Taking easterly winds in a new direction could provide South Weber and Layton residents near the mouth of Weber Canyon with an alternative energy source. That is, if zoning issues can be remedied, costs met, regulations drafted and not-in-my-backyard battles kept to a minimum. Layton Mayor Steve Curtis is interested in his city pursuing wind turbines as an alternative energy source. ...But before officials in any community turn their face to the wind in search of an alternative energy source, an expert associated with the work done on the small wind farm in Spanish Fork has some advice.

In Utah, state officials are fielding various combinations of energy proposals, a list that includes solar and geothermal installations and an energy storage project ...Scores of projects - some speculative, others well-funded and a few quirky - have surfaced with energy companies eager to take advantage of loan guarantees and tax breaks being promoted by President Barack Obama.

The Bureau of Land Management, Cedar City and Fillmore Field Offices announce the availability of a preliminary Environmental Assessment, draft Finding of No Significant Impact and initiation of a 30-day public comment period for the Milford Wind Corridor Project. The project proponent is First Wind, LLC, - formerly known as UPC Wind Management, LLC. ...A preliminary EA has been prepared by CH2M HILL environmental consultants under the direction of the BLM. The EA analyzes possible impact on the environment resulting from construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of the project.

Independent wind power company First Wind has received approval from the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the 300 MW Milford Wind Corridor project. The Bureau of Land Management conducted a National Environmental Policy Act environmental assessment for the facility and has decided to issue a permit for the project.

In addition to having the first full-scale wind farm in Utah, Thomas said the city will benefit from the lease payments and the schools will benefit from the property taxes.

A Heber City company wants to build an array of tall, electricity-generating windmills in southern Iron County's Harmony Mountains. And earlier this week, the public got a chance to weigh in on the Wasatch Wind proposal. Company officials acknowledge the approval process could take several years, but they want to start now to build a relationship with county residents.

It wasn't a selfish case of N.I.M.B.Y. - the "Not In My Back Yard" syndrome -- that inspired Aaron Fisher and a couple of other Spanish Fork residents to rise to the podium at the February 7, 2006 City Council meeting and state their case against wind towers. The concerned property owners just wanted to take pause, investigate what it is that Wasatch Wind, LLC is building in the Spanish Fork Canyon and get community approval to continue with the testing of the 82 meter meteorological tower which Wasatch Wind has installed to verify wind speeds.

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) -- A proposed wind farm could be in jeopardy because Utah no longer offers a renewable energy tax credit that Wasatch Winds officials say is needed for the project to be successful.

A proposed windmill farm in Spanish Fork cleared a major hurdle Tuesday morning when the Utah County Commission granted the city an easement for the project. The commission voted to grant a 50-foot-wide easement to Spanish Fork city for power lines that will carry electricity from the wind farm to a Rocky Mountain Power substation in Mapleton. The city will pay the county $8,500 for the easement.

SPANISH FORK — Residents, developers and city officials in Spanish Fork are inching closer to a mutual agreement that would relocate a planned wind farm that has generated the ire of homeowners near the area where it was originally planned to be built.

The most environmentally sensitive and economical ways to reduce power consumption and improve air quality undoubtedly involve conservation and better efficiency. But few experts maintain these tools by themselves will fill the gap between demand and generating capacity, or between global warming and clean air. Among often cited alternatives to conventional power stations like coal and nuclear-fired plants are those running on the nonpolluting, renewable sources of solar, geothermal and wind power. All have advantages and drawbacks. ..."if we were to build a coal-fueled project and then there would be an extensive carbon tax of one kind or another, either imposed by the state or federal government, that would make the project no longer 'least-cost, least-risk,'" he said. "Least-cost, least-risk" is a standard required by utility regulators in the states PacifiCorp serves. If a plant is built that is considered outside the range of reasonableness, "we're subject to regulatory disallowance," he said. PacifiCorp could find itself docked by regulators. "It kind of pushes us toward natural gas projects and wind power."

The $21 billion tax package passed last year by the House of Representatives, then defeated by the Senate, would have done serious harm by stifling production and investment. The proposed taxes would not even go to rebuild our deteriorating national infrastructure; they would simply punish U.S. energy companies and be used on a variety of pork-like, speculative projects favored by some in Congress. ...Sen. Bennett's constituents should know that his vote was crucial in removing these unwise provisions and in moving a more realistic energy policy on to final passage and signature.

Imagine the brouhaha if an oil company built a series of 300-foot-high oil derricks along the foot of Mt. Timpanogas. Or if an advertising firm erected billboards as tall as the Statue of Liberty in front of Y Mountain. The fur would fly. But see how different it is with the Spanish Fork wind farm. State and local dignitaries line up to praise the turbines that are a visual blight at that end of Utah Valley.

In a lawsuit filed this week in federal court in San Francisco, the groups -- including the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance -- allege agencies that mapped the 6,000 miles of energy-corridor rights of way failed to analyze renewable-source locations and numerous federal and local land-use plans.

A famous oilman is touting windmills as a solution to the energy crisis, and a few Utahns are jumping on board. ...But there are solid grounds for arguing against the scheme. The much-hyped potential for windpower is itself largely wind. ...In fact, wind power will be an environmental disaster. The turbine blades measure 130 feet long, and weigh 7 tons. Guess who wins in any collision with a bald eagle or other bird? The windmills rise 400 feet above the ground, and because they must catch the breezes, they often hog the ridges and skylines. Do you think Squaw Peak or Mt. Timpanogos would look better with windmills 400 feet high running along their spines?

Data analyzed from Feb. 1, 2006, through Jan. 31, 2007, determined that Hurricane only ranks as a Class 1 wind-generation site. In order for wind-generation to be a viable option, the site must rank at least a Class 4 out of 7. The analysis showed that Hurricane may get bursts of strong wind, but it simply isn't consistent enough for wind power to be a suitable option for renewable energy source. The report also stated the month with the highest average wind speed was January and the lowest was March. The wind speeds also peaked in the middle of the night and decreased in the morning.

SPANISH FORK — An embattled wind farm development set to begin construction next year in Spanish Fork may serve as a microcosm for the future of wind energy in Utah and across the nation. The farm, a project of Utah-based Wasatch Wind, will be the state's first commercial wind farm. It already has been delayed after citizens in Spanish Fork requested that it be moved farther from homes, to a site at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. Finding investors was difficult, and the looming expiration date on a state tax credit, on which the project depends, promises an arduous battle still ahead as supporters work to get the credit restored. Like the wind power industry as a whole, the Wasatch Wind project has weathered the early storm and is poised to move forward but remains shrouded in lingering questions

There's a method of steering a big truck that's so obscure you've probably never heard of it, but it's considered dangerous enough to be banned in Utah and several other states. A KSL investigation shows it happens a lot, possibly as a matter of routine. The issue involves long loads like giant windmill blades. "Blade Runners" used to be rare, but the wind farm industry is booming, and some drivers are literally steering two vehicles at the same time.

The wind farm would be located approximately 10 miles northeast of Milford, and when completed could consist of up to 159 wind turbine generators, each up to 262 feet tall with rotor blades up to 328 feet in diameter. The generators, spaced 0.8 miles apart, could generate up to 300 megawatts of electricity continuously. BLM representatives attend the meetings to address public comments and concerns regarding the agency's draft finding of "no significant impact." Lucas Lucero, BLM project manager, said officials would compile and review any and all public comments that come in. The public comment period ends Oct. 6.

Homeowners in Weber County could soon get permission to place small wind turbines on their homes to generate electricity. Planning commissioners are considering amending zoning rules to allow the practice. ...''We're trying to be as friendly as we can for people who want to generate power that way,'' Western Weber Commissioner Wayne Andreotti said. ''I think it's a good idea because we're all trying to get green.'' Current zoning allows for 40-foot tall windmills only in agricultural areas. The proposal could clear the way for them on half-acre residential lots.