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 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.
As Commerce Secretary, Raimondo to play key role in offshore wind
PROVIDENCE – In the selection of Gina Raimondo as the next U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the offshore wind industry would get a champion in Washington. What influence she could bring to bear for the emerging energy sector remains to be seen, but if confirmed to her new position in the Biden cabinet, Raimondo would oversee federal fisheries regulators who have raised some of the concerns about potential negative impacts of erecting what could be many hundreds of wind turbines in the . . . Complete story »
Some green solutions create new problems of their own
What’s black and white, red all over, and comes to mind when you think of endangered species? No, it’s not your local newspaper. It’s the white blades of a wind turbine stained with the blood of bats, high-conservation-value birds and various insects. According to the Audubon Society (audubon.org/news) an estimated 140,000 to 500,000 bird deaths occur each year due to wind turbines, deaths which are “substantial,” they argue, “but significantly less than deaths caused by outdoor cats and building collisions.” . . . Complete story »
New Jersey anglers air concerns that wind farms will negatively impact fishing
Can fluke fishing survive wind farms? It was among the worries expressed by roughly 70 New Jersey anglers at a virtual public meeting Wednesday evening hosted by Atlantic Shores, the developer of an offshore wind farm between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light. The partnership of Paris-based EDF Renewables and gas giant Shell, Atlantic Shores wants to erect turbines on 183,000 acres of a federally designed wind energy area between 9 and 20 miles off the coast. One revolution of a . . . Complete story »
Xcel looking to upgrade Grand Meadow wind farm
Xcel Energy is hoping a proposed upgrade to its wind towers near Grand Meadow will move the wind farm further into the future. The company held a virtual open house Thursday night about the project that would extend the life of the farm to 2048 and produce at least 10 percent more energy. “As a national leader in wind energy for more than a decade, repowered wind projects like Grand Meadow will help us reduce carbon emissions, keep bills affordable . . . Complete story »
Coles wind project topic at Charleston Rotary Club
CHARLESTON – Several officials with Apex Energy, based in Charlottesville, Virginia, discussed their proposed Coles Wind project, which would install as many as 70 wind turbines about two miles north of Charleston and just east of Interstate 57. The project would furnish enough power to serve about 103,000 homes. Addressing the club via Zoom meeting were Josh Hartke, a Dieterich native and former Champaign County Board member who is the local project contact; Julianna Pianelli, lead project developer; Max Jabrixio, public . . . Complete story »
Montcalm Township public hearing on wind ordinance won’t occur until August
MONTCALM TOWNSHIP – A wind energy ordinance public hearing for Montcalm Township residents will now not take place until August. The Montcalm Township Planning Commission drafted a proposed ordinance in August 2020, but has yet to solidify it with a public hearing and potential recommendation to the township board. The Planning Commission was last scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance on Dec. 2, but that meeting was canceled due to coronavirus restrictions. Additionally, the regular monthly township . . . Complete story »
Andrew Cuomo’s poisonous green dreams
Despite declaring that the state’s economy is in a recession, Gov. Cuomo this week still announced a new $26 billion clean-energy plan that’s guaranteed to make it that much harder to get good times rolling again. “We must replace fossil-fuel plants with clean power. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, and now is the time to do it,” Cuomo said. Actually, the time to do it is after alternatives become less than insanely expensive. New York’s energy . . . Complete story »
Climate activists and fishing industry clash over Long Island wind farm
On Long Island, the East Hampton Town Trustees met this week to hear comments from community stakeholders on draft agreements with the developers of the South Fork Wind Farm. Orsted and Eversource have agreed to pay the town nearly $29 million over 25 years to bury a high-powered transmission cable under Wainscott Beach. Labor representatives say it’s a win-win for the trustees to sign. Mariah Dignan is the Long Island organizer for Climate Jobs New York. “This is the clear . . . Complete story »
Rural Panhandle senators set priorities as the session kicks off
Brewer also introduced a bill that provides and changes zoning requirements for wind energy generation projects, a major issue in his district. “That simply establishes certain requirements that every county has to have when it comes to wind energy. It doesn’t restrict it; it just says you have to have decommissioning, you have to have standoff from non-participating landowners, you have to be conscious of so many decibels of sound,” he said. Brewer added that it didn’t prevent wind farms, but it did force counties with no zoning to create zoning. “They become this no man’s land where people can come in with the wind farms and do pretty much whatever they want because there are no rules established,” he said. Complete story »
Wind farm clears permits, concerns emerge
The proposed Salt Creek Wind Farm project in Tama County made significant steps toward becoming a reality recently. The Tama County board of adjustment met at 9 a.m. on Dec. 9 in Toledo where they considered and ultimately voted on 60 conditional use permits submitted by Salt Creek Wind LLC. The permits were seeking approval of 60 sites within a 25,000 acre footprint in central Tama County that will be used to construct wind turbines for the Salt Creek Wind . . . Complete story »
