The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) has rescheduled a hearing to determine whether a wind energy company has complied with pre-construction conditions regarding protection of historic resources. The hearing, originally scheduled for October 12, will be held on November 11 at 10 a.m. The hearing will be available as a webcast from the SCC website.

The Virginia Attorney General's Office, representing DHR, filed a motion on October 9 to reschedule the hearing, which was granted by hearing examiner Alexander Skirpan.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources filed a complaint with the SCC against Highland New Wind Development, LLC (HNWD) on August 19, claiming that HNWD had failed to comply with pre-construction conditions, specifically, "conduct archeological and architectural surveys if necessary, coordinate with DHR for guidance regarding the potential need for archaeological and architectural surveys, recommended studies and field surveys to evaluate the project's impacts to historic resources."

In July, HNWD, owned by Henry and Lola McBride, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, informed the DHR that it had met all conditions regarding historic resources and refused to respond to DHR requests for information.

The company plans to build nineteen 400-foot wind turbines on Tamarack Ridge and Red Oak Knob in Highland County, just across the state line and slightly more than one mile from the Civil War battlefield and historic site at Camp Allegheny.

Another company building wind turbines in Greenbrier County faces a hearing in federal court in Maryland on October 10.

Beech Ridge Energy, LLC, a Maryland company, is building 119 turbines along 23 miles of ridgelines in northern Greenbrier County.

The Animal Welfare Project and Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy filed suit on July 10, claiming that the project will kill endangered Indiana bats and destroy the bat's habitat, in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The groups claim the Beech Ridge project sits between Indiana bat hibernation sites and likely will kill large numbers of the endangered bats. The developer contends that no Indiana bats have been found at the project site.