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/35741 Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:02:02 GMT The Spring Valley Wind project towers over nearby vehicles. The project, located 30 miles east of Ely, Nevada, includes 66 Siemens 2.3 MW machines. The Spring Valley project went online August 8, 2012 and is the first in the State of Nevada. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35741 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38172 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 03:37:23 GMT Earlier this month, attorneys filed in U.S. District Court of Nevada what we will call for the sake of brevity Bundorf v. Salazar. (Searchlight wind suit) The suit accuses former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar of acting in "a manner that is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law" when he granted permission for construction of an 87-turbine wind farm east of Searchlight on 19,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38172 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38122 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:46:38 GMT The 30-page complaint says that the environmental impact statement (EIS) "presents a one-sided and incomplete portrait of the proposed project and its likely adverse environmental impacts." "The Project would pose significant adverse harm to a wide array of sensitive and protected species -- including desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, golden eagles, bald eagles, and resident and migratory birds and bats -- through direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts." http://www.windaction.org/articles/38122 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38121 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:07:30 GMT Plaintiffs charge that the project, to be built by Duke Energy, would (in the words of the suit) "pose significant adverse harm to a wide array of sensitive and protected species ... including desert tortoise, golden eagles, bald eagles, and residential and migratory birds and bats... through direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts" which weren't adequately addressed. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38121 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38133 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:59:44 GMT Environmentalists and three Nevada residents are suing the Interior Department over its approval of the Searchlight Wind Energy Project, arguing the wind farm would sit in an area of the Mojave Desert that would cause widespread damage to sensitive wildlife habitat. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38133 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38134 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:10:32 GMT The wind farm and its transmission lines "will dominate the Searchlight desert and mountains," and the turbines, "with spinning blades that reach as high as the top of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas," will ruin the area for visitors, residents and businesses, the complaint stated, as well as cause "significant harm" to an array of animals through "direct, indirect and cumulative impacts." http://www.windaction.org/articles/38134 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38042 Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:32:20 GMT The Department of the Interior may have recently approved the Searchlight Wind Project, but those who stand to benefit most from the project are politicians and well-connected campaign donors, and not the people of Searchlight. "People from other communities told us, ‘you don't want [wind turbines],'" said Sandy Walters, chairwoman of the Searchlight Town Advisory Board. "We tried telling that to BLM and Duke Energy, too." http://www.windaction.org/articles/38042 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37942 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:00:43 GMT Recent studies and testimony by real estate appraisers from around the world indicate that properties within two to three miles of wind turbines have seen their values decline from 25 to 60 percent - with the decreased value being "tantamount to an inverse condemnation, or regulatory taking of private property rights." http://www.windaction.org/articles/37942 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37853 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:20:46 GMT The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting an investigation after a golden eagle was killed in late February at the Spring Valley Wind Farm, about 300 miles north of Las Vegas. ...the wind farm could face a fine of up to $200,000 because it does not hold a federal "take" permit that would allow the incidental death of a golden or bald eagle. Stafford said the matter is under investigation by the service's Office of Law Enforcement. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37853 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37727 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 02:26:07 GMT The approvals were for two solar and one wind projects, including NextEra Energy Inc's 750-megawatt McCoy Solar Energy Project in Southern California, the 150-megawatt Desert Harvest Solar Farm proposed by EDF Renewable Energy, also in Riverside County, and the 200-megawatt Searchlight Wind Energy Project in Nevada, south of Las Vegas. Searchlight, which is being developed by Duke Energy Corp, will use Siemens wind turbines. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37727 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37725 Fri, 08 Mar 2013 01:55:28 GMT Already a dead Golden eagle was found on February 25 at a wind turbine generator in the Spring Valley, a place with a dense population of eagles. Those who knew thae area had predicted eagle mortality was likely, but no one thought it would be so soon after the project was completed. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37725 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37394 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:29:38 GMT Building a 75-foot-tall wind turbine adjacent to a quiet subdivision is a nuisance because, in part, it ruins the scenery and creates noise, the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37394 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36200 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:07:10 GMT Critics say Nevada's largest utility is undercutting the spirit of legislation designed to spur renewable energy development by purchasing power from out-of-state sources. ...the company has used wind power from Wyoming, geothermal from Utah and hydropower from Idaho dams to help it meet the state's requirement. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36200 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36121 Sat, 22 Sep 2012 17:20:09 GMT Advocates of small-scale wind energy production say stories like the Sousas' experience at their high-desert home highlight the challenge early adopters face when investing in a nascent industry. That includes sorting through unsubstantiated claims made by some manufacturers of wind turbines meant for backyards or city parks as well as maintaining a realistic set of expectations for the technology. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36121 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35724 Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:32:28 GMT The politics of renewable energy headed the agenda in battleground Nevada on Tuesday, as Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar opened a fifth annual green energy conference with the announcement that a 12-square-mile wind energy farm in rural White Pine County will begin producing electricity. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35724 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35750 Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:32:41 GMT Nevada's renewable energy sector shows that over $1.3 billion in federal funds funneled into geothermal, solar and wind projects since 2009 has yielded and is projected to yield just 288 permanent, full-time jobs. That's an initial cost of over $4.6 million per job. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35750 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35074 Fri, 25 May 2012 11:20:38 GMT Programs to support wind-energy projects for Nevadans have been a financial flop so far, according to the state Bureau of Consumer Protection. But NV Energy of Las Vegas and Sierra Pacific Power of Reno say changes are being made, and the program should continue. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35074 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34976 Thu, 10 May 2012 11:32:29 GMT According to a Department of Interior memo, Enbridge Energy Partners, a Canadian-based company with extensive energy holdings in the U.S. that purchased the Southern Nevada plant from Arizona-based First Solar, "can apply for payments of up to 30 percent of the eligible costs of the project - approximately $50 million." http://www.windaction.org/articles/34976 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34811 Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:19:09 GMT The 7,500-acre Spring Valley Wind farm in White Pine County, just west of Great Basin National Park, is set to start providing power to northern Nevada this July, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34811 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34712 Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:53:58 GMT A year ago, a Reno clean energy businessman warned the Public Utilities Commission that if it didn't set a few standards for NV Energy's wind rebate program, its customers could end up footing the bill for turbines that rarely produce electricity. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34712