While plans for a large scale wind power generation farm near Benton have died, interest in using parts of Mono County to harness the wind to create electricity continues.

The Forest Service has scheduled a public meeting next week to see what the public thinks about plans for wind powered electricity generation in the Glass Mountains east of Mammoth and June Lake.

With national energy policy pushing for alternative energy sources, a company called EwindFarm, Inc. has proposed building test towers on the Inyo National Forest to see if there is enough wind energy potential in Mono County.

Areas near Clarks Canyon and Bald Mountain, near the Jeffery Pine forests north and east of Mammoth are up for consideration. The sites are located near Sagehen Peak, Pilot Spring, Bald Mountain, and Ford Spring.

With the Benton Proposals, the idea was first to set up the test towers, and then if there is enough wind, build 300 foot tall wind towers to generate electricity. Forest Service officials say that this current proposal in Mono County is only for the test towers.

The Forest Service does not yet know how many generation towers could eventually be built, or how big the generators would be if the company decides to make a second proposal for generation facilities in the future.

To hear more about the plan and put your two cents in, the Forest Service meeting on potential wind power in the Glass Mountains is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20th in the Mammoth Ranger Station Auditorium. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm.

 

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