A meeting is scheduled today to accommodate public comment on the Bureau of Land Management's findings in its preliminary environmental assessment of a planned wind turbine facility north of Milford.

The wind farm would be located approximately 10 miles northeast of Milford, and when completed could consist of up to 159 wind turbine generators, each up to 262 feet tall with rotor blades up to 328 feet in diameter. The generators, spaced 0.8 miles apart, could generate up to 300 megawatts of electricity continuously.

BLM representatives attend the meetings to address public comments and concerns regarding the agency's draft finding of "no significant impact."

Lucas Lucero, BLM project manager, said officials would compile and review any and all public comments that come in. The public comment period ends Oct. 6.

Although wind-based generators still produce a small fraction of the total electricity in the U.S., that percentage has grown steadily since 1970, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration.

By the end of 2007, wind turbines supplied some 13,000 megawatts of power nationwide.

As public demand for clean energy grows, and as the cost of producing energy from the wind continues to decline, it is likely that wind energy could provide a growing portion of the nation's energy supply, and Milford residents are looking forward to such a major project coming to town, said Mayor Brian Sherwood. First Wind estimates the project means 275 jobs during the construction phase, plus some permanent positions to maintain the facilities.

Milford High School, which was actually involved in the first measurements that drew First Wind to the area, even has a program set up to give students a head start on careers in renewable energies.

"We're excited about it," Sherwood said. "It'd be quite a boon for us."

Sherwood said he is looking forward to the meeting, and town officials are excited about the jobs and tax revenue the large-scale project could bring to Milford.

"I haven't heard one negative comment about the wind farms from anyone I've talked to," he said.

Power at the facility would be interconnected with the existing Intermountain Power Project substation near Delta by an 88-mile overhead transmission line.

Last year First Wind signed a $270 million deal to send 200 megawatts of electricity to the Southern California Public Power Authority. A state law mandates California utilities get 20 percent of their power from renewable energy sources by 2010.