An appeal against the Virginia Peak Wind Project was filed Tuesday afternoon with Washoe County, meaning one more hurdle for the alternative energy project slated for an area north of Spanish Springs. ...The appeal was filed in the afternoon on Tuesday, Lloyd said, the final day that an appeal would have been accepted. Lloyd would not disclose the name of the person who filed the appeal.

The developer of a proposed wind farm about 30 miles east of Ely in Spring Valley told the White Pine County Commission Feb. 11 that the company plans to build the $250 million project next year despite a financial collapse of its Australian parent corporation. Acknowledging the company's financial problems, representatives of Babcock & Brown told the commission the company still projects construction between April and December of next year with completion in December 2010.

Nevada needs billions of dollars in new transmission lines if it is to capitalize on its renewable energy potential and become a net exporter of clean energy, Gov. Jim Gibbons said in a statement. He and other Western governors have called for changes in tax laws to further stimulate transmission line development.

Storey County could ban a 69-windmill project not only near tourist towns but almost anywhere in the county. The county planning commission looked at the ordinance Thursday night that could affect a windmill project planned for the mountains north of Carson City and west of Virginia City. The draft ordinance bans commercial windmills visible from the 19th century mining towns of Virginia City and Gold Hill.

With the backing of construction workers and with future neighbors opposed, the Washoe County Planning Commission voted 7-0 Wednesday night to allow a 44-turbine wind farm north of Sparks. About 200 workers, many wearing green T-shirts saying "Vote Green Jobs," urged to approval ...Neighbors worried about noise, dirt from construction, changes of scenic views and other issues they fear would change their rural lifestyle.

Storey County could block a 69-windmill project planned for mountains north of Carson City and west of Virginia City under a new ordinance. The proposed rule would ban windmills visible from historic areas including Virginia City. The Storey County planning commission will talk about ordinances regulating windmills, hillside building and night lighting at its meeting Thursday.

When Duke Energy went to Boulder City to pitch a wind farm outside Searchlight, the company was greeted with a virtual love-in. Not so in Searchlight, where residents seemed armed with pitchforks and torches. ..."I presented that to the town of Searchlight and I couldn't get to the car fast enough," Charlebois said.

Owning a private windmill will be easier and cheaper under an ordinance approved by the Carson City Planning Commission on Wednesday. Under the plan, the city will no longer require a $2,200 permit application fee and planning commission approval for a windmill. The ordinance will go to the city board of supervisors next for final approval.

A wind farm that would be Southern Nevada's first could sprout 30 miles south of Boulder City near Searchlight as soon as 2011. Some Searchlight residents, though thankful planners have already moved turbines because of their concerns, worry that the wind-powered energy plant would be ugly, noisy and deadly to wildlife. Yesterday, about 60 Searchlight and Cal-Nev-Ari residents met with planners ...

How does a small rural town react when it is chosen to be the centerpiece of an industrial renewable energy project? Can a town successfully fight a large corporation backed up by the federal government when it does not want such a giant development in its backyard? We wanted to see, and since we own a parcel of land within the greater "viewshed" of the proposed wind farm, we attended the first of many public meetings hosted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to "scope" comments from locals and others interested in Duke Energy's plans to place 161 large wind turbines.

A planned windmill project would hurt the local economy and has no place in the county, Storey County officials said Tuesday. The 69 windmills proposed by Reno-based Great Basin Wind for mountains north of Carson City and west of Virginia City would affect tourism in the historic mining district and cause other problems, county commissioners and staff said.

Last week, the Bureau of Land Management authorized the establishment of special offices in Wyoming and other Western states to expedite that renewable energy development on federal public lands. BLM officials said Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne issued a Secretarial Order on Friday that will allow the agency to establish coordination offices in Wyoming, Arizona, California and Nevada.

Storey County officials want the public to tell the federal government what it thinks about a plan to build windmills on mountains north of Carson City and west of Virginia City. ...Most of the project would be in the National Historic District and about half would be in the Comstock Historic District.

The Washoe County Planning Commission late Tuesday night delayed until Feb. 4 deciding whether to grant permits for a wind farm that would put 44 turbines on the ridges of the Pah Rah Range east of Warm Springs Valley. The continuance came after a vote to reject the project and another vote to approve the Nevada Wind project failed. At the end of the four-hour hearing, all but Commmissioner Roy Hibdon voted for the delay so that "holes" in the project could be filled in. He had favored the $190 million project.

Alternative energy advocates and residents opposed to giant wind turbines overlooking their homes in Warm Springs Valley are expected to square off when Nevada Wind's proposed wind farm comes before the Washoe County Planning Commission on Tuesday. ...No matter what the planning commission decides, the project is expected to be appealed to the Washoe County Commission.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has aggressively promoted the development of renewable energy in Nevada, may be able to see some tangible results from his home in Searchlight in a few years. Duke Energy on Thursday said it proposes to build a wind farm that could cost up to $600 million dollars and generate 300 megawatts a few miles southeast of Searchlight.

But the visibility issue had several Comstock-area residents questioning the project and its effect on the historic mining district. "This is a very special piece of real estate, and a very fragile piece of real estate," said Ron Reno, an archaeologist who lives in Silver City. "Right now, the landmark is officially listed as threatened. It can't absorb much else that alters the nature of this historical district." The question that is unanswered is just how visible these wind turbines will be from Virginia City.

Federal land managers said Monday they will gather public comment and assess the potential environmental impacts of a proposal to build dozens of wind-power turbines on the mountains north of Carson City and west of Virginia City.

Heidi Brautigam loves nothing better than horseback riding in Warm Springs Valley, where she has lived for 17 years. But she is worried her rides could become dangerous once big tractor rigs and construction trucks start hauling equipment and materials to build Nevada Wind's proposed wind turbine farm on the northern ridges overlooking the valley, north of Spanish Springs.

Lincoln County Commissioners, during their regular meeting November 10, said they were not opposed to the development of wind-generated power in the County, but would rather seek different locations than the ones being proposed. Mission Edison Group, a subsidiary of Southern California Edison, had approached the County about building wind generators on Mt. Wilson and Table Mountain, both a little north of Pioche. County Commissioners have said they do not think those locations are the best places for such large generators.