The Massachusetts Military Reservation needs power for its groundwater treatment plants, so Air Force and Army officials are working on getting up to seven wind turbines installed in the next two years, reports the Cape Cod Times. The reservation includes Otis Air National Guard Base, and USAF has participated for a number of years with the Army in environmental clean up actions. Cleaning contaminated groundwater with electricity generated by fossil-fuel burning plants creates its own environmental problems. Using the turbines would cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Air Force is under contract to build a 398-foot, 1,500-kilowatt turbine, which USAF officials expect will reduce the quantity of electricity they need to buy from fuel-burning power plants by 30 percent. The turbine will cost $4.6 million and is supposed to be complete by 2009.
Earlier this spring, the 388th Fighter Wing proved just 12 Airmen can operate an F-35 contingency location, refueling and rearming the fighters at spots across Georgia and South Carolina. The demonstration, part of exercise Agile Flag 23-1, marks yet another proof of concept for the Air Force’s plan to send…