Story Published: Apr 29, 2009 at 4:13 PM PST
Story Updated: Apr 29, 2009 at 4:13 PM PST
"Tonight in Whitman County they will be talking about the results of the economic impact in Columbia County and then the potential results in Whitman County based on the number of wind turbines that may go there," said Southeast Washington Economic Development Association (SEWEDA) Executive Director Kathy Parker during an interview Thursday in Clarkston.
SEWEDA hired a consultant to study the economic impacts of bringing wind power to the region.
"There are approximately 40-55 jobs that are a result of the wind power that is now in Columbia County, depending on the size of the project," said Parker. "Those jobs aren't all necessarily directly resulting from people working on the wind systems, but also from businesses that had to hire more people to accommodate the increased people in town."
Along with jobs, Parker said property taxes will go down and county revenue will go up.
While Garfield County is well on it's way to bringing in wind power, Parker said Whitman County is in the preliminary stages and Asotin County is also a possibility.
"I understand that there have been some people in here talking to some of the landowners, but the last information I saw was that there were not very many places in Asotin County that are conducive to wind power, but that's in very early stages and I'm not sure where that one's going to go," said Parker.
Thursday's meeting in Pullman featured a presentation of the economic impact study and a chance to discuss concerns.
"Probably the most vocal people have concerns about environmental things. I really love looking at them, I think they are very majestic and serene, they are comforting to me, for some people it is irritating apparently, so people say they are a little bit noisy other people say it's no different then living along a stream," said Parker. "Those are mainly the objections, I have heard."
