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/22431 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:13:52 GMT New York's far-reaching investigation into allegations that wind developers paid local officials to approve their energy projects moved into the state of Vermont this week. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that his office issued a subpoena to Reunion Power, a wind energy developer with offices in Manchester Center and Hackensack, N.J., as part of its ongoing investigation. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22431 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21927 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:05:34 GMT Every day, all day, weather radar shows a small but intense thunderstorm northwest of Plattsburgh, N.Y. Further to the west, in central New York, where much of Vermont's weather comes from ...But these daily storms are not real. They're an unintended side effect of the wind farms cropping up on windy plateaus and mountains all over the nation. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21927 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21091 Wed, 06 May 2009 03:16:37 GMT The turbines don't come without controversy. In early March, a wind turbine in Altona, N.Y., fell to the ground. No one was hurt. In the following days, Noble Environmental Power, which owns 257 turbines in Clinton and Franklin counties, blamed a combination of a "power loss" and a "wiring anomaly" for the topple. To this day, they have offered no further explanation. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21091 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17126 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:30:11 GMT In Vermont the parties are still waiting for a decision on the Sheffield project, which was argued before the high court in May. A clerk at the Supreme Court said Tuesday she has no idea when a decision might be announced. Meanwhile, the opponents of big wind in western New York believe they are finally getting the recognition they deserve with this month's announcement by the AG's office in Albany. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17126 http://www.windaction.org/articles/16223 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:24:16 GMT Across Lake Champlain, many Vermonters are asking the same question. While wind energy sails along at a healthy clip in New York and much of New England, in Vermont it's been as flaccid as a limp windsock. Currently, all of Vermont's grid-scale wind power - a meager 6 megawatts total - comes from 11 turbines in Searsburg, in southern Vermont. A 16-turbine project in Sheffield is due to break ground later this year, but that is by no means a done deal. If it does move forward, the modest project would increase Vermont's wind energy output fivefold. That's still a pittance compared to Vermont's neighbors. http://www.windaction.org/articles/16223 http://www.windaction.org/articles/15693 Wed, 07 May 2008 11:02:26 GMT Blades have begun to turn on 121 wind turbines here and in neighboring Ellenburg, a 35-minute drive northwest of Plattsburgh. Saturday, they turned with a soft whush, whush, whush. "Whush, whush, whush, all day long, all night long - I moved here because it was so peaceful and quiet," groused Allen Barcombe as he pointed to the nearest tower, jutting up 400 feet into the sky behind his house. ...The New York turbines, in two projects developed by Noble Environmental Power, are the first of nearly 400 expected to go up in five towns on a windy plateau just south of the Canadian border. When completed, the development about 90 minutes from Burlington will represent the largest concentration of wind turbines in the eastern United States. http://www.windaction.org/articles/15693 http://www.windaction.org/articles/13890 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:23:49 GMT Bats are dying off by the thousands as they hibernate in caves and mines around New York and Vermont, sending researchers scrambling to find the cause of mysterious condition dubbed "white nose syndrome." The ailment - named for the white circle of fungus found around the noses of affected bats - was first noticed last January in four caves west of Albany. It has now spread to eight hibernation sites in the state and another in Vermont. Alan Hicks, a bat specialist with New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, called the quick-spreading disorder the "gravest threat" to bats he had ever seen. Up to 11,000 bats were found dead last winter and many more are showing signs illness this winter. One hard-hit cave went from more than 15,000 bats two years ago to 1,500 now, he said. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13890 http://www.windaction.org/articles/13891 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:44:13 GMT In response to information about a mysterious illness that has been associated with the deaths of more than 8,000 bats, conservation groups today asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to close all bat hibernation sites and withdraw all federal permits to “take” — that is, harm or kill — imperiled bats until the cause of the deaths is understood. One species of bat that is at risk is the endangered Indiana bat. While details are limited, scientists have given the name “white-nose syndrome” to describe a Fusarium mold that is exhibited around the dead bats’ noses. The syndrome is associated with the discovery of thousands of dead bats in at least two Albany, New York-area caves last winter. ...The Indiana bat is one of the most endangered terrestrial mammals in the world. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13891 http://www.windaction.org/articles/12511 Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:03:00 GMT Noble Environmental Power, a Connecticut company, plans to turn on the power from its 120-turbine project in Clinton and neighboring Ellenburg this winter. A second developer, Texas-based Horizon Energy, is awaiting permits to erect 109 turbines next summer in the two towns. ...Visitors will hear no resolution to the debate over wind energy's benefits and costs that's going on back home. Although Clinton and Ellenburg have embraced wind development, the turbines have their fierce opponents as well as enthusiastic supporters. ... Amy Filion's Clinton home also sits amid the turbines. "It breaks my heart. I've lived here all my life because I love the country - and this isn't the country anymore," she said. ...It's not until travelers crisscross the two towns on back roads that jaws begin to drop. Towers are scattered across the landscape. Around each corner new towers appear, on the right, on the left, ahead and behind. They look like an alien army out of a "Star Wars" movie - but whether they are things of beauty or ugliness depends on the individual viewer. http://www.windaction.org/articles/12511 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10751 Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:46:16 GMT The money from Noble will make a huge difference for Clinton. "We're almost positive we can do away with the town tax," Lagree said. "We'll still have the school tax and county tax." Lagree said inflationary increases are built into the payments. The town is now looking at various improvements it has not had a chance to make. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10751 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10590 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:22:37 GMT Legislators in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic passed a number of bills applying to the electric power industry, with several states committing to emissions reductions through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and other states making broad organizational changes to their regulatory processes. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10590 http://www.windaction.org/articles/9174 Wed, 25 Apr 2007 16:20:45 GMT A grass roots coalition of nearly 100 citizens from New York, Vermont, and other states have filed a federal Anti-Trust Complaint alleging that an international cartel comprised of foreign and domestic business entities have conspired to eliminate competition in the newly emerging U.S. wind energy sector. http://www.windaction.org/articles/9174 http://www.windaction.org/articles/8108 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 13:06:51 GMT This is a story about two men who forged a friendship at a nuclear power plant protest and then went on to collaborate on several sustainable energy projects, including three of the best known modern hydro projects in Vermont, over a 30-year period. Recently, the two separately embarked on wind projects in New York and Vermont. The fate of these projects couldn’t be more different: The New York wind turbines will be built this summer, while the East Haven Wind Farm in the Northeast Kingdom is effectively dead. http://www.windaction.org/articles/8108 http://www.windaction.org/articles/4461 Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:19:53 GMT Aug. 15 (Bloomberg) -- New York, New Jersey and five other Northeast states set a goal of cutting power-plant carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent over 10 years to help curb global warming. http://www.windaction.org/articles/4461 http://www.windaction.org/articles/998 Wed, 21 Dec 2005 13:06:45 GMT NEW YORK – Seven northeastern U.S. states have signed the country's first plan to create a market for heat-trapping carbon dioxide by curbing emissions at power plants, New York Gov. George Pataki said Tuesday. http://www.windaction.org/articles/998 http://www.windaction.org/articles/8614 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT This document includes studies in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. http://www.windaction.org/articles/8614 http://www.windaction.org/articles/1635 Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:06:10 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/1635