Late last week, eleven citizens groups filed a Sixty Day Notice of Intent to Sue NedPower Mt. Storm and its corporate owners Dominion Resources, and Shell Wind Energy for violations of the Endangered Species Act involving the "takes" of the West Virginia northern flying squirrel, the Indiana bat, and the Virginia big-eared bat. The letter, sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service, NedPower and the West Virginia Public Service Commission, also raises concerns about impacts to bald and golden eagles and migrating birds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Acts. The groups are demanding that the industrial wind corporation apply for an incidental take permit and modify or stop construction of this project before irreparable harm is done to West Virginia's natural heritage.

The State Public Service Commission spent the day taking tours of 12 different sites that could be impacted by a proposed wind farm along Laurel Mountain in Randolph and Barbour Counties. ...The Laurel Mountain Preservation society was also part of the tour, the group is opposed to the turbines because of the impact it could have on birds and other wildlife. The PSC will take all the information from the site visits and from public hearings into consideration before it makes a final decision on the proposal.

Elkins City Council chambers was packed Wednesday afternoon for a West Virginia Public Service Commission public hearing as people spoke for and against the AES proposed windfarm project on Laurel Mountain. The meeting started with Chris Callas, the attorney representing AES, and WVPSC Staff Lawyer Carrie DeHaven presenting opening statements. ...WVPSC Chairman Michael Albert then opened the public hearing portion of the meeting. Those for the project were matched about evenly against those against the project. Twenty-two people took the time to speak to the WVPSC - 10 spoke in favor of the project, 11 against the project and a representative from the Randolph County Airport Authority stated the authority was not for or against the project but wanted further investigation conducted to see how the project could affect the airport.

The Public Service Commission held a public hearing session Wednesday afternoon on plans to build wind turbines on Laurel Mountain in Randolph and Barbour counties. A lawyer representing AES Laurel Mountain gave a brief introduction before people on both sides of the issue addressed the crowd. AES plans to build about 65 wind turbines on Laurel Mountain.

Apparently hoping that a proposed agreement between the staff of the West Virginia Public Service Commission and Allegheny Energy would put a better face on the utility's proposed Trans-Allegheny Interstate Power Line project, the Hampshire County Commission received an e-mail request to reverse its opposition to the project. Commissioners Don Cookman, Steve Slonaker and Robert Hott, however, all agreed that would not happen.

Public hearings are scheduled for Wednesday in Randolph County and Barbour County for a proposed wind farm project. The proposal calls for up to 65 wind turbines to be built on an eight mile stretch of Laurel Mountain in the two counties. AES Laurel Mountain out of Arlington, Virginia is asking the State Public Service Commission for approval for the $250 million wholesale electric generating facility. If the company gets the needed approvals, the turbines could be in operation by the end of next year.

While concerns that wind turbines on Green Mountain will ruin the viewshed were the most voiced topic, area residents had an opportunity to consider a lot of information about the proposed project during an open house at the Wind Lea Conference Center Monday. ...Greg Trainor also voiced his concern about the view. "I love the mountain and I don't want to look up there and see 30 whirlygigs," he said, adding that the wind projects are just another way for the state to be taken. "We don't want to squander our view for a few dollars," he said, to which Clay added, "or 30 pieces of silver." Trainor said that West Virginia has a history of giving away its wealth.

U.S. Windforce, headquartered in Wexford, Pa., has proposed the development of the Pinnacle wind farm southwest of Keyser on Green Mountain. "The purpose of the open house is to share information about the project," said Mary Green of Ann Green Communications, a public relations agency representing U.S. Windforce. ...It has been more than two years since U.S. WindForce first announced proposed wind projects in both Maryland and West Virginia, three of which are to be located in the local region, one on Savage Mountain in Allegany County, another at Mount Storm in Grant County and the one in Mineral County.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission has scheduled two public hearings on the proposed wind farm by AES for the Laurel Mountain ridgeline between Randolph and Barbour counties. ...‘‘The environmental community can't decide whether the green energy that is produced from windmills is more beneficial than the environmental damage that they cause with construction and the killing of bats and birds, etc.,'' [Sens. Clark] Barnes said. ‘‘The energy community is divided as to whether or not it's a viable source of energy. There is a lot of information - a tremendous amount of information on both sides - the pro and con for the environmental community and the pro and con for the energy community. One of the problems with wind energy is it does not create a constant source of energy being fed into the grid, so therefore at peak times, the hottest months of the year, there might not be any wind. It might not be stirring and there would be no benefit.''

The state Public Service Commission has scheduled two public hearings on a proposed wind farm along the Laurel Mountain ridgeline. AES Laurel Mountain of Arlington, Va., wants to build up to 65 wind turbines along 8 miles of the ridgeline in Barbour and Randolph counties. Comments will be accepted beginning at 1 p.m. May 7 at the Elkins City Building and at 7 p.m. May 7 at the Barbour County Courthouse.

Freedom Works is planning the project to span the ridge line running along the border between Va. and West Va. The line runs from approximately five miles north of Woodstock to about five miles South of Mount Jackson, along the Western horizon. This would cover eighteen miles of ridgeline, in two states (Virginia and West Virginia), and three counties (Hardy in West Virginia, and Shenandoah and Rockingham in Virginia.) The timeline for the project runs from as short as a two-year, permit-gathering phase (followed by one to two years of construction) to a completion date as far off as the year 2040. When asked about a reported 2010 completion date for the project, Jim Smalls, district ranger for the Lee Ranger District within which the project is being planned, simply said, "I find that optimistic."

Shenandoah Mountain is fit with high-quality breezes and a location near population centers, a necessary combination for wind farms such as the one being sought by a West Virginia firm, a wind expert said. ...Politicians will have their say, too, if the local project moves forward. Del. Todd Gil-bert, R-Woodstock, said his office would be making inquiries soon, but that more knowledge of wind energy is needed before he can form an opinion on it. "I'm one of the biggest proponents for trying to get off the dependence on oil," he said, "but the fact of the matter is, the most cost-efficient energy sources we have are traditional ones, not alternative ones."

The 131 turbines, each 440 feet tall, would cover 18 miles of ridgecrest, according to private consultant D. Daniel Boone, a conservation biologist and policy analyst. Ninety turbines would be located in Virginia with the other 41 in Hardy County, according to Boone. Boone prepared a map stipulating each turbine based upon the coordinates provided in the 7460-1 applications filed with the Federal Aviation Agency by an unknown developer. "Each wind turbine has a separate 7460-1 application filed with FAA," Boone said.

But the fact that interest is out there for such a project is a sign of things to come, said Rick Webb, operator of www.vawind.org and a senior scientist with the environmental sciences department at the University of Virginia. "This is probably the tip of the iceberg," he said. Eighteen miles of national forest ridgeline, most of which is on Shenandoah Mountain, stands to be affected by the proposal, Webb said. "It's industrializing our national forest," he said. "The question is whether it's worth the trade-off. In my conclusion, it is not. The electricity produced is just a drop in the bucket."

A renewable energy firm hopes to build 130 wind turbines on Shenandoah Mountain in the George Washington National Forest, including sections of Rockingham and Shenandoah counties and Hardy County, W.Va. Last week, FreedomWorks LLC, based in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., asked the Federal Aviation Administration to study the impact of building wind turbines up to 440 feet high along the mountain on the border between Virginia and West Virginia. ...The project, which may not see construction for two to three years, would be the company's first proposal on public land, Williamson said.

Proposals for wind farms in the Valley are whipping up opposing viewpoints about the structures' effects on wildlife, local vistas and energy production. Opponents say the turbines, each hundreds of feet tall, would mar the local landscape and endanger bats and birds, some of which are federally protected. But proponents say the farms can be built with minimum impact on the environment to offer clean, alternative energy and a break from the nation's dependency on foreign oil. ...After studying maps and coordinates provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, consultant D. Daniel Boone, a conservation biologist and policy analyst, said the FreedomWorks' project could negatively affect untouched areas of the George Washington National Forest. "Other than a power line and one small road which crosses between Hardy and Shenandoah counties, the project area is completely undisturbed forest with no sign of logging roads or clear-cuts," Boone stated.

An unnamed company has started the application process to build 131 of the massive wind turbines in the national forest in Rockingham County and along the border between Virginia's Shenandoah County and Hardy County in West Virginia. "We're in the pre-application stage" with the company proposing to build the turbines, Chris Rose, a spokesman for the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, said Monday. Rose declined to name the company, citing its early application status, which allows the federal agency to keep the name confidential.

Although the West Virginia Public Service Commission has not yet ruled whether to grant AES' siting permit to construct up to 65 wind turbines on the Laurel Mountain ridge between Barbour and Randolph counties, the company has already secured agreements with landowners to move forward if approved. According to property records at the Barbour and Randolph County courthouses, AES has entered into lease option agreements with 11 land owners ...The agreements give AES lease options for 43 parcels of land, totaling 8,528 acres. No compensation amounts are included in the documents, but Sweitzer said landowners would be paid an option payment and then receive annual payments after the project is constructed.

Thursday evening, Elkins City Council formally voted against a proposed 125-Megawatt wind farm that would stretch across Laurel Mountain though Barbour and Randolph Counties. The vote will not play a direct role in determining the fate of the project. The West Virginia state Public Service Commission will have the final say on the issue, which will not be voted on for several months. None of the proposed wind turbines would be constructed in Elkins city limits. Residents attending Thursdays meeting say they support the council's opposition to the project.

A proposed windmill farm project, that has been stirring up plenty of controversy, gets a "no" from Elkins city leaders. Elkins city council met this afternoon just after 4 o'clock and passed a resolution opposing the construction of the laurel mountain wind farm.