Michigan advocates push for wind energy

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 29 (UPI) -- Advocates of wind energy in Michigan called on U.S. lawmakers to pass a federal energy measure that would provide a boost for alternative resources.

House and Senate measures proposed this week increase the financial liability for companies tied to oil spills like the one in the Gulf of Mexico.

Liz Salerno, a director at the American Wind Energy Association, said she hoped the measure would include provisions for alternative resources as well.

"We are urgently advocating Congress to make sure that that oil bill has some signal for manufacturing for renewable and renewable electricity standards," she was quoted by Michigan Public Radio as saying.

The organization had a forum advocating wind energy at a Wednesday conference at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Michigan ranks 14th in terms of wind energy potential in the United States.

Minnesota's Scandia Wind Offshore company proposed a $4 billion project to develop offshore and onshore wind farms on the West Michigan coast.

Scandia proposed building two offshore facilities in Lake Michigan with a combined output of 1,000 megawatts. An onshore wind facility associated with a waste-water treatment facility would deliver 150 MW of energy to the surrounding community, the company said.