Wind Power News: Arizona
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.
Hopi leery of wind farm’s impact on sacred eagles
APACHE & NAVAJO COUNTIES – The Hopi believe eagles carry prayers essential to the survival of all things up to the spirit world. So they’re not at all sure how to feel about a massive wind farm that will dramatically reduce pollution and save groundwater – at the cost of killing eagles and other birds sacred to the Hopi. Two Hopi elders voiced their concerns recently when the Navajo Board of Supervisors approved a 42,000-acre wind farm near Winslow. “We have . . . Complete story »
Navajo County Supervisors approve massive wind farm
HOLBROOK – The Navajo County board of supervisors last week approved a 477-megawatt wind farm on land in both Navajo and Coconino counties, but is still urging the developer to address Hopi concerns about the potential impact on eagles and other birds. The 164 wind turbines would fan out over 42,00 acres in Navajo and Coconino counties. That includes the Chevelon Canyon area 18 miles south of Winslow. The 3,700 acres in Navajo County would have eight of the 164 towers, . . . Complete story »
Senate committee holds hearing on Gardner, McSally public lands renewable energy bill
The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing last week to review legislation being led by U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) that would encourage renewable energy development on public lands. The Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act (PLREDA) of 2019, S. 2666, was sponsored by Sen. McSally on Oct. 22 and supported by seven original cosponsors, including Sens. Gardner, Steve Daines (R-MT), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). “Geothermal, solar, and wind energy are all . . . Complete story »
Tucson Electric Power to double its renewable energy output with New Mexico wind project
Tucson Electric Power is building its biggest renewable-energy project yet – a massive wind farm in southeastern New Mexico that will help the company more than double its generation of renewable energy by 2021. The planned Oso Grande Wind Project will generate up to 247 megawatts of power, enough to power nearly 100,000 homes, TEP said. Currently, the biggest renewable-energy project TEP owns or buys energy from is the 72-MW Red Horse wind and solar project near Willcox. Combined with other . . . Complete story »
Ariz. renewable measure fails as Nev. sees split decision
Voters in Arizona trounced a proposal to require more renewable energy yesterday, while Nevadans backed a similar measure but easily defeated a plan to usher in retail electric choice. The results capped months of campaigning that saw tens of millions of dollars pour in from utility and clean energy interests. The mixed outcome offers a window into the priorities of Western voters as they weigh different forms of energy and the role of mandates and competition. Opponents of Arizona’s renewable . . . Complete story »
Arizona voters reject renewable energy mandate
Arizona voters have rejected a measure requiring regulated utilities to obtain 50 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources like solar or wind power by 2030. Proposition 127 was fiercely opposed by the state’s largest utility, Arizona Public Service. The utility’s parent company spent more than $25 million to oppose the measure, arguing it would raise consumer costs by as much as $1,000 a year per customer annually and hurt the reliability of the state’s electrical grid. The Clean . . . Complete story »
Election 2018: Arizona voters say ‘No’ to renewable energy plan
It seems Arizona voters have decided against Proposition 127, which would have required electric companies to receive half their energy from renewable sources by 2030. If it had passed, Prop. 127 would have effectively increased an existing requirement passed by the Arizona Corporation Commission in 2006. This mandate, known as the Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff (REST), already requires regulated electric utilities to generate 15 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2025. The proposition was backed by the . . . Complete story »
Poll shows tax, clean energy ballot measures losing as Election Day nears
A new poll shows two high-profile Arizona ballot measures, Propositions 126 and 127 losing, and badly, in the case of the clean-energy proposal. Prop. 126 would prevent any new taxes on services, which are not widely taxed in Arizona. Prop. 127 would require electric companies to get half their energy from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2030. Fifty-three percent of respondents to the poll were against Prop. 126, while just under 39 percent said they supported it, according . . . Complete story »
Southern Arizona wind farm investigated after death of bat, eagle
COCHISE COUNTY – In the mountains 20 miles west of Willcox, 15 wind turbines stand 450 feet tall, spinning with the wind. This is the Red Horse II Wind Farm, the only wind farm operating in southern Arizona. The wind farm is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division in connection with the death of a federally protected golden eagle and a lesser long-nosed bat. The bat was listed as endangered in 1988, and in . . . Complete story »
SunZia powerlines would destroy wetlands, kill birds, opponents say
The SunZia power project faces a new objection, this time from an environmental group that fears the high-voltage transmission lines from New Mexico to Arizona will inflict irreparable damage to wetlands and bird populations. The $2 billion project, proposed in 2008, calls for building two 1,500-megawatt lines running 520 miles from central New Mexico to Eloy, between Tucson and Phoenix, to carry wind-generated electricity to Western markets. Opponents question how much renewable energy the lines would actually transport, whether wind-power . . . Complete story »
