Appeals against Berwick Borough Council's refusal of planning permission for three wind farm proposals are due to be heard in late April next year - almost a month after the authority has ceased to exist. Members of the council's policy committee were told the planning inspectorate had agreed that all three appeals should be heard in a single inquiry, and had initially offered a start date of February 10 next year.

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday appointed Planning Board members Barry Bunten, Mark Henry and Randy Orr to the local Planning Commission to address a deficiency in the town's comprehensive plan. With help from John Maloney of the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, the commission's job is to create a section on renewable energy.

[A] BP representative explained that the project could be phased in with 60 windmills possibly becoming available next year, and the remaining 40 coming some time later. Of the 60 windmills, David Gonzalez said, the majority are planned in Archer County.The change in the proposal was not met with enthusiasm by commissioners. ..."The prospect of an abatement has been based on a 250 megawatt buildout," Precinct 2 Commissioner John C. Bullock said. "The prospect of a phase in was not mentioned. If we had know that, it likely would have been different."

Taking easterly winds in a new direction could provide South Weber and Layton residents near the mouth of Weber Canyon with an alternative energy source. That is, if zoning issues can be remedied, costs met, regulations drafted and not-in-my-backyard battles kept to a minimum. Layton Mayor Steve Curtis is interested in his city pursuing wind turbines as an alternative energy source. ...But before officials in any community turn their face to the wind in search of an alternative energy source, an expert associated with the work done on the small wind farm in Spanish Fork has some advice.

Since the concept of creating a wind farm in Nantucket Sound was born, it has faced a barrage of lawsuits and administrative appeals. And if past is precedent, the maze of legal actions surrounding Cape Wind will surely spread.

The city committee that rejected Ottawa's first application for a residential wind turbine did so because the proposed location of the turbine is too close to neighbouring property lines, not due to its noise or visual impact. ...Zoning bylaws require that accessory structures to a house not exceed 4.5 metres in height and that their height must equal their distance from property lines. The committee rejected Mr. Findlay's proposal after a public hearing on Oct. 1, but only released its rationale on Friday.

That denial came after an appeal to Superior Court that had resulted in the court remanding it back to the board for reconsideration. After considerable discussion of the Howlands' application to build wind turbine on their residential property, the board voted 5 to 2, with Douglas Shearer and new board member Louis R. Gallo dissenting, to deny the request based on public safety concerns. The Howland turbine was the first to be reviewed under the town's Residential Wind Energy Conversion System bylaw.

A former state representative agreed today to pay nearly $500,000 in restitution for misleading customers of his wind turbine business, according to a statement released by Attorney General Martha Coakley. Former Democratic Representative Mark Howland of East Freetown will have one year to pay $488,000 in restitution for violating the Massachusetts Consumer Protection act by deceiving customers – mainly in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth, according to the agreement filed in Fall River Superior Court.

The Westfield Town Board adopted a Final Scoping Document for Babcock & Brown's proposed Ripley-Westfield wind turbine project at its October 1st meeting. The Final Scoping Document was prepared by the Town Board, as co-lead agency with the Ripley Town Board, in conjunction with consultants from Environmental Design & Research. The Ripley Town Board is expected to discuss the document at an upcoming meeting.

A proposed wind farm at Thorpe Marsh has moved a step closer after Doncaster Council gave the go-ahead for tests to be carried out. Members of the borough's planning committee unanimously backed the request for permission to set up equipment to measure the wind strength at the site in fields at Arksey Common Lane. But Coun Mick Jameson asked council officers to ensure developer Simon Kerrison fully restored the site to its original state when the tests were completed.

Construction of a residential wind turbine east of Lebanon is being challenged by neighbors who claim the tower is not only a threat to their children and the environment, but illegal. ...Douglas and Nancy Miller, 1265 John Bart Road, want a court to overturn the BZA's approval, saying the 4-0 decision was "illegal, arbitrary and capricious." They filed suit on Sept. 28 in Boone Superior Court I. The Millers are represented by Krieg DeVault LLP, a Carmel law firm.

An application to build two wind turbines in Almondsbury has been re-submitted. In August Almondsbury Sports and Social Club made an application to South Gloucestershire Council to build two 15-metre high wind turbines. ...last month the application was withdrawn because of concerns raised by local Highways officials. The application has now been re-submitted after alterations were made as to where the two turbines would be located on the club's site.

The township has received an application for a conditional use permit from a company that wants to build a wind turbine facility. BP Alternative Energy plans to build a facility with as many as 89 turbines in the southern part of Wyoming County, within the boundaries of Noxen, Eaton, Forkston and Mehoopany townships. On Tuesday, Supervisor Randy Ehrenzeller said the application permit calls for 17 turbines.

The Coast Guard revealed this week that it has contracted for a study of the effects on marine radar from the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound. At the end of a radar and navigation forum Tuesday in North Falmouth, Raymond Perry, captain of the port for Sector Southeastern New England, announced the study, Coast Guard Senior Chief Richard Uronis said yesterday. The $100,000 study should be completed by December, Uronis said. It will be performed by Maryland-based Technology Service Corp.

The inquiry will look into the appeal by Pennant Walters Hirwaun Ltd against the failure of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council to determine within the statutory eight-week period an application for planning permission for 12 wind turbines and ancillary infrastructure on the mountainside south of the A465. In April councillors rejected the wind farm plan following a recommendation from planning officers that it be refused.

The first step in getting wind towers in Iroquois County was passed last night. The Iroquois County Regional Planning Commission approved unanimously the conditional use of 47 properties in the Milks Grove Township. The township, in the northeastern most corner of the county, would have just a portion of the wind tower farm to be spread across Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston and Ford counties.

Commission Chairman Tom Martin said the need for an ordinance addressing wind turbines surfaced because the city Building Safety Department has received numerous inquiries from residents who want to install wind towers on their properties. The ordinance regulates the allowable height of wind towers and appropriate the square acreage of properties where they could be installed. "We just didn't want them in the center of town," said Department Director Pete Wilt.

The Town Board is taking the advice of its new lawyer and will introduce a one-year moratorium on wind farm proposals, pending changes to the town's Wind Energy Facilities law that was adopted last year to regulate permits. During a special board session Monday night, acting Town Supervisor Joe Brodka said the step is being taken to protect the town. He assured about a dozen property owners and residents in attendance that the move shouldn't cause Noble Environmental Power to abandon its plans for a project in the town.

A public inquiry into whether a wind farm can be built in the Vale of Belvoir was teetering on the brink of collapse today after queries were raised over the accuracy of environmental assessments. Representing BLOT - Belvoir Locals Opposing Turbines - Tina Douglass questioned whether several of the assessments were based on plans for ten or seven turbines at the site at Thackson's Well, near Normanton and Long Bennington. At one stage, it looked as though the inquiry could be called off ...

County resident Sam White alerted the county to another possible conflict of interest Davis might have in regard to the ongoing discussions of wind turbines and the proposed zoning text amendments. White also raised the allegation against Bill Duvall, commission chairman. ...The Frostburg resident [David] has owned about a half-acre of land with a trailer for nearly 30 years. The property is adjacent to the current planned wind turbine project atop Dan's Mountain. In addition, Davis' employer has listings in the nearby Harwood subdivision.