Wind Power News: North Dakota
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.
North Dakota wind turbine blade manufacturer sued for race harassment
LM Wind Power Blades, Inc, a wind turbine blade manufacturer based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, violated federal law when it subjected an African American employee to a racially hostile work environment and then retaliated against him for complaining, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed May 4, 2023. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the African American employee was the target of sustained racial hostility from white employees and supervisors, which included racial slurs and . . . Complete story »
ND bill requires public hearings before signing wind project leases, enables local exclusion zones
A coal-supporting North Dakota lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at giving counties and local residents more information and say about planned wind projects before they proceed, a move the state agriculture commissioner says could have broad negative impacts. Rep. Anna Novak, R-Hazen, shared her support for House Bill 1512 on Thursday, Feb. 2, before the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee, saying North Dakota needs adequate wind permitting laws to protect residents. Novak is co-founder of the Facebook group . . . Complete story »
Lawsuit over wind turbine in Oliver County moves forward
A family in Oliver County has asked to recover financial losses in a lawsuit against a wind farm operator. They claim a turbine that was placed too close to their farmstead devalued and prevented them from fully using their property. In 2021, the North Dakota Public Service Commission told Minnesota Power to take down a wind turbine that had been constructed in 2014. The turbine was 1,125 feet away from Keith and Deanna Kessler’s farmstead. That was within a 1,400-foot . . . Complete story »
Rugby Wind to pay $24,000 fine for missing the deadline for a new lighting system
The owner of the Rugby Wind farm will be paying a $24,000 fine for failing to install light mitigating technology by a deadline spelled out in state law. That deadline was December 31st, 2021. The common light mitigating system is called “ADLS” – for “Aircraft Detection Lighting System.” Rugby Wind asked for a waiver in meeting the state deadline, as it was looking at another system called “LIDS,” for “Light Intensity Dimming System.” Public Service Commission chairman Julie Fedorchak said . . . Complete story »
Grand Forks County drops wind farm moratorium
The Grand Forks County Commission has lifted a moratorium on wind farm applications after tweaking a series of local siting requirements. The revised document includes moving the setback for wind turbines from one-quarter to one-half mile. The changes also define the tower height setback from property lines and right-of-ways. Another provision involves the so-called shadow flicker – or the amount of time rotating wind blades can cast shadows on nearby dwellings. The max time would be 30 hours per year . . . Complete story »
Hearing set on proposed wind farm in Logan, McIntosh counties
The hearing is at 9:30 a.m. at the Wishek Civic Center, 715 1st Ave. South, Wishek. The hearing provides an opportunity for members of the public to contribute to the PSC’s official record. Any comments from members of the public must be received at the hearing to be part of the record. Complete story »
74-turbine wind farm proposed near Wishek
A new wind farm is planned near Wishek in south-central North Dakota. The state Public Service Commission has scheduled a hearing in late June for Badger Wind, a project under development by Orsted Onshore North America. The commission is tasked with permitting wind farm locations. The wind farm would be built west of town and consist of 74 turbines for a capacity of 250 megawatts. Its output would be comparable to powering 70,000 homes, according to the company. The developer . . . Complete story »
Wind energy company pleads guilty to killing eagles
The wind energy company ESI Energy Inc. (ESI) must pay more than $8 million in fines and restitution and serve a five-year probation after pleading guilty to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, according to a statement released by the United States Department of Justice. In the U.S., ESI is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc., one of the largest providers of renewable energy, per Reuters’ Barbara Goldberg. The company deliberately elected not to apply for proper permits for “any . . . Complete story »
Ruling on eagle deaths divides wind power industry
The sentencing of a wind energy company this week in the deaths of at least 150 eagles has brought renewed focus to the complicated relationship between wind turbines and birds. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy, the world’s biggest generator of wind and solar power, pleaded guilty to three deaths of bald and golden eagles in Wyoming and New Mexico. It also acknowledged that more than 100 other eagles had been killed across 50 of its 54 wind farms, primarily during . . . Complete story »
Wind operator to pay $8M in pact over killing eagles
A leading wind farm operator has agreed to pay fines and other fees totaling just over $8 million, plus potentially spending millions of additional dollars, because its operations were linked to the deaths of at least 150 eagles over about a decade. Partly at issue was whether the energy producer should have applied for permits before its operations killed the birds, or if the business should have taken other actions. The legal case points up the fact that responsible wind . . . Complete story »
