Five wind turbines proposed for Georgia Mountain are either a way to save the planet from dependence on fossil fuels or an environment-wrecking boondoggle, according to public comments at Tuesday evening's Vermont Public Service Board hearing. The board is considering whether to allow the Harrison family, which owns a concrete and construction business, to erect five 400-foot tall wind turbines on the mountain, which straddles Milton and Georgia.

Legislation regulating the placement of wind turbines around the state ought to be considered by lawmakers during the next legislative session. That was the main message delivered to Rutland County senators and representatives during a two-hour meeting on Wednesday at the Clarendon Grange Community Center. ..."There will be an attempt this session to put this on the table," Potter said. Klopchin urged all legislators to "work hard to pass laws" during the coming year. "Many hands make light work," he said.

VPR Photo/John Dillon (Host) A proposal for a large-scale wind energy project is bringing out strong emotions in the Northeast Kingdom. At a public meeting this week, residents worried about the potential noise from the turbines, and the impact on tourism and property values. VPR's John Dillon has more.

A proposed wind farm on Lowell Mountain will be the subject of a public meeting on Thursday night, November 5, at the Lowell school. The meeting, organized by the project's would-be developers, has no official status, and thus won't affect the permitting process the project would ultimately face, if the developers and the voters of Lowell agree to proceed.

Voters in the town of Lowell will get to decide whether they want a wind power development on the Lowell ridgeline. The Lowell Board of Selectmen will conduct a referendum by Australian ballot about Kingdom Community Wind at town meeting in March, board Chairman Richard Pion said Tuesday. And Green Mountain Power officials said Tuesday that they will abide by the will of the Lowell voters.

A solar-powered light should be installed on a meteorological tower atop Susie's Peak as a safety measure for aviators. That was the message in a letter sent by the state Agency of Transportation to the Public Service Board regarding Vermont Community Wind Farm's temporary wind measurement tower. "It was a recommendation from a safety standpoint," said Rich Turner, AOT's aviation program manager.

The US Forest Service is one step closer to issuing a decision on the Deerfield Wind Project. The Manchester Ranger District of the Green Mountain National Forest has reviewed the Public Service Board's approval and the public comments it received regarding last year's Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Now the forest service is ready to release a supplemental report on their latest findings. But despite the new information, some state officials are urging the forest service take extra precautions before they make a final decision.

A temporary wind measurement tower erected on Susie's Peak has local officials crying foul over its placement. The tower, built by Vermont Community Wind Farm, was not placed at the site approved by the state Public Service Board, according to Clarendon Select Board Chairman Michael Klopchin. A small group of concerned residents used global positioning satellite equipment to pinpoint the location of the VCWF tower, he said.

Enel North America rang few bells in local energy circles last month when the firm announced its involvement in a proposed wind project in Ira. ...It's something Ira seems to want to know. Concerns that developer Per White-Hansen, who retains sole ownership of the project, might sell it off to another company have come up repeatedly at meetings about the proposal. Sennott said Enel will also provide capital and technical expertise to the Ira project.

An environmental court judge has dealt a setback to a wind energy developer that wants to build a project in the Northeast Kingdom. The judge has set a trial for December to hear arguments about whether the project complies with Vermont's water quality regulations. Parts of Judge Merideth Wright's ruling went in favor of First Wind, the company that wants to put the 16 turbines on a ridgeline in Sheffield. But when the judge focused on how the project will affect the water quality of high elevation streams, she handed the opponents a victory.

State officials have investigated complaints but found no evidence that a Lowell property owner was building a wind site access road before permits are in place. Officials with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources said Friday that logger Trip Wileman was following his forestry plan in building a logging road on his property on Lowell Mountain. The property is where Green Mountain Power wants to raise three wind measurement towers and eventually a wind power development.

Municipal officials believe the state ought to consider electing rather than appointing members of the Public Service Board, to ensure citizens have a voice in what goes on in their communities. The state board has come under local fire recently after approving certificates of public good for wind measurement towers to be located on mountain tops in Ira and Clarendon.

The plan to erect some 60 windmills around nearby Herrick Mountain and Susie's Peak would ruin the precious scenery, say the town's residents. "Suddenly you're thrusting an industrial complex into what's really a rural residential neighborhood," said David Potter, who represents Ira in the Vermont House of Representatives. "In my opinion, [the windmills] don't fit."

A meteorological testing tower to be erected on Susie's Peak will face continued opposition from the town of Clarendon. The Select Board has filed documents with the state Public Service Board requesting authorities to reconsider a decision to issue a certificate of public good for Vermont Community Wind Farm to install the structure.

Europe's second-largest utility is investing in a proposed Ira wind farm, developers announced Tuesday. Vermont Community Wind Farm spokesman Jeffrey Wennberg said Enel North America, a subsidiary of Italian company Enel SpA, will provide capital and expertise to VCWF's effort to build an 85-megawatt wind farm in and around Ira.

A group of Ira residents say it may not be quite so clear which way the wind is blowing. Opposition has thus far dominated public discussion of a proposed 80-megawatt wind farm, most or all of which would be in Ira. However, a group calling itself Friends of Ira Wind has informally organized, saying the proposal has backers in town as well as detractors.

A proposed wind farm in and around Ira has cleared its first bureaucratic hurdle. The Public Service Board issued certificates of public good Friday allowing Vermont Community Wind Farm to place meteorological testing towers on Herrick Mountain in Ira and Susie's Peak in Clarendon.