“The Coal River Wind project is ambitious. Coal River Mountain Watch proposes to put 220 wind turbines, each 292 feet high, that combined could generate 440 megawatts, across miles of the mountain at a cost of upward of $1 billion. A study by WindLogics, Appalachian Voices and wind farm campaign coordinator Rory McIlmoil, 28, who has studied and analyzed wind energy for the past 16 months, found that a wind farm could produce enough power for 150,000 homes — more than the entire surrounding county has — and create at least 200 jobs for the two-year construction period and 40 to 50 permanent jobs to keep the turbines running. Underground mining, according to the study, would create at least another 200 direct mining jobs and potentially more if mountaintop removal were prevented, given the current demand for coal from central Appalachia. The study acknowledges that while the four proposed mountain removal operation sites would generate far fewer jobs — only an estimated 65 to 225 per year, depending on how long the four permit areas were mined — they would generate much more power. However, the study notes an important difference: The mountain will yield only 14 years’ worth of coal from strip-mining, while a wind farm could operate indefinitely.” (08/19/08)