Wind Power News: South Dakota
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 and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
US preservationist group pinpoints 11 endangered sites
We hear a lot about endangered species. But each year for 24 years, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been spotlighting 11 endangered places in the United States – from battlefields to state and national parks to the deteriorating homes of legendary Americans. Even eccentric old motels and gas stations have made the list. The nonprofit trust was chartered by Congress in 1949. Ever since, it and some of its almost 400,000 members have been campaigning to spare architectural . . .
Wind energy task force sets course for studies
PIERRE — A legislative wind energy task force wants to hear from companies operating projects within the state about what developers in the state prefer. Wednesday, the special task force studying South Dakota’s competitiveness in wind energy development also requested an analysis of South Dakota’s various taxes and incentives that affect wind projects in comparison to those in neighboring states of Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa. And they asked for an update on the work of the South Dakota Energy . . .
Wind power vs. whooping crane on the prairie?
The term of art is incidental take. It refers to the “harassment, harm, pursuit, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capture, or collection of any threatened or endangered species.” Incidental take is in the news now because the Obama administration has given notice that it is evaluating issuing an incidental take permit (ITP) – a free pass of sorts – in a 200-mile-wide corridor from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico where whooping cranes migrate. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . . .
Wind power fails to sail in South Dakota
South Dakota’s wind power market right now seems to be in the doldrums. Developers point to the usual culprit – a longstanding lack of adequate transmission – but also to a prolonged slump in electricity demand, sluggish growth in the broader economy and rock-bottom prices for natural gas, which competes with wind. Steve Wegman, executive director of the South Dakota Wind Energy Association, can rattle off a list of wind projects in the state that have stalled or been shelved . . .
Noem proposes shortening permitting process for wind farms on government land
Rep. Kristi Noem has introduced a bill to remove part of the permitting process for potential wind farms on some government land. The Utilizing America’s Federal Lands for Wind Energy Act would cut up to two years off the process for some wind farms, Noem said, by delaying the need for an extensive environmental impact study until after test towers determine whether there is enough wind to proceed with a wind farm. The law would apply only on land owned . . .
Commissioner says PUC couldn’t rule on Black Hills Power’s wind farm request
Public Utilities Commissioner Gary Hanson said Tuesday that while he supported a proposed Black Hills Power wind farm, he maintained the commission’s unanimous position that it does not have the statutory authority to make a formal determination about the project before it is built. Black Hills Power announced Monday that it has shelved plans for what would have been the first commercial wind farm West River, a $38 million project 8 miles north of Belle Fourche. The utility said the . . .
Butte County residents curious about wind farm action
BELLE FOURCHE – Butte County people are curious why Black Hills Power dropped plans to develop a wind farm in Butte County and the news Tuesday came as a surprise. County Commission Chairman Steve Smeenk said he first heart of it from the Butte County Post when they called for a reaction. Eileen Miller, one of the landowners involved, said early Tuesday afternoon, “I just read it in the paper.” Smeenk, who also is on the Butte Electric cooperative board, . . .
Black Hills Power pulls plug on wind farm project near Belle Fourche, blames PUC
Black Hills Power said Monday that it has pulled the plug on plans to build a wind farm near Belle Fourche after the state Public Utilities Commission said it does not have the legal authority to determine whether the project would enable the utility to meet the state’s voluntary renewable energy objective. The voluntary objective calls for 10 percent of all electricity sold in the state to come from renewable, recycled or conserved resources by 2015. Black Hills Power sought . . .
Wind developer complains to PUC; Northwestern Energy accused of refusing to buy power
A Clark County wind developer has filed a complaint with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission alleging that Sioux Falls-based Northwestern Energy is unlawfully refusing to buy its power. The case, only the third such dispute to come before the commission, illustrates the tension between the state’s renewable energy ambitions and its desire to keep electricity rates low. The complainant is Oak Tree Energy, which plans to build a 19.5-megawatt wind farm in Clark County. It first applied for a . . .
BHP expects wind farm to be a breeze
Black Hills Power won’t need a permit from state utility regulators to construct or operate a wind farm in Butte County. The Public Utilities Commission requires permits only for projects of 100 megawatts or more, and a proposed Belle Fourche-area wind farm is just 20 megawatts. Where to draw the line at permitting has been debated at the PUC for the last few years, chairman Steve Kolbeck said. When a permit is required, PUC staff talk to landowners, study exact . . .
