"Clear Cutting the Sky" in Oregon's Steens Mountain

**Bill Harsey** · 02-09-2010, 18:00

Using tax payer dollars for saving the environment to ruin it with "clean" energy, here is the story: http://www.oregonlive.com/environmen...ain_could.html

**Bill Harsey** · 02-09-2010, 19:03

Oh yeah, forgot one "w" word in the title:
"Clear Cutting the Sky in Oregons Steens Mountain WILDERNESS"

mcarey · 02-10-2010, 07:46

A sad story for all! Ranchers being taken advantage of, $5000 per turbine gross per year! The energy company is going to recoup construction and fees in 2-3 years and then be making a bundle once the fee and cap and tax structure is changed either by congress or the DOE. I only hope the land owners get together and push for a better deal! They and the people of Oregon seem to be the pawns of big government and the "green economy".

**Bill Harsey** · 02-10-2010, 08:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcarey

A sad story for all! Ranchers being taken advantage of, $5000 per turbine gross per year! The energy company is going to recoup construction and fees in 2-3 years and then be making a bundle once the fee and cap and tax structure is changed either by congress or the DOE. I only hope the land owners get together and push for a better deal! They and the people of Oregon seem to be the pawns of big government and the "green economy".

More to the story than this.
Ranchers traded the federal government large areas of private ranch land for larger chunks of wilderness recently in order to consolidate other wilderness areas they would no longer graze cattle on. Looks like they won't be grazing cattle on the new areas either.

Wind energy only pencils out financially because the state government taxes the citizens to pay for wind and other "green" energy development with big subsidies and this is why we have the "gold rush" to develop wind power in Oregon. The project could not stand on it's own financially.

The timber industry was killed in Oregon because people didn't like seeing clear cuts but it's ok to line the top the Steens Mountain Wilderness with 450 foot tall wind turbines because it's green energy.

TOMAHAWK9521 · 02-10-2010, 18:43

The windmills are already cluttering up the landscape all over northern Colorado and the states to the north. Despite how windy it gets in this part of the country not many of those green sources of energy seem to be in use. However, they have proven effective at hacking up migratory birds. I'm sure the tree-huggers can live with that sacrifice, though.

As far as how efficient they are, the only company that I know is supposed to be fully "green" is New Belgium Brewery here in Ft. Collins. Of course, they can probably subsidize their operating costs by diverting some of the revenue from sales if the windmills fail to produce enough energy.