Wind Power News: Press releases
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.
Lankford, Cramer, Hoeven, Capito, Rep. Marchant Push to Eliminate Wind Tax Credit
WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) along with Representative Kenny Marchant (R-TX) today introduced legislation to completely phase out the federal production tax credit (PTC) for renewables. The bill specifies that any new projects would need to begin construction by the end of this year in order to qualify for the credit, as is the case under current law. This affirms that the extension for 2020 is the last extension . . . Complete story »
NSW windfarm fined for breaching environmental conditions
Fines totalling $26,640 have been issued to a NSW windfarm for failing to meet environmental approval conditions. On 14 August 2020, CRWF Nominees Pty Ltd (Crudine Ridge Windfarm) was issued two infringement notices by the department for failing to meet conditions 1b and 1c of their approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). The first infringement was issued to the approval holder for not advising the department of modifications made to the NSW state . . . Complete story »
Map: Illinois Prime for Wind Development Done Right
Disclosure: The Nature Conservancy - Midwest Region contributes to [Public News Service's] fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Environment, Sustainable Agriculture, Water. Complete story »
NYS DPS Siting Board resignation: Governor’s ad hoc appointee resigns his position amidst controversy
Arthur Christensen, Governor Cuomo’s local ad hoc appointee to the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) in Case 18-F-0262 (High Bridge Wind Project) has submitted his resignation from the Siting Board in a scathing open letter to NYS-DPS Siting Board Chairman John Rhodes, members of the Siting Board, and Governor Cuomo. In his resignation, Mr. Christensen stated the following: “The decision by NYS to accept an ambiguous definition of public interest is manipulative, . . . Complete story »
Former NYSERDA CEO Alicia Barton takes the reins at pumped storage company First Light
FirstLight Power, operator of the Northfield Mountain energy storage facility and other hydroelectric, solar and energy-storage assets in Massachusetts and Connecticut, has named Alicia Barton its new chief executive officer, effective Aug. 3. Barton previously served as President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for three years as well as CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). She also co-chaired the Energy and Cleantech Practice at Boston law firm, Foley Hoag LLP, . . . Complete story »
Industrial wind turbines pose tremendous risks to Lake Erie, Lake Ontario
New York State is considering allowing massive industrial wind turbines to be installed within just a few miles of the shorelines of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The stunning panoramic views, ecology and economies of the lakes are at risk. Save Ontario Shores calls on Gov. Cuomo to stop the assault on Upstate New York to benefit New York City’s energy needs. Two New York State documents released in June discuss industrial wind turbines in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. . . . Complete story »
Sens. Cruz, Cornyn, Rep. Hurd Highlight National Security Concerns with Chinese Investment in Val Verde Project
HOUSTON, Texas – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and John Cornyn (R-Texas), along with Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), today sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin detailing their concerns about reports that the primary investor in a wind farm near Laughlin Air Force Base (AFB) in Val Verde County has connections to the Chinese Communist Party, potentially undermining American national security. In the letter, they wrote: “There is concern that a project with ties to the Chinese Communist . . . Complete story »
Renewable Energy and Human Rights benchmark
Nearly half the companies benchmarked (7/16) scored below 10%, with three quarters (12/16) scoring below 40%. The average score was just 22%, indicating that, as a whole, the industry has a long way to go to demonstrate its respect for the human rights of communities and workers in their operations and supply chains. Complete story »
Stanford researchers model interactions between wind farm developers and landowners
Wind farms are large, highly technical projects but their development often relies on personal decisions made by individual landowners and small communities. Recognizing the power of the human element in wind farm planning, Stanford University researchers have devised a model that considers how interactions between developers and landowners affect the success and cost of wind farms. “I’ve been doing work on the costs of wind farms for about 10 years and I’ve found that the soft costs – basically the . . . Complete story »
Wind farms in the Black Sea coast region could have a negative impact on bat populations in large parts of Eastern Europe
The Via Pontica, an important migration route for birds in Eastern Europe, runs along the Black Sea coast of Romania and Bulgaria. Bats also use this route. In this region, numerous wind farms have been installed in recent years because of good wind conditions, but there has been little implementation of the legally required measures for the protection of bats. A Romanian research team cooperated with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in Berlin to demonstrate that . . . Complete story »
