The Pentagon's Cautious Tilt On Windmills - Washington Post January 29, 2007

Excerpts from "77w Effect of Windmill Farms on Military Readiness,*a report to congression­al defense committees from the of­fice of the director of defense re­search and engineering:

The Department of Defense strongly supports the development of renewable energy sources and is a recognized leader in the use of wind energy. As one of the largest consum­ers of energy, the Department is keenly aware of the budgetary pres­sures that recent increases in the cost of energy have created for all Amer­icans and continues to invest in the development of alternative energy sources. However, the Department is also mindful of its responsibility to Bigmtem its capabilities to defend the nation.

Consequently, the Department, as a result of this study, makes the fol­lowing conclusions and recommen­dations regarding the challenges and areas for further attention, in coordi­nation with other Federal agencies, to allow for construction of wind tur­bines while maintaining defense readiness capabilities:...

• Wind turbines in close proximity tomilitary training, testing, and devel­opment sites and ranges can adverse­ly impact the "train and equip" mis­sion of the Department. Existingprocesses to include engagementwith local and regional planningboards and development approval au­thorities should be employed to miti­gate such potential impacts.

• Wind turbines located in closeproximity to Comprehensive lestBan Treaty monitoring sites can ad­versely impact their ability to per­form this mission by increasing ambi­ent seismic noise levels. Appropriateoffset distance criteria should be de­veloped to mitigate such potentialimpacts....

•The National Weather Service (NWS) has the primary responsibili­ty to provide accurate weather fore­casting services for the nation. The Department defers to the NWS re-- garding identification of impacts wind farms may have on weather ra­dars and development of appropriate mitigation measures. The Depart­ment stands prepared to work with the NWS in this area on NWS identi­fied mitigation measures that have the potential to benefit Department systems....