Wind Power News: Complaints
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.
Chronicle: The Osborn Wind Project
About an hour north of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, you’ll find some of the highest wind speeds in the state in communities around the town of Osborn in DeKalb County. Plan a visit and listen in Osborn. You’ll hear the high winds. You’ll hear cars on the street. You’ll hear farmers in their fields, and you’ll hear heated discussions on an issue that split family members from loved ones and pit neighbors against neighbors. Those high winds, and the project . . . Complete story »
Wind farm developer sues county
The county moved to kill a wind farm project years after agreeing to support it by “fast-tracking” a zoning ordinance and changing the rules for building permits and tax incentives, the project’s developers claim in a federal lawsuit. Sugar Creek Wind, LLC accuses the county and the board of commissioners of violating the agreements it signed in 2013 to develop an approximately 250-megawatt farm in Madison and Sugar Creek townships. The suit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court . . . Complete story »
County faces suit from wind farm company
The Paper of Montgomery County has learned that a lawsuit has been filed against it by a wind energy company. “The county received the suit (Wednesday),” County Commissioner John Frey told The Paper Thursday morning. “Our attorney has the document and is going over it. The earliest we can meet is Monday so I think we’ll have an executive session then.” The suit, according to sources, was filed Tuesday by Sugar Creek Wind LLC. Akuo Energy USA and Stewardship Wind . . . Complete story »
“Je n’ai jamais entendu ça de ma vie” : sous les éoliennes, son quotidien est impossible
[“I had never heard such noise before”: Under the wind turbines, normal life is impossible (translate article to English)] TÉMOIGNAGE – Nausées, insomnies, maux de tête… Il arrive que ces symptômes se développent chez des riverains partageant leur quotidien avec un parc éolien. Au-delà des nuisances sonores provoquées par le mouvement de leurs pales, les infrasons qu’elles dégagent sont également pointés du doigt. Hubert, habitant d’un village d’Auvergne, raconte à LCI comment ce bruit inaudible lui a rendu la vie impossible. . . . Complete story »
The Germans fighting wind farms close to their homes
When Rudi Frischmuth stands on his balcony, he overlooks a vast field, a forest shimmering in fall colors – and three wind turbines peeking behind a row of pine trees. The wind farm, situated about 560 meters (620 yards) from his house, has troubled him since it was built in 1998. It all started with the noise. The turbines in the small municipality of Langerwehe in western Germany are barely perceptible if they spin slowly. But when strong winds push the . . . Complete story »
Inntekter fra norsk vind sendes til en skattefri øy i Karibien
[Revenue from Norwegian wind is sent to a tax-free island in the Caribbean (translate article to English)] I flere generasjoner har vannkraft og oljeutvinning betalt for norske skoler, sykehus og veier. Det har strenge lover og høye skatter sørget for. Men de samme reglene gjelder ikke for vindkraft. Tellenes vindpark i Rogaland er landets nest største. De utenlandske eierne betaler minimalt med skatt i Norge, men flytter likevel store pengesummer ut av landet. Vindparken eies gjennom flere selskaper i land med . . . Complete story »
Life below the turbines: How wind energy is affecting rural Minnesota
What started with just a few wind turbines 20 years ago, now turns out nearly 20% of Minnesota’s electricity. But the towering blades haven’t come without questions and controversy in rural Minnesota. WCCO has a progress report on wind energy’s real cost. In last year’s Super Bowl, ad experts ranked Budweiser’s commercial that promoted wind energy as one of the best. On a farm far away, the reviews weren’t as kind from a Facebook video that went viral. “Hello, Budweiser. . . . Complete story »
Gasses bubble up in man’s well
A resident in former Chatham Township whose well has been contaminated with pump-clogging sediment since turbine construction began around his property is now dealing with gasses bubbling up his well casing when he turns his pump on. Dave Lusk’s multi-generational farm had been providing clean, clear drinking water for many years. But not only does he now have to run his water through an expensive, multi-filter system which still clogs due to the volume of sediment coming up, he also . . . Complete story »
Group sues to stop Saline County wind farm
A group of Saline County residents has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop construction of a wind farm near Milligan. The lawsuit, filed last month in Saline County District Court, not only names the companies involved with building the proposed wind farm, but also the county itself. The gist of the complaint is that ownership of the wind farm project has changed hands and that a conditional use permit issued to the original owner expired and should not have been . . . Complete story »
Contractor in hot water for ‘mistakenly’ underpaying workers at giant Scottish wind project
An asset integrity firm with bases in Aberdeen has come under fire for claiming it “unintentionally” underpaid workers at a giant Scottish wind farm project. Dutch firm Fugro Marine was contracted for survey work by SSE Renewables at the site of its 114-turbine Seagreen wind project planned off the coast of Montrose. Contracts seen by Energy Voice show a number of non-EU workers hired on Fugro vessels were paid less than the National Minimum Wage while working in UK waters. . . . Complete story »
