oregon
Cash for Wind: Everybody Wins with Wind Energy in Sherman County, Oregon
.jpg "A changing landscape in Sherman County, Oregon. Photo:<a href=\"http://bit.ly/reo6C9\">portland general (flickr)</a>")
An environmental nuisance has become a promise of prosperity in Sherman County, Oregon.
Heavy winds were once a daily vexation for residents of Sherman County. Now they are a powerhouse for development for it’s four towns. Located south of the Columbia River Gorge, Sherman County is an ideal location for wind farms — its proximity to power lines that connect to California has made the $17.5 million profit possible over the last nine years, says the New York Times.
Although the once spectacular panorama of Mount Adams is now peppered with huge wind turbines, the operation has been met with overwhelming approval since its beginning in 2002. Jobs have been created, the school district is prospering, and families are more financially secure. Sherman’s many wheat farmers, who were struggling prior to the operation due to the rising cost of farming, have been able to resuscitate the profitability of agriculture and ensure its survival with average yearly payouts of $5,000 and $7,800 for each turbine on their land. “We absolutely hated waking up some days because the wind blows all the time...It’s like living in a wind tunnel...Now you wake up and the wind is blowing and it’s like, yes,” one Sherman County resident told the New York Times.
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