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Wind Power News: November 2010
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Landowners who sign leases with First Wind can’t benefit from forestry tax breaks, too, Brimfield assessors rule
BRIMFIELD – The Board of Assessors is seeking to deny property tax reductions to land owners who have Chapter 61 forestry designations on their properties but have also signed leases with First Wind to allow use of their land for a proposed wind farm atop West Mountain. The board also recently denied by a 3-0 vote a continued tax reduction for a property that had a Chapter 61A agriculture designation because of a similar lease the property owner signed with . . . Complete story »
Onshore wind farms should be a priority for the Isle of Man, says report
An onshore wind farm should be one of the main priorities for the Isle of Man for the generation of electricity and to meet long term renewable energy targets. However, such a scheme is expected to receive widespread public opposition because of the visual impact, says a report prepared for the government by AEA Technology plc and published today. Eight potential zones have been identified for wind farms on the Island – in the north and central areas – but . . . Complete story »
Stop gas drilling [or wind farming] — Sue your neighbor
[Just substitute “industrial wind turbine” for “gas well” in this article. The two issues are connected in another way: Correspondent John Droz reminds us that there is no such thing as wind energy by itself. Wind energy must be paired with a conventional source of energy, and the most frequent source is gas. Support for wind energy is de facto support for more gas power. And the need for more gas power means hydrofracking. Therefore, anyone who supports wind energy . . . Complete story »
A better vision
It is often said that hindsight is 20/20, but recently the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates demonstrated that foresight also can be used wisely to assess the still-evolving controversy over wind turbines for Cape Cod. The delegates rejected a proposal that would have set standards for land-based turbines under the Cape Cod Commission’s Regional Policy Plan. The proposed standards for local wind-energy projects and regulations governing them, they determined, are too lenient. If the commission decides to create a wind-energy . . . Complete story »
As wind power expands, so do threats to bat population
GWEN IFILL: For those stations not taking a pledge break, The NewsHour continues now with an unexpected windmill problem in the Pacific Northwest. It’s part of our series, NewsHour Connect, which showcases the work of our colleagues in public media. Ed Jahn of Oregon Public Broadcasting, reports. ED JAHN, Oregon Public Broadcasting: Not a lot is known about bats in Oregon, but there’s a big push to find out more. And net capturing is one way to do it. CRIS . . . Complete story »
Falmouth turbine draws wary Connecticut residents
FALMOUTH – Some residents of a small Connecticut town are pointing to the erection of Falmouth’s town-owned wind turbine as a cautionary tale. Three dozen residents of Prospect, Conn. – a town of 9,200 just south of Waterbury – traveled three hours to Falmouth on Saturday to get a firsthand glimpse of Wind I, Falmouth’s 400-foot, 1.65-megawatt turbine at the wastewater treatment facility. The reason, said Prospect Mayor Robert Chatfield, is that a private company is trying to build two similar-size turbines as . . . Complete story »
Sister wind farm noise level appeal
A new chapter could be written in the saga that is The Sisters wind farm if another appeal against the project’s permit refusal goes ahead. Proponent Wind Farm Developments went to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in April this year after an application for its 12-turbine project near Terang was rejected by Moyne Shire. VCAT upheld the project’s rejection due to the noise it was likely to generate but said turbines would not disrupt farming activity or wildlife. . . . Complete story »
Turbine protesters march through downtown Orangeville
Industrial wind turbines are putting rural residents at risk, a group of protesters said on Saturday morning (Nov. 27) as they marched through downtown Orangeville. Carrying placards, handing out flyers and chanting to spread their message, about 65 people marched from Rotary Park to Sylvia Jones’ Broadway constituency office. “I think it went very well,” David White, a founding member of Whittington Coalition for Our Right to a Healthy Environment, said of raising public awareness about concerns regarding turbines. “The . . . Complete story »
Wind power: Tough trade-offs
The battle over wind energy has reached a whole new level of ferocity now that turbines are being proposed for or built in actual backyards. For years opponents of industrializing Nantucket Sound argued that the logical and much less controversial place to put wind turbines was on land, since it was already developed. But that turns out to be easier said than done. As a recent AP story headline put it, “Wind backers back away; advocates of green energy lose . . . Complete story »
Fears over ‘widespread’ EU fraud involving the Mafia
Millions of euros designed to regenerate Europe’s poorest regions have been siphoned off by organised criminals, including the Italian Mafia, a BBC investigation has found. Several bogus Italian companies have fraudulently obtained EU grants for renewable energy projects. Critics say the EU’s anti-fraud watchdog Olaf is failing to stop theft and misuse. Olaf insists member states bear the main responsibility to prevent abuse. However, Olaf’s acting director general Nicholas Ilett said Olaf was also strengthening its mechanisms to reduce fraud: . . . Complete story »
