For years Vail Resorts has claimed it would actually build wind turbines on its mountains. It appears that was all marketing hyperbole, or as environmentalists like to call it, "greenwash." I can only imagine that the recent wind power purchases of renewable energy certificates by Vail Resorts is their attempt to buy their way out of past environmental marketing claims.

DENVER - The House passed and sent to the Senate a bill that attempts to lure more wind farms to northeastern Colorado. The vote was 54-9 earlier this week.

To be sure, we are at a crossroads in energy and need all kinds of ideas to supply the enormous demand that is now filled by fossil fuels; however, I’m not ready to surrender the last open prairies to this version of energy independence.

Xcel says wind power will mostly supply intermittent and peak power - energy demands that fluctuate day to day or even hour to hour. Unfortunately, that means it still must rely on coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, supplemented by natural gas, the most expensive fossil fuel, for its base load (the kind of electricity that's always on).

Wind energy is environmentally harmful and costly to taxpayers. Furthermore, its expansion could adversely affect the nation's electricity transmission system.