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/4193 Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:05:46 GMT Wind plant near the Oregon-Washington border http://www.windaction.org/articles/4193 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38315 Thu, 09 May 2013 21:02:57 GMT New wind energy development is off to a slow start in 2013, following a surge of projects last year that added 1,700 megawatts of generation across the Pacific Northwest. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38315 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38098 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:46:26 GMT The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) this week released a new proposal to share the "oversupply costs" that pile up when there is not enough demand for all the electricity produced by hydroelectric dams and wind-power producers. During these oversupply periods, when wind-power producers may be asked to shut down, the plan would compensate them for lost revenue, according to Doug Johnson, a BPA spokesman. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38098 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36399 Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:42:47 GMT Last Tuesday morning, wind farms plugged into the Bonneville Power Administration's transmission network hit a new generation record of 4,289 megawatts. In fact, earlier the same morning, wind farms exceeded the output of the federal hydroelectric system... there was no brouhaha over excess energy supply as there was last spring. Everyone went about their business and got paid. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36399 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36256 Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:00:55 GMT This month marks the 12th anniversary of designation of the remote Steens Mountain country of southeast Oregon as a protected area, some of it as federal wilderness. But conservation groups are in court, trying to keep wind turbines and transmission lines off the mountain. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36256 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36174 Sat, 29 Sep 2012 19:38:15 GMT The wind farm sites are all in or near restricted airspace at the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility in Boardman, Ore. ...The interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States initially recommended against allowing the transaction in July. But only the president can halt an acquisition. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36174 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36163 Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:17:20 GMT Barack Obama said he had decided that Ralls, the company behind the project, "might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States," and ordered it to sell its four sites and remove its equipment. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36163 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36198 Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:54:49 GMT Obama ordered Ralls Corp., a company owned by Chinese nationals, to divest its interest in development rights for the small wind farms -- with just five turbines each --near the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility. ...Ralls said it would lose the chance for $25 million in federal renewable energy investment tax incentives if the farms weren't running by Dec. 31. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36198 http://www.windaction.org/articles/36093 Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:25:08 GMT After conducting an investigation, CFIUS issued an order on July 25 citing "national security risks" raised by the sale of the assets to Ralls and directing the company to stop all construction and operations at the wind-farm locations, according to the filing. ...If the wind farms aren't in service by Dec. 31, then the company won't be able to obtain $25 million in federal investment tax incentives, according to the court filing. http://www.windaction.org/articles/36093 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35788 Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:17:07 GMT Wind generation accounts for less than 5 percent of the electricity consumed in Oregon. The lion's share comes from hydroelectric dams, natural gas and coal-fired power plants, and much of that power is generated out of state. Likewise, much of the wind power generated in Oregon is under contract with utilities in California. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35788 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35703 Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:36:07 GMT Election-year politics and a soon-to-expire federal energy tax credit program could stall or scuttle a proposed wind farm on the gusty open bluffs of northeastern Oregon. The Senate Finance Committee voted 19-5 in favor of a one-year, but the Senate and House must make the final decision to renew. Congress has seesawed in its attitude toward the credit, originally part of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35703 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35633 Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:11:19 GMT EPUD has said it was expecting that by late 2011 its customer base would have grown and customers would need that extra power. But they don't, and the California buyer doesn't want it either, meaning EPUD now must keep buying the power from the wind farm at contract rates and sell it on the open market, where prices have plunged, EPUD said. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35633 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35624 Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:33:35 GMT Wind power, a darling of the renewable energy industry, is getting a push back from ranchers like Davies and conservationists. They worry that the rush to harness wind will have long-term negative impacts on some of America's last unspoiled places. That includes the area around Steens Mountain where impacts to raptors and threatened sage grouse cannot always be fully mitigated. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35624 http://www.windaction.org/articles/35469 Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:16:08 GMT Residents of Blake Ranch, a small Morrow County community, protested plans Wednesday for a 310 wind-turbine farm. The four stood with signs outside Heppner City Hall, where Chicago-based wind power developer Invenergy, LLC at the second of two public information sessions unveiled its plans for 61,000 acres east of Heppner. http://www.windaction.org/articles/35469 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34904 Thu, 03 May 2012 13:02:54 GMT Rancher Hoyt Wilson's remote Mann Lake Ranch headquarters has Steens Mountain's north end for its backdrop. The breathtaking panorama that has gone unchanged since the Western frontier may one day be dominated by dozens of 415-foot-tall wind turbines, part of a $300 million renewable energy project. The project pits spectacular scenery against the production of energy. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34904 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34872 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:14:46 GMT The agency, which manages much of the power grid in the Northwest, confirmed it issued the orders during the early morning hours of Sunday and Monday, when demand is low. The action rekindles a dispute from last year, when the agency curtailed wind turbines because the water from a large mountain snowpack. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34872 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34750 Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:46:01 GMT It's springtime in the Northwest ...Occasionally, it means more hydro and wind electricity is pulsing into the grid than anyone can use. That's a major problem for wind farm owners ...when BPA can suddenly shut down their output to prevent "over-generation." The cutoffs can mean millions of dollars in lost revenue, and put a cloud over further wind development in the Northwest. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34750 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34748 Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:57:28 GMT Critics argue that Oregonians should not be asked to sacrifice Steens Mountain to a Washington-based, New York-financed company in order to generate electricity for California. ..."It's hard to find a place like Steens Mountain any more. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34748 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34183 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:45:07 GMT Energy company Iberdrola Renewables cited multiple factors for a decision to scale back on new projects. That led directly to layoffs in engineering, construction and development. "The low energy prices and the regulatory uncertainty here in the U.S. are by far the biggest decision makers," says company spokeswoman Jan Johnson. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34183 http://www.windaction.org/articles/1224 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:47:10 GMT Worldwide, renewable-energy companies are reeling from overcapacity and plunging prices caused by an explosion in manufacturing and competition from low-cost producers in China and other countries. Some big U.S. and European solar companies have gone bankrupt, with more failures expected. http://www.windaction.org/articles/1224