The foothills of the Blue Mountains near Athena and Weston may become the site for a future wind farm or two.

That, at least, is where multiple companies are gathering wind information and attempting to generate landowner interest.

"We're speaking to quite a few landowners," said Valerie Schafer Franklin, project development manager for Horizon Wind, in July. "We're not actually looking at this project being built in probably three to five years."

That company has placed two meteorological towers in the vicinity of Weston Mountain. Franklin said the first tower went up in April and a second in June.

Typically, companies interested in a wind farm put up such towers, which gather information on wind conditions, for about one to two years.

"First thing's first is we have to test the wind," Franklin said. "We try not to get too excited about a project until you have good wind data."

Another company, Air Dynamics, also set up a meteor- ological tower in that area.

And at least one other company, Renewable Energy Systems, also is interested.

"We have been looking, investigating potential projects in that area," said Scott Kringen, senior project developer with RES. "At best, at this point it would be the very early stages of development."

Although he said they did not have any meteorological towers, they were discussing land leases with area landowners.

"We can't really say, but we've had some fruitful discussions," Kringen said in July.

Franklin said she began looking at the Athena-Weston area when her father-in-law mentioned it was a windy area.

"Looking on a wind map, it shows up highly," she said.

The area also is in close proximity to a high-voltage transmission line, another qualifier for a good site.

RES has built wind projects in Washington, including the Hopkins Ridge wind farm near Dayton. The capacity for that project is about 150 MEGAWATTS. Horizon Wind built the Big Horn Wind Farm, with about a 200-MEGAWATTS capacity, in Klickitat County.

Neither company was able to say how extensive any future wind farms would be or if the turbines would be visible from Highway 11.

The process for beginning a wind farm depends on several factors, including location and the number of megawatts generated.

"If it's under 105 megawatts and it's in a resource zone ... you would apply at the county for a conditional use permit," said Umatilla County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott. "And we have specific criteria."

Wind generators, with a conditional use permit, are an allowable use under exclusive farm use zoned land.

Projects of greater capacity must be approved by Oregon's Energy Facility Siting council.

Mabbott and others indicated her department is spending a significant amount of time dealing with various wind projects, as interest in renewable energy booms statewide.

Part of the push comes from the state's renewable energy portfolio standard, requiring 25 percent of the state's energy be renewable by 2025.

There also are the financial incentives for companies.

Renewable energy projects, such as wind generators, can receive a 50 percent Business Energy Tax Credit or $20 million maximum from the state of Oregon.

"There's a lot of healthy competition in the wind energy field in general," Kringen said.

Much depends, however, on a company's ability to get private landowners to lease their land for putting up turbines. If it becomes an operating lease, a contract typically grants the landowner a royalty percentage of the energy produced.

Mabbott cautioned to be careful when approached with lease agreements.

"Be very careful, do a background check," Mabbott said.

Get informed

The Umatilla County Planning Commission will host a public meeting and work session 4-8 p.m. Thursday at the Media Room of the Umatilla County Justice Center 4700 N.W. Pioneer Place in Pendleton.

The session is intended to provide additional information and opportunity for input on wind energy and transmission line siting issues in Umatilla County. Staff will give a brief presentation followed by a question and answer period. The commission will invite participation by members of the audience.