facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts Windaction http://www.windaction.org/articles/c122+47?theme=atom Xarayar 2006-06-12T02:16:27Z .38155 2013-04-24T13:22:09Z 2013-04-24T13:22:09Z

"With the instability, uncertainty and lack of direction related to the issues pertaining to wind energy throughout the State, the Huron County Board of Commissioners will not schedule any additional wind turbine action on the Board's agenda until there is resolution to these issues," the letter states.

.35898 2012-08-30T12:55:12Z 2012-08-30T12:55:12Z

Idaho Power, the state's largest utility, wants Idaho regulators' permission to limit electricity output from wind farms like Terna's at times of low demand, arguing it will protect customers from higher costs. With the matter unresolved, lenders are wary their money is at risk.

.32373 2011-07-05T04:38:21Z 2011-07-05T04:38:21Z

Residents who oppose wind energy projects had previously argued against any extension beyond the 12 months previously granted by county zoning rules. But the new 18-month window is much closer to what those land owners wanted, compared to the three-year window originally requested by Invenergy.

.21508 2009-06-09T15:13:38Z 2009-06-09T15:13:38Z

Young County commissioners moved a step closer to reaching a tax abatement agreement with Gamesa Energy on Monday by creating a tax reinvestment zone. The zone is a necessary step toward an abatement agreement. Games has announced it plans to build a wind farm that would be mostly in Jack County with 12 turbines extending into Young County.

.18529 2008-10-25T12:31:44Z 2008-10-25T12:31:44Z

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office has declined to give an opinion about the legality of expanding a jointly-owned enterprise zone in Tazewell County, State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz said Friday. Umholtz requested an opinion from Madigan's office several months ago ...But Umholtz said the issue isn't quite over for him. "This is an issue of statewide importance," he said. "I'm still trying to encourage state government to follow state law."

.18376 2008-10-14T06:20:33Z 2008-10-14T06:20:33Z

[A] BP representative explained that the project could be phased in with 60 windmills possibly becoming available next year, and the remaining 40 coming some time later. Of the 60 windmills, David Gonzalez said, the majority are planned in Archer County.The change in the proposal was not met with enthusiasm by commissioners. ..."The prospect of an abatement has been based on a 250 megawatt buildout," Precinct 2 Commissioner John C. Bullock said. "The prospect of a phase in was not mentioned. If we had know that, it likely would have been different."

.16882 2008-07-17T19:56:41Z 2008-07-17T19:56:41Z

Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz warned Tazewell County board members Monday that he would be required to "take legal action" if the county board approves a questionable expansion of a tax-free zone for a proposed wind farm. County Chairman Jim Unsicker says that Umholtz is entitled to his opinion, but that opinion is not shared by many people. "(Umholtz's) view on the expansion of the enterprise zone is diametrically opposed to the view of a number of people on the board, the state, the city and just about anybody else you want to talk to in the state of Illinois," said Unsicker.

.16884 2008-07-17T01:14:14Z 2008-07-17T01:14:14Z

Logan County State's Attorney Tim Huyett disagrees with his friend and Tazewell County counterpart on a legal issue related to whether the Rail Splitter Wind Farm qualifies for inclusion in an enterprise zone. The agency that administrates all of the state's enterprise zones also disagrees with Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz, who has threatened to sue his own county board if it extends that county's enterprise zone to the wind farm locale, which straddles the Logan-Tazewell county line.

.16507 2008-06-24T17:09:35Z 2008-06-24T17:09:35Z

Delmarva Power signed a landmark offshore wind power deal with Bluewater Wind on Monday, agreeing to buy enough power to light 50,000 homes in Delaware for the next 25 years. The long-awaited, $800 million deal could make Delaware the first state in the nation to build a wind farm off its shores. An array of as many as 70 towering windmills would rise in a tract east of Rehoboth Beach by 2012. ...Both parties agreed the contract will cost average residential customers about $5 a month more -- over the 25 years -- than they would have paid for electricity without offshore wind power. With volatile fossil fuel prices, no one can predict how much additional cost -- or savings -- customers may see over the life of the contract.

.14667 2008-03-13T23:51:04Z 2008-03-13T23:51:04Z

The Stephenson County Board on Wednesday unanimously approved extending the local enterprise zone for a wind-farm project, and also moved forward on a major initiative to repair the sally port floor at the local courthouse. County officials say the extension of the Freeport/Stephenson County Enterprise Zone is an important step to make way for the EcoGrove Wind LLC project proposed for northwest of Lena. All four taxing bodies that govern the enterprise zone have to approve the extension. So far, Jo Daviess County, the Village of Hanover, and Stephenson County have approved it. The City of Freeport - the last taxing body - will likely vote on the matter at the March 17 City Council meeting.

.14530 2008-03-06T23:08:00Z 2008-03-06T23:08:00Z

The pros and cons of wind power will be on the minds of many Herkimer County residents as officials move forward with tax negotiations for two projects proposed in the county. County officials have been in talks for a payment in lieu of taxes agreement for the Hard Scrabble Wind Farm planned for the towns of Fairfield and Norway. The Jordanville Wind project designed for the towns of Warren and Stark also has been brought into the discussions in recent weeks, county Administrator James Wallace said.

.13870 2008-01-31T15:38:15Z 2008-01-31T15:38:15Z

State regulators have agreed to shorten a wind developer's waiting time before it may submit plans to build North Dakota's largest wind energy project. FPL Energy wants to build 133 wind turbines in northern Barnes County in eastern North Dakota. The wind project would generate up to 200 megawatts of electricity and cost an estimated $350 million to build.

.13392 2008-01-01T23:39:29Z 2008-01-01T23:39:29Z

Jasper County first advertised for bids to develop a wind power project in July of 2002. The county received two bids, one from Pecos Renewable Energy (PRE) and one from RES North America. After review and recommendation by the county's attorneys Mark Morgan and Thane Adkins, the court unanimously voted on Oct. 23, 2002, to accept PRE's bid. Five years ago wind energy was a relatively new enterprise to Texans, but in 2006 Texas surpassed California to become the nation's leader in wind capacity. ...If PRE can prove they have met the milestones of the contract, they may co-develop a wind farm with their named collaborator, Suzlon Wind Energy, the fifth-leading wind turbine supplier in the world. Or they can flip their lease and sell to another energy company, in which case Jasper County would receive royalties as development occurs. But unless the contract is terminated and Jasper has an opportunity to seek a new energy partner, PRE has the county's hands tied for the next 25 years (with automatic renewal for 10 more years) with no contractual obligation to produce anything.

.13357 2007-12-28T21:08:05Z 2007-12-28T21:08:05Z

State regulators are saying Westar Energy Inc.'s plans to invest in wind power are prudent but aren't allowing the utility to increase its profits. The Kansas Corporation Commission's decision created uncertainty about Westar's plans to invest in 295 megawatts of generating capacity from wind farms in three counties, enough to power 88,000 homes. ...Construction costs and the fact that wind doesn't blow consistently means that electricity from wind turbines more expensive per kilowatt hour in the short term than power from coal-fired plants. But commission spokeswoman Rosemary Foreman said Westar shareholders' risk was lessened because regulators will permit the utility to recover its investments in wind farms through its rates. "The commission just didn't think it justified, the ratepayers paying an additional cost," she said. "The risk to the company is minimized."

.12962 2007-11-28T23:23:26Z 2007-11-28T23:23:26Z

Being close to a windmill lowers the value of a property, says Derby's Board of Civil Authority (BCA). After inspecting property belonging to George and Doris Buzzell, the board decided to lower its appraised value by 10 percent from $242,300 to $227,600. ...According to the minutes of recent BCA meetings, the Buzzells objected to the recent revaluation of their property on Ridgehill Drive off Shattuck Hill Road. The couple was represented at meetings on October 29 and November 7 by Trevor Evans and Raymond Toolan. Mr. Toolan argued that noise and light from a windmill within 300 feet of the Buzzells' house lessens the home's value. The Buzzells say noises, vibrations and lights from the windmill, owned by Senator Vince Illuzzi and located on his property, interfere with the enjoyment of their home. Mr. Buzzell's "quality of living is far different today than when he purchased the property," Mr. Toolan said.

.12326 2007-10-24T02:22:10Z 2007-10-24T02:22:10Z

Howard County commissioners approved a trio of reinvestment zones necessary to grant tax abatements Monday morning, moving forward with negotiations with several wind energy developers that could lead to an estimated 400 to 500 new turbines being erected in the county. Commissioners met with Terry Wegman, executive director for Moore Development, who is serving as a liaison between the wind energy developers and local taxing entities for the purpose of establishing reinvestment zones, and ultimately, negotiating tax abatements for several proposed projects. The court approved reinvestment zones A, B and C, following a public hearing that drew comments from only a single property owner. ..."Even the smaller developments - the smallest one is 36 megawatts - will be putting up quite a few turbines. I think we're looking at between 400 and 500 turbines at this point, but that's nothing more than a rough estimate."

.11513 2007-08-23T12:00:48Z 2007-08-23T12:00:48Z

Plymouth has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for Wind Turbine Project Feasibility Studies at a number of sites in town. The feasibility study will provide crucial information that will help Plymouth determine the most appropriate ways to pursue potential wind projects at up to three sites, including the wastewater treatment plant, Plymouth South High School and the Indian Brook Elementary School.

.11207 2007-08-07T21:15:14Z 2007-08-07T21:15:14Z

CHICAGO - The governor announced an expansion of the Bureau and Putnam County Enterprise Zone on Monday, a move that should clear some final hurdles for construction of two wind farms. The enterprise zone, which allows income and job creation tax credits to companies that build within it, will be extended by a total of 18.2 acres for Midwest Wind Energy's Big Sky and Crescent Ridge II wind farms.

.10952 2007-07-25T22:09:09Z 2007-07-25T22:09:09Z

SCITUATE - The town has received a $65,000 grant to study whether wind energy can power its wastewater treatment plant. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative grant comes after more good news for wind-power advocates: 12 months worth of anemometer readings at the plant show that there is enough wind to make it a suitable site for a turbine. Selectman Paul Reidy estimated that the town could save thousands of dollars by using wind power. The treatment plant used $146,000 worth of electricity last year. A draft of the feasibility study is expected to be ready by September. Officials are considering a public meeting at that point to discuss the town's options.

.10857 2007-07-19T11:40:11Z 2007-07-19T11:40:11Z

NEW ULM - A few years from now, District 88 may begin to reap some benefits from wind energy. The school district is registered as an "interested party" in a federally funded program that would potentially provide it with a revenue source from the sale of wind energy produced at a wind farm in western Minnesota, Superintendent Harold Remme told the Board of Education last week. The school district will be participating in a Phase II grant process facilitated by Johnson Controls. All costs associated with the project are covered by a federal grant. The grant will pay for 10-year interest-free bonds to fund the wind farm project.