Map of Wind Power Potential to be Released on Thursday in Helena by Sec. of State Bob Brown

Secretary of State Bob Brown and representatives of state and federal energy
agencies will release a new and detailed map Thursday that indicates which
locations in Montana are most suitable for wind-energy development. The map
will be presented at a press conference at 1 p.m. in the rotunda of the
State Capitol.

The map was prepared with data collected by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL), a Denver-based arm of the U.S. Department of Energy. It
identifies millions of acres in Montana with wind-power potential, including
several regions with optimal winds of Class 4 (good) through 7 (superb).

A second map indicates the top 20 potential sites on state land. These sites
were selected based on the strength and continuity of the wind and the
proximity of the sites to roads and transmission lines. Secretary Brown has
been an advocate of wind development on state land, noting that such
development can generate jobs, capitalize on a renewable natural resource,
improve air quality, and boost revenue to the school trust fund.

The maps are significant because they help developers concentrate their wind
exploration on the sites most likely to be appropriate for development.

Also attending the press conference will be representatives of NREL, the
National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte, and the state
Departments of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources and Conservation.

Secretary Brown also will give the opening address at a workshop for state
legislators on wind-energy development. The workshop will begin at 1:30 p.m.
in Room 172 of the State Capitol.

Contact: Gayle Shirley, Public Information Officer, Secretary of State’s
Office, 444-4195