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U.S. ARMY ANNOUNCES PLANS TO DEVELOP
WIND ENERGY AT FORT BLISS, TEX.
Trade Group Welcomes Move as 'Strong First Step
In Implementing Executive Order on Clean Energy'
W A S H I N G T O N, D. C., Oct. 8, 1999:
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said it welcomes today's announcement from the U.S. Army that the Army is looking for industrial
partners to develop wind energy as a source of electric power for Fort Bliss,
Tex.
AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher said his group is "delighted that the Department of Defense, the largest consumer of electric power among
the federal agencies, is staking out a leadership role in implementing President Clinton's Executive Order on clean energy and energy efficiency. From
the wind industry's perspective, this is a strong first step in fulfilling the
promise of the Executive Order. We believe there is significant potential for
the use of wind power at armed services installations both here in the U.S. and
abroad."
Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, in a news release on the Army announcement, said, "The United States Army is proud to lead the way in taking
up the President's challenge" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase
the use of renewable energy sources. "President Clinton's
Executive Order is good for the Army, good for the environment, and good for
our nation."
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson commented, "The increasing use of
renewables by the U.S. military and other branches of the U.S. government will
save taxpayers money, help protect the environment and support other efforts in
both the public and private sectors to make use of non-polluting clean energy
generation sources." Richardson recently announced a Department of Energy program, Wind Powering America, that seeks to boost wind energy use to 5% of
U.S. electricity supply by 2020.
The Army announcement said one of the service's "key initiatives is to use wind turbines to generate electrical power at Army installations." Wind
energy, it said, "is a renewable resource, so no matter how much is used there
will still be the same supply in the future. Wind energy is also a source of
clean, nonpolluting electricity. Unlike conventional power plants, wind plants
emit no air pollutants or greenhouse gases."
Ray Clark, the Army's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Installations and Environment, said Fort Bliss has been selected as an initial
"prototype" because of its size and favorable geographical location. "If this
experiment works," Clark said, "the Army will make other sites available for
wind-generated power and seek new industry partnerships."
The Army said it will work with the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Defense Energy Support Center on
developing an approach for the Fort Bliss project.
AWEA's Swisher said that several studies in the past, most recently one from the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP), have urged that both state and
federal governments use their purchases of electricity and other energy supplies as a method of encouraging greater use of renewable energy sources.
"Currently," Swisher said, "the Federal Government spends about $8
billion a year on energy, including $3.5 billion on electricity. To the degree
that it's reasonably possible, that purchasing power should be directed toward
energy choices that are clean and that will stimulate the development of new
energy industries.
"The President's Executive Order recognizes that it is in all of our interests for the U.S. to reduce environmental pollution and encourage the
growth of industries that supply new, cleaner power options for the future. We
hope other executive agencies will follow the Army's lead."
AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy
industry. The association's membership of more than 700 includes turbine
manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested
individuals from 49 states. More information on wind energy is available
from the home page
of the AWEA web site: www.awea.org
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