News
Controversial Ulverston wind farm given go ahead by Barrow planners, but future remains unclear
May 22, 2013 by Tom Murphy in Westmorland Gazette
May 22, 2013 by Tom Murphy in Westmorland Gazette
A hotly-contested plan to 're-power' a five-turbine wind farm near Ulverston has been given full support by Barrow planners.
However, three of the turbines fall within South Lakeland District Council jurisdiction, who narrowly rejected the plan earlier this year.
Wind farm technicians and officials with EDF Renewable Energy believe one wind tower, just northeast of Dexter, was struck by lightning on April 24, which mangled one of the structure's 37-meter, 14,000-pound blades.
Tuesday night's Board of Health meeting erupted in angry shouts.
This after the state Department of Environmental Protection showed the wind turbines often exceed legal noise limits.
Robert Arthur Reed, of Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty in federal court in Casper to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money. Four other co-defendants have entered earlier guilty pleas. ...An indictment alleges that they hired phone solicitors to make cold calls to investors, urging them to invest in wind farms by falsely claiming they were being constructed jointly by private investors and the U.S. government.
State finds Fairhaven turbines in violation of noise regulations
May 22, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today
May 22, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today
DEP Deputy Commissioner Martin Suuberg told the Board of Health that noise from the turbines exceeded state regulations in five of the 24 periods during which the DEP conducted testing. ...many in the audience began shouting for Board of Health Chairman Peter DeTerra to make a motion to shut down the wind turbines until Fairhaven Wind presented the board with a mitigation plan.
Forty-one percent of registered voters - 9,873 out of 24,158 - turned out to cast ballots on 18 questions, including Question 2, which would have authorized the decommissioning, dismantling and removal of the turbines. ...The selectmen, who support removing the turbines, will now have to find another way to deal with the ongoing dispute.
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Massachusetts]
The company said it was closing two plants - Albacete in Castilla-La Mancha and Tudela in Navarre - and restructuring a third at As Somozas, Galicia. The cuts affect 6% of the total workforce.
Lee board OKs wind farm project; 12-9 vote overrules decision by lower panel
May 21, 2013 by David Giuliani in Sauk Valley News
May 21, 2013 by David Giuliani in Sauk Valley News
The Lee County Board this morning voted 12-9 to allow a controversial wind farm, overruling a decision last month by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The board approved the project, along with a number of conditions dealing with issues such as noise.
Wind farm battle turns personal; Opponents claim lack of due diligence by county officials.
May 21, 2013 by Ken de la Bastide in Kokomo Tribune
May 21, 2013 by Ken de la Bastide in Kokomo Tribune
An opponent of the proposed Wildcat Wind Farm, slated for construction in eastern Howard County, said local officials are taking an uninformed risk in agreements reached with E.ON Climate & Renewables.
Joe Russeau told the Howard County Commissioners Monday he questioned how the proposal was evaluated and how the public was notified of several meetings starting in 2009.
The overall direction of the market, however, has been down. You can get a sense of the amount of money that has been lost by investors from the WilderHill Clean Energy Index, which tracks the performance of publicly traded green energy stocks ranging from solar and wind to rare earth minerals and water companies. The market value of the companies in the index has fallen from a peak level of $231 billion in late December 2007 to about $108 billion today, a decline of 53 percent.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
USA]
Wind act doesn't treat all Mainers equally
May 21, 2013 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in Portland Press Herald
May 21, 2013 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in Portland Press Herald
The Wind Energy Act doesn't treat every Maine citizen the same - some have more rights that others. ...Why are these communities treated differently? That's not possible to determine because the members of the wind task force that made a map designating the expedited permitting area kept no minutes of the meetings discussing the map.
Wind power's grip on Augusta weakening
May 21, 2013 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
May 21, 2013 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
Armed with the signatures of the majority of residents in their townships and plantations, they went to ask lawmakers to pass a bill to give them back the right to influence how the land in their communities was used.
That right, they said, had been taken away.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Maine]
Gov. Heineman: Wait on wind power legislation
May 21, 2013 by Kevin O'Hanlon in Lincoln Journal Star
May 21, 2013 by Kevin O'Hanlon in Lincoln Journal Star
"I've made it very clear that Nebraskans deserve tax relief first ... before you ought to be considering a bill like that, and especially providing special tax breaks for a Kansas company so they can ship Nebraska energy" out of state, Heineman said during a conference call with reporters. "You ought to ask him why that makes sense."
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
Nebraska]
A new hurdle for wind farm? Opponents want higher bar for approval
May 21, 2013 by David Giuliani in Sauk Valley News
May 21, 2013 by David Giuliani in Sauk Valley News
On Friday, Rockford attorney Rick Porter, who is representing Hamilton Township, informed Lee County of the township board's Dec. 11 decision to file an objection to the wind farm, known as the Green River project. ...By Porter's reading of the law, the township's written objection now means the project needs a three-fourths County Board majority for passage.
Also filed under [
Zoning/Planning|
Illinois]
Wethington files for new Fairhaven Board of Health election, hearing Wednesday
May 21, 2013 by Matt Camara in South Coast Today
May 21, 2013 by Matt Camara in South Coast Today
John Wethington has asked a Superior Court judge to throw out April's much-disputed election results and compel a new Board of Health race. [Note: The outcome of the election would impact how the community addressed noise from the Fairhaven wind turbines.]
Also filed under [
General|
Massachusetts]
The mystery behind a fallen turbine blade at the Ocotillo Wind power plant east of San Diego has led the manufacturer to curtail operations at select wind farms around the world. ...The fallen blade ignited new safety concerns among critics of the plant, who posted photos and videos to the internet of the crumpled white tube.
Champaign wind farm decision nears; State board will consider second phase of turbine project.
May 21, 2013 by Matt Sanctis in Springfield News-Sun
May 21, 2013 by Matt Sanctis in Springfield News-Sun
Several issues are still pending, including how the project will be taxed. Developers are expected to seek a Payment In Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, if the project moves forward. Under that scenario, Buckeye would make an annual payment to the county between $1.2 and $1.8 million spread between numerous entities.
The No TasWind Farm Group, which has now hired the services of a mainland PR company to help it fight the $2 billion proposal, collected 434 signatures on its petition which has been presented to the King Island Council.
Also filed under [
General|
Australia / New Zealand]
For decades visitors to the D-Day beaches on the northwest coast of France have looked out at the English Channel, taking in the journey made by Allied troops that marked a turning point in the Second World War.
Residents question why wind developer wrote town's appeal
May 21, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
May 21, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Antrim Town Administrator Galen Stearns said that the wind developer's attorney drafted the motion for rehearing, and it was sent back and forth several times between Geiger and the town for modifications. ...He added that having Geiger draft the appeal was an attempt to speed up the process. Geiger drafted the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement that was also signed by the town.