HELENA -- If elected governor, Democrat Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday he will offer legislation to require utilities to buy at least 10 percent of the electricity they sell in Montana from wind power sources by 2010.

Schweitzer announced his plans to harness the state's abundant winds at a press conference in Great Falls, one of the windiest cities in America.

''I grew up on my parents' ranch just 40 miles east of here," Schweitzer said. ''And while I cussed the wind every day growing up, it truly is one of Montana's treasures."

He called Montana's wind a valuable but untapped resource and blamed ''the failed leadership in Helena" for not capitalizing on it.

''They've never created a market for wind power," the Whitefish farmer-rancher said. ''You build a market for wind power, you'll get the production. It's true of all generation of electricity. Investors ... invest when there is a market established."

Montana produced less than 1 megawatt of wind energy last year, Schweitzer said. Wyoming, in contrast, cranked out 285 megawatts of wind power last year, while Oregon had 259 megawatts, Washington 244 megawatts, North Dakota 66 megawatts and South Dakota 44 megawatts.

He said NorthWestern Energy's default supply portfolio is about 1,000 megawatts. To reach 100 megawatts of wind power, it would need 200-250 megawatts of wind power capacity because the wind doesn't blow steadily all of the time.

''That's an investment of $200 million to $300 million," he said.

As wind power goes up and down, Schweitzer said the gap can be made up by the 90 percent of the power generated from other sources such as coal- and gas-fired power plants.

Schweitzer said his plan wouldn't cost the state anything, but depends on continuation of the federal production tax credit for wind power. It also would guarantee wind-generated power access to the state's power transmission grid at a blended, equal price from all sources of $35.50 per megawatt hour for up to 10 percent of the portfolio.

NorthWestern spokeswoman Claudia Rapkoch declined to comment on Schweitzer's plan, but said the current blended rate is $41 per megawatt hour of electricity. In the utility's recent solicitation for bids for electricity supply, NorthWestern is seeking 150 megawatts of wind power capacity from now through mid-2007 and 150 megawatts after mid-2007 besides to other sources of power.

''With the opportunity we have, Montana should be a leader in wind power generation, not a follower," Schweitzer said. ''Right now, in eastern Montana farm country, we are letting dollars blow away."

In response to Schweitzer's plan, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Brown said: ''I welcome his support for what appears we agree is a good idea to encourage our development of our wind resources in Montana a great deal."

As Montana's secretary of state since 2001, Brown said he has worked to encourage use of wind power on state lands. Brown said he had a legislator add an amendment to a 2001 law to eliminate application of the state's wholesale energy transmission tax from wind power generated on state lands.

''The idea is that our nation is way too dependent on the volatile Middle East for energy," Brown said. ''We need to be more energy independent."

Brown said Montana has great energy potential from coal, wind, biomass and oil and gas that can be developed without compromising the state's environment.

Schweitzer said a single wind turbine can generate $2,000 to $4,000 a year in farm income to a farmer leasing the land and provide added funds to pay for local schools.

An emphasis on wind power could create high-paying Montana jobs through the manufacture, installation and maintenance of wind farm equipment, Schweitzer said. He believes Montana's colleges and universities could create partnerships with industry leaders and federal agencies to research and develop technological advances in wind power.

''With Brian Schweitzer as governor, we're going to have continued investment in Montana," Schweitzer said in a phone interview. ''We're going to have a businessman as governor, and he'll be attracting continued business investment in Montana, which will continue to grow our business investment in Montana."

State Public Service Commission Chairman Bob Rowe, D-Missoula, said the PSC had focused its attention on wind power in 1993-94 but was detoured by electric utility deregulation in 1996 and 1997.

''So it is encouraging that there is very broad support for developing some cost-effect renewables," Rowe said.