The Burleigh County Commission on Monday set a public hearing about a draft wind tower policy for townships using county zoning for 5:30 p.m. on April 5 at the City/County Building in Bismarck. The need for the wind energy policy became more immediate after Nextera Energy proposed to build a 66-tower wind farm across Ecklund and Crofte townships that is projected to generate 99 mega-watts of energy.

South Dakota is trying to streamline its complex maze of tax incentives for small renewable energy projects. A bill that passed the Legislature last week rewrites state law to make the first $50,000 of the assessed value of a small to medium renewable energy property, or 70 percent of the assessed value if that figure is greater, exempt from real property tax.

A coalition representing governors of 29 states -- including Maine's Gov. John Baldacci -- is urging the federal government to take steps to boost wind energy, such as a renewable energy standard requiring utilities to produce at least 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2012. The bipartisan Governors' Wind Energy Coalition plans to make the recommendations Tuesday in a report to Congress and the White House. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report ahead of its official release.

As Wisconsin lawmakers and manufacturers discuss the merits of proposed clean-energy legislation, central Wisconsin economic development agencies seem divided on the issue. Industry leaders at the Wisconsin Paper Council and many of its members, including NewPage and Domtar, oppose Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act because they say it will lead to higher energy costs and the loss of traditional manufacturing jobs.

Maine - The parent company of Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. intends to buy the company that owns Presque Isle-based Maine Public Service Co., a move officials say will improve chances of building a power transmission line linking northern and southern Maine and bolster economic development in Aroostook County. In a deal valued at approximately $108 million, BHE Holdings Inc. ...plans to buy Maine & Maritimes Corp., or MAM, which owns Maine Public Service Co.

Lawmakers had approved legislation on Thursday reforming South Dakota's program of construction-tax refunds for large business projects and agriculture processing projects. That legislation included a $500 million limit on the project costs that could qualify for the refunds. But there were second thoughts overnight that the cap might send the wrong message to companies considering developing wind projects in South Dakota, according to Rep. Val Rausch, R-Big Stone City.

Contracts for carbon dioxide allowances in the U.S. Northeast fell today to their lowest level of the year after an auction of more than 40 million pollution permits drew a near-record low price. Permits for December delivery in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative fell 4 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $2.08 each on the Chicago Climate Futures Exchange.

Oil dealers say it would kill their industry and cost thousands of jobs. They and other critics also say the electricity from offshore wind would be very expensive, and note that customers would have to pay higher electricity bills to make it possible. ...the cost of offshore wind power and how to pay for it got a bit more real when Chuck Digate stepped up to testify. Digate is managing general partner of Neptune Wind LLC, a Massachusetts company that is interested in developing an ocean wind farm in Maine. It will cost an estimated $1.5 billion to build a 250-megawatt ocean wind project, he said. Its power would cost 22 cents a kilowatt hour, and with no state support to help financing debt, he said, it would add $8 a month to the average household's electricity bill.

With legislative recommendations officially proposed by the Great Lakes Wind Council, the Lake Michigan P.O.W.E.R. Coalition is hoping the state legislature will improve on recommendations to establish a state process to better protect the Great Lakes and local interests. The coalition also responded to the March 2 proposal by Scandia Wind LLC to reduce the size of its Lake Michigan wind farm.

Today lawmakers and wind power advocates and opponents spoke out at a hearing on an ambitious piece of offshore wind legislation proposed by Gov. John Baldacci. The emergency measure includes a goal of installing enough offshore wind turbines to power nearly 100,000 homes by 2020.

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Rick Johnson has written City of Kawartha Lakes council in the aftermath of local school concerns over wind turbines. The Trillium Lakelands District School Board has officially given its backing to the Manvers Gone With The Wind group, which is looking for the Ontario government to produce an independent study on the health effects of wind turbines.

In the discussion of the proposed underground energy corridor between New Brunswick and Maine, there are two major misunderstandings. Some Mainers believe that Canadian power is so cheap that we should do almost anything to get it. Some Canadian suppliers believe there is an unquenchable thirst in New England for power from Canada, especially green power.

A fast expansion in wind power generation projects is not in accordance with China's reality, as sandstorms always go with wind, which would cause serious damage to the wind power equipment, said Miao Wei, vice minister of Industry and Information Technology

The wind industry will hit Congress this week in a lobbying blitz aimed at securing a national requirement that utilities generate some power from renewable sources and stopping a Senate measure that would prohibit federal grants from going to companies that manufacture outside the United States. ...The lobbying effort comes as lawmakers debate policies the wind industry says would slow manufacturing and kill jobs.

Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law Wednesday offshore drilling legislation intended to realize his goal of making Virginia the East Coast's energy superpower. The bills supporting offshore oil and gas exploration and directing royalties from drilling back to Virginia each hinge on actions by the federal government and Congress.

Campaigners have called for a national debate about wind farms ahead of the General Election, during a conference in the North-East. Experts from a range of disciplines issued a number of warnings against wind farms at WindConf Conference 2010, which was held on Saturday. ...Dr Chris Hanning, a retired NHS sleep disorder specialist, said turbines should not be built within 2km of homes.

Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski) said today too many questions remain unanswered for windmills to be allowed to be built along the Lake Ontario shoreline. The New York Power Authority announced in December 2009 it is accepting requests for proposals (RFPs) from prospective wind mill companies to construct wind turbines along Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The period for proposals to be accepted will come to a close in March.

The possibility of the nation's first fresh water wind turbine farm located near Oswego County is turning bleak. The Joint Commission for the Preservation of Lake Ontario Communities met Thursday to discuss the project. However, no members of the agency that proposed the project were present. ..."If this project comes to fruition, we are going to have to retool our businesses," Williams said. "Because there isn't going to be any sports fishing left here. "The view would be irreparably damaged," he added.

Lawmakers referenced the movies "Alice in Wonderland" and "Ishtar" during a sometimes bizarre debate on a renewable-energy bill that tied up the Senate for a day and a half. Republicans argued that the Democrat-sponsored measure mandates that large utilities rely more heavily on "taxpayer-subsidized energy sources," mainly wind and solar.

The cottages around Askam wind farm occupy the perfect spot, looking out to sea over to the isle of Man and inland to the Lake District. The only problem is the noise. The seven turbines have sparked the most complaints about wind farms in the country. Residents complain of a noise like someone is "mixing cement in the sky" or a "clog is stuck in the tumble dryer" and they are not the only ones.