The Answer, My Friend, Is Blowing In the Wind. The Answer Is Blowing In the Wind.

Interesting article in today’s Milwaukee Journal. Discussing Bush’s visit to Wisconsin last week, the MJ notes that: ”During his talk at Johnson Controls in Milwaukee, President Bush reiterated his State of the Union pronouncement that America is addicted to oil, and that alternatives need to be pursued to help make America less vulnerable to spikes in the prices of oil and natural gas.

That's the same rationale Gov. Jim Doyle and lawmakers in Madison are using as they promote the bill that would prompt the state to increase its reliance on wind turbines and other renewable sources.

If the state measure becomes law, energy experts expect an infusion of investment in new wind power projects in Wisconsin.”

We’ve heard for too long from those with a vested interest in the status quo that protecting our environment will somehow harm the American economy. That’s bullshit. Note the magic words above: An Infusion of Investment. Building new wind power plants will also create J-O-B-S, jobs that can’t be outsourced.

Wind power’s not perfect. It kills birds, for one thing. And, it can be erratic (some days are windier than others), and it can’t be stored, so you still need other sources of power to back it up. Some people object to the aesthetics, but no power plant -- coal, gas, nuclear, or wind -- ever won a lot of architectural awards. However, wind doesn’t pollute and it doesn’t create toxic waste materials that have to be stored for more generations than we can begin to imagine. No cartel can seize control of it and hold us up over it either.