Illinois: The Windy State?

Illinois is ranked 16 "on a list of states producing wind energy, now topped by California and Texas...but the state is actually a latecomer to the nationwide surge in the development of this form of alternative energy--a push that has been receiving more attention after the recent East Coast blackout left 50 million in the dark. At least 30 states are already home to dozens of wind farms, popular both with environmentalists wanting clean energy production and businesses wanting to capitalize on the growing industry--though they are sometimes unpopular with people living near them....By next year, the United States will have the capacity to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity through windpower, enough to power 6 million households, the American Wind Energy Association said recently....Less than 1 percent of the nation's power comes from wind....Some European countries, which have been investing in wind power for nearly a decade, produce anywhere from 4 percent to 20 percent of power from wind. Expansion of wind power in the United States could slow in 2004 if a federal wind power tax credit is allowed to expire at the end of the year."