And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don’t leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
— “The Long and Winding Road,” Lennon and
McCarthy, 1970
Recently “60 minutes” did a story on a wind project in Wyoming. If completed as scheduled in 2026, Chokecherry and Sierra Madre — hence CCSM — will produce the highest output of any single wind farm project in the world.
What makes this an interesting story is that Wyoming is the largest coal-producing state in the country, producing 42% of the nation’s coal, according to the Energy Information Administration. Given that Wyoming is predominately a red state makes this project a test to see if progress in clean energy can be made across party lines. It will prove that wind-produced electricity is cheap to install and has a very good Return on Investment.
It’s ideal wind location and can provide energy steadily with fewer intervals of interruption. As with most wind and solar sites, it is off the beaten path. This means that a grid system has to be installed, which recently was approved. This electricity is expected to be sold to California about 800 miles away, assuring a firm consumer base for the future and extending our ever expanding grid system.
The project’s success would be monumental. In a previous article I pointed out that wind power was opposed in Congress even before our entry into WWII.
Here’s a look at the timeline of the CCSM project (the long timeline, that is):
• Nov. 16, 2006 — Rights-of-way applications.
• June 14-15, 2007 — Bureau of Land Management issued rights-of-way grants.
• Jan. 30, 2008 — The Power Company........