Black Fork wind project : Richland & Crawford County

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Permalink Reply by Eric Smith on February 24, 2009 at 10:32pm

Its a step in the right direction, but its also rather disappointing in some ways, specifically that a significant portion of the energy produced is to be sold on the east coast, rather than being put to use with a local first focus. Another being that the developer is not local, which dosnt help lessen my skepticism that they are more interested in the profit involved, than actually doing any good for the local community. Profitability is understandable,but hopefully isnt the sole focus of this project. Many folks in the area would benefit greatly from cheaper energy, but it certainly isnt clear what portion of the production, if any, stays local.

I also think that the claim of 600 jobs is the standard fluff that goes along with trying to convince people the deal is better for them than it actually is. Most likely, the 600 jobs will be spread out among the US, to which ever company bids the work right, and very few, if any will be from the surrounding counties. The 30 maintainance jobs does, however, seem feasable.

So again, its a step in the right direction. Im happy to learn that some turbines are actually going to go up somewhere, as it seems like many projects are being cancelled or postponed, due to the credit crunch. I just dont think its going to be as good of a deal for the area as its made out to be. Great for the counties that are getting property tax revenues, questionable for those that dont. Will see, hopefully im wrong.

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Permalink Reply by B. Barley on July 13, 2009 at 4:56am

The BlackFork wind project is having a local meeting for the public at the Convention in Mansfield, OH on July 14th at 6 PM.

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