While wind energy companies have already invested millions of dollars on Arkansas factories to produce turbines and blades - and recruited suppliers to open shops nearby - they say what they really need are federal policies to assure their survival.

The idea sounds like fantasy at first - placing 180,000 underwater turbines along 500 miles of the Mississippi south of St. Louis and converting river currents into electricity. Yet a Massachusetts-based company hopes to do just that by 2013 and has secured preliminary permits from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for 55 proposed sites in seven states - including nine in Arkansas.

Members of the Planning Board on Thursday heard an extensive wind research report with preliminary regulations from county planner Courtney McNair. McNair emphasized in an interview following the meeting that these are very preliminary and it could be up to three months before the Planning Board decides to have Butler draft an ordinance on wind turbine regulations. ...There are several factors being looked at - from the color of the turbines to their height to setbacks from other property.

If commercial wind power becomes a reality in Washington County, county planners want to be ready. Planning Board members for the past few months have been receiving research from the planning department on general concerns involved with commercial wind operations. What precipitated it was the approval of conditional use permits for towers in the county to test the feasibility of commercial wind power.

LM Glasfiber, a wind blade manufacturer, has announced that it will halt production at its facility on Scott Hamilton Drive in Little Rock, laying off about 150 workers. The company blames the nationwide credit crunch and delays in wind projects. A press release says the company is preparing for "weaker growth in the short term."

The Benton County Quorum Court should consider adopting regulations for wind farms before any more developers seek to construct them, said Benton County Planning Director Ashley Pope. ...The proposed ordinance will address turbines' shadows and how shadow movements affect neighbors' quality of life. Other issues include creating buffers, controlling noise and protecting areas around historic sites.

Washington County Planning Director Juliet Richey says she has recently received inquiries concerning wind farms. "We've had a couple people approach us about wind farms," Richey told the Planning Board Thursday. While nothing firm has been proposed to go before the Washington County Planning Board & Zoning Board of Adjustments, Richey talked about the need to research wind farms and come up with some guidelines for them.

It's too soon to say how members of the Arkansas Property Rights Association will view the project, said Don Day, the group's president. "I doubt there will be a lot of opposition," he said. "I would think the people of Arkansas would recognize the need for alternative forms of energy. I think they would probably approve it." On the other hand, he said, environmentalists don't want the wind towers in their own backyard. Dan Scheiman, bird conservation director for Audubon Arkansas, said the group would keep a close eye on the project. "The National Audubon Society is in favor of wind farm energy. But our stance is, wind farms need to be properly sited and need to be sure there's not an extreme amount of take," he said, referring to birds being misplaced, killed or their habitats negatively affected.

They're there to see the Bluegrass Ridge Farm, the first commercial wind farm in Missouri. It's enormous, a commanding and surreal presence that changed the landscape of the northwest Missouri town. ...As the turbines' massive blades cut through the wind, it sounds a bit like a rumbling jet passing overhead. It's way more than Charlie Porter bargained for. Porter, who owns 20 acres in King City, has no turbines on his property but several near his home. Those turbines, he said, "have ruined our lives." "If you don't live underneath one of them and you drive down the highway, they look kind of neat," Porter said. "But for us, it's been a nightmare. They've ruined the equity in our home. The noise keeps us up at night. The shadows invade our home." Other concerns about wind farms include disruption to the land, visual blight and the risk they pose to birds.

Before we put "The Windy State" on our license plates, let's note that only one of these plants - LM Glasfiber - is up and running, and lately it's been turning out almost as many announcements of layoffs and cutbacks as it has windmill blades. The others, also afflicted by economic downturn, are moving slowly, if at all, toward actual production.

It's difficult to say wind energy is contagious in our neck of the woods. You get the feeling some northwest Arkansas residents would like to back any proposal for alternative forms of energy, but many others aren't enamored with every plan. ...As much as one sees the sense in developing alternative energy, one must also recognize the potential for clashing interests when someone proposes adding these massive wind turbines to large sections of land.