ENERGIZE Clinton County

This past Tuesday, May 19th, a crowd of about 80 gathered at East Clinton High School in Lees Creek to listen to presentations by two National Wind Power Companies. The large crowd which  included local residents, farmers, and public officials, exceeded planners’ expectations–as Executive Director of the Regional Planning Commission Chris Schock put it [the crowd], was “beyond my wildest expectations.”

Spectators at the Wind Power Community Meeting

The convening of this meeting was the result of the many hours and the tireless effort of local resident, and citizen extraordinairre Paul Hunter. Hunter, who for months has been pursuing wind power companies in an attempt to get commercial turbines up in the northeast corridor of Clinton County–the only potential area with today’s technology.

The presentations were given by two speakers: Jason Dagger of Everpower and P.J. Saliterman of OwnEnergy, both based in New York City.

Everpower, which currently has a project in Ohio, and seven states total, focuses primarily on large-scale commericial wind farms.  OwnEnergy, approaches wind power projects from a community-level, eyeing more modest, mid-sized projects that involve community cooperatives. They are currently developing their inaugural project in West Texas.

While both companies have no formal plans to enter the market in Clinton County, they both did speak of the potential viability for commerical turbines in Clinton County.

Mr. Hunter has devoted much of his own time, money, and resources to identifying potential enterprise developments for Clinton County. He is a strong advocate for advanced and renewable energy development, and has demonstrated the value that active citizens bring to the growth and strengthening of local communities. At ECC, we strongly applaud Paul’s efforts and the example he sets for the community.