New York City, August 12, 2005

The Toronto Star of August 8, 2005, quotes a spokesman for the project:
“The Department of National Defense (DOD) of Canada is committed to the
Kyoto
Accord and a wind turbine creating ‘green’ electricity is a step in
that
direction.”
Above program will use a military training center to test the effects
of a
maximum 121 meters wind power tower. It is done because of the various
claims
that such a tower would interfere with the houses, birds, cause
noise….

Above reminds me of activities of the US DOD. Back in 1983-84, the
Washington based, Center for Strategic and International Studies of
Georgetown
University (CSIS) was contracted by USDOD to perform three separate
literature studies
relating to the use of Ethanol in motor vehicles; the use of Methanol
in
motor vehicles; and use of Compressed Natural Gas fuels. All these
studies dealt
with national security implications and had the NATIONAL SECURITY
PERSPECTIVE
in their titles. In effect, DOD, in its attempt to diversify the fuel
base of
the military, understood that waiting for the US Department of Energy
to move
the subject is a giveaway to the oil industry. The generals seemingly
had
their heart not sold to the oil folks and wanted a definitive word.
They opted on
the base of these studies to establish demonstration programs when DOE
was
still dragging their feet on these subjects of substitution for oil,
and in
Congressional hearings, Ford Motor Company was testifying that ethanol
in gasoline
will plug filters and dissolve the paint… DOD went ahead and proved
that
these fuels work. I know what I am saying because those years I was
testifying on
the “Hill” in favor of the alternate fuels and I was a consultant in
writing
the CSIS reports. We managed to achieve with USDOD what was rather
difficult
to achieve with USDOE.

I do not know what USDOD is doing these days, but I read that the
government
would like to use the closed military bases for building nuclear plants
or
store nuclear waste. I did not read of any wind farms to be built on US
military
bases in order to provide a secure alternative to the grid. The
Canadians
deserve thus accolades for their effort.