The Desert Claim wind farm would be provide significant benefits for Kittitas County and Washington state:

• Power to supply nearly 57,000 homes in the state's fastest-growing areas.


• Millions of dollars in new tax revenues and other economic benefits for Kittitas County.


• Clean, renewable power for the state's utilities, enabling them to meet voter-approved requirements to supply more electricity from sources such as wind.

The Desert Claim wind farm could generate more than $900,000 in new property tax revenues for local schools, fire and other public services, according to preliminary results of an economic study by Central Washington University professors. The total for Ellensburg School District could be nearly $340,000. Kittitas County Fire District No. 2 could receive more than $210,000. Kittitas County's total could be more than $315,000 for police, roads and other public services.

The state's schools could receive up to $775,000 annually, according to the study's estimates. The total would come from the state Department of Natural Resources payments and state schools property taxes.

An estimated 160 jobs could be created during the construction phase, along with up to $3.6 million in workers' payroll, the CWU study estimated. Once in operation, the wind farm could create up to 26 permanent jobs with an annual payroll of up to $970,000.