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County plans hearing on Pluto wind farm proposal.
A property owner in Pluto is preparing to make his case this month for
the advent of a wind farm, installing as many as 18 turbines to generate
electricity as an example of clean, renewable energy in Appalachia.
Earl
Long will get the floor Sept. 15, the next meeting of the Raleigh County
Commission, to outline his proposal.
Actually, the idea had been advanced
earlier, but after Tuesday’s meeting, commission president John Humphrey said,
“We felt they were not quite prepared to present everything.”
“We need to
set it up for a public hearing and to let anyone in that area come in and say
whatever is on their mind,” Humphrey said.
“I’m not here today saying
this will happen. We’re saying we need to let the public know first of all and
give them an opportunity to share concerns for a wind farm.”
Some months
ago, an environmental group used economic data in support of another proposed
wind farm on the opposite end of Raleigh County as an alternative to coal
production.
Long told reporters the idea in his region is being promoted
through a management team known as Jobs Project in Williamson, “working to get
renewable energy throughout southern Appalachia, the coalfields.”
Some
200 acres would be put up for the project by Long and some of his
relatives.
“It’s going to be a joint effort,” he said. “It will be known
as Angel Winds.”
To date, no opposition has been voiced to either Long or
the commission.
“We’re going to have a community awareness meeting, let
the people know what we’re doing,” he said.
“Most of the neighbors are in
favor so far, but we haven’t spoken to everyone.”
Long said the project
would generate some 20 megawatts of power annually.
“It will be put back
into the main power grid and offset the carbon from coal-fired power plants,” he
said.