Kaine pushes wind projects

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine wants Virginia to become the home to major offshore wind-energy projects.

Kaine's office yesterday released a letter, dated Sept. 15, to S. Elizabeth Birnbaum, director of the federal Minerals Management Service, requesting the formation of a federal-state-local task force to help guide the development of wind energy.

"We think we could be a central location for the whole mid-Atlantic for production of energy from wind," said Kaine spokesman Gordon Hickey.

Several companies have expressed interest in developing off-shore wind energy, Hickey said. He declined to name them.

-- Rex Springston