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December 10, 2004 |
"I believe that wind power can break through the 'glass ceiling' and
become a huge part of our electricity supply."
- Governor Bill Richardson
To help in the struggle for energy independence in America, Richardson plans
to ask the New Mexico Legislature to support regional wind energy production
through infrastructure financing and development. Power produced in the state
could be directly connected to the power grids of energy hungry states such as
Arizona, Nevada and California, he said.
"As I told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week, I believe
that wind power can break through the 'glass ceiling' and become a huge part of
our electricity supply," Richardson said during a news conference.
As Chairman of the Western Governors' Association, Richardson has worked with
the other western states to set renewable energy goals for the region. The
governors agreed on a combined goal of 30,000 MW in renewable energy for the
states by 2015, and a 20-percent improvement in energy efficiency by 2020.
In New Mexico alone, Richardson established six clean energy task forces over
the past year. One of those groups has been working exclusively on transmission
policy.
Wind farms could have a significant economic benefit for communities in the
state, he said. A project planned for the Tucumcari area is projected to produce
more than US$ 380,000 in annual revenue to the landowners who formed a
corporation to sell wind power to Xcel Energy.
"It doesn't matter how much wind energy we have in New Mexico if we can't
send it to markets that need it," Richardson said. "So my transmission
task force has been working very hard to prepare recommendations for major new
transmission policy here in New Mexico and across the southwestern region."
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