The Logan County, IL zoning board of adjustment is conducting a public hearing on Horizon Wind's Rail Splitter wind facility. Mr. Len Freeman of Emden, IL presented this testimony before the Board. An excerpt of Mr. Freeman's testimony can be read below. His full testimony can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

The below statement was filed with the Logan County Planning Commission in regard to the Rail Splitter wind energy facility proposed for Logan County, IL.

This report is a culmination of eight months of effort by the Champaign County (Ohio) Wind Turbine Study Group (“WTSG”). It contains the results of the research and critical analysis compiled by the group regarding fourteen readily identifiable issues associated with wind energy development. The letter introducing the report is listed below along with the report's table of contents. The full document can be downloaded by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.

Attorney George Cavros of Fort Lauderdale, FL delivered the below letter to the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The letter is in reference to the proposed FP&L wind turbine project on Hutchinson Island.

The links below display a Burke, NY parcel map of those properties known to be encumbered with wind lease agreements.

UPC Wind (First Wind) is seeking landowners in Prattsburgh, NY to negotiate this easement agreement to permit the company an exclusive and permanent right of way and easement to build, rebuild, relocate, operate, repair, maintain, renew and at their pleasure remove underground transmission lines for purposes of transmitting electricity, communications systems etc. The full agreement can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

A Franklin County Grand Jury is investigating town officials' financial ties with wind farms. A town councilman in Burke, in northern Franklin County, has sued to quash a subpoena issued by the district attorney as part of the grand jury process. Jacob Resneck reports.

Over the past three months the Franklin County District Attorney's Office has been examining allegations of certain improprieties including self-dealing, conflicts of interest and violations of statutes on the part of various local elected officials in Franklin County. The recently disclosed unethical conduct by our state's highest elected official has heightened the need for a closer review of all available ethical safeguards in order to reestablish and maintain the Public's confidence in our elected officials. ...Our investigation has revealed several contracts, easements, lease option agreements, cooperation memoranda and other types of documents which disclose relationships existing between elected officials and certain third parties in Franklin County (as well as other elected officials in other Counties) which, when allegedly coupled with certain decision making and board action, may be in violation of General Municipal Law (GML) 805-a(1)(c) and (1)(d).

The Texas landscape is changing both physically and legally, especially in West Texas. Wind turbines appear on previously barren horizons, ushering in a new revenue source for landowners and new questions for attorneys. Wind leases differ from mineral leases in significant ways. For example, signing bonuses are less for wind leases, terms are of different length, royalty payments are not protected by statute and surface rights are not automatic. This paper highlights important aspects related to leasing land for wind energy development.