TWO of Perthshire’s most scenic areas would be “despoiled” if developers get the green light for two massive wind farm projects, a local protest group claimed yesterday. Jill Wilson, chairman of the Amulree and Strathbraan Windfarm Action Group (ASWAG), was speaking on the eve of a public inquiry into two highly contentious windfarm planning bids – one near Dunkeld, the other near Aberfeldy. Both have attracted an avalanche of objections – an unprecedented 1060 letters, with only 13 in favour, were received by council planners regarding a proposal by Green Power to erect 68 turbines at Griffin Forest, almost two miles north-west of Dunkeld. And 783 submissions were received, with just one in support, following plans lodged by I&H Brown Ltd. for 27 turbines at Calliacher, three miles south of Aberfeldy.

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a wind farm near Harrold have stirred up a storm of protest. BLOT, the Bozeat, Lavendon and Harrold Oppose the Turbines protest group, was formed in January with 100 members and the aim to oppose the controversial proposals. And last month energy giant npower, part of the German-owned RW Energy Group, submitted an official planning application to Bedford Borough Council for 16 wind turbines, measuring 125m in height and with blades 90m long, at a site bordered by the three villages.

A study to assess the community benefits of wind farms in Wales is one of five schemes about the country's economy to be supported by the Welsh Assembly Government Economic Research Grants, First Minister Rhodri Morgan announced today.

The former chief executive officer of Superior Renewable Energy says plans for a major offshore wind farm near Padre Island could sink before the first turbine is ever placed in the Gulf of Mexico. “The economics today don’t work,” said John Calaway, the former CEO. “It’s underwater. The numbers just don’t work right now.”

HARTSVILLE - Generally, stress and lack of family time convinced Hartsville Supervisor Amy Emerson it was time to step down from her position. Specifically, it was all about wind. Deputy Supervisor George Prior opened Wednesday night's town board meeting by announcing Emerson's resignation from the supervisor position, effective Sept. 30. Emerson, 32, who served as town supervisor for five years, was not in attendance. Prior read an e-mail from Emerson, a letter to the board from her family and Emerson's official letter of resignation, dated Sept. 13. The letter stated she needed to spend more time with her family, and away from the heated wind farm debate.

WOODBURN, Ind. (AP) A Pennsylvania company will be allowed to build a 197-foot weather tower in northeastern Indiana. The tower will be used for determining whether winds in that area are strong enough to support a wind farm to generate electricity.

MADISON, Wis. Wisconsin Power and Light Company today filed an application with state regulators to develop a Fond du Lac County wind farm project. The project consists of about 40 wind turbines across 12-point-two square miles in the towns of Eden and Empire. The wind farm would generate enough electricity to power 20-thousand 500 homes.

Governor Douglas: "Well I support renewable but I think we have to weigh all the pros and cons and on balance I think it is more of an intrusion then we want. The Green Mountain State would have to be renamed the Green Mountains with white Industrial Turbines state."

A wind turbine project presented to Amaranth council proposes to build turbines in the southern part of the municipality to provide discounted energy first to Orangeville -- and then Amaranth. Robert Younker, head of the Orangeville and Dufferin Wind Cooperative (Orange Wind), says he's hoping Amaranth landowners are willing to consider the project -- and the monetary incentives it would bring. The plan calls for 12 18-mW turbines on land in southeast Amaranth, where landowners receive a four per cent royalty -- roughly $15,000 to $20,000 a year. Younker also suggests that though the Orange Wind initiative, royalties will rise as the Ontario electricity prices go up.

“There’s no guarantee they will be going anywhere until they’re actually built,” agreed Bill Lehman, a land-development planner for the county who is reviewing Lookout’s proposal.

Energy Northwest this week submitted an application to build a $1 billion coal gasification power plant at the Port of Kalama, kicking off a review by state regulators that could take more than a year. "This is a new technology," Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council manager Allen Fiksdal said Wednesday. "It's a big project, and it's complex." The 600-megawatt Pacific Mountain Energy Center would be the first power plant of its kind in Washington and the first required to comply with a state law that calls on new power plants that use fossil fuels to curb greenhouse gases.

A PLAN to build a windfarm near Allonby has received nearly 1,000 objections. Council planning boss Rick Outhwaite said this was the biggest response to a planning application that he had ever received.

FOWLER -- No opposition to a wind farm project proposed for Benton County was expressed during a public meeting here Thursday night. But some people would like to see Orion Energy LLC bring a little more cash to the table. The Benton County Council held the meeting to take comments on a resolution that designates Richland and York townships as economic revitalization areas. That step is necessary before the council can consider providing a 10-year tax abatement to the Oakland, Calif.-based company which is designing a wind farm that would place a maximum of 135 electricity-generating wind turbines on farm land in the two townships.

Trump-built catering hall at Jones Beach could net state $200G to start, but lack of taxes turns off some....... Meanwhile, Walter Jones of Gilgo Beach, one of the directors of the Save Jones Beach Ad Hoc Committee, which opposes a proposed offshore wind farm, sees Trump as a potential ally. "They knock it if you talk about the view at all; you're just a NIMBY. But in real estate a view is considered priceless. You come to the beach and you come to that ocean and you invest $40 million to see the ocean meet the sky, not to see some industrial factory. "

A DECISION on plans for a wind farm near Selby will be delayed for at least a month. Members of Selby Council's planning committee voted to defer a decision on 12 turbines proposed at Rusholme, east of Drax power station, until they have visited another wind farm to view similar turbines in action.

The first wind farm along the Lake Erie shoreline is beginning to take shape. Officials gathered on the former Bethlehem Steel property in Lackawanna on Friday morning to break ground on the construction of eight wind-generated turbines that have to potential to produce 20 megawatts of power. The 20 megawatts is enough to provide energy needs for 6,000 homes in the immediate Buffalo Niagara region.

Baldacci, LaMarche and Merrill agreed that nuclear power has no future in Maine and that wind power does, although Merrill was alone in endorsing the Redington Wind Farm, which Maine Mountain Power LLC wants to build in western Maine.

Councillors have thrown out plans for a ten turbine windfarm at Rhosgarn near Talgarreg. They voted 17 to 2 against the scheme, mainly because they were concerned about the impact on the local community.

THE North West region will fail to meet its renewable energy targets unless ­people stop saying no to wind farms, according to the head of a leading environmental lobby group.

Developer Your Energy has reduced the size of the proposed development, near Gilberdyke, from 16 turbines to 11. Development manager, for Your Energy Matt Kelly said: "Following extensive environmental studies and also being very aware of the concerns of the residents, it was felt that a reduction in size would benefit the overall wind farm design."