Rick Webb's presentation on October 17 at the Energy Virginia conference provides a thought provoking analysis of the costs and benefits of industrial wind energy.

Q. Please state your name and position.

A. My name is Charles Simmons and I have been retained to provide assistance to Highland Citizens in regard to the application of Highland New Wind Development, LLC to construct a wind generation facility in Highland County.

Editor's Note:This testimony provides an excellent description of how a grid works- particularly the role of 'economic dispatch' and 'spinning reserves'. It also addresses the methodology for estimating emissions savings and numerous other topics of interest.

A Landscape Classification System report, maps and GIS files is now available as an aide to "environmentally responsible siting of utility-scale wind projects in Virgina." The report and associated materials was a collaborative product of Dan Boone, Judy Dunscomb, Rick Webb and Christina Wulf, who worked on this project on behalf of The Nature Conservancy, Virginia Society of Ornithology and Virginia Forest Watch.

Rick Webb and Dan Boone have created a website - www.VAwind.org - to disseminate this report and related information. They "are guided by the Precautionary Principal, wherein if we have reasonable suspicion of harm, accompanied by scientific uncertainty, then we all have a duty to take action to prevent harm." They "remain hopeful that the wind industry will embrace the principle of precaution and stand as a role-model for other industries by taking strong and proactive steps to prevent environmental harm" and "intend to continue work on the Landscape Classification System and to promote effective assessment of environmental issues related to wind energy development."