Harvest the Wind: America’s Journey to Jobs, Energy Independence, and Climate Stability

Can wind power save us from our reliance on imported fossil fuel? Environmental attorney and activist Warburg believes so. In 2009, he set out to explore the question of how and where America could make wind energy happen, concentrating on the Meridian Way Wind Farm in Cloud County, Kans., where he spoke to landowners who rented out sections of their fields and pastures for turbine placement, educators who reshaped the local community college as a training center for wind energy technicians, and developers who worked with community partners. Today, only 3% of our electricity comes from wind, and there are significant difficulties to overcome: neighboring farms complain about aesthetics and noise; a $60 billion price tag for supplying 20% of our electricity from wind by 2030; and increasingly formidable foreign competitors. Though Warburg’s attitude toward the probability of energy independence is optimistic and his knowledge extensive, his language and presentation is dry and academic enough that—despite the worthiness of his cause—it’s difficult to imagine a commercial audience for this book. Agent: Colleen Mohyde, the Doe Coover Agency. (Apr.)