The South Dakota House failed Monday to override Gov. Dennis Daugaard's veto of a bill that would have refunded about half the construction taxes for large wind energy projects and an environmental upgrade at Big Stone Power Plant.

South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Dusty Johnson said the general consensus is that South Dakota should move faster to bring certain industries — wind farms, for instance — to the state. The amount of channeled wind power in the state has increased 700 percent in the last 18 months, Johnson said, and work is continuing to lay groundwork for new wind farm projects.

A federal court judge said Tuesday he needs time to sort through a complicated legal challenge brought by the King Ranch and several environmental groups that want to stop a massive wind farm near the South Texas Gulf Coast. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel will have to decide if a mid-1990s federal Coastal Zone Management Act requires the state to conduct public hearings before a wind farm can be approved - if it affects private property and if the environmental groups have a right to sue. ...Lawyers for the wind farm developers said wind farms are not like electric utilities, which are subject to regulation.

On Friday morning, elected officials, environmentalists and energy company representatives heralded the unveiling of the Dillon Wind Power Project, a group of 45 turbines towering more than 300 feet above the Coachella Valley. ...The Palm Springs wind farms have been built out, and there are few options other than upgrading their aging turbines. A number of proposals have been submitted to the state Bureau of Land Management, but one - a proposal that would build up to 28 turbines six miles east of Apple Valley and is the farthest along in the approval process - could be San Bernardino County's first wind farm. ...The proposal's 410-foot ridgeline turbines, however, have created controversy.

Scientists, lawmakers and utility executives from three states will gather in Charleston this month to debate the merits of offshore wind turbines, a technology that is revolutionizing the energy industry in Europe but running into resistance in the United States.

The state Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday approved a construction permit for a $300 million wind farm of up to 103 turbines southeast of White....The permit for what would be the state's largest wind farm and an accompanying 29-page document that lays out all conditions was approved with little discussion, few questions and no opposition.

Gov. Mike Rounds has signed into law a bill aimed at giving South Dakota landowners more protection when they grant easements allowing construction of wind towers on their property.

South Dakota is trying to streamline its complex maze of tax incentives for small renewable energy projects. A bill that passed the Legislature last week rewrites state law to make the first $50,000 of the assessed value of a small to medium renewable energy property, or 70 percent of the assessed value if that figure is greater, exempt from real property tax.

If anyone needs another means to experience the energy of the Golden Gate, the narrow channel flowing between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, they someday may find it from their nearest electrical outlet. That is the hope of San Francisco officials, who are now studying ways to harness the tremendous power of daily tidal shifts deep in the Golden Gate's waters. In September, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the city would commit $145,000 to a feasibility study on generating electricity from the channel's tidal and wave energy.

Spanish Fork Mayor Joe Thomas said he is feeling cautiously optimistic walking into tonight's City Council meeting.

The Mortimers profit $10,000 a year for hosting their two turbines but said they would happily return the money if it would put an end to the heart problems, tinnitus and dizzy spells they experience which Mr Mortimer attributed to the turbines.

State Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond said a future Liberal government would ban new wind turbines being located within two kilometres of existing homes. She said her government would also protect nearby landowners from economic losses caused by restrictions on aerial spraying and crop-dusting, and would help develop national guidelines on wind farm locations and noise emissions.

Mr Holloway says TrustPower has declined to proceed with the wind farm as approved in November 2003, despite being given a deadline of September 2010 to begin substantial construction work. "The TrustPower project comprising 20 x 100-metre high wind turbines was initially approved more than seven years ago," he says.

Controversial plans for a wind farm will still go ahead despite alleged sabotage activity - and turbines could now be spread over a wider area than first thought. Anger has greeted news that as many as 26 turbines may appear at Marshland St James, with police brought in after a test mast used to check wind power was destroyed.

Debate about the development of wind power within the town of Sackville has been widespread in the last two months, as the introduction of bylaws by the planning commission were tabled before the town council. The by-laws cover both turbines for individual use, and wind farms, with a generation capacity exceeding three megawatts. At the council meeting on November 9, the by-laws passed by a vote of 4-3.

The first city in Maine to erect a municipal windmill is considering what may be the first zoning ordinance in the state regarding residential wind turbines. The Saco City Council is considering a set of rules to establish standards for placement of small windmills of the sort that could power a home. With the city taking a leading role in wind power by putting up two turbines of its own in the last couple years, Saco City Councilor Eric Cote said many residents are inquiring about erecting their own windmills. ...The ordinance under consideration by the Saco City Council would limit residential windmills to those with a capacity of 10 kilowatts or less.

Cities and towns around Maine have been looking at wind power as a cleaner, less expensive alternative to oil. The question is whether turbines that capture wind on mountain ridges also have a place in denser, more populated locations at lower elevations. Saco city councilors will take up the issue tonight, when they discuss whether to take down an underperforming wind turbine installed on Saco Island in 2008.

The turbine, which cost $207,000, including $77,000 for the installation, went into operation in February 2008. It was supposed to generate 90,000 kilowatt hours -- $12,600 worth -- of electricity annually for 10 years, according to the city's contract with Entegrity Wind Systems of Prince Edward Island. But it never came close.

SACO, Maine --City officials are exploring whether it makes sense to erect a wind turbine to generate electricity and cut down on the city's energy costs.

In its first five weeks of operation, the windmill has been sitting still far more often than it has been generating power. Though the supply of wind is highly variable and five weeks is too short a period to judge the effectiveness of a turbine, the first municipally-owned, mid-sized windmill in Maine has not yet reached the production levels expected of it. The company that sold the Canadian-made turbine to Saco, Entegrity Wind, guaranteed the city it would produce at least 90,0000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, worth about $13,500 at market rates. So far, during what is normally a blustery season in Maine, the turbine has generated 1,340 kilowatt hours, or $201 of electricity. Charles Newcomb with Entegrity said there is a simple explanation for the turbine's performance -- lack of wind. "It's been an extremely low-wind month ...