http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.windaction.org/articles/37781 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:25:56 GMT Rep. Dennis Hedke, said the pushback against renewable energy standards is about 2.9 million Kansans who are seeing higher energy rates that he says are driven largely by government mandates to use alternative energy sources. Hedke said electrical rates have increased 37 percent since 2008. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37781 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37627 Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:14:49 GMT "Everyone who is an electricity consumer or who pays taxes that are handed over to the wind power industry has skin in the issue. Forcing Kansans to purchase more expensive renewable power harms almost everyone with skin in the issue." http://www.windaction.org/articles/37627 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37560 Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:38:38 GMT The Senate voted 23-17 on Thursday to reject a bill postponing the renewable energy requirement for four years, until 2024. The action, which killed the measure, came hours after the House voted 63-59 sending its own legislation lowering the standards back to committee. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37560 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37558 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 04:27:21 GMT Anti-tax conservative Grover Norquist attempted to convince Kansas legislators Thursday to support a bill to weaken a state law requiring utilities to draw 20 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37558 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37431 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:01:25 GMT Renewable Portfolio Standards are coming under attack. The latest locale is Kansas, where the Republican-led legislature says that green energy mandates are distorting markets. ...It's all part of the national discussion over whether requiring utilities to either procure or to produce a percentage of their offerings from sustainable sources is a good thing. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37431 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37339 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:27:52 GMT Rep. Dennis Hedke, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy, said lack of progress on the coal plant prompted lawmakers to consider dumping the RPS or delaying targets two or four years. Some House and Senate members want to extract the state from meddling in oil, gas, nuclear, wind and solar businesses, he said. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37339 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37280 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:48:58 GMT The debate about climate change continues, and the discussion has now made its way to the Kansas Legislature. The Senate Standing Committee for Utilities is proposing to delay or modify the mandates established by the Renewable Energy Standards Act that would relieve utilities' requirements to use more renewable fuels. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37280 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35968 Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:18:35 GMT According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Kansas is leading the U.S. in new wind farm installations this year. By the end of the year, eight new utility-scale wind projects will come online - representing approximately $3 billion in new investment - and the state will have more than doubled its installed wind power by adding 1.489 GW of new wind power capacity. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35968 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35646 Sat, 28 Jul 2012 04:39:16 GMT KPI President Dave Trabert said subsidized wind farms hurt the state's economy, that business investment in the state will be $191 million less than without the mandate. "It's easy to see windmills going up or an employer moving into town as a good thing," Trabert said in a KPI press release. "But it is often overlooked that they received a subsidy or incentive. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35646 http://www.windaction.org/articles/32361 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:45:32 GMT On wind, he said he opposes a measure called the Renewable Energy Standard that requires utilities all over the country to use a certain percentage of wind-generated electricity, although he has supported other wind tax credits. Renewing the production tax credit for wind farms in 2012 will be difficult, he said. http://www.windaction.org/articles/32361 http://www.windaction.org/articles/31965 Thu, 19 May 2011 02:41:27 GMT Gov. Sam Brownback is defending the process he used to make 11,000 square miles of the Flint Hills off-limits to wind farm expansion as part of his push to make the Kansas tallgrass prairie a premiere tourist destination. http://www.windaction.org/articles/31965 http://www.windaction.org/articles/31915 Fri, 06 May 2011 23:36:26 GMT Gov. Sam Brownback on Friday announced a plan that he said would protect the tallgrass prairie by preventing further development of commercial wind farms in the Flint Hills. http://www.windaction.org/articles/31915 http://www.windaction.org/articles/29838 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:50:24 GMT Fulfilling one of the final goals of former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, the Kansas Corporation Commission has approved regulations directing utilities to get 15 percent of their electric power from renewable sources by 2016 - and 20 percent by 2020. http://www.windaction.org/articles/29838 http://www.windaction.org/articles/29018 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:05:19 GMT Invenergy project manager Will Furgeson said while he continues to pursue a proposed project in northern Ellis County, the increased setbacks adopted Monday have caused concern about creating a viable project in the county. ...Along with increased setbacks, the amended regulations call for a standard for noise in wind projects not to exceed 40 decibels. http://www.windaction.org/articles/29018 http://www.windaction.org/articles/27135 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:23:48 GMT Today, state Rep. Tom McMillin of Michigan introduced a resolution (H.R. 277) urging his state's governor to withdraw Michigan from continued participation in the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (MGGRA), an agreement among the region's governors to reduce greenhouse gases through a regional cap-and-trade program. ...nearby participating states intend to introduce similar measures in their own legislatures. http://www.windaction.org/articles/27135 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21409 Sun, 31 May 2009 17:24:54 GMT Two of the primary issues that have held back development of home or community-based turbines, industry experts say, are cost and regulation. Recent legislation has addressed each in part, but barriers remain. ..."We like the thoughts of wind turbines, but are opposed to law," said Bob Hall, manager of Ark Valley Electric Cooperative, saying it's unfair to the majority of its member customers and unreliable as an energy source. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21409 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19965 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:38:09 GMT A House committee endorsed a bill Thursday that ties two proposed coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas to proposals for promoting wind and other renewable energy sources. Supporters used the same strategy last year in an unsuccessful effort to clear the way for the coal plants despite Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' opposition. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19965 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19806 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:59:34 GMT Two Kansas House of Representative bills being heard in the committee on energy and utilities have sparked opposition by local government officials. House bills 2043 and 2051, dealing with the regulation of wind and solar energy, would allow developers to build renewable energy plants without regard for already-established local zoning regulations. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19806 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19614 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:35:06 GMT Two key power providers backed legislation Wednesday that would require Kansas utilities to invest in wind and other renewable energy sources. Westar Energy, the state's largest investor-owned utility, and Sunflower Electric Power Corp., a Hays-based rural electric cooperative, both testified in support of the mandate. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19614 http://www.windaction.org/articles/18855 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:05:49 GMT In a unanimous vote Monday, the Hays Area Planning Commission approved a recommendation to indefinitely extend a moratorium on wind energy development within city limits. This recommendation will be presented to Hays city commissioners at a later date for final approval. Jesse Rohr, planning and development superintendent, suggested the recommendation for a moratorium extension of several months. http://www.windaction.org/articles/18855