The Tioga Preservation Group's land use appeal of the Tioga County Planning Commission's decision to grant conditional approval for a wind farm project has been denied, opening the door for the construction of 124 wind turbines in Tioga and Bradford counties. On Aug. 8, Tioga County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Robert E. Dalton Jr. issued an order denying the appeal of the group, and upheld the planning commission's preliminary conditional approval of the land-use application made by AES Armenia Mountain Wind LLC, according to court documents.

Three Alberta families near Three Hills have taken their fight against a proposal to build wind turbines near their homes to a local appeal board. FPLE Canadian Wind plans to construct 54 wind turbines in Knee Hill County northeast of Calgary for a project called the Ghost Pine wind farm.

If the GMP project goes ahead, decision-makers will be viewed as having "destroyed one of the beautiful pristine areas of Vermont ... for no good reason at a time when a better alternative was just about to come into reach."

One week after moving in, Loudenslager found out that a swath of the farm where cows graze and alfalfa grows soon could be cleared to make way for a high-voltage power line. "It's like a punch to the gut," Loudenslager said. "This is where I've wanted to be my whole life." Loudenslager's farm north of Boonsboro sits on one of several routes that have been suggested for the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), which would run from St. Albans, W.Va., through Bedington, W.Va., to Kemptown, Md., in Frederick County.

The court found the introduction of turbines would detract visually from the area to an unacceptable degree. Ms Godfrey told the hearing in January she was forced to move from her Waubra home because of sleep deprivation, headaches and nausea after turbines began operating.

Farmers in southern Alberta have filed an appeal with the province against a proposed transmission line that would cut a swath through prime irrigation land, arguing the Montana-Alberta Tie Line does not meet the public interest. A group of 16 landowners, lead by the Lavesta Area Group, want to see the 346-kilometre line between Lethbridge and Great Falls, Mont., rerouted five kilometres east of the provincially and federally approved route.

Bill Durdan has farmed northeast of Grand Ridge for 43 years and often relied on crop dusters. Now, however, he has been told his proximity to wind turbine towers will prevent him from receiving that service. The cost to him could be lost crops and lost revenue, he told the La Salle County Zoning Board of Appeals Tuesday evening. ...Kim Schertz of Hudson, who works in her husband's crop dusting business, said the problem is pilots simply can not safely pull up and make the necessary turns in a wind farm area. "These guys are good, but they're not kamikazes."

The wind was blowing strong in Wells County Thursday night, but not the way the Plan Commission and Apex Wind Energy officials had hoped. ...A little over a dozen people raised their hands when asked who was in favor of the wind farm. Otherwise, almost all of the approximately 100 people that crowded the Southern Wells High School cafeteria were greatly opposed to the idea.

Twenty-five people fired their concerns at TrustPower major projects manager Deion Campbell and environmental officer Ryan Piddington about a project they said has divided the community. TrustPower hopes to build the $500 million wind farm on nine properties in the hills behind Mataura. ... The land owners' biggest concern is the impact the wind farm will have on their property prices. TrustPower had "handsomely" compensated those people whose land would be used for the turbines while neighbours had been left in the cold. The consequences for them were only negative with pristine views spoiled and fears that noise from the turbines would cause a drop in property values.

Environmentalists, desert enthusiasts, and rural residents have objected to the project on numerous grounds including impacts on desert bighorn sheep and other threatened or endangered wildlife, destruction of historic Spanish and Native American trails, and more. Preston J. Arrow-Weed, a member of the Quechan Native American tribe, called the proposed project "genocide of our tribal ways and culture" ...The ramifications could extend beyond solar plants to also impact major wind farm projects.

Residents expressed concern about construction noise and the addition of large trucks to the slew that already shake the houses along Main and Fifth streets. Many also spoke about the visual impact, light pollution for the night sky and the farm's effect on property values.

"The pressure being put on our planners is coming from the sheer number of wind turbine applications ...We have already pinpointed areas where turbines could be potentially sited. However, developers are simply ignoring these when making applications which, in turn, is making life more complex for our planning teams."

The final scope of the Westfield-Ripley wind project will include 83 wind turbines: 47 in Westfield and 36 in Ripley. ...The next immediate step for Babcock and Brown is the preparation of the environmental impact study, which must be filed with SEQR and accepted as complete by both towns. There will be a public hearing and a minimum of a 30-day period for public comment.

John Rancich's proposed wind farm and set-back requirements have become issues of public interest at several town board and planning board meetings ...The wind debate in Enfield has primarily centered on the distance wind towers are set back from property lines. "I don't think it's proper to have windmills right on property lines," Fisher said. "I think there should be sufficient set backs for safety reasons."

Plans to build a windfarm on the moors above Littleborough have suffered a setback. An application for the five turbines located just over the border in Yorkshire has been recommended for refusal by Todmorden Town Council. Coronation Power hopes to build a total of 12 125m turbines at Crook Hill, seven of which are located in Rochdale. Councillors recommended refusal because they felt the windfarm would damage the moorland, affect walkers, horse riders and cyclists and destroy peat bogs.

The fate of what would be the nation's first offshore wind farm is calling attention to the political obstacles facing renewable power, despite President-elect Barack Obama's determination to greatly expand its use. The project, called Cape Wind, is a Boston firm's plan to build 130 windmills across 25 square miles of federal waters off Cape Cod. ...A spokesman for the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound says the group sees "lots of room to protest" the government review.

A dozen people voiced objections to a proposed wind farm Wednesday, including a Delavan man who says his house will be surrounded by 15 wind towers if the project is approved. "I can look out of every window in my home and see a wind tower," said Rod Egli of the Rail Splitter Wind Farm proposed by Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy LLC. "This will definitely light my backyard up with flashing red lights," he said, adding that three of the towers would be placed about 2,500 feet away from his house. Egli was one of 12 people, mostly from Delavan, who spoke out against the wind farm during a Tazewell County Zoning Board of Appeals meeting Wednesday night.

It is actually difficult to put wind turbines on land where they don't interfere with bird flyways, said Phil Wallis, executive director of the Pennsylvania Audubon Society. The steady winds needed to make wind energy economically viable are the same that birds use ...the official position of Audubon to support wind energy -- just not this project, because it is not "sited" properly.

Concerns about health have some Crofte Township residents opposed to a nearby wind farm. NextEra Energy proposed last fall to build five wind turbines within the township. Some adjacent landowners and nearby neighbors are concerned about the nearness of the towers to their homes. "Our primary concern is health and lack of sleep," Crofte Township resident Geralyn Laurie said.

Foreign energy firms have flocked to a narrow region of southern Mexico, known as one of the world's windiest places, to build towering wind turbines ...their presence has angered some of the indigenous populations, with some protests turning violent. Last week, more than 20 people were injured when police clashed with a group of protesters.