WASCO, Ore. (AP) — A wind farm independently developed by the community around the town of Wasco in eastern Oregon is under construction.
Ormand Hilderbrand has been working on getting the $24 million project launched for the past five years.
His family has farmed dryland wheat in the Mid-Columbia region east of the town of Wasco since the 1860s.
Now, crews are working on the first of six wind turbines at Hilderbrand’s 9 megawatt-capacity PaTu Wind Farm.
PaTu is an American Indian word for Mount Adams, visible from the wind farm’s site along with Mount Hood, known to Northwest tribes as Wy’East.
Paul Woodin, the executive director of The Dalles-based Community Renewable Energy Association, says there are some other community wind projects around the state. But Hilderbrand’s was the first to be developed without direct corporate support.
___
Information from: The Dalles Chronicle, http://www.thedalleschronicle.com
Your tax-deductible donation to The Columbian’s Community Funded Journalism program will contribute to better local reporting on key issues, including homelessness, housing, transportation and the environment. Reporters will focus on narrative, investigative and data-driven storytelling.
Local journalism needs your help. It’s an essential part of a healthy community and a healthy democracy.
