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DEP opposes wind farm in Del. Bay; Structures would be hazards to area's many birds, official says
September 2, 2009 by Daniel Walsh in Press of Atlantic City
September 2, 2009 by Daniel Walsh in Press of Atlantic City
State environmental officials oppose wind turbines anywhere in the Delaware Bay, a position that could jeopardize an Ocean County firm's plans for a wind park there.
The Department of Environmental Protection cited potential threats to migratory birds, oyster seed beds and other resources in an Aug. 20 letter to Delsea Energy, of Toms River. Scott Brubaker, the DEP's assistant commissioner for land use management, wrote "the Delaware Bay is not an appropriate area for development of wind energy."
Also filed under [
Impact on Birds|
New Jersey]
Wildlife hinders wind farm strategy; Turbines not the obvious "winner" state initially thought
August 1, 2009 by Kathie Durbin in The Columbian
August 1, 2009 by Kathie Durbin in The Columbian
Today DNR has 24 active wind power leases in various stages. Five wind farms with 65 turbines operate on state trust land, all in Eastern Washington. The leases yield $670,000 a year.
However, the DNR failed to consider whether allowing wind turbines on state land might conflict with the compact the state made with the federal government in 1997 when it promised to manage its land in a way that would minimize harm to threatened and endangered species.
And Sutherland didn't foresee that some uses might not be compatible with the giant spinning turbine blades that feed renewable energy into the power grid.
Also filed under [
Washington]
A decision to block wind energy development from key sage grouse habitats in Wyoming could effectively nullify a significant portion of the state's wind energy resource. But exactly how much is unclear.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing the sage grouse as a threatened and endangered species. Half of the bird's remaining prime habitat in the West lies within Wyoming's borders.
Also filed under [
Impact on Birds|
Wyoming]
State draws zones for coast wind farms; Aims to protect sensitive areas of sea
July 1, 2009 by Beth Daley in Boston Globe
July 1, 2009 by Beth Daley in Boston Globe
Dozens of wind turbines could sprout within sight of the Massachusetts shoreline under a first-of-its-kind state blueprint with the promise of generating both electricity and controversy.
The draft plan, scheduled to be released today, would allow a series of small wind farms of up to 10 turbines each in coastal waters that stretch 3 miles from shore.
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Massachusetts]
Park Service warns of solar projects' impacts to Mojave Desert
April 23, 2009 by Scott Streater in New York Times
April 23, 2009 by Scott Streater in New York Times
A National Park Service official has warned the Bureau of Land Management that approving dozens of solar power plants in southern Nevada could dramatically impact water supplies across the arid region.
An estimated 63 large-scale solar projects are proposed for BLM lands in the region, and the plants are expected to use a large amount of groundwater to cool and wash solar panels.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
USA]
Health issues, migratory bird patterns among concerns with proposed wind farm
April 18, 2009 by Ron Giofu in The Amherstburg Echo
April 18, 2009 by Ron Giofu in The Amherstburg Echo
Town administration is expected to provide more information to council in coming weeks about the proposed South Side Wind Farm and members of council are joining members of the Advisory Committee on the Environment (ACE) with questions of their own.
Councillor Bob Pillon brought up the issue of potential health impacts ..."We need answers," said Pillon.
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Canada]
Windmills on the Water? 'Potential is high' for offshore wind power
March 1, 2009 by Sherri McWhirter in Traverse City Record
March 1, 2009 by Sherri McWhirter in Traverse City Record
The windswept Great Lakes could play host to an industry some believe could help revive Michigan's comatose economy and fulfill state and national mandates for cleaner, renewable energy. ...Nothing's imminent, but state and federal environmental regulators are preparing for the possibility that utility developers may want to harness wind power from Lake Michigan and the other big lakes.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Michigan]
CIRI optimistic Fire Island wind farm will take off
January 24, 2009 by George Bryson@ in Anchorage Daily News
January 24, 2009 by George Bryson@ in Anchorage Daily News
Construction crews should be busy on Fire Island near the western tip of Anchorage this summer, and the state's first major wind farm could be up and running there late next year. ..."We're moving forward with the project," CIRI spokesman Jim Jager said last week.
Significant hurdles still remain, including determining which electric companies will buy the power and approval of all permits, Jager said.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Alaska]
N.J. environment's defenders uneasy; List of threats keeps growing
December 29, 2008 by Todd B. Bates in Asbury Park Press.
December 29, 2008 by Todd B. Bates in Asbury Park Press.
The industrialization of the ocean, coastal overdevelopment, contaminated sites and global warming will be among the top environmental issues in the Garden State next year, observers said.
"What we're seeing is a gold rush toward energy development in the ocean," said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, a Sandy Hook-based coastal conservation coalition.
"We gotta take better care of the coast," he said.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
New Jersey]
The question: Where to build green-energy sites
November 23, 2008 by Ginger Richardson in The Arizona Republic
November 23, 2008 by Ginger Richardson in The Arizona Republic
The rush to build "green energy" is dividing environmental groups, many of whom believe such projects will irreparably harm ecologically sensitive habitat. ...If millions of acres are razed for solar plants, swaths of wildlife habitat will be eliminated, putting the desert tortoise, the Mojave ground squirrel and the American badger at even greater risk, conservationists say.
Also filed under [
USA]
Great Lakes wind plans must consider the risk to environment, regulators say
October 31, 2008 by John Flesher in Lansing State Journal
October 31, 2008 by John Flesher in Lansing State Journal
Imagine sections of the Great Lakes dotted with rows of gleaming, 12-story turbines, blades whirring in the stiff breeze as they generate electricity for homes and businesses onshore.
It's only an idea - for now. But government regulators are bracing for an expected wave of proposals for offshore power generation in a region that never seems to run short of wind.
Despite its allure as a plentiful source of clean energy, they say, offshore wind power could affect the aquatic environment and commerce.
Also filed under [
Michigan]
U. S. ponders use of offshore wind turbines in Great Lakes; But There Are Environmental Issues At Stake
October 28, 2008 by Associated Press in Chatham Daily News
October 28, 2008 by Associated Press in Chatham Daily News
Imagine sections of the Great Lakes dotted with rows of gleaming, 12-storey turbines, blades whirring in the stiff breeze as they generate electricity for homes and businesses onshore.
It's only an idea -- for now.
But U. S. government regulators are bracing for an expected wave of proposals for offshore power generation ...Despite its allure as a plentiful source of clean energy, they say, offshore wind power could affect the aquatic environment and commerce.
Wind power central to BC energy strategy; critics speak out
September 22, 2008 by Geoff Dembicki in The Hook
September 22, 2008 by Geoff Dembicki in The Hook
Wind power could be the central plank of a new provincial plan to make B.C. energy self-sufficient by 2016. But critics cited environmental and land-use concerns during a forum at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention today.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Canada]
Governors from several western U.S. states and Canadian provinces met Sunday to discuss strategies for protecting wildlife that roams their region while also capitalizing on immense energy resources. ...The council´s task will be to identify key wildlife corridors and habitats for wildlife, such as pronghorn antelope, sage grouse and bear.
The council will also study ways to protect animal habitat in the face of ever-increasing demand for domestic energy development _ both in the form of oil and gas drilling and new construction of solar and wind generation plants _ the building of new infrastructure for the region´s growing population and the effects of climate change.
Woodward, area residents are voicing opposition to energy farms on public land
March 14, 2008 by Rachael Van Horn in Enid News
March 14, 2008 by Rachael Van Horn in Enid News
Opponents to expanding wind energy on public land are voicing their opinions, and sometimes in a loud manner.
About 50 of those opponents met Wednesday with OG&E Electric Services and Department of Wildlife Conservation officials to discuss concerns about expanding Centennial Wind Farm north of Fort Supply onto Cooper Wildlife Management Area. It is a scenario OG&E says will not happen.
In light of growing local and statewide opposition and concern by wildlife organizations about the impact to the region's natural habitat, OG&E has declined to pursue the development of any wind energy on public land, officials said.
Green projects generate splits in activist groups
December 12, 2007 by Greg Hitt in The Wall Street Journal
December 12, 2007 by Greg Hitt in The Wall Street Journal
On Capitol Hill, the Audubon Society is leading the fight to increase production of climate-friendly power. So why are Audubon enthusiasts battling a wind farm that could help meet that goal?
For one thing, there are trout in nearby streams, which activists say are at risk from chemical and sediment runoff from construction of 30 turbines, each soaring about 400 feet -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. Then there are the bats and hawks, which might be puréed by the giant blades that would catch the wind gusting along the Allegheny Mountains of Western Pennsylvania.
"They're enormous," says Tom Dick, a retired veterinarian who founded the local Audubon chapter. "When you start looking at this, it's like, 'hell, this is not right.'"
Offshore wind farms cost significantly more to build and maintain than their onshore equivalent. And because they involve new and untested technology they also suffer from "first of a kind" costs. But the industry is confident that those costs will fall over time.
It is difficult to compare the cost of electricity obtained from a wind farm rather than a conventional energy source like gas. This is because it involves assumptions about future construction costs, the cost of carbon emissions, and the cost of gas.
However, right now offshore wind farms are significantly more expensive than thermal generation and require a government subsidy to make them economic.
Also filed under [
Impact on Economy|
UK]
Business Secretary John Hutton says he wants to open up British seas to allow enough new turbines - up to 7,000 - to power all UK homes by the year 2020.
He acknowledged "it is going to change our coastline", but said the issue of climate change was "not going away".
The thrust of the idea was backed by Tory Alan Duncan: "We're an island nation. There's a lot of wind around." ...The other choice was, he said, whether it was "easier to have these developments offshore rather than onshore".
Asked what would happen if there was no wind for a few days, Mr Hutton said that was why there had to be a mix of energy sources - including nuclear power - to cover for calmer weather periods.
Feds announce rules for offshore energy; Interior Dept. to consider impact on environment, aquatic life
November 6, 2007 by Jeff Montgomery in The News Journal
November 6, 2007 by Jeff Montgomery in The News Journal
In a move with direct significance for the Mid-Atlantic, the U.S. Interior Department today released its final proposal for regulating offshore wind turbines and other "alternative" energy projects in federally controlled waters.
Although work on detailed regulations will continue into next year, the agency plans to take applications during the next 60 days for permits to conduct offshore research on wind or other unconventional energy around the nation's Outer Continental Shelf. ...Several large national environmental groups have supported the offshore proposals for wind. But the American Bird Conservancy, American Littoral Society and others took opposing stands, urging the Interior Department to limit the projects and study threats to birds and fish in greater detail.
RELEASE: Groups across PA speak out against industrial wind projects on forested ridges
September 5, 2007 by SOAR - Save our allegheny ridges
September 5, 2007 by SOAR - Save our allegheny ridges
A Press Conference has been scheduled for 12 noon on Monday September 17, 2007 in the rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg to protest the statewide push by the Rendell Administration to turn hundreds of miles of Pennsylvania's forested ridge tops into industrial wind facilities.
Groups from across the state will be addressing the various concerns that wind power facilities pose to Pennsylvania's wild areas, wildlife, tourism, historical resources, and viewscapes.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Pennsylvania]