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Wind Is Given 2nd Look As Energy Needs Grow
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FreedomWorks proposed its $430 million project to build 131 turbines, enough to power 86,000 homes, along the Appalachian Mountains after the law went into effect.
Repeated calls to FreedomWorks in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., were not returned. But Maisano, who represents the company, said that the project is in the preliminary stages and that testing could begin this year.
The company has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to determine whether the project might affect air traffic. FAA spokeswoman Arlene Salac said the agency is studying the proposal.
FreedomWorks must seek approval for construction from the U.S. Forest Service and the State Corporation Commission. Neither has been contacted by the company.
But a growing coalition of environmental groups and residents has voiced objections to the 44-story turbines in Rockingham and Shenandoah counties.
Rick Webb, a University of Virginia scientist who studies wind energy, said he generally supports the power source, but he is skeptical that the benefits of a project in the Appalachians would outweigh the environmental costs.
Supporters of the wind project say that private companies are using the forest for logging and that no bird populations would be affected. The project could increase the tax base and provide jobs, they say.
Still, residents keep asking: Why do developers need to build in the forest?
"That's where the wind is," Maisano said.
