| Wind Watch is a user-supported educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Wind Power News: Nebraska
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to provide information about industrial wind energy development to readers seeking such information. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the credited organizations or individuals and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
Kearney County Planning and Zoning holds informational meeting regarding alternative energy, residents attend in droves
The January 26 meeting of the Kearney County Planning and Zoning Commission regarding alternative energy drew the attention of several residents resulting in attendance numbers unseen in the recent past. The meeting venue was moved to the Kearney County Fairgrounds to accommodate the audience of over 150 citizens. Board Chairperson Dawn Thompson called the meeting the order and explained how the meeting will be conducted so the public would know what to expect. She began by explaining this was an . . . Complete story »
Kearney County residents learn about wind energy impacts on bird populations
Residents of Kearney County learned about potential impacts of wind energy development on local bird populations during a presentation this week. While no concrete plans exist to add wind turbines to the area, the county’s zoning and planning commission brought in an expert to address the topic for future consideration. John Hay, an extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, presented facts about wind turbines and solar energy to residents at the Kearney County Fairgrounds in Minden on Monday. “When . . . Complete story »
Danish green energy company in the hot seat after bald eagles knocked out of the skies
Ørsted Onshore North America is facing over $30,000 in fines after two bald eagles were discovered dead. The Department of the Interior is fining a green energy company over $30,000 after their wind turbines knocked two American bald eagles out of the sky, according to a violation notice reviewed by Fox News Digital. The notice reveals that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a fine of $32,340 against Ørsted Onshore North America after two bald eagles were discovered . . . Complete story »
OPPD customer raises concerns about utility’s spending to curtail wind energy
In the last five years, OPPD paid wind energy suppliers more than $17 million in compensable curtailments, which means power wasn’t being generated at the time. Throwing money into a fire pit. That’s what one OPPD customer, David Begley, feels the power company is doing. “That’s a failure to me,” said Begley. “You can just get some 20 dollar bills, throw them in and you can burn 9 million bucks.” Here’s why Begley says that: According to a public records . . . Complete story »
Knox County gets favorable ruling in wind developer lawsuit against its regulations
A federal judge on Friday handed down a 40-page ruling pertaining to Knox County’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a wind company that sued the county over amended zoning regulations adverse to wind energy. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard granted in part and denied in part Knox County’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by North Fork Wind LLC last August. In a statement, the county board of supervisors said the judge’s opinion is a “substantial victory for . . . Complete story »
Two men die in fall from northeast Nebraska wind turbine
An equipment failure resulted in the deaths of two maintenance crew members Friday after they fell from a wind turbine in northeast Nebraska. Eddy Noriega Sebinet, 46, and Raidel Justiz Noriega, 37, both of Las Vegas, Nevada, were pronounced deceased at the scene, according to a statement Sunday from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred south of Winside following an equipment failure, the statement said. The Winside Volunteer Fire Department assisted deputies at the scene. Winside is a . . . Complete story »
Supers OK new regs for wind farms
More than a year of research and discussion ended last week when the Burt County Board of Supervisors approved a new slate of zoning regulations governing wind energy development in the county. On a 6-1 vote, supervisors approved Section 6.03 of the county’s zoning manual. The vote followed more than three hours of discussion that saw the board approving changes to the document as each subsection was read. District 5 Supervisor Jeff Kutchera cast the dissenting vote in approving the . . . Complete story »
Knox County sued over nixed wind farm development
A Minnesota-based wind company and a group of landowners have filed a lawsuit against Knox County over the county’s decision to amend its zoning regulations and effectively kill a wind energy project. North Fork Wind LLC of Bloomington, Minnesota, and 12 Knox County landowners filed suit on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska against Knox County, its board of supervisors, planning commission and zoning administrator, as well as a group of wind energy opponents. The . . . Complete story »
County Commission hears arguments for changing wind turbine zoning regulations, extends moratorium
After approving an extension to the moratorium imposed earlier this month on zoning regulations for wind farms in Madison County, county commissioners heard from a handful of residents from across the region on why the regulations should be changed. The discussion came after a contentious joint planning commission meeting on July 18 at Northeast Community College’s Lifelong Learning Center, where more than 100 members of the public attended. After a two-hour back-and-forth between supporters and opponents of the regulations, the . . . Complete story »
Controlled explosions used to demolish old wind turbines in northeast Lincoln
Lincoln Electric System announced that two wind turbines have been removed after nearly 25 years of operation. LES started the preparation process of the demolition midway through June and removed the wind turbines Tuesday morning. The first turbine collapsed due to a controlled explosion at its base. Shortly afterward, the second turbine fell due to its own controlled explosion. “We didn’t want to draw the public to the area when explosive materials were being used. The safety of our employees . . . Complete story »
