" These turbines kill millions of birds and bats each year across the USA. Surely we can come up with a power supply that is more friendly to nature. "

" It's about time Nebraska focuses on wind energy, which will help with our electricity and bring jobs and hopefully more economic development. "

" Talk about pollution -- this time of the visual variety!

I can think of few things that have ever been more environmentally unappealing. Not only are these hideous monstrosities an eyesore, but I seriously doubt that long-term they will have any real impact on this nation's efforts to come up with alternative energy resources.

In 25 years -- or even less -- I can see the Bloomfield project, and others like it, rusting away, monuments to man's shortsightedness and disregard for the ever-dwindling farmland across the nation. "

" Despite all warnings, here we go. Are Nebraskans so poor and uneducated to see what just happened? A non-Nebraska company comes in an makes a large portion of the money, while they've rented out all the risk. How long have we warned that the energy boom would go to outsiders while Nebraskans did nothing. People are MAKING money on the energy crisis while Nebraskans, myopic and content with the Good Life, complain that gas has gone up a few dimes. It's going up because people are pouring money in the energy market. Maybe this is too pessimisitic as this could be a good start, but the energy industry has to be owned by people that will re-invest in Nebraska first, and not funnel all the money back to their big city, while keeping all the risk in Nebraska. I hope these concepts lead into an understanding of why UNL's tech park is so required-- Nebraskans invest, bear the risk, while the big city gets the money after students graduate. "

" I don't think look any worse than all of the cell phone towers that have popped up over the years. I hate those. Course, I'm very biased against cell phones too. (Won't THAT show my age.) "

" We must set priorities, and energy is near the top of the list. Personally, I think these wind turbines are beautiful. If I didn't know they were generating energy, I'd think they were modern art. They don't hinder the view, as they're so slim in design, and they signal to me the biblical message that we have dominion over all the earth. I think the blades are higher off the ground than most birds and bats usually fly, so that damage should be minimal. Harnessing the wind makes the most sense of any energy solution I've seen yet. "

" I wish it were Nebraska companies making the investment, but at least it is a good start to other resources.

As for wind turbines killing millions of birds and bats, I wish you could back up a statement like that, with a scientfic study/evidence that shows the true numbers. If that were the true case, no one would build them , build there would tons of rotting carcasses all over the place. The smell and disease potential would have been brought forward long ago. Maybe a few hundred birds and bats, maybe even in to the low thousands, but millions. Are you really believing that? Ever been to a wind farm and seen hundreds of birds dead on the ground there because the farm was there?

I would like to appluad the group for the effort to reduce our needs for coal and oil powered resources. While this can't replace alll our energy needs, it can sure help to extend our other resources. "

" Will all those persons complaining about wind farms please explain how they get their electricity?? Also give me comparisons of coal, nuclear and natural gas powered plants in relation to the environment. "

" I think that these turbines look much more attractive than a coal-fired and nuclear power plants. Obviously, they are much more friendly to the environment as well. If you really think that we should continue on the same path we are on to save some birds or because of aesthetics, I guess that I will thank you for the $3.50 gas since you probably don't like alternatives to gasoline-driven vehicles either. "

" Seriously! UCK! Look at how ugly they are! You know what's much prettier? Giant coal burning power plants! Those look WAY better! "

" but - What do you think all the coal fired power plants are doing to birds, bats, and people? You must be joking? And RJ - the Dutch once complained about those unsightly windmills sitting all over the place too. Today those old "eyesores" are highly valued. Some crazy Iowans have even bought and moved them to the US as tourist attractions! To many these new towers look like giant sculptures. Each providing clean energy to about 1000 homes a year. I'd love to see more of them sitting all over the place! If your worried about farmland disappearing your barking up the wrong tree. Farmers get rent and STILL farm all the land around them. They might have to wear a hard hats due to all the birds and bats falling, but they can still use the land!
"

" I think it is GREAT that Gov Dave is breaking ground on a new wind farm...
aaaah, they can hook him up too....and Nebraska will have all the wind they need!! "

" They kill millions of birds a year...really? Where do you come up with these statistics "but" ? Maybe they just came out of thin air, eh?

As far as looking unappealing, how about big 'ol smoke stacks, that looks great too! Nobody every said wind power was the complete solution, but its part of the answer.



"

" That's the most disturbing thing about these - while one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the country (the owner of "Midwest Wind Energy" is REALLY Edison Mission Energy) gets rich, the poor ratepayers of NPPD get stuck with the bill. We get a less reliable source of energy and in return get to pay higher rates. Makes me glad to be an LES customer. Oh, wait. They are going to be part of this too. Just lovely. And oh yeah, some lucky farmer gets some extra money on top of his $6/bushel corn and his CRP payments and other subsidies. The rich get richer, the poor ratepayers get poorer. "

" They kill bats and birds? Oh, please... what wildlife is harmed by the coal-fired plants, emissions from our vehicles or waste from nuclear plants? I'll bet your are the same ones complaining about the "gaudy-looking" solar panels. We have to make compromises, and I'll gladly compromise a few birds to reduce our greenhouse gases and emissions.

By the way, I did do a Google search on wind farms, and couldn't find any mention of birds and bats that I see as credible (most were from either opposition groups or private websites without any credible sources attached). "

" A 1 mega watt wind turbine can displace 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide in one year. This is huge. Solar energy efficiency is being worked on. Right now solar energy is not very efficient. Oil companies are also a factor in all of this. Whether you want to believe it or not, oil companies are buying the rights (or threatening lives if they won't) to many of the things that are developed to limit the use of oil. Do your research on these things before you make your judgments. Much of the info you many hear is not fact. "

" While wind turbines do produce power in a very environmentally friendly way, they still can not consistantly produce large amounts of power at peak usage times. Currently the only green option the United States has is nuclear in terms of emissions. While many may argue about the nuclear waste, current technology is available to reprocess the waste to use in breeder reactors that are in place around the world. "

" More power and less birds! This is a winning combination of two fronts! (I don't like birds.) "

" I agree with the commentators lamenting the fact that the profits of these ventures are heading out of state. Wind power is a good start, sitting around and complaining that in 25 years they will be "rusting hulks" provides nothing to solving our energy problem. I read my recent magazine from our rural electric provider. Folks in the not too distant future we simply aren't going to have problems with high electric rates we will have problems having electric service available 24/7. Frankly the electric industry in this state has been warning of this problem for at least a decade, but no we all go about our lives like "things will always be there", or "someone else" will solve the problem. Here it is folks "yesterday" was the day to find solutions. Why do you think we have an accelerated push for higher mileage standards in cars? Why do you think there is a push for biofuels? Why did we go to Iraq and why will we never leave? Why are hundreds of millions of dollars being invested in "questionable" energy solutions in this state alone? Why do some forecasters predict 200 dollar oil in the very NEAR future? Why the mandate for the use of compact flourescent light bulbs? I could list another dozen "whys". Things have changed rapidly in just the last few months. Unusual for this country unless indeed we have very serious problems that are just "coming to light" for the ignorant and those that haven't been listening the last few years. We have been warned for MANY, MANY years of what's coming as far as energy problems and now the problems are real and without SWIFT movement will only further worsen. In fact none of us may live long enough to see things as good as they are RIGHT NOW/TODAY as the hole we have dug is damn deep. We can get out of this mess if we want to, but they will NEVER return to the way things were. "

" http://www.ilr.tu-berlin.de/WKA/windfarm.html "

" Birds and bats be damned. It's high time to take advantage of the never ending supply of wind in this state. Even if wind power cant be used as a primary source of power during peak usage times (and I'm not convinced that it cant) it's about time we utilize this as a supplemental source - even if just to post to the grid and sell to the highest bidder. Coal, unlike wind will continue to be more intrusive and expensive to mine and ship - costing everyone more. Now if we could just get our local utilities to invest like the privately held out of staters do, Nebraskans might be able to see a real difference when they pay their electricty bills. It's about time Nebraska gets on board. "

" Its about time, We need more of these, lots more. I think they look nice, I live where I can see the ones here in Lincoln and I like watching them. Its peaceful and relaxing to watch them spin. I would not like to live as close to a coal plant as I do the the windmills. "

" Let's break this down. Nuclear power: byproduct = radioactive, nuclear waste that lasts forever. Coal Power plant: requires mining coal (usually open pit mining), then expending energy to transport the coal to the plant; byproduct = toxic gases/pollution (anyone here heard of acid rain?). Wind generators byproduct = used air??!!

BTW - those claiming they kill millions of birds and bats - where are all the dead birds and bats around farmers' wind mills (that have been used for about a century!) And, just how many millions birds/bats and other animals are killed by CARS?? Should we stop driving because of this?? Just consider the bird/bat deaths from wind generators as supplementing neighboring cats' and coyotes' diets... "

" Are you people serious? Do you really think that land looks better without the wind turbines? Lets just promote poluting the environment as well! These wind turbines have been around for awhile and Nebraska is finally getting on the bandwagon that other states have been doing for years now! No wonder Nebraska never keeps up with the times. It is people complaining about advancements in technology. I welcome the wind turbines. They are alot better for the environment than the typical powerplants. And really "but", it is not like where do you get your info from? "

" You mean to say that birds don't communicate. I heard birds communicate better than humans. Well, that said maybe humans don't get that excited when someone runs into someone else in a car or truck, etc. but birds and bats, well, now thats a totally different. Well, well, well, if it is not one thing its another. Wind would and should be the best source of energy and should be the most readily available. Why, why, why would anyone object to it. I do not like the looks of bare ground or crops in the field anyways so whats the difference. These things keep energy coming and 25 thousand homes is no small amount of homes, to bad we don't have more of these wind machines. "

" The comment regarding reliable energy source is bogus. Peak time usage is always been and issue in the Summer. Don't assume that this energy would be useless! Any relief to the overburdened power systems would come as a benefit, despite what time of day the energy was produced. "

" First, a message to the people worried about whether or not there will be enough wind to sustain a windmill power generator: The trees in Nebraska grow SIDEWAYS because of all the wind, I think we are covered. I will refrain from mentioning the 'Millions of birds and bats" for it has been beaten like a dead horse.

Nuclear power produces a tremendous amount of energy giving the amount of waste produced at a few grams per person per year. The biggest controversy involving nuclear energy is waste management and unfortunately, the public is really left in the dark on this subject. And yes, I do work in the nuclear industry. Not in power generation, but in waste processing. As far as radioactivity lasting forever, after a few half-lifes, it is reduced to less than background levels. Backgroud levels are what everyone experiences from the sun, earth and his/her own body. Remember, it was not that long ago Uranium Oxide was used as a glazing for fine china. Half-lifes can last anywhere form a few seconds for some fissle materals to even billions of years. The half-Life for common Iodine is about 4.5 billion years, yet we treat scrapes and cuts with it. The public-at-large seems to really fear that word: Radioactivity.

Believe it or not, nuclear fuel is considerably less exspensive than traditional fuel like coal and natural gas. A chunk of nuclear fuel roughly the size of a lemon can push an aircraft carrier about 2.5 to 3 times around the planet, image how much diesel that will take. Although I would really like to see a better solution. Maybe the scientists will perfect the fusion reaction better sometime in the future. Helium or Hydrogen as a by-product wouldn't be as severe as a problem.

What I wonder is why we are not experimenting more with geothermal energy. The earth's crust does contain tremendous amounts of heat energy a few hundred feet below the surface, depending on location. This energy would be free from having to constantly refuel it as well as free from emmisions and waste disposal.

When it comes to Biofuels, it has been proven tht Algae can produce anywhere from 7 to 30 times the energy output per acre than terrestrial crops.

Well, I rambled enough, so if you want me to cite my examples, you have to ask and I will post later. I hope at least one or two of you found this insightful. Goodbye for now. "

" It's about time Nebraska, where wind is not an endangered commodity, started doing this. Our neighbor Iowa has wind farms everywhere - so do we- we could significantly reduce our need of non-renewable resources by using the resources we have locally available, in this case wind. I've often wondered why there aren't more wind farms in Nebraska, especially north of Omaha in rural areas near Blair, Norfolk, & Fremont. "

" I cannot believe people are worried about windmills being an eyesore. You live in one of the 5 most un-scenic states in the country, for crying out loud. Is it blocking your view of the mountains? Or is it the ocean? "

" This is great a lot better than what we have been getting from the corn farmers. Now it is time for Neberaska to build a wind farm. "

" http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-04-windmills-usat_x.htm

There's your article on bird kills and wind turbines. The reason you don't see dead birds around farm wind turbines? They aren't big enough to be a problem.

I'm not really for or against wind turbines, but I do believe there are much better options for renewable energy then them. Problem with turbines: you cannot store the energy from really windy days. If it's not windy, you get no benefits from a wind turbine at all. Plus, you actually have to heat the turbines in the winter to keep the gears from freezing up, so they may end up using more energy then they put out. Using biomass for electricity makes more sense, but we're diverting all of that to ethanol production (which is really really dumb). "

" It's about time!! Too bad a company from outside is doing this and will take their profits with them, but trust me, the wind blows enough in this state to make this a worthwhile venture. If you put these things by Scottsbluff they would never stop turning! Glad to see someone finally getting on board and taking advantage of the resources we have to make clean power! "

" Its about time. Nebraska is behind the curve nationwide regarding taking advantage of wind energy and other renewable energy resources related to power generation. We should also be taking advantage of solar energy as well. Whether you like it or not we should, and will be taking advantage of renewable energy no matter how unasthetically pleasing it may be. "

" Of for god sakes! Are you people seriously saying this is a bad idea because its bad for the environment! Is it worse than, say, a coal plant? Give me a break! The mere existence of human beings is bad for the environment. Yes, they may be ugly, but so are billboards and telephone lines. As far as birds getting killed...how many animals have died using other sources of energy. Nothing is perfect...its a matter of the lesser of the evils. Those comments show exactly how you can never please everyone! "

" Thanks to ... for providing stats on the birds killed, unfortunately those numbers were for a specific site. Not too many protected migratory birds here other than sandhill cranes.

As for the lack of wind to always keep the windmills going - we used to live on a farm whose sole water supply was from a cistern filled by a windmill (no electric motor connected to it, just the windmill itself). We never had to worry about not having water. On the contrary, we typically had to shut the windmill off so as not to overflow the cistern!!
"

" Just check out the windmills north of town that LES owns. Anytime they aren't turning (which is more often than you think), they aren't generating energy. Oh, and Texas nearly had blackouts last month because their windfarm didn't have enough of a breeze to keep the power output up. "

" Wow, Gov. Dave does his best to thwart the Farmers Union from getting a private in state project off the ground, still happened, they just didn't get the matching fed money since Dave let it stall, and now he has this big thing started, when it becomes politically safe (it's now ok for republicans to say global warming exists, Dubya said so).

Wind turbine technology has improved greatly since LES put up those two sad towers by the interstate, the reason they have to shut them down is because if the wind blows too hard, those propellors would reach a terminal velocity and fall apart. Turbines built now have braking to prevent this, and as far as birds and bats..... far more bats and birds die getting hit by cars than by wind turbine... give it a rest. I think the full length of I-80 should be strung with wind turbines.... sure would make the drive more interesting, which in the near future should be more inclined toward electric. "

" Can't have your cake and eat it too, folks. Either shut off the big screen TV, the microwave, and the lights, or learn to compromise. I have a small wind charger and battery bank setup that runs some lights in my living room. Whenever the wind blows and I hear the turbine "whooshing" I smile to myself because I'm harvesting free electricity from nature. The claims of turbines killing a significant number of bats and birds are dubious at best. So until you either come up with something better, or are ready to go live in a cave with no electricity, you should start looking at wind turbines and solar panels as your best friends. "

" GLOBAL WARMING......I think the wind farm is a great idea and highly needed. "

" Visually unappealing? So what? This one is stuck in the middle of Knox county? How many people will ever see it? "

" To Bill, thanks for your post, I was wondering if that was a possibility to do at your own house. I think I.m going to look into that! "

" Alamont Pass in California has more than 4,000 windmills and the estimated bird kill annually is less than 5,000. That is just over one bird per windmill, per year. And that relatively high fatality rate is unique to the 50-square-mile Alamont Pass site because it spans an international migratory bird route. I SERIOUSLY doubt that the U.S. total is millions of birds and bats each year. "

" Earthday 2008+...Everyone shouts "We need to be green!"

OK now we are doing something green.....Everyone shouts "EUWWW, It's such an inconvience to me!" "

" at the number of negative, whiny peole in this city and state. Let's try to find an alternative power source over burning exhaustible fuel sources.. and all can can hear is complaining. Let the Police try use anything new (like a Seqway) and you get whine, whine, whine. The best suggestion I saw on that was to bring back horses, since a seqway costs about $5000. Yeh, buying and bording horses should be a lot cheaper than that.
Everyone is worried about Nebraska having a "brain drain" where anyone with intelligence will move out of the state. Read about a week of comments on any article in the paper, and you'll see we're too late. "