Benton County looking into wind farms

The Journal & Courier has an editorial supporting Benton County’s wind farm development initiatives.

So far, the reaction is the opposite to the reception to the proposed Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound. Company officials say the 130-turbine wind farm off the Northeast Coast could meet three-fourths of electricity needs of area residents.

But the Cape Wind project has run into a severe case of “not in my backyard” syndrome. Its opponents include area residents, local governmental bodies and chambers of commerce, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Contrast that to Benton County, where California companies Orion Energy LLC and enXco Inc. are pursuing plans to build wind farms. Orion is proposing a project with at least 75 turbines to generate electricity for 30,000 to 40,000 homes. In 2004, reports said enXco was considering at 70-turbine project.

Unlike Cape Cod, officials in Benton County are working to help the wind farms materialize.

Benton County is decidedly different from Cape Cod. For starters, it’s less affluent and it’s less densely populated. I haven’t seen the design, but I don’t think banks of windmills would be unsightly in Benton County’s vast expanse of fields.

I tend to agree with the J&C’s assessment:

Other companies, including a dairy farm and a landfill, interested in locating in Benton County have drawn opposition.

Maybe the wind farms will fly. There won’t be complaints about the smell of manure or trash, and there’s no risk of contaminating the water or the air.