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Wind Power is Gentle On the Environment by Bjorn Fredrickson Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 12, 2003

Your June 5 article on wind power raises some important issues. According to the Northwest Energy Coalition, only 1 percent of the power generated in Washington state comes from wind and solar sources. The rest comes from environmentally damaging sources such as fossil fuels, which cause health problems, and dams, which destroy wildlife. I am not advocating that we stop burning fossil fuels or blow up dams. We have, however, done enough harm to our environment.

Washington has a huge potential to use the wind and sun to produce electricity, neither of which release pollutants or harm wildlife. According to the coalition, the generation of electricity from wind in Washington will cost about as much as using natural gas to produce energy; it's a reasonable and affordable option.

The Legislature should support HB1544, which states that in the next 20 years, Washington will increase its usage of clean, renewable energy to 15 percent, a reasonable goal. We have the technology to move into a clean, healthy future and we should use it.