"Green energy not only has to be green, but it has to respect green space and what is a recognized biosphere," said Thiel. "We're not against the wind farm. We just feel the connection of the wind farm needs to be done in a respectful manner. It doesn't necessarily need to cross the escarpment."

A proposal for 20 turbines on Lowell Mountain has stirred controversy in the Northeast Kingdom. But there's another piece of the project that hasn't received as much attention. Utilities want to build a new, 15-mile power line to get the wind power out to the grid.

Excessive rutting caused by vehicles, disturbance of a Native American archaeological site and placing poles too far from fence lines has occurred during construction of the Montana Alberta Tie Line, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality.

City leaders may soon consider another legal option to stop the placement of high-voltage, wind-energy towers here. City attorneys are expected to appeal the rejection of a lawsuit that would have stopped Southern California Edison's placement of the new towers in the city.

The town of Henderson is asking a judge to annul the town of Hounsfield Planning Board's site plan approval for the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm. The Henderson Town Council filed a state Supreme Court Article 78 proceeding Friday at the Jefferson County clerk's office against Hounsfield, the project's developer, Upstate NY Power Corp., Seneca, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Sharyland Utilities, a unit of Hunt Consolidated, is one of the companies building a web of transmission lines to bring West Texas wind power to Dallas and other big cities. ...But Sharyland has proposed stringing one of the lines across the Palo Duro Canyon. ...Under three of five basic scenarios, the line would go from rim to rim of the second-largest canyon in the country. ...The Palo Duro Canyon power line is a dramatic example of the type of friction that accompanies the siting of many transmission lines. Other utilities building the wind lines face their own community concerns. PUC spokesman Terry Hadley said he expects most of the wind transmission lines to face opposition.

The wind farm proposed for Galloo Island has met strong resistance from people in Jefferson County. Now legislators say they have an option that would minimize some of the opposition. Our Katie Gibas explains this option and its pros and cons.

A remote corner of East County is shaping up as a battleground between companies pushing wind farms as clean and cheap power generators and activists who view them as a blight on the landscape. It has put environmentalists in the position of opposing renewable energy because, they say, it's in the wrong place. Drawing the most attention is a plan by the Spanish conglomerate Iberdrola to build about 100 skyscraper-sized towers in and near the McCain Valley, a federal conservation area abutting Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Moves to reclassify Central Otago landscapes thought worth protecting has drawn a reaction from wind farm developers, power companies and Federated Farmers. ...More than 200 submitters have recorded their opinions on the change to the classification of landscapes, and most have sought the references to be deleted or more information given about how they will affect development or normal rural activities.