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Pennsylvania
31 Jul 2009
Butler Twp. revokes permit for windmills
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The zoning permit issued in 2008 to a company planning to construct wind turbines in Butler Township has been revoked.
The Butler Township Zoning Hearing Board met Wednesday in the North Schuylkill Junior-Senior High School auditorium to issue its decision on an appeal by township residents to fight the permit that granted a height exception to Broad Mountain Development Co. LLC. The company hopes to construct 27 wind turbines in the Fountain Springs area on its own land ...
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Letters, Ontario
31 Jul 2009
RE: OCFA weighs in on wind power
More people should be concerned with property value associated with wind turbines adjacent to their homes. Should their health become an issue and they can’t live near turbines anymore, who is going to buy their property?
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Ontario
01 Aug 2009
Wind turbine interest blows up a storm
The wind turbine controversy in Huron East blew over to West Perth Thursday night at a public meeting on proposed turbine development in Logan ward.
More than 100 people packed the Brodhagen Community Hall to hear representatives ...
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England
03 Aug 2009
Wind turbine plans are scrapped
A controversial plan to build two 400ft high wind turbines on the South Downs near East Meon has been abandoned.
After “taking advice” ...
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U.S.
04 Aug 2009
Prairie grouse could hamper wind energy growth
A little prairie grouse could give the wind energy industry big fits.
Should the lesser prairie chicken become listed as threatened or endangered — and it’s close now — there would be significant restrictions on companies hoping to plant towering turbines across a five-state region believed to have some of the nation’s best wind energy potential.
“We’ve never seen the likes of this,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist Heather Whitlaw, who is part of conservation efforts with the other ...
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New Zealand
04 Aug 2009
Landscape reclassification bid opposed
Moves to reclassify Central Otago landscapes thought worth protecting has drawn a reaction ...
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North Dakota
05 Aug 2009
Rural landscape becoming noisy
A rural Barnes County couple had planned to enjoy retirement by moving back to North Dakota. But Dennis and Cathryn Stillings are finding a changed landscape even noisy. As WDAY 6 Reporter Kevin Wallevand tells us, the prairie has a different look and sound.
Northeast of Valley City, the soybean fields have company. More than 50-wind turbines have joined the farm landscape.
“The asset of the ND landscape is what my wife calls the great silence.”
Dennis Stillings and his wife Cathryn ...
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Pennsylvania
05 Aug 2009
Butler Twp. supervisors move to restrict turbine projects; legal battle may follow
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The Butler Township supervisors took actions during Tuesday’s special meeting that will lead to restrictions on wind turbine placement in the township.
However, those actions will most likely lead to a legal battle between the township and the developer planning to erect wind turbines.
Broad Mountain Development Co. LLC plans to construct and operate a 27-windmill farm in the township. On July 29, the township Zoning Hearing Board revoked a zoning permit that would have waived the height limitation ...
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Letters, Pennsylvania
05 Aug 2009
Windmill production realities
Richard Bair in his letter to the editor (Aug. 1 Free Wind Energy) claims that he has listened to both sides of the Shaffer Mountain Wind plant issues and has decided that he is for the windmills.
What he fails to state in his letter is that he is one of the token private landowners who has agreed to allow wind turbines to be built on his land.
As a property owner I fully support the right of one to do what ...
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Letters, Ontario
05 Aug 2009
Pastoral tranquility
Re There’s Trouble In Paradise (Aug. 1): Ontario’s Green Energy Act of 2009 prohibits our municipality ...
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North Carolina
06 Aug 2009
North Carolina Senate backs windmill ban
By a vote of 45-1, the Senate has given preliminary approval to legislation that includes a ban on building large wind turbines on mountaintops.
The vote came after the Senate rejected, 36-10, an amendment that would have stripped the ban ...
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Letters, Ontario
08 Aug 2009
Government ignoring democracy in push for wind energy
This weekend I entertained people ...
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New Brunswick
10 Aug 2009
New Brunswick wind turbine burns
A wind turbine near Moncton went up in flames Saturday morning.
Officials with TransAlta Corp., the company that operates the 32 turbines on the Kent Hills Wind Farm, are investigating how the fire broke out. The farm is located in Elgin, N. B., about 30 kilometres southwest of Moncton.
Jason Edworthy, a spokesman for the Alberta-based company, said the fire is very unusual and the company that supplied the turbine will be involved in the investigation.
The Elgin Fire Department and employees of TransAlta ...
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New Jersey
10 Aug 2009
Clearing the hot air on solar, wind projects
A new state law seeks to reduce the number of hurdles homeowners — and the businesses who work with them — must clear to build solar- or wind-power systems on their properties.
The law (S-1303), passed by both houses of the Legislature, would deem alternative energy systems as “inherently beneficial,” giving them the same zoning status used by hospitals and schools.
However, renewable-energy system sellers, distributors, site assessors and builders can’t assume there will be customers in the middle of residential neighborhoods, ...
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Scotland
10 Aug 2009
Battle over McDonald's plans for windmill
Fast food giant McDonald’s has sparked protests by bidding to build a wind turbine next to one of its restaurants in the Capital as part of a drive to boost its environmental credentials.
The 20-metre-tall turbine is to tower above the American firm’s outlet in South Queensferry.
It will become only the second McDonald’s in the UK to have a wind turbine to contribute towards an outlet’s energy usage – and the first in Scotland.
The energy firm that is working with McDonald’s ...
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Washington
10 Aug 2009
Green power collides with Endangered Species Act
Green power, green jobs, renewable energy collide with the Endangered Species Act in a proposed wind farm in Southwest Washington. The project calling for between 48-60 megawatts of power is proposed for 3,359 acres of Washington Department of Natural Resources land northwest of Naselle, Washington. The site, named Radar Ridge, would help utilities in Pacific, Grays Harbor, Clallam and Mason counties meet the requirements of Initiative 397. I-397 mandates that a designated portion of a utility’s power comes ...
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Ontario
11 Aug 2009
Wind Action Group voices concerns
A large group turned out for the heated debate over wind turbines being proposed in Adelaide-Metcalfe. The project which is moving towards construction is now attracting the attention of residents who say they knew nothing about it. TCI Renewables out of Montreal Quebec has just wrapped up the next step with the Ministry of Environment but spokesperson for Middlesex Wind Action Group Esther Wrightman challenges the company saying they didn’t follow the MOE’s guidelines to properly notify residents in the ...
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Pennsylvania
11 Aug 2009
Grant powers Turkey Hill wind project
A $1.5 million federal stimulus fund grant awarded Monday is just the boost needed to launch southcentral Pennsylvania’s first commercial wind turbine project atop Turkey Hill in Manor Township, according to a county official.
“There’s nothing really to hold this up now,” said James Warner, executive director of the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, recipient of the alternative energy grant approved by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority.
“This project is going to happen.”
Warner and equal partner PPL Renewable Energy believe the ...
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England
11 Aug 2009
Eco campaign opposes wind farm
Residents in North Cornwall who are fighting plans for a £75m wind farm on Bodmin Moor have won support ...
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Maine
12 Aug 2009
Sumner voters reject articles for road planning, wind power
SUMNER — In one of the longest and best attended annual town meetings in recent history, nearly 150 voters Monday rejected two articles, one to explore wind power and the other to develop a road plan.
Road Committee member George Jones gave a PowerPoint presentation on the need for a plan for town roads. He said the town needs to find out what has to be done, when it should be done, what it would cost and how to pay for ...
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Idaho
12 Aug 2009
State seeks comment on wind energy sales
BOISE, Idaho – The state Public Utilities Commission is seeking public comment on an Idaho Power Co. proposal to buy energy ...
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Ontario
13 Aug 2009
Wind turbine protesters stake out Liberal barbecue
They had been waiting for him for months.
Upset Guildwood residents, along with sympathetic protesters across Ontario, gathered outside the Miller Lash House at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus on Tuesday, Aug. 11, eager to vent their discontent to Premier Dalton McGuinty over a proposed wind farm.
There was a great deal of resentment for McGuinty’s Green Energy Act, which protesters viewed as removing their rights to have input into projects planned in their neighbourhoods — specifically, the possibility that 60 ...
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U.S.
13 Aug 2009
Birds vs. Environmentalists? The wind industry may be green, but it's proving deadly to wildlife
In Wyoming, it’s the sage grouse. In Colorado, it’s the lesser prairie chicken. In the Northwest, it’s the Washington ground squirrel. Across the country, a growing number of species are finding themselves at the epicenter of a new battle being waged by environmentalists and developers. The issue—species being threatened by encroaching human development—is nothing new, of course. What is new? The encroachers aren’t the usual suspects—say, a sprawling McMansion community developer—but the environmentally friendly wind-energy industry.
Wind energy has been touted ...
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England
14 Aug 2009
Power fault halts wind turbines
At least seven of the 26 wind turbines on marshland on the Kent-Sussex border have ground to a halt just one month after the farm was officially opened.
The £60m wind farm, at Little Cheyne Court, on Romney Marsh was unveiled by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband in July.
RWE Npower Renewables, which constructed the site, said a problem with the turbine’s electrical transformers had caused the problems.
It said replacement transformers were being delivered in mid-September.
Despite widespread objections, and following a public inquiry, ...
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Pennsylvania
14 Aug 2009
FAA deals blow to Gamesa
The Federal Aviation Administration has found six of the 25 wind turbines Gamesa Energy wants to build in Taylor and Snyder townships to be “presumed hazards,” but the company is continuing to study the proposed location in hopes of changing that determination.
The turbines in the proposed Sandy Ridge Wind Farm would be 475 feet tall. Nine of them would be in Taylor Township, Centre County. The rest would be in neighboring Snyder Township, Blair County, on land owned by Tyrone.
Joshua ...
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England
14 Aug 2009
Firm eyeing eleven turbine windfarm near Rosley
A windfarm with up to eleven turbines could be built bordering the village of Rosley.
Energy firm Pure Renewable Energies (PRE) is exploring the possibility of constructing the turbines of up to 410ft high at Realthwaite Farm, Brocklebank.
The turbines ...
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Massachusetts
14 Aug 2009
Tisbury leaders cast wary eye on Green Communities program
With a great deal more hope than expectation, Tisbury selectmen decided on Tuesday evening to make application for a share of $10 million in state grant money to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.
The trouble is, the money comes with conditions attached — conditions Tisbury and other Island towns cannot possibly meet.
The Catch-22 is that in order to be eligible for the money, towns must agree to five requirements, one of which is that they must effectively give ...
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U.S.
14 Aug 2009
New energy economics: wind energy myths
In the last six months, I have devoted most of my time to wind energy because of all the recent development activity in the region. Part of my program entails delivering seminars and workshops on the topic. It always surprises me the false impressions or myths that some people have about wind energy and its potential.
Here is a list of some of the more common misconceptions I encounter:
* Wind Energy Is Free — Naive wind investors often fail to consider ...
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Letters, New York
14 Aug 2009
Probe wind developers' tactics
On July 29, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo issued a subpoena to Reunion Power “as part of an ongoing investigation of the wind industry.” Allegations of widespread corruption and conflict of interest by town officials in regards to wind power projects all across the state prompted this crackdown.
Shortly after being served, company executives at Reunion decided to sign on to the Attorney General’s Wind Industry Ethics Code, something that they previously elected not to do. I guess they figured better late ...
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Wyoming
14 Aug 2009
Wyoming wind projects clash with wildlife
LARAMIE — The last expansion of Wyoming’s transmission grid was two to three decades ago.
Today, a surge of proposals for wind energy projects is testing that network. Developers and government officials discussed the obstacles facing another expansion during the Wyoming Wind Symposium Thursday at the University of Wyoming.
Six large-scale projects in varying stages of development could produce as much as 15,000 megawatts of wind energy, said Steve Ellenbecker ...
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New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, U.S.
16 Aug 2009
Windmills called threat to raptor migration route
One force of nature lures butterflies, bats and birds to the skies over a geographic formation known as the Shawangunk-Kittatinny Ridge.
The wind.
Each fall, a strong and steady northwest current creates deflective updrafts and thermals as it collides with the 250 miles of mountainous spine stretching inside the larger Appalachian Highlands ...
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Australia
18 Aug 2009
Pyrenees Shire questions wind farm noise
The Pyrenees Shire has contacted the Victorian Planning Minister to find out whether the Waubra wind farm has breached any of the conditions of its planning permit.
Some residents who live near the 128-turbine farm say noise generated by the turbines is affecting their health.
The shire’s chief executive, Stephen Cornish, says he wants to ensure that noise levels at the farm are being properly monitored.
“We’ve endeavoured to gain assurance ...
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Illinois
18 Aug 2009
County needs wind farm ordinance
Kansas Township Supervisor Kirk Allen brought concerns about wind farm development to the Edgar County Board Meeting Wednesday morning.
“Right now they are doing survey work in our township,” said Allen, referring to a proposed wind farm that will partially operate in the northern part of Kansas Township.
He added a second company is considering a wind farm at a location in the south part of the township.
Allen’s main concern ...
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England
18 Aug 2009
Campaigners fighting wind farm plans in Stinchcombe are given extra time
Campaigners trying to put a stop to a wind farm with eight 120 metre turbines near their homes have been given extra time to object to an initial monitoring mast.
Green energy firm Ecotricity is planning an eight turbine wind farm on land between Stinchcombe and the M5.
However before the full application for the farm is submitted the company plans to put up a 70 metre wind monitoring mast to work out how much energy it can expect to generate ...
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Nova Scotia
19 Aug 2009
Caught in the crossfire
MERIGOMISH — A group in the Merigomish area that’s objecting to a proposed wind power project in the region says they’re being caught in the middle between the province and Shear Wind.
In May, the Eco Awareness Society requested that the environment minister suspend his approval of the Glen Dhu wind project until measures are in place to compensate residents for any loss in property value.
In June, the group was told that “concerns with respect to compensation should be addressed directly ...
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U.S.
19 Aug 2009
Why wind power blows
Why we shouldn’t overload our energy basket with wind eggs
The world is looking for a no-brainer solution to the 21st century’s impending energy crisis, and wind power seems to provide many of the right answers. But those who want to run straight for the first ridgetop and put up a turbine might want to slow down a second. In addition to its distinct advantages, wind power has real drawbacks that must be addressed before it is hailed as our ...
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Maine
19 Aug 2009
Wind turbine ordinance on Cumberland horizon
CUMBERLAND — Wind turbines could become part of the Cumberland landscape if the Town Council decides to move forward discussion of a wind energy system ordinance.
A workshop on the draft ordinance will be held Monday, Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. in Town Hall.
The impetus for the possible ordinance came ...
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Pennsylvania
20 Aug 2009
Butler Township rejects wind turbine proposal for second time
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The Butler Township Board of Supervisors reinforced last month’s decision to reject plans submitted by Broad Mountain Development Co., LLC, to construct wind turbines in the township by voting again on the matter at Tuesday’s meeting.
The vote was backed by a resolution and a three-page document explaining the legal basis for the supervisors’ rejection.
“On Aug. 4, this board voted to reject and disapprove all plans pending before either the Butler Township Planning Commission or this board filed ...
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Letters, Pennsylvania
20 Aug 2009
Blades, birds, and bullets
A roadside report on the need to repair wind turbine blades damaged in Texas by both birds AND bullets. This reported roadside encounter on I-79 followed our meeting a few days earlier, entitled “Wind Energy in our Backyard: Friend or Foe? ”
On August 18 while driving on I-79 north of Pittsburgh I happened to spot a giant wind turbine blade on a flat bed truck stopped in a rest area. I stopped too for a close look at ...
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Maine
20 Aug 2009
Maine DEP approves environmental permit for wind power project in Roxbury
Record Hill LLC plans to construct 22 wind turbines at the site.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection approved an environmental permit for a 50.6 megawatt wind power project planned for the Oxford County town of Roxbury.
Record Hill Wind, LLC, plans to construct 22 wind turbines at the site. The company filed an application for the project with DEP last December. After reviewing the application the DEP determined taht it met the criteria of the Site Location Development Act, ...
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British Columbia, Opinions
20 Aug 2009
“Canadian Galapagos” bird sanctuary threatened by proposed wind farm; Crabbing industry would be hurt, too
“The whole of the Queen Charlottes is a bird sanctuary drawing many to the west coast to view {over 200 different} bird species.
Today, bird watchers, naturalists and all who enjoy and appreciate the outdoors can view birds like a Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, Mallard and Pintail Duck, Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red Tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Black Oystercatcher, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow and so many ...
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Arizona
20 Aug 2009
County explains wind/solar farms process to Cedar Hills residents
CEDAR HILLS — Residents of Cedar Hills filled the Cedar Hills Senior Center to meet with Supervisor J. R. DeSpain and Navajo County Public Works staff to discuss the proposed wind/solar farms in their area.
As the meeting began, DeSpain introduced Public Works Director Homero Vela and Public Works Deputy Director for Planning and Zoning Greg Loper who, he said, would speak to them that night. About 100 people were present for the meeting.
...
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New Hampshire
20 Aug 2009
Wind plans spark debate: Residents say wind farms would compromise town
ANTRIM — Following fiery criticism Tuesday of an application for a meteorological tower on Tuttle Hill, the zoning board will continue the public hearing in September.
Eolian Renewable Energy of Portsmouth has applied for a height variance under the small wind systems ordinance to construct a 197-foot meteorological tower (met tower) on a 290-acre parcel owned by Michael Ott on Tuttle Hill, the fourth highest peak in Antrim. The tower would collect data to determine the viability of a utility-grade wind ...
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Virginia, West Virginia
20 Aug 2009
Commissioners engage attorney to help settle border dispute
The Pocahontas County Commission voted Tuesday to engage an attorney to help determine where the West Virginia-Virginia State line is on Tamarack Ridge of Allegheny Mountain.
The dispute arose after Highland New Wind Development. LLC, released its site plan for more than 15 wind turbines to be built on the ridge, two of which could be on or very close to the West Virginia side of the line. Those wind turbines and possibly others will be visible ...
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Maine
22 Aug 2009
Northport nixes wind power proposal
NORTHPORT — By a margin of more than nine to one, residents voted at a special town meeting Thursday, Aug. 20, not to hire consultants who would have pursued grants and other funding sources for a community wind project.
All but one of the residents attending the meeting voted on the proposal, and when the ballot clerks were done counting, the tally was announced: 73 opposed, eight in favor.
A week earlier, on Aug. 12, representatives ...
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Washington
23 Aug 2009
State tables idea of wind farm lease in spotted owl habitat
The Washington Department of Natural Resources is no longer considering leasing 2,560 acres of state trust land to SDS Lumber Co. for possible future expansion of the proposed Whistling Ridge Energy Project in Skamania County.
A notice released by the DNR’s Ellensburg office on Aug. 10 says the agency “is no longer considering a lease” but could reconsider the option at some future date.
“The reason it was withdrawn was because of issues with endangered species,” DNR spokesman Aaron Toso said Friday. ...
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Japan, Opinions
23 Aug 2009
Going with the wind
An article in the Nikkei recently may well spell trouble for the fledgling alternative energy industry—and particularly for the wind power generation sector, where most energy investment has taken place in Japan. Apparently residents in the town of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, have petitioned a wind turbine farm operator (Nikkei doesn’t mention who) to close down their plant in the evening hours—on the basis that low frequency noise emanating ...
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England
24 Aug 2009
Aberford wind farm plan refused
Controversial plans to build a wind farm near Aberford have been blown away by councillors.
The city council’s east plans panel has turned down a developer’s proposal to put five 125m-tall wind turbines in the green belt on Hook Moor just north of Micklefield.
A council report said the application was refused because it would adversely impact on the Precision Approach Radar at RAF Church Fenton and impact upon the Primary Surveillance Radar at RAF Linton on Ouse.
The report said: “The applicant ...
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Illinois
24 Aug 2009
Talk of wind power regulations in air in Champaign
CHAMPAIGN – City council members in Champaign will talk Tuesday about wind power – not the hot-air-politics type, but the wind turbine type.
At a study session set to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the city council chambers, 102 N. Neil St., C, the city planning staff will discuss wind energy conservation systems, particularly small wind turbines within city limits and how to regulate wind farms near city boundaries.
City Planner Bruce Knight said state law requires cities to regulate wind ...
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Washington
24 Aug 2009
Spotted owls block Skamania wind farm expansion
Plans for a wind farm on some state land in Skamania County are on hold because it’s spotted owl habitat.
The Department of Natural Resources is no longer considering leasing 2,560 acres to the SDS Lumber Co. for possible future expansion of the proposed Whistling Ridge Energy Project.
The Vancouver Columbian reports the state is required to manage the second-growth forest, with scattered old-growth trees, as a spotted owl emphasis area.
Bingen-based SDS Lumber has applied for a permit to build a 42-turbine ...
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New York
25 Aug 2009
Orleans wind panel urges stricter rules; Bigger setbacks, more stringent noise regulations suggested
LAFARGEVILLE — The Orleans Wind Committee is calling on the Town Council to adopt stricter noise and setback regulations for wind power development.
The committee submitted the first part of its recommendations, covering noise and setbacks, to council members at the end of July and publicly during the council’s meeting last week. The second part, including recommendations on stray voltage, fire risks, water and aquifer effects, turbine lighting, radon and security, are still being finalized. Co-chairman Stephen Bingeman said that should ...
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Pennsylvania
25 Aug 2009
Township rejects wind turbines for second time
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The Butler Township supervisors reinforced their previous decision to reject plans submitted by Broad Mountain Development Co. LLC, to construct wind turbines in the Schuylkill County municipality by voting again on the matter at last Tuesday’s meeting.
The 3-0 vote was backed by a resolution and a three-page document explaining the legal basis for the supervisors’ rejection.
The resolution refers to the supervisors’ Aug. 4 meeting, at which they also voted to declare that the township zoning ordinance or ...
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Delaware, New Jersey
25 Aug 2009
Ocean County firm hopes to construct 106 wind turbines in Delaware Bay
Imagine more than 100 wind turbines dotting the Delaware Bay.
Each reaches more than 400 feet into the sky, spinning slowly in the wind as they harness it to power more than 125,000 homes.
Sound far-fetched?
Delsea Energy wants to raise 106 wind turbines on the bay to produce about 381.6 megawatts of energy.
John Renz, Delsea’s vice president of business development, said the company chose the Delaware Bay because it has the right qualities to make wind production feasible.
The Delaware Bay plan is ...
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Australia
25 Aug 2009
Wind farm opponents demand independent review
A group fighting a wind farm development at Glenthompson, near the Grampians, is worried that a state parliamentary report will award greater power to developers.
The Environmental and Natural Resources Committee held a public hearing about the approvals process for renewable energy projects in Ararat yesterday.
Judy Vanrenen ...
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Letters, Massachusetts
25 Aug 2009
Wind turbine work a threat to planet
I am writing to clarify the statement on renewable energy in The Republican on Aug. 17, attributed to me. The statement quotes me as saying that burning forests to generate electricity “is not like wind and solar which are truly green and clean.” My position is on wind is qualified by the caveat that it must be properly sited, and industrial scale wind turbines do not belong on public lands or on scenic ridge lines such as those in the ...
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New Zealand
25 Aug 2009
Wind farm idea off table as liquidators 'surrender' consent
Motorimu Wind Farm has officially been scrapped.
Liquidators for the company have “surrendered” its resource consent to Palmerston North City Council, ending any prospect of the 80-turbine farm near Tokomaru being built.
Scrapping the farm came after a deal was struck between the liquidators and Mighty River Power, which wants to build a 121-turbine farm at nearby Turitea.
The surrender of the consent yesterday came as a board of inquiry hearing resumed on whether or not the Turitea proposal near Palmerston North should ...
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Prince Edward Island
25 Aug 2009
Hole will get deeper for Entegrity
Financial troubles for Entegrity Wind will increase because dozens of turbines sold by the P. E. I.-based company have to be checked for a possible manufacturing flaw, says the firm’s CEO.
Last week, a judge gave the company 45 days to come up with a plan for dealing with at least $9 million in debts.
For a time, Entegrity was a success story. It has sold 130 turbines since it opened in 2002.
Company CEO Jim Heath told CBC News last week that a problem ...
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Wyoming
25 Aug 2009
County permits Dunlap wind farm
PacifiCorp was granted a conditional use permit for its Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project by the Carbon County Planning Commission on Monday.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously, after a public hearing, to grant the permit to allow PacifiCorp to build the wind farm on mostly private land about eight miles north of Medicine Bow.
Mark Tallman, PacifiCorp vice president for renewable resource acquisition, asked the planners to grant a conditional use permit for the project, which includes a substation and 11-mile-long transmission ...
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Nova Scotia
25 Aug 2009
SkyPower and Scotian Windfields win approval for wind project in Digby, Nova Scotia
SkyPower Corp. and Scotian Windfields said Monday that the Nova Scotia government has granted environmental approval for 25.5 megawatts of wind turbine capacity at its wind power project in Digby, N. S.
The companies had filed a request for approval for a 30MW project, but as part of the environmental assessment approval process three of the proposed turbines were excluded ...
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Ireland
26 Aug 2009
Residents to take bogslide case
A number of landowners who were affected by the massive bog burst at Lyrecrompane last August are in the process of taking legal action against a company that was working on a windfarm development in the area at the time of the disaster.
The Kerryman has learned that legal proceedings are to be issued against Traleebased company Trá Investments. The company began construction work on a windfarm in the Maghanknockane area of Lyrecrompane two weeks before the landslide occurred on August ...
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U.S.
26 Aug 2009
Forests, deserts in climate measure may spawn 'energy sprawl'
More forests, deserts and grasslands in the U.S. will be used to produce energy under a proposal to cap greenhouse gases, an unintended consequence of efforts to fight global warming, according to a Nature Conservancy report.
A bill that boosts energy ...
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Virginia, West Virginia
27 Aug 2009
Wind developer fails to comply, agency says
RICHMOND — You may never have seen it.
It’s tucked deep in national forest, and unless you’re in a vehicle with good clearance, getting there is a challenge.
But for those who have walked its quiet meadows, and imagined the early-morning battle that took place there nearly 150 years ago, it’s worth protecting. Historians say Camp Allegheny is in danger of losing the very qualities that make it one of the last Civil War battlefields existing pretty much as it did then, ...
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Canada, New Brunswick, U.S.
27 Aug 2009
Other provinces want to export energy through N. B., but minister says transmission lines at capacity
FREDERICTON — Energy Minister Jack Keir isn’t softening his stance when it comes to other provinces using New Brunswick’s transmission lines to export energy to the New England states.
Keir is heading to a meeting with his provincial counterparts in Newfoundland this weekend and already one of his Atlantic counterparts has said he intends to raise the issue of getting access to New Brunswick’s lines in order to sell power to the United States.
Prince Edward Island has a $1-billion wind energy ...
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Scotland
27 Aug 2009
Councillors expected to approve giant wind farm
Councillor Annie MacDonald has organised a workshop on the revised Eishken Windfarm proposals. The event takes place today (Thurs) in Balallan Hall and all all members of the community are encouraged to drop in any time between 4 pm and 9 pm.
It comes a week before Western Isles Council holds a special meeting to debate planning permission for the £120 million Eishken windfarm proposal.
This is the fifth or sixth time councillors have debated an application to build giant turbines on ...
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Letters, Scotland
27 Aug 2009
Eishken wind farm public inquiry: who knew what — and when?
Open letter to Dr Alasdair Allan MSP and to Rt. Hon. Angus Brendan Macneil
Following the announcement that Beinn Mhor Power Ltd has revised their planning application for the Muaitheabhal wind farm, I would be grateful if you could let me know why the findings of the Public Inquiry (released 5 August 2009) were made available to Beinn Mhor Power prior to release into the public domain? Who authorised that the findings be made available to Mr Oppenheim/ Beinn Mhor Power?
Taxpayers’ ...
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Virginia
27 Aug 2009
DEQ investigates need for industrial permit
RICHMOND — As roadwork and excavation move ahead on Allegheny Mountain, state agencies charged with reviewing Highland New Wind Development’s utility plans are in varying stages of determining whether they need to take any further actions.
The Department of Environmental Quality, for one, remains involved.
DEQ was in charge of coordinating all other state agencies when the developer applied for a state permit, gathering their comments on HNWD’s proposal and compiling them for the State Corporation Commission. Once that mission was accomplished, ...
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New York
27 Aug 2009
Clayton accepts wind report
DEPAUVILLE — The Clayton Town Council agreed to keep the sound limitations and most of the setback recommendations ...
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Massachusetts
28 Aug 2009
Selectmen hold ‘energized’ debate; Views differ on handling energy proposals
AYER — It’s not easy being green. The Ayer Board of Selectmen defeated two motions on split 3-2 votes last Tuesday night over which path to take to nudge the town towards a “greener,” or more energy efficient mode of operation.
First, the selectmen refused to approve an application to the State Department of Energy Resources Green Community Division for a slice of the $12 million funding pie available for qualifying communities.
In order to qualify the town would have to meet ...
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Letters, Scotland
28 Aug 2009
Raising objections to wind turbines
People who live in the countryside should be aware that the neighbour notification system operated by Aberdeenshire planning department does not work. This has been highlighted to us in the recent approval for yet another wind turbine in our area.
We are neighbours to the land where an 85-metre-high turbine will be built. We were never notified of the application for planning approval because wind turbines are in the same classification as houses – bizarre, but it is the case. As ...
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Virginia, West Virginia
28 Aug 2009
Does the state line matter?
Can a company put gigantic spinning turbine blades in West Virginia airspace without permission or regulation ...
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Australia
29 Aug 2009
Minister still keen to talk after hurt by wind farm protesters
Police were yesterday called in to shut down the most violent protest in Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor’s career.
Mr Batchelor’s leg was deliberately slammed in his car’s door as he attempted to flee an angry mob, protesting at a community forum in Colac against wind farms.
The minister last night told The Standard he was shaken by the violence but still willing to deal with the protesters’ concerns.
“It takes a lot to unsettle me. I was jostled and chested as ...
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England
29 Aug 2009
Government won’t intervene in Seamer wind farm plans
Controversial plans for a wind farm near Yarm will not be called in by the Government.
Stockton Council’s planning committee approved the application for three 125metre wind turbines to be built on land between Seamer and Hilton last month.
As reported, the plans had met with major opposition from local villagers, with around 400 letters of objection sent to Stockton Council.
Stockton South MP Dari Taylor described the approval as “seriously disappointing news” and asked Government Office North East to take a fresh ...
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Editorials, Michigan
29 Aug 2009
Local interests need representation on board
While debate stemming from a recent Michigan Wind Energy Resource Zone Board meeting in Bad Axe has mostly been about whether future wind turbine development should be allowed in the local area, there have been other concerns raised that should be acknowledged. They are in regard to the board’s actual makeup: That there’s too much representation from the utility and transmission industries, and not enough representation from other entities, including counties, public health, agriculture and the Thumb region.
The Wind Energy ...
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California, Opinions, Birds, Condors, Conservation, Tehachapi, Wildlife
29 Aug 2009
Wind turbines are killing condors
Two of California’s highest priority environmental causes, promoting renewable energy and saving the California condor, are on a collision course. The proliferation of prop wind turbines and their well documented history of killing birds of prey have put the future of California condor at great risk.
The fact is, in recent years many missing Condors have most likely perished at wind farms in California. Many of the captive bed condors, released into the wild since 1992 have turned up ...
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Wisconsin
30 Aug 2009
Bill would overrule local rules on windmills
TOWN OF BYRON — Retired mail carrier Gerry Meyer said he only sleeps two hours a night because of the constant swooshing sound and that his wife has started taking sleep medication.
His neighbor Nick Gonnering in South Byron, who lives just as close to the noise, said he finds the sound “relaxing.”
Either way, the sound of wind turbines is making more ears perk up as a bill moves forward in the Legislature that would empower the Public Service Commission to ...
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England
30 Aug 2009
Wind turbine plans rejected again
But energy firm Nuon will now have a final decision made by the Government
Controversial plans to build a trio of giant wind turbines near Poddington have been rejected again.
But even though planning bosses at Borough Hall have voted to reject the scheme, the final decision can only be made by the Government after a further report is produced later in the year.
Dutch energy firm Nuon originally applied to build nine wind turbines on the site in 2005, but ...
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Maine
30 Aug 2009
Board recommends Land Use Ordinance amendments
BAR HARBOR — The Planning Board sped through public hearings last Wednesday night on proposed changes to the Land Use Ordinance, with comments from just one member of the public.
The board voted to recommend that all the changes should pass. Most are primarily housekeeping and include sections of the LUO dealing with shoreland zoning and traffic; others would expand the authority of the Design Review Board into Town Hill and allow enhanced home occupations in the residential zones off Rtes. ...
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Virginia, West Virginia
30 Aug 2009
Virginia wind power project draws flak from across the border — wherever that is
BARTOW, W. Va. — As a 19-tower wind turbine project nears the construction stage in Highland County, Va., just across the state line from Pocahontas County, it faces a whirlwind of objections from both sides of the border — including a dispute about just where the border lies.
The project also has drawn fire from Civil War battlefield preservation groups for the negative effects the wind farm would have on West Virginia’s Camp Allegheny, one of the nation’s most pristine battlefields, located ...
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Colorado
30 Aug 2009
Transmission line, route sparks debate
Public interest is catching up to a fast-moving plan to build a major electrical transmission line from Pueblo to the San Luis Valley.
The $180 million project would aid the development of solar energy plants in the valley.
The line would start at Xcel Energy’s Comanche substation in Pueblo and run south to the Walsenburg area and then west over La Veta Pass to the San Luis Valley.
The line is a joint proposal of Xcel Energy and Tri-State Generation in response to ...
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Editorials, Oregon
30 Aug 2009
Tax dollars blowin’ in the wind
As Oregon’s tax subsidies for green energy projects, mainly wind turbines, climb higher and higher, and are now projected to increase by nearly $100 million over last biennium, Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s veto of a bill reining in the credits seems ever more a costly mistake.
When the governor vetoed House Bill 2472 three weeks ago, the state estimated that energy tax breaks would total about $144 million over the next two years. Now revenue forecasters are predicting that Oregon will subsidize ...
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Washington
30 Aug 2009
Public meetings set on wind project
Public meetings on the draft environmental impact statement for the Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project will be held Sept. 9 and Sept. 10. The open houses are an opportunity to ask questions and submit written comments.
The applicant, Puget Sound Energy, Inc., proposes to construct and operate approximately 795 wind turbines that would generate approximately 1,432 megawatts from wind power in Garfield and Columbia counties. The project would occupy approximately 124,000 acres.
The meeting Sept. 9 is from 6-10 p.m. at ...
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Minnesota
30 Aug 2009
Bird counters map migration patterns to aid plans for wind turbines
CASTLE DANGER — A quick flitter in the treetops, then a chirp or short song is all it takes to get Anna Peterson to make a mark on her clipboard.
She pauses on her walk through the woods, checks her GPS and tallies another “unknown warbler.’’
Peterson experiences this nearly every morning in early fall; tiny songbirds unseen among the leaves or flying too fast for most people to identify. But the Natural Resources Research Institute researcher usually can hone in on ...
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Texas
30 Aug 2009
Renewable or nuclear energy? That’s just one question
By the end of next year, motorists coming into San Antonio on Interstate 37 will be met with an awesome sight: more than 200,000 shimmering solar panels turning the scorching sun into clean electricity to help power the city.
The project will make CPS Energy the state leader in solar power, a lofty position the company proudly touts along with its title as the nation’s top public utility for the use of wind power.
But when it comes to the biggest decision ...
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Pennsylvania
30 Aug 2009
1st of 67 wind turbines on rise in Bradford County
TROY – High atop Armenia Mountain, near this Bradford County borough and close to the Tioga County line, the first of nearly 70 giant wind turbines is rising into the sky.
According to Matt Riel, general manager of operations and maintenance with AES Armenia Mt. Wind, as of Tuesday three turbines had been erected and four others have been partially built.
The multimillion dollar project, which started this spring, is on schedule. It is expected to be completed by the end of ...
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Massachusetts
30 Aug 2009
Wind messages blown to Obama
As President Barack Obama and his family flew from Cape Cod to Martha’s Vineyard earlier this week, he may have looked to the east upon the water above Horseshoe Shoal. Depending on Marine One’s flight path, he might have even glimpsed the data collection tower installed there by Cape Wind Associates.
For Obama, the island visit will have been the closest he has come since being elected to one of the most ferocious debates to rage across the Cape and Islands ...
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Letters, Oregon
30 Aug 2009
Little benefit from wind farm
The Antelope Ridge Wind Farm that is being proposed for Ladd Canyon, and all along Craig Mountain from Hot Lake to Telocaset, causes serious concern as to its long-lasting impact.
There will be some local benefit for a few months in the summer of 2011. As long-term residents, we will be stuck with these towers and blinking lights forever or until they are decommissioned. As for decommissioning, that becomes a serious question since it has been found that Horizon Wind Energy ...
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Minnesota
27 Aug 2009
Lakefield Wind Project detailed
All negotiations with the 140 landowners who have a stake in the 134-tower wind turbine project landing next year between Lakefield and Jackson are complete, and enXco — the company behind it all — expects to eventually deliver 200 construction workers and eight to 12 full-time jobs to the local economy, in addition to tax revenue from the 201 megawatts of renewable energy.
EnXco Regional Project Development Manager Kate O’Hair briefed the Jackson County Board of Commissioners Tuesday on the details ...
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Blogs, New York, Property value
30 Aug 2009
Tax assessment lowered 60% due to adjacent wind turbine site
My house and land is in Prattsburgh, across from turbine sites for the Ecogen wind project, and my wife owns adjacent property in Naples. I’ve heard some people say “what’s happening in the hills with the wind turbines won’t affect me”. What these folks may not yet realize is that, if these turbines are allowed to damage the value of adjacent properties, THEIR taxes will go up. And the first step in this one-two process has just started.
Last month, I ...
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Australia
30 Aug 2009
MP Cheeseman claims he was threatened by wind farm protesters
A wind farm forum in Colac turned ugly as protesters allegedly assaulted and threatened to kill politicians and industry heads.
Federal Corangamite MP Darren Cheeseman said about 20 protesters waiting outside the private forum on Friday abused, threatened and shoved members of the 70-strong gathering as they left the the Colac Bowling Club, with remarks including “I’ll kill you”.
Mr Cheeseman said he was appalled by the protesters’ efforts to undermine constructive talks about renewable energy projects in the region.
“People had a ...
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Michigan
30 Aug 2009
Companies still interested in wind farms
At least six different meteorological towers or test towers have been up for some time in Gratiot County to test its wind capability.
And at least three companies are exploring the possibility of establishing wind turbine farms that would run diagonally from the northeast section of the county to the southwest, said Greater Gratiot Development President Don Schurr.
In the northeast section or in the Breckenridge, Bethany, Wheeler, Emerson and Lafayette township area, Wind Resources are developers working for another company.
In the ...
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Australia
30 Aug 2009
Wind farm finance up in the air
Now that the national wind industry has been given the green light for up to $20 billion of wind farm investment in the next 10 years, one question remains: how to finance it.
The passage of the 20-20 renewable energy target last week improves the economics of the wind farm business, because the price of renewable energy certificates should bridge the gap between the cost of operating wind turbines and the electricity price.
The project finance market is still tight, however, and ...
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New Zealand
30 Aug 2009
Wind-farm developer meets opponents
Submitters on the Mt Stuart wind farm proposal raised concerns about the project at a meeting on Saturday.
Central Otago company Pioneer Generation bought the Mt Stuart project, near Milton, from original developer NZ Windfarms Ltd earlier this year.
Pioneer Generation chief executive Peter Dowling said yesterday the meeting had been positive, with the company outlining its aims and submitters and residents giving their views.
It had been the first opportunity for the company to meet and discuss the project with submitters ...
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France
30 Aug 2009
Un collectif contre l’installation d’éoliennes
{Organized against wind turbine construction}
L’installation d’un parc éolien, à l’intersection des villages de Delettes, Enguinegatte et Erny-Saint-Julien, fait des mécontents parmi la population. Ils se sont réunis dans un collectif pour lutter contre la « prolifération des parcs éoliens ».
{The construction of a wind energy park, between the villages of Delettes, Enguinegatte, and Erny-Saint-Julien, is creating discontent among the population. They have joined in a collective to fight the "proliferation of wind energy parks".}
Les projets de parcs éoliens se multiplient ...
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Scotland
31 Aug 2009
Windfarm benefits are ‘exaggerated’
Economist’s report to trust on Lewis development
A conservation charity fears allegedly inaccurate claims of long-term economic benefit may lead to the Scottish Government approving a major windfarm on Lewis, despite environmental concerns.
A report, commissioned by the John Muir Trust, claims that the benefits of the Muaitheabhal windfarm have been “grossly exaggerated” by the developer, Beinn Mhor Power.
The study, by economist Professor Andrew Bain, claims that the long-term employment created by the development is only one third of the ...
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Ohio
31 Aug 2009
Perkins Schools turbines back up, but not running yet
When students pull into the Perkins High School parking lot today, they’ll see three wind turbines in front of them, fully assembled for the first time since February.
But the blades aren’t turning yet, and Perkins Schools superintendent Jim Gunner said the school will proceed cautiously in getting the system back up to full capacity.
The original 6-meter blades, some of which blew off during an especially windy day in February, are gone.
“Ultimately they weren’t designed appropriately to withstand the wind ...
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Letters, New York
31 Aug 2009
Camera tries to keep the record straight at Cape meetings
By now many people have seen the You Tube video of Cape Vincent Town Supervisor Tom Rienbeck attempting to have John Byrne arrested for video-recording a town meeting. People have weighed in on both sides. Bob Chapman in a recent Watertown Times letter criticized a Cape resident for a personal attack and outburst directed at Mr. Rienbeck during the meeting. I agree with Mr. Chapman. He also has called for the resident to apologize.
However, let’s have some perspective. A day ...
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Wyoming
31 Aug 2009
Anschutz wind project advances amid grouse doubt
The Power Company of Wyoming is moving forward with plans to build a 1,000-turbine wind farm that overlaps with state-identified sage grouse habitat in Carbon County.
More than half of the proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre project is slated for land identified by Wyoming as “core population areas” for sage grouse.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing whether to list the sage grouse as threatened or endangered. A decision is expected in February.
President Bill Miller says the company is awaiting ...
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Colorado, U.S.
31 Aug 2009
Renewable energy does have its price
Wind farms and solar power plants may offer free fuel costs and no carbon-dioxide emissions, but don’t assume there’s universal support from environmentalists, according to industry observers.
“The world is changing,” said Andrew Spielman, a partner at the Denver office of Hogan & Hartson LLC who works on renewable-energy projects. Spielman was part of a panel discussing issues in the renewable-energy sector at the Colorado Oil & Gas Association’s annual natural gas strategy conference.
“There are more complexities with renewable projects,” he ...
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Ohio
31 Aug 2009
Norwalk proposes wind study
Eager to capitalize on the wide array of green energy grants available, Norwalk officials are scrambling to find money to pay for a wind study in the Maple City.
A wind study that shows promising data could help secure state and federal grants to defray the cost of building wind turbines, said Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch.
“We’re trying to get in line for grant money to see how we can fund this study, because to get grants to build the turbines, ...
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England
31 Aug 2009
Horspath wind turbine ‘will harm landscape’
Campaigners fighting to protect the Oxfordshire countryside have claimed plans for a 130m tall wind turbine on the edge of the city would damage the landscape and dwarf nearby homes.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England Oxfordshire, which aims to promote and protect rural parts of the county, said the plans should be put on hold until more research had been done on the impact of on-shore wind turbines.
Oxford City Council ann-ounced its proposals for a £3m turbine between the Cowley ...
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U.K.
31 Aug 2009
Winning over the ‘Nimby blockade’
Developers of wind turbines and other energy schemes need to learn to work with – not against – local communities to get their plans approved, according to a new UK government study.
There’s BLOT- Belvoir Locals Opposing Turbines, there’s HALT in Beccles, there’s AMP in Matlock and SOUL- Save Our Unspoiled Landscape in Berwickshire.
All over the country there are groups – more than 150 of them at the last count – fighting against renewable energy projects in their neighbourhoods.
The government says ...
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England
31 Aug 2009
BT: We’ll consult over turbines
British Telecom has promised to carry out vigorous public consultation before submitting plans for a wind farm in the East Riding.
The company is drawing up plans for a five-turbine development at Skeffling in Holderness, just south of the wind farm at Out Newton, which is near Easington.
BT uses nearly one per cent of energy produced in the UK and is planning to generate its own electricity by setting up renewable schemes.
But renewable energy has become a controversial topic in ...
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Prince Edward Island
31 Aug 2009
Residents still hoping for resolution to powerline concerns
FORESTVIEW – Residents along the Locke Road and the western end of the Howlan Road say they are feeling discriminated against by Maritime Electric.
Earlier this year the utility installed a power corridor from Howlan to Sherbrooke, staying clear of practically every residential property along the way. Then the utility removed the high voltage line from the right-of-way along the eastern end of the Howlan Road.
“They just keep putting us off and putting us off, hoping we’ll go away,” said Clyde ...
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Israel
31 Aug 2009
Draft tender published for Negev wind farms
The National Infrastructures Ministry and the Israel Lands Administration on Sunday published a draft tender for creating new wind farms.
The public’s input is requested for the final version. The draft tender is available on the ministry’s Web site (www.mni.gov.il) for comment until September 30.
As part of a cabinet decision last year which set a goal of producing 10 percent of Israel’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020, the ministry has been putting into play a number of alternative energy ...
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England
31 Aug 2009
Tea party fund-raiser for wind turbine campaign
Campaigners fighting plans for wind turbines near their homes yesterday halted their protests for a traditional cup of tea and family fun.
They held a canal-side tea party in Burston, near Stone, to draw attention to and raise money for their fight against Severn Trent’s proposals to site the three turbines in the area.
It was staged by the Stone and Trent Valley Oppose turbines (STOP) group and Burston Villa Farm where there were stalls, refreshments, children’s games plus displays of the ...
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California
31 Aug 2009
Out-of-state power projects criticized
Utilities trying to meet mandate for renewables
In May, 62 wind turbines started sending electricity from southern Washington state to the Turlock Irrigation District.
Next year, a nearby wind project in northern Oregon will start supplying the Modesto Irrigation District.
The agencies have taken big strides when it comes to renewable power, but the recent projects raise a question for them and other utilities: Why not produce the energy in California, which has plenty of renewable sources and could use the jobs ...
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California, Opinions
31 Aug 2009
California condors, wind farms on collision course
Two of California’s greatest environmental causes, renewable energy and saving the California condor, are on a collision course.
The explosion of lethal prop-style wind farms being built in condor habitat is putting the hard-won future of the condor at risk.
Many condors undoubtedly perish at such wind farms, although official reports attribute losses to other causes. Remember, great financial investments often warrant great cover-ups by those who stand to lose money.
Nearly 1/3 of the captive-bred California condors — released into the wild ...
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