Traffic on the Danville-Riverside Bridge was tied up for six hours Monday after a tractor-trailer carrying a wide load turned onto the bridge and got stuck. A crane was called in to move the trailer, which was hauling a section of a wind turbine tower. The truck became stuck at about 11:30 a.m. and was cleared from the bridge at about 5:30 p.m.

During an evidentiary hearing Wednesday, Fayette County Judge Steve Leskinen heard arguments concerning eight proposed wind turbines the county's zoning hearing board rejected in June, including concerns about public safety. The towers, which are owned by Oregon-based Iberdrola Renewables, formerly known as PPM Atlantic Renewables are 262.5 feet tall and 12.5 feet higher than allowed under the zoning ordinance.

The May 14 fire at the skyscraper-size Turbine 12 at the Locust Ridge I commercial wind farm in Mahanoy Township occurred during routine maintenance, according to a company official. Jan Johnson, corporate communications director for Iberdrola Renewables in Portland, Ore., which owns the wind farm, said Thursday that Turbine 12 is still shut down. When asked how the fire started, she said, "We're still investigating."

Firefighters responded to a report of a wind turbine fire at the first commercial-size wind farm in Schuylkill County, Locust Ridge I in Mahanoy Township, Thursday afternoon, according to reports from the Schuylkill County Communications Center.

Firefighters responded to a report of a turbine fire at the first commercial-size wind farm in Schuylkill County, Locust Ridge I in Mahanoy Township, Thursday afternoon, according to reports from Schuylkill County Communications. ...In service since March 2007, this G87 turbine is one of the original 13 turbines which was part of the Locust Ridge I.

A meteorological tower felled during last weekend's ice storm has led some residents to further question a wind company's already controversial plans for Shaffer Mountain. "It's a concern for many residents of Shaffer Mountain. What does it say if they cannot maintain one meteorological tower?" said Karin Sedewar of Shaffer Mountain Road. Representatives from Gamesa Energy USA, whose project would build 30 turbines along the Allegheny Front, said the 262-foot tall tower likely fell due to severe weather conditions. ...Company officials stressed that a meteorological tower is very different from a turbine structure. The release described the test towers as having steel tube frames anchored by steel cables.

The discovery wasn't pleasant, nor was it much of a surprise to some Shaffer Mountain residents. Neighbors found a 200-foot tower - erected to measure wind atop the ridge for the controversial 30-turbine farm - lying twisted on ice-packed ground this week. "This tower is aluminum. The turbine's blades are Fiberglas and could project further," said Karin Sedewar of Shaffer Mountain Road. "If it had been real turbines, it could have been a real danger." The fall of the Gamesa USA tower - which Karin and John Sedewar believe was a casualty of last week's ice storm - solidifies their concerns about windmills.

No word yet on what caused a blade to break apart on a wind turbine at the Waymart Wind Farm, Monday afternoon. Two blades on the three-bladed rotor remained intact, but one delaminated, meaning its fiberglass layers came apart. "This is on private property. No one was injured," says Steve Stengel, a spokesperson for FPL Energy which owns the wind farm. ...A total of 43 wind turbines line the Moosic Mountain Ridge. The 1.5 megawatt Waymart Wind Farm was completed in 2003.

Whatever is causing turbine blades made at Gamesa Energy USA near Ebensburg to splinter should be known within weeks, a company representative said Wednesday. Meanwhile, the startup of the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm - which will become Pennsylvania's largest wind farm - will be on hold until the blade investigation is completed, Ellen Lutz, director of development for Gamesa's Atlantic Region, said Wednesday.

An Australian company that wants to buy a Cambria County wind farm might walk away if it's not determined what caused seven turbine blades to crack and large pieces of two blades to fly off. The problems at the Allegheny Ridge wind farm are a serious concern, said Neal Emmerton, regional asset manager for Sydney-based Babcock & Brown. Gamesa, the Spanish firm that developed the facility, has been paid, but the deal won't be final until the blade issues are resolved, he said.

White Construction officials are still trying to determine what went wrong at the site, and OSHA was at the scene Wednesday conducting an investigation that could last two weeks to six months.

BEAR CREEK TWP. – The proposed addition of nine massive wind turbines around Crystal Lake would prevent nature lovers from accessing public land, according to testimony at a zoning hearing on Tuesday.

BEAR CREEK TWP. – Hiking trails around Crystal Lake could be ideal for snowmobiling and cross country skiing now that Luzerne County owns the property, purchased with public money for the purpose of preservation and recreation.

BEDFORD - Wind turbines tentatively in the works for Brumbaugh Mountain could be directly in the flight path of the Bedford County Airport, officials said Tuesday.

The “Penobscot Wind Park” is clearly an inappropriate and incompatible use of county conservation and recreational land. We support the efforts of the current Bear Creek supervisors as they attempt to bring order to this project, which was given a free reign by the previous township administration. For our part DOW, with our partners from Bear Creek Township, will continue to fight for taxpayers rights in court. Concerned sportsmen, and Luzerne County residents should demand that the majority Luzerne County commissioners begin to protect this property and the rights of the taxpayers who will ultimately pay for it.