Wind turbines supplying energy to homes and businesses will one day line Texas' 376-mile coastline if the state's Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson has his way, according to an Associated Press report. The turbines will stand about 10 miles offshore, enough to preserve the treasured view but close enough to make coastal wind power an affordable energy alternative still missing in the United States, he said. Economists, engineers and industry executives say wind energy is needed, even if it doesn't always mean lower bills, because it lessens dependency on oil and natural gas. Federal tax breaks for developers and the rising cost of natural gas used to generate power, however, enhance wind energy's future fiscal benefits. Time will tell, economists said.