Albemarle County Planning Commission members sent a clear message Tuesday: The county should allow wind turbines. Turbines are prohibited in Albemarle, but the Planning Commission unanimously approved a resolution calling for the county to allow small power-generating wind turbines. However, some specifics about where turbines should be allowed and what restrictions should be established were left up in the air.

York officials have taken the first steps toward crafting wind turbine regulations. At a Wednesday night Planning Commission work session, the five commissioners in attendance were unanimous in their support for regulations that would permit the use of wind turbines for generating electricity. During the lengthy discussion, commissioners differed on how regulations should be applied.

The Planning Commission will consider during a work session next week whether York County should create a zoning ordinance allowing wind turbines in neighborhoods. ...Planning staff suggest proceeding slowly. "The lack of any first-hand, real-world experience with wind turbines anywhere in the region probably calls for a cautious approach," one document cautions.

If speed tests this year show that the wind is powerful enough, the school could buy a wind turbine to make electricity, said Bonnie Holliday, development director. "We sit in a very windy spot, so we might be able to have some great energy produced by the turbine and reduce our costs," she said. A number of homeowners in the region are feeling the same winds and thinking much the same thing.

Wind energy got the welcome mat and elk the boot Thursday before the Wise County Board of Supervisors. The board approved without discussion a zoning change to allow development of a wind energy project now under consideration by Virginia Dominion Power and BP Wind Energy. The two companies have been assessing the viability of erecting 50 to 60 wind turbines in the county along the Kentucky border along an area stretching north of Big Stone Gap to northwest of Pound.

The Nelson County Planning Commission took comments from the public at its July 22 meeting on a proposed ordinance that would regulate small wind turbine energy systems used for electrical generation within Nelson County. ...The ordinance came about because there are several people in the county interested in using small wind energy systems.

A third meeting of county officials reviewing HNWD's plans was held at a brisk pace this week. The Technical Review Committee of county administrator Roberta Lambert and building official Jim Whitelaw is sorting through a checklist of conditions Highland New Wind Development must meet before it can get a green light for construction. Opponents of the 38-megawatt electric utility are pushing to hold the county, and HNWD, accountable for meeting their responsibilities, raising questions about erosion control, wetlands protection, proper maps, and other concerns.

A month ago HNWD development made national news when its public relations firm announced that Virginia's first utility scale wind project was ready to start construction. As indicated here, that was a blatant misrepresentation. HNWD does not have a building permit, does not have an Erosion and Sediment Control permit, does not have approval from the FAA, has not satisfied the permit conditions imposed by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), and has not obtained an Endangered Species Act permit.

A recommendation on a proposed ordinance that could regulate the development of windmills along East River Mountain has been delayed until June. The Tazewell County Planning Commission delayed action on the proposed mountain ridgeline ordinance Thursday ...The planning commission is mulling over changes recommended by a tall structures steering committee.

The Warren County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing this month on proposed supplementary regulations for wind energy systems that have been tossed around by planners at several meetings since October. The supervisors will hold a hearing on May 19 at 7:30 p.m. on changes to Chapter 180 of the zoning ordinance that would add the definition of a turbine and allow private use of wind energy systems.

A Harpers Ferry, W.Va., company's proposal to build 131 wind turbines on Great North Mountain has been rejected. In an April 2 letter, Maureen Hyzer, the supervisor for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, denied FreedomWorks LLC's proposal to install three meteorological towers that would collect wind and other necessary data to support installation of future wind turbines.

Tazewell County officials are moving closer to a decision on a controversial windmill farm project for East River Mountain. A steering committee studying the wind turbine project has recommended several changes to a proposed ridgeline protection ordinance, David Anderson, chairman of the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors, said.

Not long ago, Gordon Latter and his family applied for a building permit that would have let them install a residential wind turbine at his home atop a windy hill in White Hall. ...Yet Latter's plans were thwarted, at least for now. Albemarle County's zoning regulations do not allow installation of wind turbines.

The Warren County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing next month on proposed regulations for wind energy systems. ...Energy system towers would be limited to 80 feet with the exception of those in the industrial zoning district, which could have a height of up to 120 feet, the ordinance reads. Towers for energy systems used for commercial power generation would be limited to 120 feet in height.

A steering committee studying a wind turbine proposal for East River Mountain has yet to reach a consensus agreement on where windmills can and can't be constructed in Tazewell County.

A zoning ordinance that will regulate the height of tall structures within town limits was passed unanimously Monday by the Bluefield, Va., Town Council. A revision to height regulations and a Mountain Ridge Overlay in the town were both passed unanimously by the council's members. The changes require a conditional use permit for structures 100 feet high or higher, said Zoning Administrator Cody Musick.

Citizens and council members urged town residents Monday to keep seeking more information about a proposed wind turbine project for Tazewell County, Va. The Bluefield, Va., Town Council and Planning Commission conducted a joint public hearing before Monday's regular session to hear citizens' input about a proposed "Mountain Ridge Overlay" regulating the height of structures and buildings, and requiring a conditional use permit for tall buildings and structures inside town limits.

A steering committee that will help to determine the fate of a controversial windmill project for East River Mountain could be finalized as early as today. Meeting under a high wind warning outside, windmills were once again the primary topic of discussion Tuesday for members of the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors. ..."This is an emotional issue, and we need to hear from both sides," Anderson said.

The fate of a controversial wind turbine project for Tazewell County is still up in the air. A newly created steering committee will now mull over a proposed ridgeline protection ordinance. The ordinance - if adopted by the Board of Supervisors - would regulate the development of tall structures along certain protected mountain ridges, including East River Mountain and Burke's Garden.

The proposed wind turbines took center stage Tuesday night in Tazewell County and the Board of Supervisors heard an ear full. The auditorium at the middle school was packed and it seems everyone had something to say about the proposed project.