Defense Secretary Robert Gates has told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the military won't object to wind farms in an area of eastern Nevada, moving a $1 billion project closer to reality.

Tim Carlson of Nevada Wind, a renewable energy developer, plans to build a 450-megawatt wind farm in the Wilson Creek Range area 40 miles north of Pioche.

He said the Defense Department's agreement is "another step forward" to developing what would be Nevada's first utility-size wind farm.

Hill Air Force Base in Utah has been concerned about wind-power projects in the area because wind turbines can interfere with radar.

But Reid, D-Nev., got assurances from Gates that the department will not object to wind farms in the Wilson Creek area, spokesman Jon Summers said Tuesday.

Carlson, a former head of the Nevada Development Authority and longtime friend of Reid, previously tried to develop a $130 million wind farm on the Nevada... [continue via Web link]