NorthwestJanuary 6, 2004

Associated Press

PLUMMER, Idaho -- The Coeur d'Alene Tribe's plans for wind power generators on the butte above its headquarters and other alternative energy prospects are laying the groundwork for northern Idaho to become a focus for energy development.

"This is a place where a lot of good ideas might come to fruition," tribal spokesman Bob Bostwick said.

The Plummer Forest Products mill already converts waste wood to energy, which is sold on the open market. The University of Idaho also has expressed interest in conducting research on the possibility of turning wheat and grass stubble into energy.

A local plant converted stubble into building products, but shut down after facing tough price competition from particle board.

But with grass burning banned in eastern Washington and limited in Idaho, converting stubble to energy has gained some support.

The U.S. Forest Service also is considering its own project, looking for a way to use small-diameter logs thinned from its forests for energy.

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The state has already identified a site in McCroskey State Park at the southern end of the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation as a possible wind-power location that could generate enough electricity to power 15,000 homes.

And generators atop Plummer Butte, said Gerald Fleischman of the Idaho Energy Division, could produce enough power to run the city, the Benewah Medical Center and Tribal Wellness Center and the tribal casino.

"With all these things in one place, perhaps we ought to look at forming a consortium and look at making Plummer a renewable energy center," said Dick Larsen, spokesman for the Department of Water Resources. The department includes the Energy Division.

Fleischman said the wind farming projects are only in the early stages. It could cost $4.5 million to put two generators on Plummer Butte and up to $50 million to develop a wind farm on the park site to the south.

But Fleischman said the wind-farming prospects on the reservation are greater than at any other site in northern Idaho.

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