Wind power development could boost state economy

The state economy could get a multimillion-dollar boost from wind power development in Umatilla County, according to a new report.

Wind energy has the potential to grow into a $40 million business and bring new jobs to the rural communities if local infrastructure is developed, according to the study by the Oregon State University Extension Service.

"In the last 25 years, many rural communities have gone through a significant economic decline," said Bruce Sorte, a community economist for the university's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Local wind energy development provides an opportunity to rebuild rural infrastructures and revitalize communities."

Oregon State researchers used economic models developed by the National Energy Renewable Laboratory and the university to estimate the current and future impact of the wind energy industry.

Umatilla County has the capacity to generate about 480,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy per year, or enough energy to power about 46,000 Oregon homes.

Paul Chalmers, Umatilla County director of assessment and taxation, said three wind-turbine companies own property in Umatilla County with a total value of about $124 million. The companies, two based in Florida and one in San Diego, pay about $1.6 million in property taxes.

The study focused on Umatilla County. But other Oregon counties also may have the potential to develop wind energy, researchers said.

Melissa Torgerson, a public policy graduate student and one of the report's authors, said that when wind energy development is controlled locally, revenues are often spent in local businesses.

To attract investors, rural counties need to explore mixing business development with industry development to keep more money spent on maintenance and supply from leaving the local economy, Torgerson said.

Land use policy also can be used to benefit the local economy, she said.

"Regardless of whether projects are owned by a single farmer, multiple investors or a community, rural counties have the potential to gain from local ownership," Torgerson said.