A wind energy development company has sued a second town board in an attempt to force through a large wind farm without the approval of local elected leaders. Ecogen Wind LLC filed a lawsuit Monday against the town of Prattsburgh, Steuben County, claiming town leaders have improperly thrown roadblocks infront of the wind farm. The company brought a similar legal action this month against the neighboring town of Italy in Yates County.

Wind developer Ecogen has filed another lawsuit against a local municipality in an attempt to erect electricity-producing wind turbines. The lawsuit was recently filed in state Supreme Court in Rochester against the Prattsburgh Town Board and other town officials. It is similar to legal action the company is taking against the town of Italy in Yates County, which has refused to grant Ecogen permission to build wind turbines there.

The town Planning Board asked the Town Council not to hold a public hearing next week on a proposed wind development zoning ordinance, citing missing information. ..."On initial blush through the law, it looks satisfactory," Chairman Richard J. Edsall said. "But after a more thorough examination, I saw there was an error made in the law, a section left out."

The official count of absentee ballots Tuesday gave victory to Urban C. Hirschey in the race for town supervisor. Mr. Hirschey was down by 42 votes on Election Day but picked up 62 more votes than Democratic incumbent Thomas K. Rienbeck in absentees, 144-82. The final tally was 634-614. ...Mr. Rienbeck, who has been in office for 10 years, said most of the people who changed their registration to vote for Mr. Hirschey were rich seasonal residents who oppose wind farms.

A fight over whether a proposed wind turbine project bordering Naples will go forward heated up last week when the developer filed a lawsuit against the town, where 17 turbines were to go up. The Article 78 action, filed in state Supreme Court in Monroe County by developer Ecogen Wind LLC, seeks to overturn the Town Board's decision to stop the project by denying approvals and placing a moratorium on its development.

A group from New York Power Authority was in the Port City Friday afternoon to provide information regarding the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project. Representatives from city, county and state government attended the meeting in the Council Chambers. Also in attendance were local residents as well as a handful from other counties. The group is visiting communities around the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie to provide information on the proposal as well as get a feel for the pulse of the communities regarding the project.

Iberdrola SA, the Spanish company that bought two upstate New York utilities last year in a $4.5 billion deal, now says it cannot afford to make all the investments in its gas and electric system it had promised state regulators. The two utilities, New York State Electric & Gas and Rochester Gas & Electric, are asking the state Public Service Commission if it can hold off on $77 million in required infrastructure spending this year.

As expected, Guy Hinkson officially resigned as town supervisor at Monday night's board meeting. But in a surprise move, the Town Board did not appoint a replacement because Councilman Max Maerten refused to vote for candidate Dan Mangino. ...Just before the vote roll call was taken, the fourth member on the board, Max Maerten asked to speak. He said to Mangino, "For two years you have opposed wind turbines, but your views have drastically changed in one week because of your political party. For that reason, I can't give you my vote."

Geothermal wells, solar panels and maybe a wind turbine, too. Indian River Central School District's use of alternative energy sources to cut costs was a big topic of discussion at Thursday night's Board of Education meeting. The district is conducting a solar energy feasibility study, Business Manager James R. Koch announced. The board also committed $2,500 to pursue a wind energy feasibility study.

Angered by a Town Board vote in Italy, Yates County, to kill a turbine proposal, a wind-energy company is asking a judge to override the elected board members and allow the project to go forward. Ecogen Wind LLC, which had been seeking permission to erect 17 wind turbines, each standing 415 feet, said in court papers filed Wednesday that town leaders had dodged and delayed a decision on the proposal since 2002.

In a Oct. 22 letter from Nixon Peabody LLP, Rochester, which represents developer United Wind Energy, Mahwah, N.J., the law firm told the town they were pulling out of the development. "Based on the town's serial re-enactments of a moratorium prohibiting wind energy projects, stony wind has decided to direct its resources to other prospective projects elsewhere in the state," the letter states.

After attending his share of town meetings, Steven Moultrup felt the need to serve its residents. ...Among other issues, he cited how the town's comprehensive plan addresses wind turbines. "It was very clear in the comprehensive plan that the town board would specify the locations of wind turbines," he said. "But what's specified in the comprehensive plan was never done, and I question that. I had some concerns about that."

This week, developer Upstate NY Power Corp. submitted the site plan application for the wind farm to the town of Hounsfield Planning Board. Before the site plan can be approved, the state environmental quality review process must be completed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Earlier this month, Upstate NY Power Corp. received approval from the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency for a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement separate from the uniform tax-exempt policy in development for wind projects across the county.

Could there be a lawsuit in the tea leaves over a proposed wind law in Hartsville? For the second meeting in a row, discussions at Wednesday night's town board meeting focused on a newly-unveiled wind regulatory law. And again, discussions of legal action by those benefiting from the project have been discussed. This time, the reference came from the developer. According to Jackie Murray, an attorney for German-owned E.ON Climate and Renewables - the company planning to build around 51 megawatts worth of industrial wind turbines in the town - a proposed law would block wind development because of overly-strict guidelines in the legislation, and could cause problems for the town.

Iberdrola Renewables Inc., the wind company developing the Stone Church Wind Farm Project, has released a list of municipal officers and their relatives the company is paying to use their property. The four people named in the public notice are Hammond Town Councilman James C. Pitcher; John Mitchell, whose wife, Ann, was Hammond town clerk from 1988 to 2005; Hammond Planning Board member Steven S. Demick; and town of Oswegatchie Councilman Kenneth A. Wilson. The public notice was in compliance with state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo's Wind Energy Ethics Code.

The 39-turbine Roaring Brook wind farm project in the town of Martinsburg received little public comment Wednesday. And the four people who did speak at the town Planning Board public hearing on the project expressed mixed opinions. "There is insufficient evidence to suggest that birds won't be displaced by Roaring Brook Wind Farm," said Chris K. Lajewski, the Northern New York land steward for the Nature Conservancy.

A memo from a lobbying company has some lawmakers concerned that Niagara County's lawsuit against the New York State Power Authority may be impacting its ability to secure the rights to assist in the development of a new wind energy project in Western New York.

Opponents of the proposed industrial wind development in the town have formed a group called Heart of Henderson. The group, which has more than a dozen members so far, is made up of both seasonal and full-time residents of the town. They have become more vocal as the details of the possible Stony Point Wind Farm become clear. ...Deborah L. Fargo started the group a few weeks ago after receiving a letter saying a meteorological test tower would be erected on a neighboring property.

Horizon Wind Energy has put its plans for a commercial windmill farm in Perry on hold, Town Supervisor Jim Brick said this morning. Brick said he wasn't sure why. "They didn't come right out and say specifically," he said. ...Asked if this mean the project has been definitely abandoned, Brick said that was not the case. "We kind of agreed it's gone to sleep for awhile," he said.

Horizon Wind Energy has suspended its plans for a windmill farm in Perry, Town Clerk Sarah Ballinger said Thursday morning. "We just made the announcement yesterday," she said, referring to Wednesday night's Town Board meeting. Ballinger did not have any other details about Horizon's decision.