The county will not be helping Allegheny Energy build a 765-kilovolt transmission line across northern Loudoun by relinquishing the conservation easements it holds on land needed for the proposed route. By a unanimous vote at its April 7 meeting, the supervisors approved a letter to the power company declining to give up any conservation easements that stand in the way of PATH - the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline.

Six weeks ago, Ann Robinson of Falls Mills, Va., had never heard of wind turbines, but on Sunday afternoon, she was expressing her concerns over a BP Dominion's proposed wind turbine farm on East River Mountain in Tazewell County, Va. "At first I thought, oh well, wind energy, this is green ... this is a good thing, but then I started researching wind turbines and learned differently," Robinson said to a crowd.

Not long ago, Gordon Latter and his family applied for a building permit that would have let them install a residential wind turbine at his home atop a windy hill in White Hall. ...Yet Latter's plans were thwarted, at least for now. Albemarle County's zoning regulations do not allow installation of wind turbines.

The Warren County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing next month on proposed regulations for wind energy systems. ...Energy system towers would be limited to 80 feet with the exception of those in the industrial zoning district, which could have a height of up to 120 feet, the ordinance reads. Towers for energy systems used for commercial power generation would be limited to 120 feet in height.

Dominion Virginia Power, the eastern Virginia utility currently building a coal-fired power plant in St. Paul, and BP Wind Energy are exploring potential "wind farm" sites in the western sector of Wise County and in Tazewell County. Nearly a year ago, Dominion and the British Petroleum subsidiary agreed to jointly develop, own and operate wind energy projects in Virginia.

A steering committee studying a wind turbine proposal for East River Mountain has yet to reach a consensus agreement on where windmills can and can't be constructed in Tazewell County.

Landowners downstream from where Highland New Wind Development LLC hopes to construct an industrial wind energy utility are not satisfied with the county's response to their concerns about erosion and sediment control. In January, Lucile Miller and McChesney Goodall, both of whom own large tracts below the McBride property where HNWD plans its facility, asked the county to provide more information on how the development might affect their properties.

A zoning ordinance that will regulate the height of tall structures within town limits was passed unanimously Monday by the Bluefield, Va., Town Council. A revision to height regulations and a Mountain Ridge Overlay in the town were both passed unanimously by the council's members. The changes require a conditional use permit for structures 100 feet high or higher, said Zoning Administrator Cody Musick.

Highland County supervisors agreed Tuesday they could use some help getting the proposed industrial wind energy utility here off the ground ...Toward that end, supervisor David Blanchard suggested the county ask for $1.5 million in stimulus package money to pay for consultants who could assist. The 39-megawatt facility planned by Highland New Wind Development LLC has state and local permits to build and operate the plant, but there are strict conditions attached to each.

The board took no action on a proposed ridgeline protection ordinance. Board members opted instead to wait on the recommendations of the tall-structures steering committee. David Anderson, the board's chairman, said the steering committee has two additional meetings scheduled. Anderson said the committee could present its recommendations to the supervisors by April. The proposed ordinance - if adopted by the board - could restrict the development of tall structures on certain protected mountain ridges, including East River Mountain and Burkes Garden.

"I would say if it brings economic development to the county, we need it," Jack Thompson of Springville, Va., one of several dozen concerned citizens to attend a public information meeting ...Lois Mullins, a member of the Mountain Preservation Association, said the group is concerned about a destruction of the environment, a destruction of the scenic beauty of East River Mountain and a negative impact on wildlife. "That's the primary concern is that they are destroying our beautiful mountain when you could locate somewhere else and get better results," Mullins said.

A Senate committee has killed a bill that aimed to set up a panel of scientific experts ...to identify and finance renewable energy research projects around Virginia. The measure, HB 2404, was sponsored by Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, and was atop the House GOP's "energy independence and alternative resources" agenda for the 2009 General Assembly session. The bill aimed to clean up the environment, create green jobs and stimulate the state's economy.

Citizens and council members urged town residents Monday to keep seeking more information about a proposed wind turbine project for Tazewell County, Va. The Bluefield, Va., Town Council and Planning Commission conducted a joint public hearing before Monday's regular session to hear citizens' input about a proposed "Mountain Ridge Overlay" regulating the height of structures and buildings, and requiring a conditional use permit for tall buildings and structures inside town limits.

A panel of federal judges on Wednesday overturned a decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding its authority to overrule state decisions on power line transmission projects. The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond sided with the Piedmont Environmental Council and several states, reversing the FERC's interpretation of 2005 laws granting the federal government jurisdiction when project permits are not approved within one year.

Wendy Perrone, executive director of the Three Rivers Avian Center in Brooks, W.Va., said Friday that she had not seen all the details about the project, but there are some concerns. "The mountain range is a migration route used for many decades and centuries....from butterflies to bats up to and including eagles," she said. Windmill projects have a potential for killing bats. Why this happens is not yet clear, Perrone said.

A steering committee that will help to determine the fate of a controversial windmill project for East River Mountain could be finalized as early as today. Meeting under a high wind warning outside, windmills were once again the primary topic of discussion Tuesday for members of the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors. ..."This is an emotional issue, and we need to hear from both sides," Anderson said.

Residents filled the auditorium of Washington High School on Monday evening in hopes that their voices would be heard and a change would be made to the proposed route for a high-voltage power line slated for construction in the area. Nearly 150 people turned out for a public hearing about P.A.T.H., which stands for Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, and is a joint venture of Allegheny Energy and American Electric Power that was announced last year.

After two years of study, a group of scientists and energy experts has concluded that building a wind farm off Virginia Beach is feasible, would cost about $1 billion and could spur more than 1,000 "green" jobs over three years. ...The study is one of five alternative-energy initiatives being pursued by the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, based at Old Dominion University. Its chairman is Patrick Hatcher, an ODU professor, who also is leading another promising project -- turning algae into biodiesel fuel.

The fate of a controversial wind turbine project for Tazewell County is still up in the air. A newly created steering committee will now mull over a proposed ridgeline protection ordinance. The ordinance - if adopted by the Board of Supervisors - would regulate the development of tall structures along certain protected mountain ridges, including East River Mountain and Burke's Garden.

The proposed wind turbines took center stage Tuesday night in Tazewell County and the Board of Supervisors heard an ear full. The auditorium at the middle school was packed and it seems everyone had something to say about the proposed project.