Officials from the Water and Sewer Commission and the Torrington-based Optiwind company say concerns over a wind turbine's construction in town are premature and unwarranted. The Planning and Zoning Commission is currently in the process of weighing whether or not to amend zoning regulations to allow for turbines in certain rural areas of town.

In an interview Wednesday, Huron County Commissioner Kurt Damrow said Monday's public hearing is the last chance for local units of government, including townships that have control of their zoning and have a wind turbine ordinance, to speak to the State of Michigan in regard to maintaining local control over setback requirements and noise limitations for wind developments. "What's on the line is whether local units of government will have a say in zoning, specifically (regarding) setbacks and noise," Damrow said.

Meanwhile, three companies have proposed building liquefied natural gas facilities miles off the Jersey Shore. Excalibur Energy (USA) Inc. wants to construct a deep-water pipeline system for natural gas about 15 miles off Asbury Park. Atlantic Sea Island Group wants to build an island for an LNG facility 19 miles from Sea Bright, while ExxonMobil has plans for a floating LNG terminal about 20 miles from Manasquan. In addition, five companies are competing for up to $19 million in state funding to build a potential wind turbine project in an area from Seaside Park to Stone Harbor that is up to 23 miles offshore. State officials are evaluating whether offshore LNG facilities and wind turbines will be part of New Jersey's overall energy plan, Corzine said. ...But when it comes to offshore wind, "the cart is put well before the horse" because environmental studies have not been done and federal rules have yet to be approved, said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action.

While the Huron County Wind Energy Subcommittee had expressed hope a state university would take the lead on a comprehensive heath study on the effects of wind turbine noise, it learned last week it's unlikely. Before last week's meeting, several subcommittee members met with Dr. Alfred Franzblau, University of Michigan Environmental Health Sciences professor, via teleconference to discuss the possibility of a noise study.

New York's ambitious plan to rely on windmills, hydropower and other renewable energy sources for a quarter of its electricity by 2013 is a bit behind schedule and short on funds. The money consumers pay through their electric bills to help support projects like wind farms is simply not enough to meet the goals set out in 2004, according to Spitzer administration officials. They say they want to see the program fully funded -- a move that would likely cost consumers slightly more. ...Gavin Donohue, executive director of the Independent Power Producers of New York, said ...Eliot Spitzer is left trying to meet an aggressive target set by his predecessor that is both complicated and expensive. "I don't think we should give up striving for it," he said. "But I don't think we're as far along as some would paint the picture."

The dairy farm became a supplier of "offsets," marketable credits purchased by companies or others trying to compensate for the amount of carbon dioxide, methane or other greenhouse gases they emit. His manure-digesting system has generated a stash of greenhouse gas offsets -- some of which Morris has sold, some of which he's keeping -- worth nearly $250,000 at current market prices. ...The Cincinnati Reds went to bat for a wind farm in India, buying enough credits to offset the carbon emitted at a single home game. Why are they buying? Largely to placate customers, shareholders and employees who are nudging them to get serious about global warming.

Opponents of the project, which include Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and other residents in the area, vowed to continue their fight. They maintain the 400-foot turbines would kill birds, threaten sea life, and hurt tourism and fishing. "I do not believe that this action by the Interior Department will be sustained," Kennedy said in a statement issued to the Associated Press. "By taking this action, the Interior Department has virtually assured years of continued public conflict and contentious litigation."

Envision a half-dozen towers for collecting data miles off the Jersey Shore in areas that could someday have dozens of wind turbines churning out emission-free power. By year's end, the U.S. Minerals Management Service hopes to give sea bottom leases to three companies that want to put six meteorological towers off New Jersey, officials said Wednesday. And the towers could be erected next spring, said Maureen A. Bornholdt, program manager in the mineral services' Office of Alternative Energy Programs in Herndon, Va. ...The sites are 16 miles off Long Beach Island and 17 miles off Ocean City, according to the minerals service.

The sponsors, large European utilities, want to transfer construction risk on the deals to the banks to keep the financings off their balance sheets. A further test for the financiers is the fact UK wind speeds have been at 180 year record lows this year - raising concerns about the reliability of wind as an energy source.

Unforeseen problems at the Alpha Ventus wind farm have lukewarm investors reevaluating the billions of euros they have invested in offshore wind energy. Germany's first offshore wind park was dealt a blow with the failure of two turbines due to inferior materials.

The waters around the Cape and Islands are awash with ideas for harnessing renewable energy. From a tidal project in Muskeget Channel east of Chappaquiddick Island to ocean-based wind turbines, it is difficult to escape hope-infused plans for a green, energy-filled future. But over the next month, the action comes onshore during a series of public hearings and conferences on how to mold those dreams into reality.

The waters around Cape Cod and the Islands are crowded with big ideas and confused seas. In addition to the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm, there are at least two other major renewable energy projects and a myriad of smaller ones proposed for the ocean off Massachusetts, most within a short sail of local shores. But even though other developers are trying to avoid some of the political hurdles Cape Wind has faced, the outlook is hazy on how quickly their projects will be able to move forward.

In a release, Allco Renewable, a New York based renewable energy investment firm, said it submitted eight preliminary permit applications to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) on September 21. The company proposed to install up to 338 wind turbines at the four sites - one south of Block Island, two south of Little Compton in Rhode Island Sound and one east of Fishers Island. ...If all goes well, Wavle said construction could start in the first quarter of 2009 with commercial operation a year later at a cost of $1 billion to $2 billion.

Construction of the full project would take about 10 years, according to the company. The right-of-way corridor, including branches to reach the shore at intermediate points, would run about 790 miles, the Interior Department said. The offshore wind farm that might be approved this year would presumably be in New Jersey, given that proposed projects off the coasts of Delaware and Maryland have suffered setbacks in the last few months.

The wind farm is unlikely to be completed before summer 2009 Works on one of the biggest offshore wind farms in the UK has slipped behind its construction schedule. The 60-turbine Robin Rigg project six miles off the Dumfries and Galloway coast had been targeting a completion date in spring next year. Developers E.ON have now said it is unlikely to become operational until later in 2009.

A WINDFARM off North Wales will not be completed for another two years, while another scheme to build more than 200 wind turbines at nearby Gwynt y M?r could be shelved, according to reports

Ontario's Natural Resources ministry is considering constraints on offshore wind farms but its not clear if the limits will appease a tidal wave of protest from those who live along Lake Huron. The ministry this week published a draft policy that could place constraints on where turbines could be placed.

Suddenly, the Great Lakes are awash in plans for offshore wind farms. The New York Power Authority wants developers to place electricity-generating turbines a few miles off the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. In five years, officials say, the waters off Rochester or Wayne County could be home to dozens of turbines. Two similar projects are proposed on the Canadian side of the lake, a sprawling 500-turbine project in western Lake Erie has been announced, and twin wind farms are being promoted in Lake Michigan.

It will take $6.6 million and three years to develop a permitting process for offshore wind and wave farms, said scientists from the University of Rhode Island in a presentation to state coastal officials March 11. The presentation was part of Coastal Resources Management Council's effort to establish rules for renewable energy projects in state waters. The council is pairing with URI in the process. All offshore projects have been put on hold until the new rules are in place. Although meteorological towers to collect data will be allowed before the process is complete, under the suggested framework it will still be another year until the state allows them to be placed offshore.