Dec 06 - Las Vegas Review - Journal

The secretary of the Air Force was pressed Tuesday to provide energy developers with more guidance about where wind power projects might be acceptable in Nevada.

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told members of Congress from the state that he understood their concerns and would look into the matter, according to accounts of a meeting that took place in the office of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Reid, the Senate majority leader, did most of the talking for the five-member Nevada delegation at the 20-minute session, several participants said. He pressed Wynne to "standardize" a process in which wind power developers could avoid entanglements with the military.

As energy investors have sought to increase the number of wind towers and turbines generating energy in Nevada, they sometimes have run afoul of the Pentagon, where the military controls almost 50 percent of its airspace according to some experts.

The military conducts flight training and weapons testing out of Nellis Air Force Base and Fallon Naval Air Station, and from bases in adjoining states.

Last month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the military will not object to wind farms in an area of eastern Nevada where developer Tim Carlson plans to build a 450-megawatt generating plant.

In 2002, a project to build 545 wind turbines for generating electricity at the Nevada Test Site was abruptly canceled after Air Force officials expressed national security concerns.

A Nellis Air Force Base spokesman said whirling turbine blades would disrupt radar signals during training exercises. Other sources said the turbines would disrupt sensitive sound-tracking equipment at the secret Area 51 base.

Reid has sought to reach accommodations with the Pentagon as part of a campaign for the steady expansion of wind power and other renewable energy resources in Nevada.

At Tuesday's meeting, Wynne "seemed to be very much in tune with what we are trying to accomplish," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said.

The Air Force leader "said he was willing to create a streamlined process that would at the same time protect the integrity of Nevada bases," Summers said.

For instance, "perhaps maps can be made available to potential wind developers so they know what the challenges are up front," Summers said.

Wynne agreed to gather information on the matter and to meet again with the Nevadans, perhaps in February, according to an account of the meeting.

Wynne could not be reached after the meeting, which was closed to reporters.

Tom Fair, Nevada Power Co. executive for renewable energy, was invited to the meeting, along with state consumer advocate Eric Witkowski and Jeneane Harter, Nevada chapter head of Windpowering America.

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