Wind Farms in the Center of this Big Expanse

Last summer, we drove from Denver to Rhode Island and back via interstate 80. Our sojourn stopped in St. Louis this year and returned us along I-80. While Fahgs napped through Kansas last week, we passed a massive wind farm in Kansas that left Doug and myself marveling over its size. I also noticed that the number of turbines in Kansas and Colorado grew and dotted the banal landscape along I-80 and I-76. The number of wide load trucks hefting two turbine props was consistent with my recollection from last year even though they were non-existent on I-70.

The House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act yesterday and now it heads to the Senate for potential ratification and I was reminded of a familiar face. Boone Pickens and his half baked climate plan have vanished, for the most part, from the public eye and television cube. In fairness, Boone's pitch featured some feasible options, excluding the compressed national gas fueled cars, and his continuing push for a corridor of wind farms represented one of the highlights. As we drove and passed trucks loaded with turbine props, I contemplated the Pickens plan and the intentions for boosting the percentage of wind power in the US' portfolio of energy sources. My resolution was that massive investments are needed before we can improve the paltry amount of wind farms. We did not see all of the country's wind farms simply by traversing two major corridors, certainly not, but there is considerable room for improvement.