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The people behind efforts to build wind farms in Idaho didn’t pick the region because they don’t like our looks.  They decided the territory was better than much of the lower 48 because we get more than our fair share of wind.  I once told a friend in Elmore County she could dry her clothes in five minutes by hanging them outside.  She didn’t disagree.

No wind, no energy, and while the wind doesn’t blow here 24/7, it can be intense when it does.  Just witness a dive on the Interstate on a blustery day when the road is filled with rolling tumbleweed.

Check out this link from CleanTechnica. There are several maps detailing wind speeds at 100 meters.  There’s also a link embedded that shows a wind map of Idaho.

I believe CleanTechnica is a left-of-center publication, but check out the following paragraph:

Site evaluation for wind projects should be coordinated with appropriate authorities and should consider potential effects on local resources and land uses, including but not limited to impacts on wildlife, sound, visual, radar, aviation, safety, and local priorities.

The same paragraph also explains that there are several federal agencies required to sign off before construction.  I’m not a lawyer, but I do believe a recent Supreme Court decision benefits local opposition.  I brought this up in a previous post.  The court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency can’t issue decrees with the force of law.  Constitutionally, the job belongs to Congress.  By the same argument, then, no other three-letter or four-letter agency can approve a wind farm over the will of the majority.  Unless there is prior action by Congress to clear the way.

Federal bureaucrats can’t be voted out of office.  House and Senate members have to answer you.  Approval of wind farms by a Senator or Representative could result in an electoral loss!

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