facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts Windaction http://www.windaction.org/articles/c110+81?theme=atom Xarayar 2006-06-12T02:16:27Z .23806 2009-10-26T13:57:32Z 2009-10-26T13:57:32Z

A controversial wind farm project in Mineral County goes before the state Public Service Commission starting Monday. The PSC will hear evidence from Pinnacle Wind Force, the group hoping to build 23 wind turbines on top of Green Mountain near Mt. Storm.

.23748 2009-10-21T04:00:17Z 2009-10-21T04:00:17Z

A proposed West Virginia wind power project will harm a tiny, endangered bat and its developers should be should be required to obtain permits under the Endangered Species Act, attorneys for two environmental groups argued Wednesday in federal court. The developers admit bats will be killed by the turbines, but refuse to acknowledge the endangered Indiana bat will be among them, plaintiffs attorney Eric Glitzenstein argued in his opening statements.

.23747 2009-10-21T02:14:39Z 2009-10-21T02:14:39Z

The 124-turbine wind farm being built by Rockville-based Beech Ridge Energy would put the lives of endangered Indiana bats, and other bat species, in danger, according to the plaintiffs -- The Animal Welfare Institute, Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy and David G. Cowan. Plaintiff's witness Michael Gannon, a bat biologist and professor at Pennsylvania State University, said he is "very much in favor" of wind energy, but remains concerned that this project could have a devastating effect on the Indiana bat.

.23628 2009-10-14T07:24:10Z 2009-10-14T07:24:10Z

The Mineral County Commission moved Tuesday to go on record in support of the proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm. The support, however, is not unanimous. After going into executive session to discuss "legal matters," which they later said related to the proposed contract in which WindForce will agree to commit itself to a "floor" for tax revenue to be generated by the project, two of the commissioners said they felt it was time for the county to commit to a position.

.23308 2009-09-25T18:41:06Z 2009-09-25T18:41:06Z

Nearly 100 people attended West Virginia Public Service Commission's hearing on the Pinnacle Wind Farm, Thursday afternoon at the Mineral County Courthouse, with all but one of more than two dozen speakers backing the project for its economic impact, clean energy and even visual appeal. ...The deadline for a decision on the project is Jan. 11. If approved, WindForce officials hope to have the wind farm operational by the end of 2010.

.22923 2009-09-01T18:47:54Z 2009-09-01T18:47:54Z

US WindForce will conduct the regular month meeting of its Community Advisory Panel Thursday night at the WindLea Banquet Center, with a state energy official to address the group on the eve of the West Virginia Public Service Commission's hearing on the proposed 23-turbine wind farm. Bill Willis, a program coordinator with the West Virginia Division of Energy, will be the guest speaker for the meeting.

.22463 2009-08-02T16:02:30Z 2009-08-02T16:02:30Z

Two planning issues are going to wait for a decision in Mineral County as the county commissioners ask the planning commissioners to review potential wind turbine regulations and prepare to look over a draft of the exotic entertainment ordinance. "We're asking (the planning commission) to look at the public good," Commission President Wayne Spiggle said. "We're trying to figure out what we're going to look at in 10 years."

.22436 2009-07-31T22:34:38Z 2009-07-31T22:34:38Z

Despite a potential windfall of $300,000 a year or more for schools, the Mineral County Board of Education will not take a position in support of the proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm prior to the September hearing on the project to be conducted by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Officials from U.S. WindForce appeared before the school board earlier this month to preview the project atop Green Mountain just west of Keyser, as well as the plan to divert about three-quarters of the wind farm's property tax revenue to the school system. Opponents of the project appeared before the board at the same time.

.22277 2009-07-22T12:13:20Z 2009-07-22T12:13:20Z

A contract has yet to be drafted, but there was discussion during a work session Tuesday among the county commissioners and representatives from US Wind Force as to how the company would guarantee tax money to come into the county. "I'm trying to protect the people in Mineral County," Commission President Wayne Spiggle said. "I want to try to ensure they have the tax income from this industry. This industry has a unique taxation base."

.22175 2009-07-16T01:20:21Z 2009-07-16T01:20:21Z

Saying the Mineral County Commissioners "need more facts" in regard to the ongoing controversy over wind farms, Pamela Dodds and Judy O'Hara of the Allegheny Front Alliance spoke to the officials at length Tuesday in an attempt to debunk several claims being made by proponents of wind energy. "I believe you need some more facts in order to better understand the claims that are being made," Dodds said. "U.S. Wind Force has made sweeping claims that are inaccurate and misleading."

.22142 2009-07-15T20:37:15Z 2009-07-15T20:37:15Z

With support for the proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm growing - at least as measured by the volume of letters sent to the West Virginia Public Service Commission - the PSC has established the time and place for the fall hearing on the proposed 23-turbine wind farm just west of Keyser.

.22137 2009-07-15T19:11:44Z 2009-07-15T19:11:44Z

While representatives of U.S. Wind Force were asking the Mineral County Board of Education Tuesday for their endorsement of the proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm, a member of the Allegheny Front Alliance asked them to think very, very carefully before they make any decision.

.22129 2009-07-15T14:22:59Z 2009-07-15T14:22:59Z

Though the Mineral County commissioners heard from US Windforce on the Pinnacle project on Green Mountain last month, the Allegheny Front Alliance got the chance Tuesday to try to refute some of the wind developer's claims. The group's nearly hour-long presentation included sentiments that the energy provided by the project was not needed in West Virginia, but in the other states on the PJM grid.

.21849 2009-06-30T06:11:27Z 2009-06-30T06:11:27Z

As the Pinnacle wind farm project continues with the state Public Service Commission process, so do plans for the Community Benefits Fund, a $50,000 annual contribution from US Wind Force to the community for the lifetime of the project.

.21760 2009-06-25T03:45:46Z 2009-06-25T03:45:46Z

Finally face-to-face, the Mineral County Commissioners questioned representatives of U.S. Wind Force Tuesday evening, sticking to the topics that would directly affect the county and its residents. At the top of the question list was the subject of taxes, and how much the company expects to pay into the county once the 23 wind turbines are in place on Green Mountain.

.21719 2009-06-24T16:36:20Z 2009-06-24T16:36:20Z

The Mineral County Commissioners got their first chance to sit down one-on-one with representatives of US Wind Force to discuss issues of concern and clarify rumors. The meeting included wind power companies trying to request exemption from the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) as a public utility.

.21695 2009-06-23T19:18:53Z 2009-06-23T19:18:53Z

The Mineral County Commissioners are hoping to have some questions answered this evening, as they meet with representatives of U.S. Wind Force. The meeting with Wind Force, the company proposing to construct the Pinnacle Wind Farm on Green Mountain above Keyser, was the topic of discussion at the commission's June 9 meeting, when Commission President Wayne Spiggle said he wanted to meet with the group but was not interested in a "sales pitch."

.21488 2009-06-07T04:06:33Z 2009-06-07T04:06:33Z

The West Virginia Public Service commission has rejected a staff-proposed June hearing on the Pinnacle Wind Farm near Keyser in favor of a September hearing to include a tour of the site. The $131 million, 23-turbine wind farm on Green Mountain just west of Keyser is currently under review by the PSC, which must act on the application by early January.

.21452 2009-06-04T19:53:10Z 2009-06-04T19:53:10Z

Citing 14 months of review by the Allegany County Planning and Zoning Commission and four months of their own scrutiny, the county's commissioners voted quickly and unanimously Thursday to make more restrictive the rules for developing industrial wind turbines. The emergency changes to Code Home Rule Bill No. 2-09 diminish the possibility that US WindForce will construct a wind farm atop the northeastern end of Dan's Mountain.

.21377 2009-05-27T03:36:11Z 2009-05-27T03:36:11Z

The Keyser Mayor and City Council Tuesday night formally endorsed the proposed 23-turbine Pinnacle Wind Farm, as company officials announced that a local public hearing is expected to be conducted by the West Virginia Public Service Commission sometime before July 1.