PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) -
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is asking officials to update Air
Force radar in Fossil because the current system is outdated
and preventing the generation of nearly 4,000 megawatts of
wind energy across eastern Oregon and Washington.
Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, sent a May 21 letter to Pentagon
and Federal Aviation Officials asking them to replace the
system with technology that can overcome interference
created by turbines, reports the East Oregonian.
He developers consistently run into problems with the radar
in Fossil, preventing the local wind energy development that
has become a leading source of revenue for many communities.
The long-range surveillance radar is jointly managed by the
Department of Defense and Homeland Security and is also used
for air traffic control.
The FAA has flagged several wind turbines as a potential
hazard because they obstruct the radar's ability to monitor
airspace.
In 2010, the system was upgraded to allow construction of
the 845-megawatt
Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Gilliam and Morrow counties.
But Wyden says the administration should replace the entire
Fossil radar to allow further projects.
"I appreciate the significance of your agencies'
responsibilities in Eastern Oregon, and I strongly support
your efforts to ensure national defense and safe skies," he
wrote.
"I do not, however, believe that these missions should
preclude further development of wind energy resources."
FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said they have received Wyden's
letter and will respond in a timely manner. The Defense
Department did not respond to a request for comment on
Thursday.
A farmer in the process of permitting a 500-megawatt wind
farm in Morrow and Umatilla counties said more than 70
percent of his 292 turbine sites have been identified by the
FAA as potential hazards.
Farmer Jerry Rietmann, who is also the CEO of Wheatridge
Wind Energy LLC, said he met with leaders in Washington,
D.C., but they were unable to come up with a solution to the
wind turbine problem.
Rietmann said he's still positive about his farm's future.
"It's hard for me to believe, at the end of the day, there
isn't a reasonable solution to continue wind development in
the region," he said. "If not, then I guess we made a good
bet and lost."
Although the cost of replacing the fossil radar is unknown,
Sherman County Judge Gary Thompson believes it is nothing in
comparison to the billions of dollars in potential
investment from wind companies searching for rural
locations.
In Oregon's second-smallest county of just 1,765 people,
Thompson says there are more than 1,000 megawatts of wind
generation that bring in more $8 million in revenue.
"It's our biggest industry, currently," he said. "In county
revenue, it surpasses farming substantially."
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