US Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar said in a speech Monday that wind mills placed off the east coast of the United States could do away with the need for coal fired power plants in the US. According to the AP article, Salazar classified the technology required to make this switch ‘here and now.’ A change like this, however, would devastate Kentucky’s economy which is heavily reliant on coal mining. In response to a Business Lexington query about Salazar’s comments the Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet released a statement saying: ‘The comments Interior Secretary Salazar made regarding wind power were focused solely on the theoretical potential if offshore wind resources were fully developed and if the transmission infrastructure were in place to actually transport the energy to end users. He acknowledged in his statements that he did not expect such potential to be fully developed. Today, coal generates about 50 percent of the nation’s electricity, using existing infrastructure, including transmission lines, and does so in an affordable and reliable manner. ‘Governor Beshear’s energy plan, released in November, stresses the importance of diversifying our energy portfolio, including renewable resources such as wind and solar, but also stresses […]