As coal falls into disfavor - and becomes the carbon footprint utilities look to sidestep - renewable energy sites will become an increasingly hot property. That's where Idaho enters the picture. The state ranks No. 13 in the nation for wind power potential. Also of significance - considering the high costs and the regulatory challenges affixed to power transmission - Idaho's wind potential eclipses Washington and Oregon, combined. Wind power is an Idaho growth industry. The question is, who benefits? Is wind power a valuable commodity to export, like Idaho's potatoes? Or is it a scarce resource to covet, like Idaho's water? The answer lands somewhere in the middle/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Should Idaho move aggressively to tap its wind-power potential? Or does the amount of wind-powered energy worth the investment?