Wind Power News: Iowa
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These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Wind energy project proposed
A “green” project may be popping up out of the green fields of northeastern Pottawattamie County this summer.
MidAmerican Energy is looking at the area as a site to build 64 wind turbines, a project that county officials said could be worth more than $120 million and generate about 96 megawatts of electricity.
The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors will schedule a public hearing on tax incentives for the project in the next few weeks. If the …
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MidAmerican plan sparks roadwork
Some massive roadwork has begun in order to accommodate 76 wind turbines that MidAmerican Energy will be moving into Cass, Adair and Audubon counties.
Most of the roads being updated can now hold up to 20 tons; however, trucks carrying the turbine parts will weigh closer to 180 tons — around 360,000 pounds. The crane that assembles the turbines will need a 33-foot-wide pathway to move from site to site, and the roads now are only …
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Prospective, current attorneys become versed in wind law
Here’s another sign that wind energy is coming of age: Wind law is now piling up in court precedents and is being taught at law school.
Drake University law professor Neil Hamilton, the director of the school’s Agricultural Law Center, has just finished teaching the school’s first class in wind law to eight law school students and three practicing attorneys.
The students are taking their exams this week, and Drake plans to make the law class permanent.
Hamilton’s …
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Truck driver sends utility pole into restaurant
The Sac County, Iowa Sheriff’s office says they’re investigating what caused a semi to start a chain reaction accident that sent a utility pole into an Early, Iowa restaurant.
Authorities say 38 year-old Glen Forbes was driving a trailer loaded with wind turbine blades when the rear steering malfunctioned.
The trailer veered into a utility pole, throwing it across the road and into Mary’s Dairy Restaurant.
Luckily no one was injured, but flying debris caused damages to nearby …
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Wind tax credit, curriculum bills signed into law
Gov. Chet Culver signed into law a wind energy bill and a school curriculum bill Thursday.
The energy bill, Senate File 2405, expands eligibility for the state wind production tax credit to encourage banks to invest in wind energy. Institutions that have a majority equity interest in future projects are now eligible.
The tax credit will be in place until 2012. Any person or business who installs a 2-megawatt wind turbine can utilize the wind energy tax …
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Rapid growth in wind industry puts critical tax subsidy at risk
Times have never been better for wind power. The industry’s growth rate doubled last year, and additional turbines are going up across the country.
But the industry is heavily dependent on a federal tax subsidy that’s set to expire at the end of this year. And the industry’s growth is steadily increasing the cost of the subsidy and making it tougher for lawmakers to keep it going.
“The bigger the market, the bigger the price tag and …
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Utility gets OK to build Iowa wind farm; WPS customers would pay $54 million of cost
Wisconsin Public Service Corp. won approval from state regulators to build a wind farm in Iowa to help comply with a state mandate to increase its supply of renewable power.
The Crane Creek wind farm in Howard County, Iowa, is estimated to cost $251 million, and it will help the utility comply with a requirement that 2% of its power come from renewable sources. The mandate comes from a state law requiring utilities to sell more …
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Could wind turbines dot county's skyline?
Fayette County could see wind turbines dotting its skyline in the next five years.
An informational meeting for landowners in the Smithfield, Harlan, Putnam and Fairfield townships was held Wednesday night at Starmont High School. The meeting focused on creating a wind energy project in the area.
A Chicago company has shown interest in putting wind turbines in the southern part of the county. Since this was the first time …
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Exemption allowance approved for Little Cedar quarry
Blasting, heavy truck traffic as well as grinding and crushing noises may well become the standard for residents of Little Cedar this summer.
This after the Mitchell County Board of Adjustment last Tuesday night unanimously approved a special exemption allowance for the Little Cedar Quarry to go back into operation. The old quarry has not seen activity since 1961.
The approval, which included several “conditions” as demanded by both the board and Little Cedar citizens, was finalized …
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Enough wind power 'nonsense'
Pardon me, but I can only deal with printed or spoken “nonsense” for a limited amount of realtime.
Your repeated promotions of “windspinners” — commonly referred to as “wind farms” — in Iowa has put me “over the edge,” so to speak. So when you repeated or implied that wind farms are getting us “off of foreign oil,” I sprang into the LTM (land line telephone mode).
I called Iowa’s major electricity producer and controller. I asked …
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