Wind Mills Not Turning in Bath County

Ken Landgraf, chief planner and acting forest supervisor for the George Washington National Forest, makes a point during a public input meeting on the proposed forest plan for the GWNF Wednesday, July 27 at Valley Elementary School. (Recorder photo by Mike Bollinger)
HOT SPRINGS — Wind energy and wilderness areas on the George Washington National Forest were the main topics of conversation at a public meeting on the proposed plan revision for the forest last Wednesday at Valley Elementary School.
During question-and-answer and breakout sessions, citizens asked U.S. Forest Service staff to remove any proposed areas for wind energy development from the plan. Currently, the draft would allow applications for wind projects to be submitted on about one-half of the forest.
In Bath County, areas identified as suitable for wind development include Allegheny Mountain, Little Mountain, Walker Mountain and part of Back Creek Mountain. Bath officials have gone on record as opposing wind development on national forest land in the county.
Ken Landgraf, chief forest planner and acting forest supervisor, said, “We received a very good letter from the county” about wind development.
He said due to potential impact on bats and birds as well as visual concerns, the forest service considered recommending prohibiting wind development throughout the forest. “We looked at the fact there is a national initiative to develop wind energy and wondered if it would be fair to say no on the whole forest,” Landgraf said.
Any proposal submitted for wind development would be subject to “rigorous” environmental analysis, Landgraf said. There would be several obstacles, includ- ing endangered bats and other species, he noted