National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Letters, Scotland
30 Sep 2009

Concern over windfarm scheme
Your readers know that swathes of the population are conflicted by the potential industrialisation of Scotland’s wild open spaces – the impact of wind farms on tourism, fisheries and wildlife – and the accepted need to reduce carbon emissions. Relatively few, however, will have had access to the publicly available responses of Scottish Natural Heritage – the statutory guardian of Scotland’s natural heritage – to the applications lodged by developers with local councils to construct the wind farms. Up until ...

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Scotland
30 Sep 2009

Heritage agency objects to Dava wind farm plan
Scottish National Heritage (SNH) have objected to plans to construct the Tom nan Clach wind farm on Dava Moor despite siding with the developers, who claim views and tourism will not be ruined by the turbines. The Scottish Government’s environment agency have outlined a series of concerns over the proposal for 17 turbines which echo concerns made by some residents at a meeting on the development in Carrbridge earlier this month. Nanclach Ltd – a company made up of Cawdor Estate and ...

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U.K.
30 Sep 2009

Infrastructure change ‘will fast-track planning’
More than 50 of Britain’s biggest energy projects, including wind farms, power stations, gas storage sites and high-voltage transmission lines, could be fast-tracked through the planning system under powers handed to the Government today. In the biggest shake-up to Britain’s planning regime in 60 years, the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), formally came into existence this month. Its goal will be to slash the time needed to secure planning consent for projects considered to be of national importance ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Scotland
01 Oct 2009

Neighbours object to giant wind turbine close to homes
A bid to erect a single wind turbine in a layby next to the A1 has been branded a “major health and safety issue” by two Dunbar residents. On Tuesday, planners will mull over an application for an 18-metre-tall turbine – with a 13-metre blade span – to be sited south of Spott Roundabout, near to the John Muir Way and close to the East Coast main railway line. But the proposal, submitted by Community Windpower – operators of the Aikengall windfarm ...

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England
01 Oct 2009

Big name backing for wind farm fight
Big name backing has come forward in opposition to two proposed wind farms at Spaldington who claim the turbines would be “visually horrific, inappropriate and ineffective”. Throwing their weight behind the STOP (Spaldington Turbines Opposition Project) group is not only Howden and Haltemprice MP David Davies but MEP Godfrey Bloom and international best-selling author Frederick Forsyth. A total of 14 turbines, which will be as high as 126m and tower three times higher than Howden’s landmark Minster, are proposed separately by renewable ...

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Wisconsin, Video
02 Oct 2009

Doyle signs new wind farm law
CALUMET COUNTY – A new law will make regulation of wind farm sites uniform throughout the state. Governor Jim Doyle signed a bill Wednesday afternoon requiring statewide standards for the construction and operation of wind farms, but not everyone is embracing the change. “Property values have plummeted, some people can’t even get people to look at their homes when they put them up for sale,” Calumet County Resident Ronald Dietrich said. Dietrich says the Public Service Commission rules that regulate wind projects ...

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Ontario
02 Oct 2009

Turbines out of reach: Officials tell frustrated crowd there’s little they can do about wind farm health concerns
Medical officer of health Dr. Hazel Lynn told a crowd of angry citizens opposed to wind farms last night that she also has concerns about health effects of the giant turbines, but lacks the power to alter green-energy legislation. “I certainly appreciate the fact that people are suffering and I want to know why and what to do about it,” she said during an information meeting at the Grey Bruce Health Unit. However Lynn told the crowd of about 120 that their ...

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New Jersey
02 Oct 2009

Sparta’s wind power project is shelved
Sparta — Officials announced last week they will put Sparta’s proposed wind power project on hold for the time being and explore other alternative energy options. New Jersey recently opened its energy credit market to national trading, which reduced the value of credits the township could earn for wind generated power. This would lessen the return on Sparta’s investment in the project, rendering it substantially less cost effective. In other words, this attempt to go green will not bring in ...

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Maine
02 Oct 2009

Wind power concerns many; Residents say plans are moving too fast
ROCKPORT, Maine — Offshore wind power may have the capacity to help the state free itself ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Switzerland
02 Oct 2009

La Chaux-de-Fonds fait opposition aux éoliennes du Crêt-Meuron
{La Chaux-de-Fonds opposes Crêt-Meuron wind turbines -- The village of La Chaux-de-Fonds wants to halt the wind energy project on Crêt-Meuron. It wants first to be consulted and to create a cantonal, even intercantonal, energy policy plan, and not just wind. The village requests that the modification of the cantonal land use plan for the Crêt-Meuron wind park be canceled. It seizes the opportunity of that very formal and minor revision to prevent all development of the Crêt-Meuron wind park, writes ...

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Vermont
03 Oct 2009

Clarendon, state clash on wind
CLARENDON — Municipal officials believe the state ought to consider electing rather than appointing members of the Public Service Board, to ensure citizens have a voice in what goes on in their communities. The state board has come under local fire recently after approving certificates of public good for wind measurement towers to be located on mountain tops in Ira and Clarendon. The project’s developer, Vermont Community Wind Farm, has proposed erecting wind turbines on Herrick Mountain in Ira and Susie’s Peak ...

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England
03 Oct 2009

New twist in Norfolk wind farm saga
A Norfolk wind farm will next week be involved in trialling a new turbine blade that it is hoped will not be detected by radar. The blade, known as a stealth blade, has been created by wind turbine manufacturer Vestas and one of the blades will be used at North Pickenham wind farm, near Swaffham, ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Letters, Ontario
03 Oct 2009

Rural residents paying price for green energy act
I wish to express my grave concerns with the passing of Ontario’s Green Energy Act. No matter where anyone buys a home, if it is near agricultural land, there is no guarantee that this land will not be used to erect industrial wind turbines more than 400 feet high, a mere 550 metres ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Maine
05 Oct 2009

Finger pointing, fisticuffs (almost) and few answers at Freedom tax forum
Freedom residents wondering how their taxes could have gone up this year despite a new $10 million wind development crowded into the Dirigo Grange Hall Sept. 30 expecting to have questions answered by an official ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Ontario
06 Oct 2009

Well-organized opponents have developers’ attention
Local groups determined to block wind projects have interfered with many developers’ plans for wind in Ontario. Ontario-based developer AIM PowerGen proposed building four 9.9 MW wind projects in Harrow, Ontario, in 2007. But two years later, the company is still waiting for its building permit – a process that typically takes no more than six months to complete. What’s the holdup? Local opponents have bird-dogged town officials to overly vet AIM PowerGen’s wind project, citing health concerns, according to Dave Timm, ...

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Blogs, Ontario
06 Oct 2009

Attention Ontario: new Danish study proves wind energy is a waste of $$$
I just finished reading a new September 2009 study conducted by the CEPOS (Center for Politiske Studier) entitled “Wind Energy: The case of Denmark”. It was a 39 page study that revealed what I and many others across the province have concerns about, that wind energy; particularly in the United States and Canada at present time, is a waste of money. It’s no secret that the Ontario government payed a great deal of attention to Denmark’s wind industry when crafting the ...

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France
06 Oct 2009

Après Grenelle 2, l’éolien plus difficile à implanter
{After Grenelle 2, wind energy more difficult to install -- Senators, looking at the Grenelle 2 law, agreed Monday to toughen the condition for installing wind turbines in France even though the renewable energy development plan is to increase facilities tenfold by 2020. Land-based wind turbines will join in 2011 the system for installations classed for protection of the environment, which promises to complicate authorization procedures.} PARIS — Les sénateurs, qui examinent la loi Grenelle 2, ont accepté lundi de durcir ...

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Minnesota
06 Oct 2009

Wind farm concerns residents
Residents expressed concerns about potential problems that could be caused by a proposed commercial wind farm. The concerns raised during Tuesday’s Otter Tail County Board meeting were a noise level that could impact residents’ health, safety, a negative economic impact for land owners and an inability to spray crops. Prairie Wind Energy LLC is proposing a 40-turbine project to be located in Parkers Prairie, Elmo, Effington and Folden Townships, according to a June letter written by Prairie Wind Energy President Terry Carlson. ...

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New Hampshire
07 Oct 2009

Wind turbine variance decision on hold
After holding a public hearing for the first proposed wind turbine in Gilford, and without an engineer to answer specific technical questions, the Zoning Board of Adjustment decided to resume the hearing at a later date. Lorraine and Richard Lavalliere, who live at 62 Belknap Point Road, are seeking a variance for their classified “small wind energy system,” to place the wind turbine somewhere other than their 150-foot wide shorefront. Their attorney, Regina Nadeau, explained that the Gilford Zoning Ordinance for ...

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Maine
07 Oct 2009

Wind farm proposals multiply
RUMFORD – With dozens of wind turbines proposed in a half-dozen towns in various stages of planning, the Wind Farm Development Committee of Rumford is planning a panel discussion on the pros and cons of such development. The forum begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 in Muskie Auditorium of Mountain Valley High School. The local committee is particularly concerned with tentative plans by First Wind, LLC, of Newton, Mass., to site a 40-megawatt wind farm on the ridge that connects Black, South ...

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Wales
07 Oct 2009

Concerns over impact of Denbighshire windfarm on tourism
The cumulative effect of three wind farms in close within miles of each other could be disastrous for tourism and the environment in an area of natural beauty, it is claimed. Earlier this year Denbighshire County Council approved plans for a 16 turbine wind farm to the East of Llyn Brenig. Currently a public inquiry is being held into a 13-turbine development at Nant Glyn, and there are proposals for 32 turbines in the Clocaenog Forest near Ruthin. “Taken on their own ...

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Letters, New Brunswick
07 Oct 2009

Most residents do not want wind turbines
As a previous correspondent to the Victoria Star has stated, I chose to buy a home in New Denmark because of the peace, quiet and natural beauty of this community. And speaking of nature, where else could I see and hear literally hundreds of Canada geese flying over plus deer, moose and bear moving through the area? All of this is, of course, threatened by an ill-advised proposal to establish industrial wind turbines throughout this area and near my own ...

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Massachusetts, Press releases
07 Oct 2009

Patrick Administration Appoints Two Regional Coordinators for Green Communities Program
Officials will help Central and Southeastern Massachusetts cities and towns qualify for grants and achieve municipal energy goals BOSTON – Continuing its implementation of the Green Communities Program created by last year’s landmark energy reform legislation, the Patrick Administration today announced the appointment of two regional coordinators who will help local officials in central and southeastern Massachusetts cut energy bills through local policies and targeted investments that encourage greater energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner ...

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Minnesota
07 Oct 2009

Minnesota man fights plans for wind turbines
A battle is blowing up south of the metro over a plan to harness wind energy. Two Minnesota companies, Sparks Energy and Medin Energy, want to build six, 230-feet-tall wind turbines in Greenvale Township, which is located about five miles east of Northfield in Dakota County. Sparks Energy officials said the project would supply clean power to 3,000 homes in Northfield, Lakeville and Farmington. But one man is doing everything he can to stop the project. Hardware store owner Dan Hron said, “I’ve had ...

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Maine
07 Oct 2009

Wind power generates controversy in Maine
Hundreds of wind energy enthusiasts gathered for Maine’s first “Wind Energy Conference” in Augusta today. Supporters say wind power could mean big business for Maine. But as NECN’s Amy Sinclair reports, not all Mainers are enthusiastic about these winds of change. To supporters, these turning turbines are symbols of clean renewable energy and economic growth. Opponents view them as symbols of government waste and environmental destruction. Both sides came to be heard at Maine’s first statewide wind energy conference held today in Augusta. And conference ...

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Ontario
07 Oct 2009

Wind concerns
A group of concerned citizens is blown away by the city’s plan to lease land near Big Thunder to make a wind farm. Around 50 people were at the Neebing Roadhouse Tuesday evening to form the first Nor’Wester Mountains Escarpment Citizens Coalition meeting. The group discussed environmental, social and health concerns about the proposed Big Thunder Wind Park; a 27 megawatt farm that would place 18 turbines across the Neebing skyline. Coalition interim chair John Beals said he first heard about ...

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Virginia
07 Oct 2009

Tazewell officials hope for wind energy study by next week
TAZEWELL, Va. — A long-awaited wind energy economic impact study for Tazewell County could be ready as early as next week. County Administrator Jim Spencer had to leave in the middle of Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to take a phone call ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Maine
07 Oct 2009

Baldacci touts wind potential; Protesters say Maine ignores turbine impact
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci and a national energy expert on Tuesday touted Maine’s capacity to become a major producer of wind power and manufacturing jobs as the nation shifts to greener sources of energy. But just outside the wind energy conference where the two men spoke, several dozen protesters accused the Baldacci administration and wind power companies of ignoring the impacts that the enormous turbines can have on the health and property values of nearby residents as well as ...

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England, Press releases
07 Oct 2009

MEP joins fight to save countryside
MEP Paul Nuttall has joined a campaign against wind turbines being erected in the Bickerton area. After meeting members of the action group, Stop Bickerton Wind Turbines, Paul Nuttall has vowed to do all he can to help their campaign. Durham-based Banks Developments is considering building a cluster of industrial wind turbines on a site overlooked by Bickerton Hill and Cholmondeley Estate and Gardens, two of Cheshire’s most popular beauty spots. Modern turbines stand 125 metres high and local residents are furious ...

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Minnesota
07 Oct 2009

Landowners’ concerns over future wind farm
A proposed 40 turbine wind farm in Otter Tail County is causing local landowners to take their concerns straight to the otter tail county board. Each farmer and business owner gave a different reason why the board should reconsider allowing the turbines to move in or even create laws to make sure each are put in the right place. Fred Liljegren is one of many who live close to where a proposed 40-turbine wind far may be put up by Prairie ...

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Wales
07 Oct 2009

Residents vow to fight wind farm
Residents in a south Wales valley say they plan to fight an appeal to build a wind farm. Developers have lodged the appeal to build four wind turbines on a Blaenau Gwent mountain, following a decision to unanimously reject the application. Campaigners say Blaenau Gwent mountain has a history of landslides and they are worried over safety and impact. But developers Eco2 argue the wind farm could create 50 new jobs and generate enough to power for 20,000 homes. Residents ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Ohio
08 Oct 2009

City Council to hold emergency meeting Friday
Mayor Ruth Zerkle scheduled an emergency meeting of the Urbana City Council for 11:30 a.m. Friday after the Airport Growth Advisory Board contacted city officials Wednesday about the approaching deadline for parties to file for the right to be heard on the wind turbine issue. That deadline is Friday afternoon. The memo ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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France, Moratorium
09 Oct 2009

Éoliennes : faut-il faire une pause ?
{Wind turbines: should we take a break?} Le département du Pas-de-Calais compte 160 éoliennes ou aérogénérateurs, 291 permis de construire ont été accordés par le préfet, 191 sont en cours d’instruction : ce qui le place en troisième position au niveau national. Les éoliennes ont leurs farouches défenseurs (dix ont été inaugurées début juillet dans le Pernois) et de zélés opposants notamment du côté de Barly et Grand-Rullecourt où devraient pousser vingt-cinq machines. Si personne ne conteste la nécessité de substituer aux ...

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Editorials, Ontario
09 Oct 2009

Murdoch right in taking up cause to stall wind farms
Bill Murdoch has raised his hand at Queen’s Park. His message: “Hang on folks, let’s rethink this wind power business.” Murdoch wants a moratorium on further big wind power development projects until provincial health and environmental authorities can attest to their safety, for people and for livestock. This comes late in the game. The Green Energy Act is law. Regulations on wind turbine setbacks have been set. Wind energy companies are buying up rights in Grey- Bruce. For this wave of big-money development ...

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England
09 Oct 2009

‘Brodsworth visitors oppose wind farm’
Campaigners fighting plans for a windfarm at Hampole were today planning to tell Doncaster councillors it was not just nearby residents who opposed the scheme. HALT – Hampole Against Large Turbines – were addressing a specially-called technical meeting for members of the council’s planning committee. The protesters said hundreds of visitors to nearby Brodsworth Hall had also signed letters protesting against the plans. Today’s meeting was being held to give both the protesters and the electricity company wanting to build the turbines, more ...

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Editorials, Maine
09 Oct 2009

Pass the conch, Ron
The failure of an official ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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California
10 Oct 2009

Energy company proposes wind project for Boulevard
An energy company filed a permit application Friday with San Diego County to develop a wind farm near the community of Boulevard. Iberdrola Renewables said its proposed Tule Wind Power project includes 12 wind turbines, access roads, and a 138-kV transmission line on 1,600 acres of private land near Boulevard in East San Diego County. The company says an additional 100-125 turbines are planned on adjacent Bureau of Land Management, state and tribal lands in the McCain Valley. Edmund Clark with Iberdrola Renewables ...

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Pennsylvania
10 Oct 2009

Fayette officials give conditional approval for windmills
The Fayette County Planning Commission Thursday conditionally approved plans to build 22 wind turbines along Chestnut Ridge in Georges and Springhill townships. Iberdrola Renewables of Portland, Ore., has sought approval for the project ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Ireland
12 Oct 2009

Battle over plans for wind turbines as tall as Liberty Hall
A Dublin farmer has defended plans to build two massive wind turbines on his land, which objectors say will “destroy the natural beauty” of the area. If built, the wind farm in Naul would have turbines more than 100 metres high — each of them considerably taller than Liberty Hall. Finian Reilly, who is seeking planning permission for the development, insists they have to be at least this big to be economically viable. Mr Reilly has applied to Fingal County Council for permission ...

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New Zealand
12 Oct 2009

Turbine noise ‘no health hazard’
Noise ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Ontario
13 Oct 2009

Public wants moratorium on wind turbines
The answer is blowing in the wind, at least for the provincial government. Local residents aren’t so sure, if a meeting held last week in Walkerton is any indication. And now they’re getting backing ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Massachusetts
14 Oct 2009

Hancock Wind project halted by court
HANCOCK — Construction of 10 wind turbines along Brodie Mountain has stopped after Massachusetts Land Court issued a temporary injunction against Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corp. late last week. The injunction, obtained by abutter Silverleaf Resorts Inc. as part of a pending lawsuit, prevents Berkshire Wind ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Michigan
15 Oct 2009

Michigan identifies 4 regions with wind potential
LANSING, Mich. – A state board has issued its final report identifying four regions in Michigan with the most potential to harvest wind into energy. Region 1 includes parts of Allegan County. Region 2 includes parts of Antrim and Charlevoix counties. Region 3 includes parts of Benzie, Leelanau and Manistee counties. And Region 4 includes parts of Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, Bay and Saginaw counties. The Wind Energy Resource Zone Board was created by a 2008 state law to estimate wind-generation capacity. Its report was issued ...

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Scotland
15 Oct 2009

Fallago Rig wind farm inquiry to be re-opened
The saga of the proposed 48 turbine wind farm at Fallago Rig has taken another twist this week – the Scottish Government finally agreeing to the many calls for the public inquiry to be re-opened. The Reporter, Ms Karen Heywood, who heard the original public inquiry back in February 2008, has been appointed to re-open the inquiry and although no firm date has yet been fixed for it to start, it is hoped to be in January next year, almost two ...

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Maryland
15 Oct 2009

Garrett County residents, energy company clash over wind farm
BALTIMORE – Garrett County residents told the Maryland Public Service Commission Wednesday that a proposed wind farm would be noisy, ineffective and potentially put them in danger. Representatives for Synergics Wind Energy, the developers of the proposed 24-turbine wind farm in Garrett County, said the project would provide clean energy and be completely safe. The commission is expected to rule on the project in the near future. Residents who own land next to the site on Backbone Mountain voiced several concerns, but ...

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New York
15 Oct 2009

Perry wind project suspended
PERRY — Horizon Wind Energy has suspended its plans for a windmill farm in Perry, Town Clerk Sarah Ballinger said Thursday morning. “We just made the announcement yesterday,” she said, referring to Wednesday night’s Town Board meeting. Ballinger did not have any other details about Horizon’s decision, other than Town Supervisor Jim Brick was notified by e-mail this week about the change. Brick could not be reached to comment Thursday morning. Anne Humphrey, project manager for Horizon’s Dairy Hills Wind Project in the towns ...

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Prince Edward Island
15 Oct 2009

Tignish says no to windmills
While P. E. I.’s provincial government continues to promote the benefits of wind power, the West Prince community of Tignish has rejected it. A unanimous vote by Tignish council this week banned wind turbines in the community, which is just south of the Wind Energy Research Institute of Canada at North Cape. That came as bad news for the Tignish Sports Association, which operates the Tignish Credit Union Arena. The association was hoping to be part of a program that would see windmills built ...

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Editorials, New Hampshire
15 Oct 2009

How much wind energy is coming out of Lempster?
Wind power is immensely attractive in more than a few ways. Like tidal power, it’s seemingly benign and non polluting, and doesn’t involve exporting our energy dollars abroad year after year. But wind power isn’t all that simple. For example, it doesn’t work just anywhere. Despite the best intentions of the city of Keene, which is known widely for environmental innovation, two studies have found that local wind patterns aren’t strong or steady enough to justify investments in turbines. Separately, last March, ...

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Rhode Island
15 Oct 2009

Breakdown stalls Portsmouth turbine for nearly a week
PORTSMOUTH — Those strong westerly breezes last week might have produced an electricity windfall for the town except for one problem — the wind turbine slept through them all. “It broke,” Assistant Town Planner Gary Crosby said Thursday when asked why the turbine had not been turning for over five days despite stiff breezes. Mr. Crosby, who is the town’s turbine coordinator, added that he expected repairs to be complete within a day or two but still, “It’s a shame to see ...

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New Mexico
15 Oct 2009

Council OKs wind turbines
There is now a legal way to harness the wind in Edgewood. At the Oct. 7 Town Council meeting, all four councilors approved an ordinance amendment that allows residents to erect wind turbines on their property. The approval came after hearing ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Ohio
16 Oct 2009

Turbine proposal prompts concern by CareFlight pilot, OSP commander
In addition to local residents, emergency first responders are considering how the proposal to site 70 wind turbines in Champaign County will impact them. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued notices of presumed hazard to navigable airspace for 38 of the proposed sites, noting their potential negative impact on Grimes Field, where a CareFlight hangar is located, and the privately-owned Weller Airport, which was used for a helicopter landing and takeoff to transport a crash victim on Oct. 6. (See graphic ...

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Minnesota
16 Oct 2009

Wind farm plan may set precedent for metro area
Neighbors ask for limits to multiple turbines near homes Decisions made regarding the 11-megawatt Greenvale Township Wind Farm proposal could set precedent for siting multiple turbines near homes in the metro area, say neighbors who are asking that groups of turbines have a mile-long setback ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Spain
17 Oct 2009

Nice and sleazy does it . . .
Spain, meanwhile, is in the grip of “eco-corruption” scandals. Officials in the town of La Muela have been arrested, charged with demanding backhanders to allow the building of wind farms. Townsfolk were allegedly sent on holidays to Brazil, Mexico and the Caribbean as bribes for their complicity. Elsewhere, officials have been sacked and arrested for giving licences for setting up solar-power gardens to relatives, and selling them under the counter to cowboy operators. When inspectors checked 30 solar gardens, only ...

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California
18 Oct 2009

Renewable energy projects threaten some of California’s rarest plants
The proposed construction of massive wind and solar energy projects on public land in the California desert would hasten destruction and further fragment land that is home to 17% of state’s rarest plants, botanists said Saturday. “Most of the solar and wind projects currently under review are in the wrong places,” said Greg Suba, conservation program director for the California Native Plant Society. He and other experts spoke at Cal State Fullerton for the Southern California Botanists’ 35th annual symposium. “We believe ...

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Ontario, Opinions
18 Oct 2009

My faith in green technology is blowing in the wind
There’s a farmer in Northumberland County, east of Oshawa, who wants to build a house for his daughter on his farm, but he can’t because he’s on the heavily protected Oak Ridges Moraine. But it’s OK to lease his land to a company that will put up multiple wind turbines and turn his property into a wind farm. And they’ll pay him five figures a year to do it. That’s just one of many contradictions emerging as wind project proposals multiply ...

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British Columbia
18 Oct 2009

Sidney’s wind prospector
A modern gold rush is unfolding in the Peace River country of northeast B. C. with a small Sidney company staking billions in claims. The treasure is wind, enough to generate as much electricity as B. C. Hydro currently produces, says entrepreneur Juergen Puetter. The founder of Aeolis Wind Power Corp. and Blue Fuel Energy has spent the last six years “prospecting” by light plane and helicopter for wind across the province. He is convinced he has found the motherlode in the foothills ...

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U.K.
18 Oct 2009

General Electric looks to build £200m wind farm plant in UK
A GE briefing note seen by The Sunday Telegraph says that the firm is now looking for “targeted financial support for the development” and is in discussions with the Department of Business, Innovations and Skills and the Department for Energy and Climate Change. It is also considering sites in Germany and Scandinavia, and will make a decision on where to build the new plant by the end of the year. GE officials have also met Greg Barker, shadow climate change minister, ...

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England
18 Oct 2009

Eden council approves wind test mast near Lazonby
A wind monitoring mast is to be installed near Lazonby ahead of plans by energy giant E.on to build five new wind turbines. Eden council’s planning committee this week approved plans for the 60-metre monitoring mast to be built on Scratchmere Scar Farm near the village, which the company will use to check the land’s suitability for a windfarm. However, objector John Nicol, speaking at the meeting, described the mast as ‘monstrous’, and warned that it could lead to ‘the rape of ...

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New York
19 Oct 2009

Foes of Henderson wind project organize
HEART OF HENDERSON: Committees studying various aspects; some members against turbines in general HENDERSON — Not so fast! Opponents of the proposed industrial wind development in the town have formed a group called Heart of Henderson. The group, which has more than a dozen members so far, is made up of both seasonal and full-time residents of the town. They have become more vocal as the details of the possible Stony Point Wind Farm become clear. Stony Point Wind Energy LLC is ...

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Scotland
19 Oct 2009

SNP delegates face windfarm protest
SNP conference delegates in Inverness were faced with a giant billboard mounted on a lorry driven by a solitary protester challenging the party’s “broken election pledge” to cap onshore windfarm development. Highlands Against Windfarms campaigner Bob Graham made his point, with the aid of a cab-mounted speaker system, outside Eden Court Theatre. But he feared his message had largely fallen on deaf ears. Mr Graham said: “The two days I was there, it was interesting to talk to members of the SNP ...

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Ontario, Opinions
19 Oct 2009

Opposition to wind turbines starting to grow; Health effects, noise, costs are concerns
There’s a farmer in Northumberland County, east of Oshawa, who wants to build a house for his daughter on his farm, but he can’t because he’s on the heavily protected Oak Ridges Moraine. But it’s OK to lease his land to a company that will put up multiple wind turbines and turn his property into a wind farm. And they’ll pay him five figures a year to do it. That’s just one of many contradictions emerging as wind project proposals multiply like ...

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Australia
19 Oct 2009

Residents angry over wind farm plans
A Tamworth public inquiry into wind farms in the northern tablelands has heard the developments do not comply with local planning guidelines. The New South Wales Planning Department has bypassed local government controls to push the projects through. A number of residents told the inquiry that noise and vibrations ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Vermont
20 Oct 2009

Residents in challenge to wind tower placement
CLARENDON – A temporary wind measurement tower erected on Susie’s Peak has local officials crying foul over its placement. The tower, built by Vermont Community Wind Farm, was not placed at the site approved by the state Public Service Board, according to Clarendon Select Board Chairman Michael Klopchin. A small group of concerned residents used global positioning satellite equipment to pinpoint the location of the VCWF tower, he said. “According to one of the guys, who is a surveyor, it’s 230 meters south ...

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Ontario
20 Oct 2009

Ontario wind power plans face legal challenge
A farmer in Prince Edward County is taking the Ontario government to court over its plans to boost wind farm development across the province. The Ontario government has proposed building a wind farm containing five turbines within 900 metres of Ian Hanna’s home on Big Island in the Bay of Quinte, just south of Belleville. His community of about 100 homes will be overwhelmed by the turbines, he said. “As a father, as a husband, I became very concerned about the welfare of ...

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Ontario
20 Oct 2009

Council tries to slow turbines
Arran-Elderslie is likely to impose a one-year moratorium, with a possible one-year extension, on construction of large wind turbines. Council is expected to pass an interim control bylaw Oct. 26 despite being told by the provincial government such bylaws are not allowed. “There are a lot of people with some real concerns about these turbines,” Elderslie ward Coun. Mark Davis told council. “I don’t have a problem side-stepping Dalton (Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty) and taking our own action,” Davis said. He added a ...

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Scotland
20 Oct 2009

Planners warn about windfarm
The combined impact of two windfarms on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park would damage the area’s pristine landscape, planners have warned. Cairngorms National Park Authority officials lodged a formal objection to Infinergy’s plans for a 17-turbine scheme at Tom nan Clach, on the Cawdor Estate, at a planning committee meeting at Ballater on Friday. The park authority has already opposed a proposal for 31 wind turbines at nearby Glenkirk. The nearest turbine would stand about a mile ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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West Virginia
21 Oct 2009

Environmentalists divided over wind farm, endangered bats
GREENBRIER COUNTY, W. Va. — Workers atop mountain ridges are putting together 389-foot windmills with massive blades that will turn Appalachian breezes into energy. Retiree David Cowan is fighting to stop them. Because of the bats. Cowan, 72, a longtime caving fanatic who grew to love bats as he slithered through tunnels ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Illinois, Letters
22 Oct 2009

Wind turbine tax promise lacks substance
A well-rehearsed claim repeatedly trumpeted by wind project developers, and those wanting to join with them, promises substantial new property tax revenues as a windfall for our schools and counties. This argument becomes a tool used to disarm those neighbors who are opposed to these mammoth towers and the disruption to this agricultural community. As I have investigated these claims of promised new tax revenues, I was struck by what is not shared: Subsequent appeals of the taxes, attempts to claim ...

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New Brunswick
22 Oct 2009

Debate on wind power blows stronger in Sackville
The debate raged for over an hour in council chambers; yet it soon became clear that, when it comes to wind power development in Sackville, a compromise might not easily be reached between the two sides. Several councillors expressed concerns over the aesthetics and potential health effects of wind turbines; while others pointed to not only the environmental benefits but the economic opportunities that come with wind energy. A couple members of council remained unsure of which way to turn. But no ...

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England
22 Oct 2009

120m wind turbine plan unveiled for Hackney Marshes
A wind turbine twice as tall as Nelson’s Column could be erected on Hackney Marshes, the home of grassroots football. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) wants to place the 120m structure on East Marsh to generate renewable energy as part of the legacy of the 2012 games. An 80m exclusion zone will be set up around the stem of the turbine, restricting access to green space for marsh users. Town Hall chiefs are behind the proposal because the turbine will give the local ...

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Washington
22 Oct 2009

Behind closed doors: council ponders Desert Claim Wind Power Project
KITTITAS COUNTY — The state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, or EFSEC, today resumes deliberations on whether to approve the 95-turbine, $330 million Desert Claim Wind Power Project proposed for eight miles northwest of Ellensburg. EFSEC’s seven members were scheduled to gather again behind closed doors in Olympia at 1 p.m. today, according to EFSEC Manager Allen Fiksdal. The council first began deliberations at a Sept. 22 session and since have been communicating among themselves via e-mail and telephone conversations. It was earlier ...

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Wisconsin
22 Oct 2009

Turbines spin heads right around
As talk of a 90-turbine wind farm in Columbia County has stirred up, similar discussions are taking place a little closer to home. Proposals have been made for UW-Green Bay to get a wind turbine of its own. UWGB’s Student Government Association vice-president, Nick Vlies, made working to get a turbine for campus part of his platform when running for the position with President Joe Tyrrell. “We’re right off the bay,” Vlies said. “We have a great supply of wind here.” As for ...

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England
22 Oct 2009

Wind farm row reaches Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons was today quizzed on plans for a major windfarm in East Huntspill. Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, whose constituency includes East Huntspill, told the Weekly News he had asked Commons leader Harriett Harman about the government’s policy on where wind farms should be built. He said: “I know they have renewable energy targets to meet but I asked her why should they be built on areas of outstanding beauty and national importance such as the Levels. “Her ...

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New Zealand
22 Oct 2009

Contact wind farm moves ‘disgraceful’
Contact Energy shareholders ticked off the power company for its “disgraceful” handling of a planned $1 billion Waikato wind farm and for not giving a steer on Contact’s future profits. Contact admitted that at present the economics for the massive wind farm did not stack up, though it still hoped to get a consent for the Waikato project by the end of next year. Speaking at the annual meeting in Wellington yesterday, Contact chairman Grant King said it would “not be prudent” ...

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England, Press releases
22 Oct 2009

Stop Knocking Planning: CPRE chief executive challenges the wind industry at its annual meeting
Speaking today, Thursday, at the annual meeting of the British Wind Energy Association, CPRE’s {1} Chief Executive, Shaun Spiers, will issue a challenge to the wind energy industry to engage with local people and work within the planning system. Shaun will say: ‘Planning is too often blamed for stopping wind farms.  Of course the planning system does stop some developments – it would not be a very effective system if it did not.  But enough onshore wind farms are receiving planning permission ...

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France
22 Oct 2009

Une nouvelle association “anti-éolienne” monte au créneau
{A new "anti-wind" group mounts the barricades} Agir pour le Bien-Être de Sainte-Rose ou ABESR. C’est le nom d’une nouvelle association regroupant des riverains de chemin Lacaisse, gênés par la présence de la ferme éolienne et non indemnisées par EDF Énergies Nouvelles, contrairement aux familles de l’Ader. Diminuer la taille des caractères Augmenter la taille des caractères Imprimer Envoyer l’article à un ami Vos réactions Rappel des faits : des riverains du chemin Lacaisse ont révélé le 10 septembre dernier, dans les ...

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New York
23 Oct 2009

Iberdrola discloses municipal officers it is paying
HAMMOND — Iberdrola Renewables Inc., the wind company developing the Stone Church Wind Farm Project, has released a list of municipal officers and their relatives the company is paying to use their property. The four people named in the public notice are Hammond Town Councilman James C. Pitcher; John Mitchell, whose wife, Ann, was Hammond town clerk ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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England, Letters
23 Oct 2009

Need a balanced view of wind farms
On September 8, I visited the public exhibition in Ruthin in connection with the proposed Wind Farm Developments in the area, hoping to find that accurate and balanced information would be provided by the developers. As an engineer with 35 years experience in the field of power generation I was disappointed to find that the information provided by RWE nPower, obviously with vested interests, was completely biased in favour of wind power. In my opinion such exhibitions should give a balanced ...

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Europe, Health, Noise
23 Oct 2009

One in five Europeans is regularly exposed to sound levels at night that could significantly damage health
WHO introduces guidelines to protect people’s health ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Opinions
24 Oct 2009

The dark side of green: Gaming the global-warming fight
Climate change is the greatest new public-spending project in decades. Each year as much as $100 billion is spent by governments and consumers around the world on green subsidies designed to encourage wind, solar, and other -renewable-energy markets. The goals are worthy: reduce emissions, promote new sources of energy, and help create jobs in a growing industry. Yet this epic effort of lawmaking and spending has, naturally, also created an epic scramble for subsidies and regulatory favors. Witness the 1,150 ...

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U.K.
24 Oct 2009

Climate targets can’t be achieved, say energy companies
Energy companies have privately warned the Government that its climate change targets are “illusory” and “delusional” as global leaders prepare to sign up to stricter guidelines at the Copenhagen climate change conference in six weeks. In a sign that some of the oil majors, which are preparing to announce 60pc-70pc drop in net profits this week, are becoming bolder in their opposition to international efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80pc over the next four decades, a senior executive ...

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Michigan
24 Oct 2009

Grand Haven Township possible location for industrial wind turbines
GRAND HAVEN TWP. — Grand Rapids has an energy renewable goal of 100 percent by 2020. As part of its plan to attain that milestone, the city is looking into the feasibility of erecting two 300-foot, industrial-sized wind turbines in Grand Haven Township. The turbines would be at the water filtration plant it owns at the southeast corner of Lake Michigan and Lakeshore drives. The Grand Haven Township Board recently reviewed three policy options where the turbines could be allowed. Staff have ...

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Wisconsin
25 Oct 2009

We Energies proposal in Columbia County runs into resistance over turbine noise, cost
We Energies has run into some headwinds in its bid to build the biggest wind farm in the state. The Glacier Hills Wind Park project in Columbia County would consist of 90 turbines rising at least 400 feet above corn fields near the village of Friesland, northeast of Madison. The Milwaukee utility proposed the project, its second large wind farm, as part of an expansion of renewable energy to comply with a state law that passed with bipartisan support in 2006. The ...

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Illinois
25 Oct 2009

Protesters support Lee’s decision against turbines
LEE – Dressed in warrior robes and helmet, Tom Kapraun raised his staff to the east. He was “tilting at windmills,” he said, in classic Don Quixote style. Kapraun, of Lee, was one of about 30 people who were protesting Saturday about a wind farm company’s desire to build six turbines in the village’s jurisdiction, despite village leaders denying the developer’s application. FPL Energy Illinois Wind LLC filed a lawsuit in September against the village, claiming the Lee Village Board improperly denied the ...

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New Jersey
25 Oct 2009

N. J. coastal windfarms prompt wildlife concerns
Years ago, it would have been hard to stir up an argument over the need for solar panels or windmills to boost the state’s production of clean energy. These days they can be a contentious issue, dividing many of the region’s most active environmental groups. The Sierra Club, the New Jersey Environmental Federation and Environment New Jersey have long pushed the state for tighter controls on development in coastal areas where, among other creatures, rare and endangered migrating birds nest, feed and ...

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Letters, New York
25 Oct 2009

Hearings show opposition to wind turbines in Henderson
Henderson’s council, in spite of threatened legal actions, extended the moratorium on wind turbines until seasonal taxpayers return next year. When the turbine developer found Henderson’s wind turbine laws too restrictive, the town’s Planning Board was instructed to review those laws. This board was advised to be fair and equitable to the people of Henderson. A public hearing was held prior to the Planning Board’s meetings; however, in the fall of 2008 our public was not aware of what the ...

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Scotland
25 Oct 2009

Revealed: go ahead for power line that splits Scotland
The controversial Beauly-Denny power line, which will see 600 pylons, each 200ft high, built between Beauly, west of Inverness, to Denny, west of Falkirk, has been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government, the Sunday Herald can reveal. The approval of the £350 million proposal will be officially announced in the “next two to three weeks”. Scottish and Southern Energy and ScottishPower applied for permission to upgrade the power line in September 2005. It prompted the biggest public inquiry since devolution ...

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Scotland
25 Oct 2009

Councillors expected to vote for delayed wind farm
Western Isles councillors are fully expected to grant permission for a controversial wind farm despite its location by protected moorland near golden eagles. The Scottish Government has lifted a ban ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Opinions, Virginia
26 Oct 2009

The harm is greater than the good
It was only a few years ago that habitat loss was front and center among causes for concern about the future well-being of the American ecological landscape. Not much has changed to allay this concern; sprawling development continues, and the alteration and loss of natural habitat is largely unchecked. What has changed is the focus of many mainstream environmental organizations. Concerns about the projected future effects of climate change have taken precedence over the immediate and observable effects of habitat ...

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Blogs, Fish, Noise
26 Oct 2009

Fish and wind turbines don’t mix
Wind turbines produce low-frequency noise (LFN) and seismic vibrations—on this there is no longer any question or worthwhile debate.{1} Regarding this we should all be alarmed by the implications for sea and aquatic life. Fish, it is well known, have acute sensitivity to extremely low-frequency linear acceleration, or infrasound, even below 1 Hz.{2} This sensitivity is mediated through the fishes’ otolith organs, the same organs that humans and other mammals use for detection of linear acceleration ...

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Blogs, Ontario
26 Oct 2009

Wind turbines? Faster than a speeding bullet??
Alas, it is true. Although I’m sure the deceitful carpetbagging windies and their gullible cultish followers will jump up and down, turn beet red, scream “NIMBY” “NIMBY” NIMBY” at the top of their lungs and say it ain’t so — all of which, by the way, are typical bully boy tactics of distraction which those folks use on a regular basis. Yup. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but turbine noise can, indeed, be faster than ...

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Italy
26 Oct 2009

Italy green boom may stutter over incentive doubts
MILAN – Uncertainty over the future of generous incentive schemes is a major risk factor for the green energy sector in Italy, which has blossomed after rival Spain lost its allure by cutting down on sweeteners for investors. Incentives designed to help Italy catch up with European Union efforts to fight climate change have attracted funds ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Ohio
27 Oct 2009

Wind turbines: Airport fix could jeopardize existing flight tool
Grimes Field Manager Carol Hall said there is a concern that placing a “localizer” navigational aid at the municipal airport would put an existing navigational aid in jeopardy. “About 90 percent of pilots here aren’t instrument-rated,” said Hall, adding this means they are not certified to use the localizer navigational aid. She said pilots learn to use the VOR (VHF omnidirectional range) navigational aid as a part of basic training and that many pilots approaching Grimes Field use Rosewood VOR-Alpha, located in ...

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England
27 Oct 2009

Fears over turbine ‘encirclement’
Villagers fighting six separate plans for wind farms near their homes fear turbines could almost outnumber residents if all are approved. Four different firms want to site a total of 32 turbines close to the village of Wingates, Northumberland, which has a population of 33 people. The group Wingates Not Wind Farm said the plans would “encircle” the community and ruin beautiful views. Northumberland County Council said planners would consider visual impact. An application has been submitted by Novera Energy for six turbines, while ...

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Texas
27 Oct 2009

FPL power line may complicate Texas wind growth
A private power line built in Texas by a unit of FPL Group (FPL. N) has other transmission developers worried about higher costs and public resistance to new lines needed to move emission-free wind power ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Indiana
28 Oct 2009

Commissioners want wind farm health data
LEBANON — — The Boone County Commissioners have asked the county health department to research the alleged health issues of wind turbines. Two developers want to build wind farms in Boone County. These plans have created both enthusiasm and opposition. “We are seeking some direction,” Rachel Whittington, Boone County Area Plan Commission interim executive director, told the commissioners Monday. “We want to be careful what direction we want to take here.” An APC-sponsored Sept. 8 public hearing on wind farming’s economic impact ...

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North Carolina, Opinions
28 Oct 2009

The rush to be green is making me blue
Let’s see, automakers can get CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) credits for making gas guzzlers like Chevy’s suburban that can run on ethanol. That way they can rate one of those gas-guzzlers that gets 13 mpg at 23 mpg. Oh, and say goodbye to roasting ears. If we’re gonna get the congressionally mandated amount of ethanol (36 billion gallons) by 2022, it will take all the corn grown in the U.S. today. And not to be outdone, Indonesia and Central and ...

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Texas
28 Oct 2009

Citizens take stand against power line
106 San Saba citizens took a stand last Monday evening. Literally. The standing room only crowd assembled at 7:00 pm on October 19th to learn more about the proposed high-voltage transmission line proposed for San Saba County. The proposed line (known as the Brown-Newton Line) would bring energy ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Canada, Opinions, U.S.
29 Oct 2009

Dirty wind-power war: How public relations can drive public policy
When industries look for government subsidies for money-losing propositions, a common business model these days, one of the most important strategic elements is to make sure you have a well-oiled public relations machine to keep the facts ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Kansas
30 Oct 2009

Court decision bans wind farms from being built in Wabaunsee County Flint Hills
A decision from the Kansas Supreme Court means that no commercial wind farms will be built in the rolling Flint Hills of Wabaunsee County. This is the first ruling in Kansas that prohibits the construction of commercial wind farms. Citizens attended 54 public hearings in Wabaunsee County concerning the construction of the wind farms. The court noted the endangered ecosystem of the Flint Hills as a factor in its decision, and called wind farms “objectionable and unsightly.” By Fally Afani Ruzik www.ktka.com 30 October 2009

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Kansas
31 Oct 2009

Kansas Supreme Court upholds ban on commercial wind farms in scenic Flint Hills
Topeka — In a case pitting the beauty of the Flint Hills against large wind farms, the Flint Hills won. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday in favor of a zoning ordinance in Wabaunsee County that prohibits commercial wind farms. Officials said the high court decision represented the first in the state in which the pursuit of wind energy conflicted with desires for unobstructed views of the countryside. Kansas is considered one of the top states for wind power potential, but development in ...

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Pennsylvania
31 Oct 2009

Residents speak out on wind farm
A week after the Black Creek Township Zoning Hearing Board gave more time to a Sunbury firm looking to build wind turbines on Tomhicken Mountain, dozens of residents attended a township supervisors’ meeting to both speak for and against Penn Wind’s plans. Supervisors, however, discussed very little about Penn Wind’s plans during the Friday meeting, which was rescheduled from Oct. 6. Township solicitor Donald Karpowich did note that he and the township engineer are in the process of reviewing revised plans submitted ...

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Ontario
31 Oct 2009

Wind farm bill defeated, but opponents vow to fight on
Local wind farm opponents vowed yesterday to keep pushing for independent studies into the effects wind turbines have on people. Ontario legislators rejected Bruce- Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch’s call to halt industrial wind farm development until the province’s top doctor can assure the government turbines don’t harm people living nearby. But defeating Murdoch’s resolution won’t stop growing opposition in rural Ontario, or mounting questions over how the big machines affect people’s health, wind turbine opponents said. “This has just prompted us to ...

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New York
31 Oct 2009

Hammond official charged with damaging sign
HAMMOND — A town planning board member was charged with a misdemeanor after admitting to urinating on a political sign Saturday at River Ledge Road near Dake Circle, state police said. Crayton L. Buck, 78, was charged Thursday with fourth-degree criminal mischief. He is accused of damaging the sign and pulling it out of the ground after urinating on it. The incident was captured on a motion-activated trail camera that was set up by Guy W. Rosenbarker Jr. of County Route ...

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Letters, Scotland
31 Oct 2009

Austrian hillwalkers voting with their feet
I have enjoyed a lifetime of hillwalking in Scotland and spent many happy hours walking in the Border hills. Through a close friend in Austria, I was recently approached by an Austrian hillwalking group of 20 people, asking if I could arrange a walking holiday in the Borders as they felt the Munros might be too strenuous for some of their older members and they had heard about the beauty of the Borders. They would be here for two weeks and ...

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Letters, Pennsylvania
31 Oct 2009

Wind turbines: Please protect us
We have been informed that five leases for large wind turbines were obtained from neighbors that own property bordering us. The ordinance adopted by Ulysses Township does not protect our property rights and we will no longer have full use of our land. A 500- foot setback for turbines from a non-participating landowner’s boundary line and 1,000-foot setback from occupied buildings is far too lenient to protect us. Many townships require longer setbacks. Why are we being denied a fair ordinance? Our approved ...

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Ontario
31 Oct 2009

Samsung’s turbine deal in jeopardy; McGuinty stalls plan after cabinet uproar
The Ontario government’s multi-billion-dollar wind turbine deal with South Korean industrial giant Samsung Group is in jeopardy after a power play in Premier Dalton McGuinty’s cabinet, the Toronto Star has learned. Sources say rival ministers opposed to Deputy Premier George Smitherman’s pet scheme, which they fear will mean “billions” of dollars in subsidies to Samsung, have convinced McGuinty to stall the landmark deal first reported in the Star on Sept. 27. Smitherman touted it as a “historic framework agreement” that would see ...

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Kansas
31 Oct 2009

Kansas Supreme Court rules against wind farms
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Wabaunsee County commissioners have the right to prohibit the construction of commercial wind farms in their county. But the court also questioned whether an ordinance banning commercial farms but allowing smaller wind generators for personal use violated some provisions of the U.S. Constitution. Commissioners adopted the ordinance in 2004. In a unanimous decision, the court acknowledged the commission’s concerns about potential harm to the aesthetics and ecology of the Flint Hills if huge wind turbines ...

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Maine
31 Oct 2009

Wind power group proposes Caterpillar Hill for test site
Approximately 60 people turned out at the Blue Hill Town Hall on October 22 for a meeting hosted by Peninsula Power to provide information about its ongoing efforts to develop a community-owned wind-power project. Peninsula Power is comprised of local citizens who are proposing wind-generated power as a source of local energy to be developed, owned and controlled by the communities the project would serve—Blue Hill, Sedgwick, Brooksville, and Brooklin. The community model is one used in the Fox Islands ...

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Ohio
31 Oct 2009

OPSB continues to receive opinions and documentation on Buckeye Wind case
Fifteen new letters of opposition were filed on the Ohio Power Siting Board docketing Web site Thursday after a public hearing on the Buckeye Wind case Wednesday night at Triad, during which some 50 people testified on the record about their views for and against the project. Public Utilities Commission of Ohio spokesman Matt Butler said Thursday it will take court reporters some time to complete a transcript of the public hearing and that it could be ready by the end ...

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Letters, New York
31 Oct 2009

Anything for a buck?
Last month my son brought up an incident that happened last Election Day in Orangeville. He has accompanied me to vote at the Orangeville Town Hall. While waiting in line behind a couple to vote, one of the election inspectors asked that couple a question. Her question to the couple was “Are you in favor of wind turbines?” She said she had something to show them if they were. It was a piece of cardboard showing something about turbines. What bothered ...

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Rhode Island
31 Oct 2009

Deepwater to add wind turbines to project off Block Island
PROVIDENCE — One issue disputed by Deepwater Wind and National Grid in their negotiations over a power purchase agreement has been resolved by an amendment to a state renewable energy law. Both chambers of the General Assembly approved new language in the law late Thursday night. The change will allow Deepwater to install up to eight 3.6-megawatt turbines off the coast of Block Island rather than the six machines that National Grid argued was the maximum number allowed under the original version ...

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Kansas
31 Oct 2009

Kansas high court upholds wind farm ban
The Kansas Supreme Court issued what could be a landmark ruling Friday, keeping commercial wind farm out of Wabaunsee County. In a unanimous decision, the High Court upheld Wabaunsee County’s ban on commercial wind farms. It ruled the Board of County Commissioners of Wabaunsee County properly followed Kansas statutory procedures in adopting an ordinance prohibiting the wind farms’ construction. The Court said Wabaunsee County’s ordinance meets Kansas statutory requirements for reasonableness. It based the decision on the Board’s consideration of aesthetics and ...

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Wyoming
31 Oct 2009

Wyoming lawmakers recommend new wind regulations
A Wyoming legislative task force has released its recommendations for new laws to regulate the state’s growing wind industry. The Task Force on Wind Energy is recommending establishment of statewide minimum county standards for wind projects and expansion of the state’s Industrial Siting Act to cover more wind projects. Wind energy production grew by 170 megawatts over the summer, and multiple companies are pursuing wind farms to harness the state’s high winds. Developers say they welcome the state’s efforts to provide regulatory certainty, ...

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U.S.
31 Oct 2009

You do have to know which way the wind blows on the grid — study
How and when the fickle winds blow are increasingly critical issues for operators of the nation’s electricity grid, concludes a new 10-year assessment of regional outlooks for renewable energy. The questions already matter to the energy companies, funds and speculators that trade more than $500 billion in over-the-counter electricity contracts annually. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. released this week its annual assessment of the long-term vulnerabilities of its eight regional grid organizations and asked them to consider a scenario with 15 ...

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North Dakota
31 Oct 2009

County to reconsider Just Wind request
The Stutsman County Zoning Commission voted to deny a request for a variance to the wind farm zoning application fee requested by Just Wind during a brief meeting Thursday morning. However, miscommunication prevented representatives from Just Wind from attending and will result in another meeting next week to reconsider the action. “It was an oversight on our part,” said Noel Johnson, chief operating officer for the county and zoning administrator. “We will reconsider the motion of today to give them the benefit ...

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Michigan, Press releases
31 Oct 2009

MPSC to Hold Public Hearing to Receive Public Comments on the Effect of Wind Turbine Setback Requirements and Noise Limitations on Wind Energy Development
The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today said it will hold a public hearing at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 23 to solicit public comments on the effect of wind turbine setback requirements and noise limitations under local zoning or other ordinances on wind energy development in wind energy resource zones. The hearing will take place in Lansing at the MPSC’s office, with satellite locations in Bad Axe and Traverse City taking part electronically. The Wind Energy Resource Zone Board’s ...

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