the Gulf to Central and South America wintering grounds - and their first stop after the long haul over the Gulf coming back.
IOW, they might be flying lower there than their usual altitude. Also, I had a birding friend who told me the area is the Grand Central (I was going to say "mecca," but decided against it) Station for birdwatchers wanting Life Points, in that over 500 species can be spotted there, which means they are feeding or low-flying enough to be observed.
It IS a very important birding area for all of the Western Hemisphere. The birders have their big int'l convention there, IIRC.
Mango *salsa* is better. Although ....
"I don't have much of an appetite, thank you." *glare*
Birds fly threw forests at high speeds. I think they can avoid targets.
Besides if we can't use fossil fuels, nuclear power or wind power what CAN we use?
There's nothing wrong with loving wild animals or being concerned for their well-being. It just isn't proper to place their concerns above those of humans.
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