Posted on 06/03/2006 3:25:19 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
CHICAGO (AP) -- Illinois Democrats Dick Durbin and Barack Obama are among six U.S. senators who sent a letter Friday to two federal agencies expressing concern after the federal government stopped work on wind farms while it studies whether the giant turbines could interfere with military radar.
Durbin said in a statement that at least a dozen wind farm development projects in Illinois, Wisconsin and North Dakota have been affected.
The letter is signed by Durbin, Obama and Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.; Herb Kohl, D-Wis.; Kent Conrad, D-N.D. and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
"This decision by the Department of Defense and the (Federal Aviation Administration) to halt windmill construction is premature and may have serious negative economic effects," Durbin said.
An amendment to a a military spending bill recently passed by Congress calls on the Defense Department to conduct a study wind farms' effect on military readiness, specifically whether they interfere with military radar, Durbin said. The DOD has since stopped development on wind farms within "radar line of sight."
"Until the potential effects can be quantified and possible mitigation techniques developed, it is prudent to temporarily postpone wind turbine construction in areas where the ability of these long-range radars that protect our country might be compromised," Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman, told the Chicago Tribune earlier this week.
Lainez could not say when the study would be complete.
Durbin said the stalled projects include a large farm near Bloomington, one in LaSalle County and another spanning Lee and Bureau counties.
"Since much of the nation is in radar line of (sight), this interim policy has a sweeping effect," the senators' letter stated. "Prohibiting, even temporarily, the development of wind energy facilities within those areas would be a considerable setback for efforts to increase our country's energy independence."
I thought Ted Kennedy stopped it. Why no mention of that?
When they came for me, I had no airport
Maybe we should get a video of Turban Durbin talking about the need for wind power to play here in Massghanistan so we can show that Kennedy is out of step with the leadership in his own party. lol.
No wind work ever stops with politicians. They just keep getting windier and windier. And the two mentioned here take a back seat to no one.
Yikes. Are not these two trying to have it both ways!
Maybe Sen Kerry's wife owns property near the wind turbine projects...
http://www.play.com/covers/184508m.jpg
I can understand why Durbin thinks the military is unimportant, but I though Obama was the great hope for the Dems.
So, in other words, if it interferes with military radar they are FOR it?
They would stop work on them in a heartbeat if they put a bird at risk...but national security, THAT is not a good enough reason.
Obama is the perfect lib candidate. No one knows anything about him, so they can all project their wishes upon him
It's the same mentality that forced the libs to create the West Wing show... they wanted a president they could look up to, and unfortunately they had Bill Clinton in the White House.
So they elected Martin Sheen and he was perfect! What a great job he did!
Too bad he was pretend.
But now they've got Obama, and he's their next great hope.
These fellows left out the fine print which says that the radar hold is due to one of their buddies trying to put the kebosh on the Cape Cod wind farm.
What happened to the legislation that would prevent wind farms?
HaHa! Durtbin and Bam-Bam and Fine-fold have enough wind among them to blow every turbine in the area.
Yes, but if it would obstruct a Kennedy's view of the Ocean, then they would be against it.
Senators Dickhead and Barack Hussein Obama produce all the wind we need if we could harness it.
The Senators object to delaying the wind farm because it might in some small way hurt our military. If the wind farm actually helped the military or obstructed Ted Kennedy's view of the ocean then of course they would oppose it. Environmentalists ran radio ads last fall in Wisconsin urging a wind farm in eastern Wisconsin be stopped because it might hurt migratory birds.
The thing is, they've made such a big deal about him, it seems phony. I've listened to him, and read some of his speeches, and there's nothing new there. The unspoken thing is he's black. If he weren't, I wonder if he would have been elected Senator, without being a Representative first.
"They would stop work on them in a heartbeat if they put a bird at risk...but national security, THAT is not a good enough reason."
LOL! My thoughts exactly. What a couple of doorknobs. :)
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