Wind farms, properly located, can do a lot of good for a lot of people.

Mark TwainâÂÂs observation about the weather can be applied to the issue of alternative energy: Everybody talks about it but nobody does much.

We keep hearing how we need to take the emphasis off petroleum and fossil fuels to get the power we need to propel our society. There clearly are ways to improve this situation, if we set the proper priorities and generate the proper focus. But just as dependence on fossil fuels draws protests, any proposed replacements also have critics.

One such proposal is wind power, a natural, replenishable resource. Large wind turbine generators in Kansas could produce electricity for many uses as well as provide income for farmers who are suffering financially.

But in step people protesting the visual impact of turbines on the landscape. Anyone who has seen wind farms in places such as California or Europe, notably the Netherlands, realizes the big fans have a presence that donâÂÂt blend into the landscape unobtrusively. At the same time, they are far from as unsightly as oil wells and gas wells and their accouterments. And the turbines have a strange majesty of their own.

Kansas has received high ratings for its wind power potential. Bear in mind that a number of Kansas farmers would like to make financial arrangements to have their land used for wind turbine operations. They are faced with drought, low prices, marketing challenges and many other variables that make the average farmer a far bigger gambler than anyone can find in Las Vegas.

There is a current effort to prevent any wind farms in our famed Flint Hills. Many are understandably covetous of the tallgrass prairie regions. Perhaps there should be some limitations on wind farms in this area, but there are plenty of other areas that could be identified.

The Butler County planning commission recently approved a plan for a 6,000-acre project south of Leon. The county commission has not approved the plan yet, and more study has been dictated. But the evidence is that the wind farms in Kansas would not take over gigantic regions and that they could be helpful to many, particularly those seeking cheaper energy than what is provided by other sources.

So what we have is a wide range of wind-talkers, pro and con. As Twain said, lots of talk, not enough action.

There is a tremendous case to be made for wind farms in our state. A notable example already exists at Montezuma in the southwest portion of Kansas. There, 170 wind turbines turn out 110 megawatts of power and bring economic benefits to the area.

There may be no place in our state where someone wonâÂÂt be opposed to wind turbines on the landscape. Yet these instruments can do a lot of good. It is hoped more people realize that as the subject is further discussed.