Wind Power News: U.S.
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
List of town officials with wind farm interests grows
FARMERSVILLE – Invenergy, the Chicago-based wind energy company and developer of the 380-megawatt Alle-Catt Wind Farm, has revised its list of municipal officials with interests in the project. The Alle-Catt website still shows only one official, Farmersville Town Board member Richard Westfall, who has signed wind leases. In its revised report to the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Invenergy lists 10 officials from four towns in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties on a list titled Financial Interests of Municipal Officials and . . . Complete story »
Turn it down: Local siting board should deny Apex’s Article 10 application
Either Apex doesn’t know how to properly assess environmental conditions on the island, calling into question its competence in this crucial matter, or it intended to deceive state officials in its application, casting doubts on its integrity. Given this, how can the firm be trusted to proceed through the Article 10 process? The siting board should dismiss the application immediately. Complete story »
Minnesota company prospecting for wind farm site in Grant County
MONTFORT, Wis. – A Minnesota energy developer is studying the feasibility of constructing a wind farm in Grant County. If the project moves forward, PRC Wind, of Minneapolis, would install 25 to 30 turbines in the townships of Clifton and Wingville. The townships are west of Montfort and Livingston on both sides of U.S. 18. The installations would be capable of generating about 100 megawatts of energy and would represent Grant County’s first wind farm. The company will construct a temporary . . . Complete story »
Richland adopts wind law
RICHLAND —The Town Council adopted a law that regulates wind energy facilities Tuesday to prepare for possible development down the road. The local law, which has been in the works for three months, limits turbine placement for small and large-scale wind energy facilities to the rural agricultural and industrial sectors of the town and establishes maximum height, setback and sound levels. It also establishes decommissioning requirements. While no wind farm has been proposed for construction in Richland, Town Supervisor Daniel . . . Complete story »
Plans unveiled for Emerson Creek Wind Farm near Norwalk
NORWALK, Ohio – Plans for the massive Emerson Creek Wind project – in the works since 2009 – were unveiled to the public Thursday during an open house at the Bronson Conservation League building just outside here. And while the event had a decidedly more pro-industry tone than some of the recent gatherings in nearby Seneca County, it still drew a lot of interest because of its size. About 200 to 300 people attended and asked questions of the Apex Clean Energy team, . . . Complete story »
Revised plan approved for South Dakota wind-electricity project
PIERRE, S.D. – State regulators gave their consent a second time Thursday for a wind-electricity project for western South Dakota. It now has a new name, a new owner and most likely fewer turbines. Willow Creek Wind Power was called Wind Quarry Operations when the state Public Utilities Commission approved the 103-megawatt site in November 2015. The wind farm is planned 10 miles northeast of Newell in Butte County. Originally it was to have up to 45 turbines, with each . . . Complete story »
Do wind turbines kill birds?
Being known as the “bird man” or “bird guy” has been an interesting journey. I get lots of questions and recently a bunch of people have been asking me about the Neosho Ridge wind project and if it will kill birds. The short answer is yes, it will kill a measurable amount of birds. “How many?” is usually the next question and is a tougher question to answer. It is first important to find credible studies done on the matter. . . . Complete story »
Fenner 2019 final budget approved, includes tax increase
In 2018, the windmills were assessed at $25 million, which was in-line with the company’s agreement with the town 15 years ago. Canastota Wind Power challenged the assessment as being excessive, stating that it felt the assessment should be only $4 million. After months of legal wrangling, and state supreme court judge who sided with the town of Fenner’s argument, the company accepted an assessment of $11 million on its wind farm. Complete story »
Fierce wind blowing over Seneca County turbine projects
A fierce wind is blowing through Seneca County. Whether that wind catches any large electric-generating turbines in the near future remains to be seen. A pair of wind-turbine projects have created controversy. The first, Utah-based sPower’s proposed 85-turbine Seneca Wind farm, is estimated to cost between $275 and $300 million and is expected to generate $56 million in tax revenue for schools and other local government bodies. The second, Charlottesville, Va.-based Apex Clean Energy’s $92 million Republic Wind project, calls . . . Complete story »
City Council discusses wind energy, special permits
Not every special event or alcohol permit application is granted a permit, but every applicant has to pay a permit fee. The Laramie City Council held a work session Tuesday to discuss its options for refunding special event and alcohol permits, and also listened to a presentation about potential wind energy projects coming to Albany County. Members of City Council, including Bryan Shuster, wanted to have a work session to draft a way for special event and alcohol permit refunds . . . Complete story »
