Air of hope whirls in

A fresh wind is blowing across Ohio. The state is aggressively pursuing wind as a new source of energy, jobs and economic development. Wind developers, including some from Europe, have big plans for Ohio–on land and in Lake Erie. Six sprawling, large-scale wind farms with up to 436 towering turbines–and a price tag in excess of $2 billion–are proposed across western Ohio. The heaviest concentrations are atop a glacial ridge west of Columbus in Champaign County, in northwest Ohio in Hardin County and on the flat farmlands near the Indiana line in Paulding and Van Wert counties. Four of the projects are pending before the Ohio Power Siting Board. The two others are expected to be filed soon. Approval for the first project, in Champaign County, is expected early this year.