This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After reading about President Obama's call to action on climate change, I spent the better part of my day researching where my Blue Sky dollars have been going.
The one large-scale wind farm, north of Milford, goes to powering 64,000 homes in Southern California. The only wind power that is captured in Utah is by the nine wind turbines in Spanish Fork that generate 18.9 megawatts of electricity. The rest is purchased out of state.
The U.S. Department of Energy, in its findings for potential wind power in Utah, estimated "the cumulative economic benefits from 1000 MW of development to be $1.1 billion, annual CO2 reductions are estimated at 2.0 million tons and annual water savings of 828 million gallons."
So, if we really wanted to improve on our air quality, reduce emissions and save water, shouldn't there be plans for at least one wind farm?
Josh Scheuerman
Salt Lake City