If T. Boone Pickens is involved this ought to be good news for the Oklahoma State University athletic program.

Great! I've heard that Texas ALREADY produces more wind-generated power than any other state, and this will only increase that. Sounds like a good investment into the future. Meanwhile, it's VERY hard to resist making a comment about Texas having the necessary raw material ;-)!

Trueblue, you beat me to it.

I was gonna make a comment about putting Tom Delay in front of a wind turbine and letting him spout off about evil democrats.

Is this the Pickens' plan or is Pickens' plan entirely different from this wind project?

Texans have always been known as the "windy" people. Getting them to stop pushing their favorite topic "Texas" is nearly impossible.

For all the vitriol poured out on Texas by the granola-munching Birkenstockers in Vermont and Oregon and other places, I wonder how many big windmill farms are within view of Ben & Jerry's campus? I wonder how many new natural gas and clean coal plants have been approved in Oregon?

As usual, it's the Red states doing all the heavy lifting on energy.

As usual, it's the Red states doing all the heavy lifting on energy.

Nothing unusual about WrightisWrong talking out his ass. Wind Farms sprung up in the Midwest years ago, and there's even one on Cape Cod.

Want a personal wind generator for your home? You won't find a dealer in Texas.

Umm, actually there's not a wind farm on Cape Cod. And most of the Midwest states are Red ones.

Thanks for playing.

California beat ya!

I've driven by these windmills in Banning Pass many times. It's right outside Palm Springs, CA. They really are something to see when the wind blows and gets them all spinning away.

I have a serious question.
How can it be guaranteed these windmills will be able to rely on a constant and steady source of wind? The ones in my link above near Palm Springs are in a mountain pass (Banning Pass) but what happens if these windmills are located in an area where the wind is only sporatic? How are you suppose to survive with only part time energy?

How are you suppose to survive with only part time energy?

There are different ways to store energy, but typically wind generation is a supplement to the existing power grid. A homeowner might use batteries, or even use it to compress air, but if you're off the grid then anything is better than nothing.

I guess they're still fighting over the wind farm in Mass. So WrightIsWright gets one of three.

"Umm, actually there's not a wind farm on Cape Cod. And most of the Midwest states are Red ones.

Thanks for playing.

Posted by rightisright at 2008-07-18 12:36 PM"

rightisright,

There is an installation on Cape Cod, but you're correct in that it probably doesn't qualify as "a wind farm":

Meanwhile, in the "None At All" category (again from the AWEA website), the SE United States is heavily represented:

Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, North Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, and Georgia.

That's fine. Louisiana is the country's number one supplier of crude, and MS and AL pitch in more than our fair share. There are oil rigs and nat gas terminals within plain view of my office.

The Appalachian shale is reaping huge benefits in nat gas, and even some crude. But I agree. Most states don't do nearly enough to produce the energy that they have in abundance--Florida and California come immediately mind--but they sure don't mind consuming it, then complaining about the price.

I'm an agnostic on wind power. On a BTU basis, we should be going after nuclear and coal, which would last basically forever. But a small number of enviros have foreclosed those opportunities, to our detriment. So we have the prices that we deserve, for listening to them.

Florida and California come immediately mind--but they sure don't mind consuming it, then complaining about the price.

Big oil can drill off California but only when they guarantee me the oil they extract isn't going to just be dumped on to the world's common oil market. If big oil wants to tear up my beautiful coastline then they better be prepared to let all Americans be first in line for our OWN oil -- and at a cut rate price. Until then, forget it.

That's a red herring. And either you know it, or you're allowing yourself to be used. Educate yourself.

Meantime, I hope you're not one of those complaining about high gas prices, considering you're a big part of the reason.

Rightisright talking out of his ASS again!

"...I wonder how many big windmill farms are within view of Ben & Jerry's campus?..."

Well ass-muncher, why don't you fucking google it yourself and see.

On second thought here, let's make it easy for you:

Hey RIR:

Why don't you call all your little friends in the Oil Industry and ask them to start opening and drilling on the 10,000 oil leases they already have in this country?

Oh wait, you're a Repugnican! You want them to own as much shit as possible, even if it means screwing the American Public over and over again.

Where are you going to hide, when the blue-tide sweeps in and washes your party's corn-fed fat-asses out of power?

And don't deny you Red-State folks have fat asses...cause we all know where the fattest asses in this country are!

I was gonna make a comment about putting Tom Delay in front of a wind turbine and letting him spout off about evil democrats.

They have speed limits too. he'd spin them into orbit. But only if someone was bribing him. Now if we could harness the methane from RIR's bullshit...

Whoa Dumbling. Do a little research on the leases. Much of the land that they have leased does not have oil readily available. I am all in favor of a use-it-or-lose-it policy with the leases as well. I'm sure the companies won't mind. There are many instances where the oil company has drilled, but they are not allowed to extract oil and those cases have been held up in court, some cases have been there for more than 15 years. Other areas are just not worth the cost of drilling (having to go through excessive lengths of dense stone).

We have seen what the threat of drilling will do to the market. Within 72 hours of Bush lifting the executive ban on offshore crude dropped $15 per barrel. Getting more oil into the system will drop that price further, which will benefit the American public over and over again.

Obviously you toe the dem party line, so jump on the bandwagon of those dems that are starting to see the reason in providing more oil to the market. They are working on proposing a bill right now that would open up offshore drilling, with the stipulation that the oil drawn from those wells stays in America. It sounds like a great bill from the Dems (wow, it's been a long time since I've said that). Here's to hoping it goes through.

Whoooaaa...Pinkie!

Obviously you haven't been following the oil story for years and years like you should have.

All 10,000 lease are undrillable?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Oil Leaders promised congress to drill the leases when they could afford to.

With the rise is Gas up over $2.50 in the past year, the single greatest rise ever, the oil companies have made gross profits - more than enough to DRILL out the Hard-To-Get oil leases.

But instead they are rewarding their CEO's with 250 million dollar bonuses.

You, are a Moron - and a tool.

This idea blows.

Hey Zat,

I've seen you comment on several occasions that you don't believe power generation from wind pays for itself. Why would you post this article? Why not post an article that explains the inefficiency that you believe exists, in laymans terms?

A few questions for Dumpling: Are you aware that the leases are use-it-or-lose-it, right now? That there is a time limit on how long the leases are allowed to lie dormant before rights revert back to the government? After all--they're LEASES, not purchases.

Also, are you so naive as to think that with oil over $120, the oil companies aren't drilling as much as they can? The fact is that just because you've leased the property doesn't mean you've managed to do the environmental impact surveys, the geological surveys and mapping, the 3-D topographicals, then arranged to have the jack-up rigs and staffing done. We KNOW there's oil underneath the oil rigs off of Santa Barbara; in fact, these fields are leaking more crude in 3 years than the Exxon Valdez spilled.

And, are you gay or something? Your posts have more references to ass-munching, fat ass, ass in general than the rest of the DR population put together. You gotta lotta ass on the mind, methinks.

Meanwhile, it's VERY hard to resist making a comment about Texas having the necessary raw material ;-)!

~TrueBlue

I was gonna make a comment about putting Tom Delay in front of a wind turbine and letting him spout off about evil democrats.

Posted by 726

Actually, Spud just came here to read folks making fun of long winded Texans generally and Spud was not disapointed on that score.

No posts specifically about BLT and Goat?

Now that's restraint!, thinks Spud.

Wind Power is part of the globe's sustainable future.

Well, ...if we want a sustainable future, that is.

Be Well.

Wind Power is part of the globe's sustainable future.

I wonder why BC doesn't make itself 25% wind power dependent by 2015 as Texas is doing?

(you may can this portion of my hot air and release it when y'all get those wind generators in place. Call it a gift from a big hearted Texan. *grin*)

but what about the birds?

Maybe that's why the oil prices are falling. Start pushing alternative energy!

Don't bring up the fucking birds, pragmatous! *grin*

birds: Don't forget, supposedly the sub-sonic vibrations of the propellers are upsetting to large rumimant mammals.

I've seen the miles and miles of wind turbines, each hundreds of feet high while driving in West Texas on the way to Big Bend National Park. They were impressive. We rode behind an 18 wheeler for awhile and it was carrying just one of the blades, because that was all it could carry.

I saw those windmills in the Palm Springs area, initially I thought they were fans to cool off the desert and they only turned them on when it was really hot.
Sean Hannity

We rode behind an 18 wheeler for awhile and it was carrying just one of the blades, because that was all it could carry.

Here is San Antonio, I have been seeing a lot of those 18 wheelers with a single blade on them, too. They were always heading west. I presumed they were going to California (mind just jumped track and is now singing a Led Zeppelin song) until I read this story in this morning's Chronicle.

You are right -- those things are HUGE! I had no idea after having only seen them mounted. But up close --- geez Louise!

While California taxes, Texas does.

Ok so heres what we have so far;

We seem to be trapped by 2 factions;

The extreme left that don't seem to understand that our lifestyle uses energy. period. Either stop using so much energy or find new sources. The only method of creating heat for them is to rub your hands together. But thats for you, for them, they use energy like a sultan. And they are not opposed to making money off their positions.

Then you have the extreme right that would sell their daughters brazon hymen for oil-company stock. They know exactly how much energy we use and are lethally dedicated to making a dollar off it. I mean that's capitalism, right?

And all the time, both parties are very very interested, as a priority, that we stay polarized.

Diversity in Electrical generation is just GOOD POLICY. Flattens out oil price spikes. Three cheers for Texas.

Hydro is our cheapest electricity by far (.02/kW) But what will future generations do when all our dams have silted up? Will there be more people and less water and power.

Negative growth would improve the quality of our lives and simplify the bulk of our problems, costs, pollution, overcrowding. But institutions want growth to increase their income, fuck lifestyle quality.

Libs talk about alternative energy but haven't a clue about what to do. Here in Texas, they are not only building huge wind farms, solar farms, but also doing the oil and natural gas exploration, drilling and refining.

Texas is the only State that was an independent country at one time and maybe we should considerate that concept again. Joe Horn could be our first President.

"Joe Horn could be our first President."

He certainly wouldn't turn his back on the immigration issue, even if some meskin did.