Wind Power News: Minnesota
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.
Lincoln County farmers protest tile breakage from wind tower construction
IVANHOE – Richard and Eileen Nielsen were one of a half dozen farmers to tell the Lincoln County commissioners that the county had to do something about the broken tile and dangerous sink holes left in the wake of the wind turbine construction. Several farmers had contacted board members directly to tell them that in the course of building the turbines, the wind company had broken tile lines and crushed some road sections creating a flooding situation, Commissioner Joe Drietz said . . . Complete story »
Local group urges residents to comment on proposed wind turbines
Dodge County Wind, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, has proposed a wind energy project in Dodge and Steele Counties of 70 wind turbines and a large electric transmission line from a substation in Dodge County near the Steele County line to the Byron substation. Individual turbines would be located in Havana Township in Steele County and Ripley and Ashland Townships in Dodge County. The approval process is still in the beginning stages and a local Dodge County . . . Complete story »
Proposed Dodge County wind farm raises questions
DODGE CENTER – Douglas Eayrs questions whether prime farmland is the right location for 70 planned wind turbines. The director of Dodge County Concerned Citizens said he’s still pondering an opinion on NextEra’s plans to build a wind project that would stretch from Steele County to western Olmsted County, with most of the wind turbines and proposed transmission line set for Dodge County. “I don’t really have a positive or negative opinion yet,” he said as he opened a two-hour presentation . . . Complete story »
Keep new wind turbine developments safe distance from residents
I’m originally from Marshall, went to St. John’s and then joined the U.S. Navy. Marshall gave me a sense of home. SJU gave me a sense of humanity and inquiry. The USN gave me a sense of loyalty and a desire to protect those unprotected. I live in Massachusetts, but have always kept tabs on the “goings-on” in Marshall and Lyon County over the years. The June 2017 Independent Editorial (Proposed wind farms need to be scrutinized) is spot on. . . . Complete story »
Dodge County Concerned Citizens holds informational meeting on proposed wind turbine project
A proposed wind project in dodge county has many residents concerned, and the group Dodge County Concerned Citizens sponsored an informational meeting for the public Saturday morning. According to the group the group, the project would involve 71 wind generators. The meeting allowed those in attendance to hear the size and scope of the project, understand the permitting and commenting process, and ask questions. Some residents had concerns about noise and their property values possibly going down. “The turbines are . . . Complete story »
Wind power company meets opposition on Lake Cochrane
LAKE COCHRANE, S.D. – The attempt by a London, England, company to build a wind farm in Yellow Medicine County is meeting resistance from a small community just across the South Dakota border The resistance to the project by Renewable Energy Systems (RES) has rang all the way to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission who may be issuing the permits. “We’re in the midst of negotiating with RES,” said Ron Ruud, current president of the Lake Cochrane Improvement Association. “If they . . . Complete story »
Nobles 2 Wind Project moves forward; commits to report on local hiring
Local, in this case, means a Minnesota resident or someone who lives within 150 miles of the project. Tenaska is expected to hire more than 200 temporary construction workers for the 260 megawatt project. Complete story »
Center of the American Experiment explains its ‘awesome anti-wind billboards’
American Experiment is delighted there was a story published in CityPages on June 13, 2018, about our awesome anti-wind power billboards because it gives us a chance to explain the logic behind them to a broader audience. We are grateful for this opportunity. We were initially planning on only purchasing five billboards, but then a group of farmers in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, called our office and asked us to put up more billboards. We were happy to accommodate their . . . Complete story »
Future of Freeborn Wind Farm uncertain
FREEBORN COUNTY, Minn. – The Freeborn Wind Farm project has the possibility of being taken off the table after a judge ruled against it due to turbine noise. It’s a project that would put a proposed 100 wind turbines in both Freeborn County in Minnesota and Worth County in Iowa. Now, it’s in limbo. Doreene Hansen lives in Glenville and is the main organizer of the Association of Freeborn County Landowners. “Well just south of me there would be a . . . Complete story »
Judge’s ruling against Minnesota wind farm causes alarm for advocates
A judge’s recommendation that a proposed Minnesota wind farm be nixed over turbine noise has drawn a flurry of opposition from the wind-power industry, which fears a chilling effect on development. In a rare move, Administrative Law Judge LauraSue Schlatter last month recommended that the Freeborn Wind farm be denied an operating permit, saying the southern Minnesota project failed to show it can meet state noise standards. Freeborn Wind’s developer, Invenergy, has objected, saying Schlatter’s interpretation of state noise rules . . . Complete story »
