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	<title>National Wind Watch: News &#187; Oregon</title>
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	 	<title>National Wind Watch: News &#187; Oregon</title>
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	<description>Industrial Wind Energy News from National Wind Watch</description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:32:41 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Commission approves Telocaset wind farm variance applications</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:05:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>27 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Even as Idaho Power pursues the installation of a new transmission line across Eastern Oregon, the Union County Planning Commission considered requests regarding the company’s current line and its interconnection with the Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm. 
At its meeting Monday evening, the commission gave final approval to two variance applications and tentative approval of a minor partition application from Telocaset Wind Power Partners LLC, a subsidiary of Horizon Wind Energy. 
The group sought a green light for a plan to .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/27/commission-approves-telocaset-wind-farm-variance-applications/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=20236</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind power: the &#34;green&#34; myth</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:43:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>19 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Wind power has become increasingly publicized in Oregon as the “green” solution to the state&#8217;s increasing energy demand. Currently, the Energy Facility Siting Council (under the Oregon Department of Energy) reports generating 889 megawatts (MW) of electricity with the power of wind. The council has recently approved the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, which will add 909 MW, more than doubling the current capacity. Shepherds Flat is considered the largest single wind farm in the world and will cost over &#36;600 .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/19/wind-power-the-green-myth/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19984</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind company looks to expand Stateline Wind Farm</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:09:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>19 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[FPL Energy would like to expand the Stateline Wind farm north of Helix to increase its energy generating capacity by about 100 megawatts. 
To do this, the company is proposing two options: Adding 43 2.3 megawatt turbines to make a peak generating capacity of 98.9 megawatts, or building 67 1.4 megawatt turbines for a peak energy capacity of 100.5 megawatts. 
These proposed projects would add to the 186 .66 megawatt turbines installed in the early 2000s. 
But to make this .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/19/wind-company-looks-to-expand-stateline-wind-farm/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19976</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Company seeks to expand Eastern Oregon wind farm</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:41:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>18 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[HELIX — An energy company is looking to expand a wind farm north of Helix and increase its energy-generating capacity by 100 megawatts. 
FPL Energy is considering two options for expanding production at the Stateline Wind Energy Center. Both would add about 100 megawatts to the approximately 122 megawatts already being generated. 
The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council would need to certify any project before FPL Energy could move forward. 
Currently, the council is seeking public comment. 
The council had .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/18/company-seeks-to-expand-eastern-oregon-wind-farm/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19943</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Noise]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Videos]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farms: Is there a hidden health hazard&#63;</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:15:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>16 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Dr. Pierpont began seeing patients in her clinic suffering from many debilitating symptoms and found a common thread among them: all lived near a new wind farm. Now, she&#8217;s written a book about the condition.



November 14, 2008
Dan Tilkin, KATU News 
katu.com
Click here to download or view this video as an MP4 file (8.6 MB).
]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/16/wind-farms-is-there-a-hidden-health-hazard/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19888</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farms help Oregon go green, but is there a hidden health hazard&#63;</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:48:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>14 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[MORROW COUNTY, Ore. &#8212; It&#8217;s their slice of heaven. 
&#8220;When you get out here, everything kind of drains away from you,&#8221; Sherry Eaton says as surveys her 10-acre rural home. &#8220;It&#8217;s quiet, peaceful.&#8221; 
At least, it was. 
&#8220;It looks like something prehistoric, something in the movies,&#8221; Sherry’s husband Mike Eaton says about the more than a dozen towering wind turbines that have appeared above a ridge near their home. 
Wind energy is the latest rage in going green and in .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/14/wind-farms-help-oregon-go-green-but-is-there-a-hidden-health-hazard/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19860</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Zoning ordinance gets first public hearing</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:56:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>12 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[After a half-dozen meetings designed to explain the county’s new zoning ordinance, residents now have the chance to tell the Planning Commission what they think of the document. 
Well, not all of the document. While the Baker County Planning Commission’s first public hearing on the proposed zoning ordinance is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Baker County Extension Building, any testimony on what should be the most controversial chapter in the new ordinance — 340, on transportation standards — .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/12/zoning-ordinance-gets-first-public-hearing/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19736</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Sherman County farmers reap stability from wind</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:22:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>11 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Hilderbrand Lane slices through acres of wheat fields as it heads east out of Wasco, a tiny town burrowed into Oregon&#8217;s poorest county.
Stubble from summer&#8217;s harvest bristles in every direction. Nothing interrupts the tawny expanse until the road rises to expose hundreds of wind turbines. Tall and shimmery in the midday haze, they overpower the landscape, striking, unsettling.
&#8220;I like em,&#8221; says John Hilderbrand, 81, a straight-talking but jocular wheat farmer who lives along his namesake road in the two-story house .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/11/sherman-county-farmers-reap-stability-from-wind/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19826</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Planning commission wants to know how massive power line will help county</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:58:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>11 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Idaho Power is planning on installing a massive, 300-mile, 500 kilovolt power line from Boardman to Hemingway Idaho. 
Along the way it will pass through Umatilla County, at about the midpoint and cut through Pilot Rock. 
At a recent Umatilla County Planning Commission meeting, commissioners had one question for Idaho Power: How is this going to help Umatilla County? 
Idaho Power representative Dave Angel didn&#8217;t exactly have an answer, except to say the power company will pay taxes.
The commissioners seemed .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/11/planning-commission-wants-to-know-how-massive-power-line-will-help-county/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19713</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>City council takes stance on windmills viewshed issue</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:05:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>09 Nov 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[The city council doesn&#8217;t want to see windmills surrounding Milton-Freewater. 
Thursday morning, about six hours before a Umatilla County Planning Commission meeting to discuss windmills, the city council unanimously approved a resolution and letter to the commission declaring its &#8220;serious concern&#8221; with windmills going up in the viewshed along the Blue Mountains. 
It asked the planning commission to come up with rules for where it places wind farms and power lines within the viewshed. It also asked the city be .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/11/09/city-council-takes-stance-on-windmills-viewshed-issue/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19667</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind turbine concept under review</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:12:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>30 Oct 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Wind turbines are sprouting up across the state like late summer Eastern Oregon alfalfa, and a small wind farm on the border of Malheur County is currently in the preliminary planning stage. 
The farm, just a few miles inside the Baker County line, is part of an early-stage United States Bureau of Land Management environmental review. 
According to the BLM’s draft environment assessment, by the Baker Field Office, Joseph Millworks, Baker City, submitted an application in 2007 to install wind .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/10/30/wind-turbine-concept-under-review/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19234</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Let free market decide when Oregon is ready for more wind power</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:54:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>29 Oct 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Wind power advocates long have claimed that wind power is a cost effective source of energy. This is only true with the market distortions caused by state and federal governments. Currently, the state of Oregon highly subsidizes wind power at the expense of most ratepayers. 
In addition to the federal production tax credit which offers an income tax credit of 2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) (about a third of the cost of producing wind power), PGE and Pacific Power .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/10/29/let-free-market-decide-when-oregon-is-ready-for-more-wind-power/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=19193</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm studies possible expansion</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:30:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>23 Oct 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Studies that may lead to an expansion of the Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm at Telocaset are under way. 
Valerie Schafer Franklin, a project manager with Horizon Wind Energy, said last week test towers have been constructed to assess the viability of  boosting the wind farm’s production another 104 to 300 megawatts. 
“We put three meteorological test poles up this summer. We’ll need a year to get the information we need about the wind resource,” she said. 
She said the .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/10/23/wind-farm-studies-possible-expansion/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18988</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Joseph hopes to build wind farm</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:15:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>22 Oct 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[A Baker County man plans to build a 12-turbine wind farm near Huntington that would produce enough electricity to power about 800 homes. 
Randy Joseph hopes to install the turbines on public land about two miles north of Huntington and one mile east of the old lime plant. 
Joseph, who is chairman of the Baker County Planning Commission and Baker County Renewable Energy Committee, estimates the project will cost &#36;5 million. 
His goal is to start generating electricity from the .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/10/22/joseph-hopes-to-build-wind-farm/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18940</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Editorials]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>N. I. M. B. O.:  The Oregon coast is no place for plainly visible wind turbines</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:42:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>22 Oct 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Energy production ain&#8217;t pretty, even in its more environmentally friendly forms. If Oregonians want to reduce dependence on foreign oil and support cleaner energy, they need to accept wind turbines in many of their wide-open spaces. 
The Oregon coast, however, should remain sacred territory. Wind turbines that are plainly visible from shore would be a blight on the horizon and should be treated as an energy option of last resort &#8212; not just another frontier in the wind rush. 
A .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/10/22/n-i-m-b-o-the-oregon-coast-is-no-place-for-plainly-visible-wind-turbines/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18906</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>State ok&#8217;s world&#8217;s largest wind farm</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:35:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>29 Sep 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[ State energy officials have approved a plan that would make Gilliam and Morrow counties in northeastern Oregon home to the world&#8217;s largest wind farm. 
The Shepherds Flat wind farm&#8217;s 303 wind turbines will be capable of producing 909 megawatts, or enough electricity to power upward of 225,000 homes, doubling the state&#8217;s current output of wind farm electricity, according to Oregon Department of Energy assistant director Diana Enright. 
Shepherds Flat also will provide an economic boost to the rural Oregon .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/29/state-oks-worlds-largest-wind-farm/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18439</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Presentation sparks wind discussion; Residents speak up at city council meeting, opposing wind turbines</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:57:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>26 Sep 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Citizens in the Milton-Freewater area took another opportunity to voice their opposition to wind turbines in the Blue Mountains at a city council meeting Monday night. 
What started as an informational meeting by Horizon Wind Farms representative Valerie Schafer-Franklin turned into a discussion between citizens both on and off Weston Mountain about what they want to see happen, or not happen, in the Blues. 
&#8216;We&#8217;re just testing the wind&#8217; 
To begin with, Schafer-Franklin took a first step on the part .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/26/presentation-sparks-wind-discussion-residents-speak-up-at-city-council-meeting-opposing-wind-turbines/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18212</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Editorials]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Ill wind is blowing on Steens Mountain</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:41:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>22 Sep 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Until three weeks ago, all I knew about Steens Mountain was that the washboard gravel road leading toward the summit threatened to unhinge my 12-year-old Saturn’s chassis. 
I also knew that the mountain, visible from four states, regally crowned Southeast Oregon’s high desert. 
Upon ascending the Steens without automotive incident, I became smitten with the area. Steens and the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are pristine treasures, beautiful in their isolation and ponderous in their majesticism. 
It’s the exact type .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/22/ill-wind-is-blowing-on-steens-mountain/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18078</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Citizens discuss frustration over wind turbines in Blue Mountains</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:57:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>21 Sep 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[The idea of looking out onto the foothills of the Blue Mountains from Highway 11 or Milton-Freewater and seeing wind turbines sounds like a nightmare for some people who look at that view every day. 
But not many of those people have had much of a chance to express their frustration. 
Citizen Richard Jolly hosted a meeting Thursday in Milton-Freewater where many people got a chance to vet their frustrations and discuss their concerns. More than 50 people crowded into .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/21/citizens-discuss-frustration-over-wind-turbines-in-blue-mountains/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18069</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Group discusses wind turbines</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:53:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>21 Sep 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Wind turbines in the Blue Mountains is a hot topic for Umatilla County right now &#8212; especially in Milton-Freewater. 
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of citizens forming the Umatilla County Wind Energy Facilities Subcommittee, tried to arrive at some conclusions about how to approach the sensitive topic. 
Of the more than 30 people who filled the media room at the Umatilla County Justice Center, a majority of them seemed to be supporting wind turbine production. Milton-Freewater city citizens, landowners and .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/21/group-discusses-wind-turbines/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=18068</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm plans clash with pristine site in eastern Oregon</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:36:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>01 Sep 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Steens Mountain stretches through the open lands of southeastern Oregon&#8217;s Harney County for more than 30 miles, a twisting spine of rock and brush punctuated by steep gorges and rushing streams. 
Remote and rugged, it has come to symbolize the state&#8217;s wild, austere side. 
It&#8217;s also becoming a battleground for a wind power developer that sees gold in the Steens&#8217; stiff breezes &#8212; and red in the eyes of environmentalists. 
At issue are about 200 wind turbines that Columbia Energy .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/01/wind-farm-plans-clash-with-pristine-site-in-eastern-oregon/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=17502</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>State asks whether wind farm projects are separate; Critics say the proposals were divided to avoid scrutiny</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:34:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>01 Sep 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[Another conflict is stirring over the Steens Mountain projects &#8212; one that could bring the force of the state into Harney County&#8217;s wind power debate and strain relations between local planners and Oregon regulators. 
Chris Crowley, head of Columbia Energy Partners, filed separate applications for the three wind projects he called the Echanis, East Ridge and West Ridge wind farms. They lie next to each other, just outside the northern boundary of the Steens Mountain Wilderness area. Each would generate .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/01/state-asks-whether-wind-farm-projects-are-separate-critics-say-the-proposals-were-divided-to-avoid-scrutiny/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=17501</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Letters]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Protecting habitat</title>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:01:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>30 Aug 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[I oppose liquefied natural gas. I have witnessed two LNG pipeline fires in the Columbia River Gorge. 
I watched as proponents used what seemed to me to be dirty tricks to build the LNG electrical production plant in Goldendale, Wash. My sense of it is that the LNG people will do just about anything to accomplish their goals, and that they are willing to risk all of us to secure their profits. 
Wind power has been proposed in letters to .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/30/protecting-habitat/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=17436</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind power surge challenges grid operator</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:38:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>27 Aug 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[Can there be too much of a good thing when it comes to wind power? The Bonneville Power Administration is confronting that question this summer. The regional grid operator has a pile of new connection requests from wind farm developers. There wouldn&#8217;t be much of a story if you could schedule the wind minute–by–minute. But correspondent Tom Banse reports a fickle energy source like this makes life in the control room more interesting.  
WHEN YOU FLIP A LIGHT SWITCH, .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/27/wind-power-surge-challenges-grid-operator/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=17354</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>California eyes Oregon wind power</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:15:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>26 Aug 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[California, whose laws require it to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010, has its eyes on Oregon&#8217;s growing wind power industry.
&#8220;They&#8217;re certainly trying to grab it everywhere they can,&#8221; said Lee Beyer, chairman of the Oregon Public Utility Commission.
The Los Angeles Department of Water &#038; Power and Pacific Gas &#038; Electric in San Francisco are among those securing long-term contracts for wind power in Oregon and Washington.
California already imports hydropower in the summer; Oregon and .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/26/california-eyes-oregon-wind-power/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=17291</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Harnessing the Blues: Wind energy companies look at Blue Mountain foothills</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:45:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>25 Aug 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[The foothills of the Blue Mountains near Athena and Weston may become the site for a future wind farm or two. 
That, at least, is where multiple companies are gathering wind information and attempting to generate landowner interest. 
&#8220;We&#8217;re speaking to quite a few landowners,&#8221; said Valerie Schafer Franklin, project development manager for Horizon Wind, in July. &#8220;We&#8217;re not actually looking at this project being built in probably three to five years.&#8221; 
That company has placed two meteorological towers in .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/25/harnessing-the-blues-wind-energy-companies-look-at-blue-mountain-foothills/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=17275</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Oregon: California’s wind farm</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:41:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>19 Aug 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[T. Boone Pickens and Texas may be the kings of Big Wind but California is catching up, buying gigawatts of green electricity from turbines planted on the windswept flatlands of … Oregon. 
On Monday, Southern California Edison became the latest Golden State utility to look north, announcing a 20-year contract to buy a whopping 909 megawatts from Caithness Energy’s Shepherd’s Flat project. The 303-turbine wind farm will span two Oregon counties and 30 square miles when it goes online between .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/19/oregon-california%e2%80%99s-wind-farm/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=17080</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Brocato worried about power line</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:49:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>13 Aug 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[Baker City Manager Steve Brocato doesn&#8217;t want Baker City to &#8220;start looking like Boardman.&#8221;
He&#8217;s afraid a proposed Idaho Power transmission line that will pass through Baker County — and perhaps skirt the east side of Baker City — might do just that.
Brocato told city councilors Tuesday the proposed power line &#8220;will detract from the beauty of this area&#8221; and believes its presence will spawn more wind farms, which he said are &#8220;detrimental to the beauty of the community and don&#8217;t .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/13/brocato-worried-about-power-line/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=16716</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Eastern Oregon attracting wind power development</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:51:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>11 Aug 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[BEND, Ore. (AP) — The amount of wind power produced along the blustery Columbia Gorge is expected to more than triple in coming years. But the Gorge isn&#8217;t the only Oregon locale that wind development companies are eyeing.
In Harney County, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the county have seen a jump in interest surrounding the windy Eastern Oregon ridges and peaks near Steens Mountain as wind development companies look for different sources of the renewable power to meet .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/11/eastern-oregon-attracting-wind-power-development/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=16507</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind whips up health fears</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:18:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>10 Aug 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Hundreds of giant turbines in the Oregon desert will bring power, but residents nearby raise concerns about health effects and an end to their quiet way of life  
BOARDMAN &#8212; Sherry Eaton pulled into the driveway of her rural, high-desert home to see one of several giant wind turbines being assembled a half-mile away.
&#8220;I started to cry,&#8221; Eaton, 57, recalled of her first sight of the Willow Creek Wind Project in late July. &#8220;They&#8217;re going to be hanging over .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/10/wind-whips-up-health-fears/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=16469</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Oregonians &#39;warming to the idea of big wind&#39;</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:21:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>05 Aug 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[Wind farms are multiplying on the Columbia Gorge, with the amount of wind power produced along the blustery Columbia expected to more than triple in coming years.
But the Gorge isn’t the only Oregon locale that wind companies are eyeing.
In Harney County, the Bureau of Land Management and the county have seen a jump in interest surrounding the windy Eastern Oregon ridges and peaks near Steens Mountain as companies look for different sources of the renewable power to meet state standards. .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/08/05/oregonians-warming-to-the-idea-of-big-wind/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=16169</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Council moves wind projects forward</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:06:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>28 Jul 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[The Umatilla County Planning Office has wind energy potential and potential planning potholes on its mind.
Rick Colgan and Tamra Mabbott, representing the Umatilla County Planning Department, requested the state determine transmission line requirements for small or private wind farms during the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council meeting last Friday in Boardman.
In Eastern Oregon, Colgan explained, planning departments are beginning to receive applications for wind turbines or even small farms producing energy below the threshold the siting council regulates.
That means planners .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/28/council-moves-wind-projects-forward/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=15667</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Unanimous yes vote advances gorge wind farm development</title>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:54:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>26 Jul 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Shepherds Flat, touted by its developers as the world&#8217;s largest wind farm, received a unanimous nod Friday from a state committee approving its site in the Columbia River Gorge.
The wind farm, developed by privately held Caithness Energy of New York, is said to be capable of generating 909 megawatts at its peak through as many as 303 turbines &#8212; enough to power some 225,000 homes and double the state&#8217;s current wind-generated energy capacity.
The project, which state officials said could employ .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/26/unanimous-yes-vote-advances-gorge-wind-farm-development/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=15534</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Oregon to have world&#39;s largest wind farm</title>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:43:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>26 Jul 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council approved a site certificate for the 909 megawatt Shepherds Flat Wind Farm.  Located in Gilliam and Morrow counties, Shepherds Flat will double Oregon’s current wind operating capacity of about 889 megawatts. The company that is developing the project claims it will be the world’s largest wind farm.
“This is a tremendous day for renewable energy in Oregon,” says Michael Grainey, director of the Oregon Department of Energy.  “With the Council’s unanimous approval we .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/26/oregon-to-have-worlds-largest-wind-farm/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=15535</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Idaho]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Rush of wind power to hit the Northwest</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:49:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>21 Jul 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Utilities and independent developers are poised to more than triple the amount of wind power in the Northwest, a huge increase that underscores the region&#8217;s push for renewable energy.
&#8220;It&#8217;s phenomenal,&#8221; said Elliot Mainzer, a transmission manager with the federal Bonneville Power Administration. &#8220;It&#8217;s more than we expected.&#8221;
Evidence of the wind rush shows up in a recent BPA assessment aimed at finding out how much more electricity will fit on transmission lines now in place for delivery to customers in urban .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/21/rush-of-wind-power-to-hit-the-northwest/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=15180</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>U.S. Constellation unit works to tame wily wind power</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:51:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>15 Jul 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Constellation Energy Group is looking for ways to tame plentiful but unpredictable electricity supplies from wind, a carbon-free resource that supporters say could supply 20 percent of the U.S. power needs by 2030.
Texas now leads the nation in wind generation capacity, as entrepreneurs including billionaire oil investor T. Boone Pickens join others in a rush to build turbines on the state&#8217;s vast, wind-swept prairies.
But for the nation&#8217;s power grid operators, channeling these new supplies can be a headache, because wind .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/15/us-constellation-unit-works-to-tame-wily-wind-power/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/15/us-constellation-unit-works-to-tame-wily-wind-power/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Echo-area wind farm moving ahead</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:32:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>09 Jul 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[The Madison-Mader wind farm is moving forward.
The Umatilla County Planning Commission has approved the Echo-area project. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a land-use permit for the wind farm&#8217;s transmission line along Highway 207. The line will carry the project&#8217;s electricity to a PacifiCorp substation at Hinkle.
For the project&#8217;s investors, the land-use permit was the final step before going to work. Kent Madison, an investor in the project, said he hoped construction would begin this week.
Several people opposed the transmission line .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/09/echo-area-wind-farm-moving-ahead/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/09/echo-area-wind-farm-moving-ahead/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Surge in wind power causes spike in NW power grid</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:32:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>07 Jul 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[The wind huffed, and it puffed, and it nearly caused major problems in the Northwest&#8217;s electrical grid last week.
Power managers say they have some fixing to do.
A surge of wind last Monday afternoon jumped far beyond levels forecast by operators of Oregon&#8217;s burgeoning wind-farm industry, sending more power into the regional grid than it could handle.
The Bonneville Power Administration is responsible for adjusting hydropower generation levels to accommodate the power from wind turbines so the system isn&#8217;t overloaded.
It realized by .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/07/surge-in-wind-power-causes-spike-in-nw-power-grid/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/07/surge-in-wind-power-causes-spike-in-nw-power-grid/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind surge poses a risk to salmon and reveals flaws in BPA&#39;s power-regulating system</title>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:30:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>05 Jul 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[Columbia Basin river managers had a close call this week when they were forced to cut back on hydropower after a surge in wind energy blasted through the system.
The surge forced them to spill more water over dams, risking the health of migrating fish. For the first time, it also exposed serious kinks in a plan that was supposed to deal smoothly with just such emergencies.
As it turned out, the spills weren&#8217;t heavy enough to harm fish. But the federal .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/05/wind-surge-poses-a-risk-to-salmon-and-reveals-flaws-in-bpas-power-regulating-system/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/05/wind-surge-poses-a-risk-to-salmon-and-reveals-flaws-in-bpas-power-regulating-system/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>PG&#038;E inks Oregon wind power deal with Horizon Wind Energy</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:02:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>01 Jul 2008</nww:date>
		<nww:source>
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					<description><![CDATA[Pacific Gas &#038; Electric Co. signed a long-term agreement to buy wind power from an Oregon wind farm under development by Horizon Wind Energy LLC, the third-largest owner of wind power projects in the country.
PG&#038;E&#8217;s power purchase agreement, for 102.9 megawatts of wind power, is with Horizon subsidiary Arlington Wind Power Project LLC. Located in Gilliam County, Oregon, the Rattlesnake Road Wind Power Project is currently under construction and is expected to begin operation in the first quarter of 2009. .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/01/pge-inks-oregon-wind-power-deal-with-horizon-wind-energy/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/01/pge-inks-oregon-wind-power-deal-with-horizon-wind-energy/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Extra water, wind strain Northwest power grid</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:07:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>27 Jun 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Electricity &#8212; Dams are producing more than can be sold and spilling excess water, which can harm fish
The Northwest is awash in electric power this spring.
Rivers are swollen. Columbia River dams are running full bore. Wind farm blades are spinning.
That should be good news for the Northwest, where hydropower is cheap and wind is a leader in renewable energy. And it should be good news for California, a huge electricity consumer that often sucks up Oregon&#8217;s springtime surplus.
But a doubling .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/27/extra-water-wind-strain-northwest-power-grid-dams-are-producing-more-electricity-than-can-be-sold-and-spilling-excess-water-which-can-harm-fish/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/27/extra-water-wind-strain-northwest-power-grid-dams-are-producing-more-electricity-than-can-be-sold-and-spilling-excess-water-which-can-harm-fish/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Morrow County approves special tax program for Willow Creek Wind Farm</title>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:50:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>21 Jun 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[In a public hearing Wednesday, the Morrow County Court approved of a special tax schedule for the Willow Creek Wind Farm, which is building 48 wind turbines in Morrow and Gilliam counties.
The program, known as a Strategic Investment Program (SIP), allows the energy company to pay the majority of its property taxes spread out over 15 years rather than the first six, which is the norm under tax schedules.
Paul Woodin, the executive director of the community renewable energy association, said .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/21/morrow-county-approves-special-tax-program-for-willow-creek-wind-farm/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/21/morrow-county-approves-special-tax-program-for-willow-creek-wind-farm/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Area wind farm clears final hurdle; Planning commission approves land-use permit for Echo project</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:05:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>15 Jun 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[The Umatilla County Planning Commission gave the green light to an Oregon wind farm project in Echo Thursday night.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve a land-use permit for the wind farm&#8217;s transmission line along Highway 207. The line will carry the project&#8217;s electricity to a PacifiCorp substation at Hinkle.
For the project&#8217;s investors, the land-use permit was the final hurdle they had to clear before building the wind farm.
&#8220;We hope to start construction on Monday,&#8221; said Kent Madison, an investor in .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/15/area-wind-farm-clears-final-hurdle-planning-commission-approves-land-use-permit-for-echo-project/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/15/area-wind-farm-clears-final-hurdle-planning-commission-approves-land-use-permit-for-echo-project/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Pacific Power&#39;s legal concerns threaten to end Oregon&#39;s solar boom</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:11:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>12 Jun 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Oregon&#8217;s solar boom &#8212; a cornerstone of hope for renewable energy &#8212; may go bust over concerns raised by utility Pacific Power.
Solar developments have multiplied throughout the Northwest because they receive government tax breaks. But now Pacific Power questions the roles played by participants in solar energy deals.
If state utility regulators decide that the solar deals run afoul of utility law, as much as 80 percent of the commercial solar projects in the works could be in jeopardy.
&#8220;It could stop .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/12/pacific-powers-legal-concerns-threaten-to-end-oregons-solar-boom/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/12/pacific-powers-legal-concerns-threaten-to-end-oregons-solar-boom/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind power companies target Clark County; Larch Mountain turbine plan signals a shift from rural areas</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:06:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>11 Jun 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[At least two large wind-energy developers are eyeing Clark County&#8217;s Larch Mountain for dozens of 400-foot wind turbines, signaling the industry&#8217;s interest in the populated urban areas of Vancouver and Portland.
EnXco Inc. and Horizon Wind Energy have asked the Washington Department of Natural Resources to lease 5,400 acres of state land to study the wind along the ridges of Larch Mountain, a 3,496-foot peak southeast of Battle Ground, Wash.
The turbines &#8212; as many as 70 &#8212; would be visible from .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/11/wind-power-companies-target-clark-county-larch-mountain-turbine-plan-signals-a-shift-from-rural-areas/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/11/wind-power-companies-target-clark-county-larch-mountain-turbine-plan-signals-a-shift-from-rural-areas/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Oregon, Siemens settle case in wind turbine death</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:05:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>10 Jun 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Oregon officials and Siemens Power Generation Inc. have reached settlement over safety issues in a wind turbine tower collapse that killed one worker and injured another near Wasco last year.
Oregon&#8217;s Occupational Safety and Health Division initially fined the company &#36;10,500 for safety violations that led to the collapse. The company appealed the decision. On Monday, both sides reached a settlement that reduced the fine to &#36;10,275 over technical issues.
An OSHA spokeswoman says the company &#8220;got a clear message&#8221; to make .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/10/oregon-siemens-settle-case-in-wind-turbine-death-oregon-officials-give-small-reduction-in-fine-for-wind-turbine-death/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/10/oregon-siemens-settle-case-in-wind-turbine-death-oregon-officials-give-small-reduction-in-fine-for-wind-turbine-death/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind turbine maker fined for safety violations</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:39:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>01 Jun 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[On August 25, 2007, the collapse of a wind turbine tower at the Klondike III Wind Farm near Wasco, Ore., killed one worker and injured another. As a result of the incident, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA), Salem, Ore., has fined the manufacturer a total of $10,500 for safety violations.
According to a press release issued by Oregon OSHA, three technicians were performing maintenance on a wind turbine tower. After applying .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/01/wind-turbine-maker-fined-for-safety-violations/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=15761</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Proposed wind farm may be visible to Portland/Vancouver residents</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2008 17:29:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>30 May 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[NEAR LARCH MOUNTAIN, Wash. &#8212; A proposed wind farm development Washington is creating some controversy.
While the plan is still in the very early stages, the designers envision placing wind turbines on a ridge near Larch Mountain, east of Battle Ground.
There is also a Larch Mountain in Oregon near the Columbia River Gorge, but that site is not under consideration. 
The turbines are about 400 feet tall and may be visible to residents in Portland and Vancouver if they are built.
Hundreds .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/05/30/proposed-wind-farm-may-be-visible-to-portlandvancouver-residents/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/05/30/proposed-wind-farm-may-be-visible-to-portlandvancouver-residents/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Portland General Electric&#39;s Biglow Canyon wind farm getting expensive</title>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:55:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>05 Apr 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[Portland General Electric Co.&#8217;s Biglow Canyon wind farm has turned out to be a pricey proposition, but one analyst said it is a necessary one given Oregon&#8217;s renewable portfolio standard.
An April 3 research note from D.A. Davidson &#038; Co. analyst James Bellessa Jr. noted that Portland General&#8217;s announcement that it had signed an agreement to purchase 141 turbines for the second and third phases of the Biglow Canyon project brought reaffirmation that the combined cost of those phases will be .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/05/portland-general-electrics-biglow-canyon-wind-farm-getting-expensive/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/05/portland-general-electrics-biglow-canyon-wind-farm-getting-expensive/</guid>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oregon]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Company appeals fine for fatal tower fall</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:49:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<nww:date>04 Apr 2008</nww:date>
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					<description><![CDATA[State orders Siemens to pay &#36;10,500 for wind turbine collapse
A wind turbine manufacturer has appealed the &#36;10,500 fine the state of Oregon issued for safety violations related to an Aug. 25, 2007, wind turbine tower collapse that killed one worker and injured another.
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division &#8212; Oregon OSHA &#8212; fined Germany-based Siemens Power Generation Feb. 26 after finding several safety violations related to the death and injury.
The East Oregonian sent an e-mail Wednesday morning to a .&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
				<link>http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/04/siemens-appeals-decision-by-osha-in-wind-turbine-death/</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/04/siemens-appeals-decision-by-osha-in-wind-turbine-death/</guid>
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