sierraclub.org - sierra magazine - march/april 2013 - grapple: the wind is red

GRAPPLE | WITH ISSUES AND IDEAS

Wingers Gang Up on Clean Energy | Critter: LOLsquid | Next Big Thing: Invasive Weeds? | The Wind Is Red |
On the One Hand . . . | Woe Is Us | Up to Speed

The Wind Is Red

Map: Peter and Maria Hoey; Source: AWS Truepower

"The wind blows where it wishes," says John 3:8, and apparently it has a preference for red states. Below is a map showing mean annual wind speeds-essential information for anyone planning to invest in a wind turbine. The most consistently windy portion of the nation is that running up the center, right through the Republican heartland. That explains why the Republican governors of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and North and South Dakota joined in the-ultimately successful-lobbying effort to convince Congress to renew the wind industry's federal tax credit. —Paul Rauber

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NEXT: On the One Hand . . .