On Sun, May 11, 2008 at 9:11 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > > So, my question is why is California so much more under the thumb of Big > Oil than Texas? It follows from that arguement, right, since Texas has > built and is building about 6 GW of wind power since 2005 and California > has only managed less than 700 MW. Land-use restrictions/stricter environmental impact requirements for the turbines AND transmission lines (this would not surprise me). Fewer suitable locations? (This would surprise me even less.) More energy sources? (Unlikely.) I'm thinking that I wouldn't even quite know how to research this properly... but here are some snippets. >From http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-121281557.html "We can follow the thread of such reactions most clearly to Palm Springs, California, in the mid-1980s. Soon after installing thousands of turbines in windy San Gorgonio Pass just north of the city limits, developers were battered with complaints that the machines interfered with television reception, produced annoying and inconsistent noise, posed risks to wildlife and aircraft, and represented incompatible land-use practices. (13) The most troubling, bitter, and outraged complaint, however, was that the wind machines destroyed the aesthetic appeal of the landscape, thereby threatening the very attribute that most attracts tourists to the area's fancy resorts. " However, Mayor Sonny Bono managed to turn public opinion around. >From http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/004817.html "In the United States, one of the areas most suited for wind turbines is the central part of the country, stretching from Texas through the northern Great Plains — far from the coastal population centers that need the most electricity." Aha! And this page -- http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/wind_power/index.html -- says a multi-billion-dollar transmission upgrade is necessary to get the electricity from the best locations to the Southern California cities. > > So, my question is, given the fact that California is far more liberal > than > Texas, how did this happen? Large swaths of California -- the Central Valley -- are quite conservative. Nick -- Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Messages: 408-904-7198 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
