In an hour from now, the House Armed Services Committee will meet to conduct a hearing entitled, Wind Farms: Compatible with Military Readiness?
What possible conflict could wind farms have with military readiness? Down in Texas, the Del Rio News-Herald reports on how military officials at Laughlin Air Force Base are getting consternated about plans to place a wind farm up in the Anacacho Mountains. It seems that the Air Force is getting worried that tall wind mills could get in the way of its flight paths. Lauglin Air Force Base student pilots could find it difficult to fly their fighters and bombers with tall turbines turning in the breeze.
The witnesses for today’s hearings confirm that it’s this sort of conflict that will be discussed. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee will be Major General Lawrence Stutzriem of the Air Force, who works with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, and Nancy Kalinowski of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The discussion at the hearing this morning will hinge around our nation’s values. If we have to choose between training flights for bombers and farms growing our clean wind energy infrastructure, the choice is clear. Let’s ditch the bombers and embrace the wind.
Update: Solomon Ortiz, Chairman of the Readiness Subcommitte used the hearing to go tilting at windmills. He began the hearing with the following comment: “Is there anything that we can do to preserve the military capabilities threatened by wind farm developments at Naval Air Station Kingsville and other military bases? In the short term, no. Am I concerned? You bet I am.”
If only. Wind power will never happen if they get away with this seemingly ridiculous framing of the issue.
What the hell kind of mega-wind-mill are they proposing that would impede usable airways?? The article does not describe them at all. I hope our enemies don’t find out our bombers can be stopped by a few turbines.
We (and all the other so-called governments of the world) should scrap their bombers and turn them into wind power generators, tidal generators, solar panels, and up grade their electrical grids. Of course they should also learn to cooperate with each other to solve the impending world problems, but don’t get your hopes up – we’re far too stupid to have learned that war makes everyone suffer (including the “winners”), depletes resources and sows the seeds of revenge and more war (to name a few obvious reasons), or be proactive, protective and good stewards of our spaceship earth.
I like that idea, Tom – turning jet fighters into windmills. The best kind of recycling.