CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Despite hundreds of letters supporting the West Virginia Public Service Commission’s July 24 decision to dismiss Liberty Gap LLC’s application for the Jack Mountain wind utility, the PSC decided last week to give the company another chance.

Unless Monday’s Public Service Commission’s ruling is reversed on appeal, 124 wind turbines will be erected on 500 acres in the northwestern part of Greenbrier County. Construction of the 40-story behemoths will begin in the spring. Power generated will be sold to an eastern grid that does not include West Virginia.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- The state Public Service Commission has agreed to take a second look at a Pendleton County wind farm application. The agency dismissed Liberty Gap Wind Force's application on July 24th after finding the company refused to allow an opposition group's consultant on its property.

CHARLESTON — In yet another victory for wind energy developers, the state Public Service Commission has reinstated the application for a 50-turbine wind farm to be located on Jack Mountain in Pendleton County.

A Greenbrier County citizens group hasn’t given up its fight to block a 126-turbine wind-energy project. Members of Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy plan to ask state Public Service Commission members to reconsider their decision earlier this week to approve the $300 million wind farm.... During the past year, more than 3,300 people sent letters to the PSC about the wind project. About 80 percent of the letters urged the PSC to turn down a Chicago developer’s plans to build the 186-megawatt project called the Beech Ridge Energy Wind Farm.

The PSC’s approval came with 29 stipulations — some before construction starts, and others after the turbines are built. Among them: Beech Ridge and its contractors must use noise buffers on equipment and trucks. The company must conduct studies on the project’s impact on bats and birds for the first three years the wind turbines are up and running. Beech Ridge also must limit lighting at the site and comply with the federal Endangered Species Act.

Details and a registration form are available at the link below for the Wildlife and Wind Energy Conference to be held on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at Kutztown University in Kutztown, PA USA.

For years, West Virginia’s environmentalists have been united in their battles with the coal industry. But they have become increasingly divided over whether the state should sacrifice its scenic mountain views and open its doors to wind energy developers.

Rep. Alan Mollohan wants the state to call a timeout on proposed wind energy projects, including a Chicago developer’s plans to build 124 wind turbines in Greenbrier County.

The developer of a proposed wind farm project in Pendleton County have appealed the state's rejection of its permit application, saying regulators misunderstood its intentions in limiting opponents' access to the site.

Commissioners rejected Liberty Gap Wind Force’s application because the company wouldn’t allow an opposition group’s hydrology consultant on the proposed project site, according to the commission’s order. The decision stunned wind company officials and breathed new life into groups opposing other wind projects in West Virginia.

The company behind a controversial wind farm project in Greenbrier County is out with a tourism-related donation.

Peltz sees windmills as “a small piece of the puzzle,” with the major roles in the energy drama occupied by oil and coal.

"When a small community attempts to take on (oppose) a giant corporate project, they are usually worn down, outflanked, and overrun by the relentless parade of expert witnesses paid to endorse the corporation’s application," explained MCRE spokesman Dave Buhrman (Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy).

Two Greenbrier County lawmakers say they applaud legislation proposed by Governor Joe Manchin that calls for the study of the controversial wind farm issue and a six month moratorium for certain wind farm projects that have yet to be certified by the state.

CHARLESTON -- Gov. Joe Manchin proposed legislation for the special session that began Tuesday that would temporarily bar siting new wind farms near airports.

Gov. Joe Manchin proposed legislation for the special session that would temporarily bar siting new wind farms near airports.

For four years or more, Boone has traveled across the mid-Atlantic region to make every argument he can muster against local wind-power projects: they kill birds and bats; they are too noisy; they are inefficient, making no more than a symbolic contribution to energy needs.

Agreements with companies can include property taxes or fees, local job creation and financial assistance to schools, community.

But what some call "wind farms" to emphasize their clean and renewable nature, others see as a blight, and a deadly one at that. They call them "wind mines."