Cohasset's first green project under the town's new wind turbine bylaw may soon be dead, after nearly two years of discussion and planning. Planning Board vice chairman Stuart Ivimey said last week he will not vote in favor of a special permit for a pair of commercial wind turbines proposed by a Plymouth company, leaving the project one vote short of approval.

Lorrie Gillis is no Don Quixote and she doesn't think her enemies are imaginary, nor does she believe her battle is a lost cause, so she continues to "tilt" at the wind power companies that want to turn the rolling farmland in her rural neighbourhood into a wind farm, and the provincial government, that through its proposed new Green Act, will take away her right to oppose the plan she says will destroy the peaceful enjoyment of her property.

The Natrona County Commissioners formally voted on Feb. 3 to approve a zoned use control area and the conditional use permits that would allow wind turbines within the former north tank farm area of the closed refinery. Construction was planned to start in May. But last week, the preparations for the county's first WECS (Commercial Wind Energy Conversion System) generated a gust of concern from the Natrona County Commission.

A community meeting to clear the air about Houston-based Chevron Global Power's proposed wind farm kicked up clouds about county regulations and company behavior at the Evansville school on Tuesday evening. ..."The issue is about you," responded Charlie Miller of the Elkhorn Creek Ranch LLC, whose property shares the southern fence line of the site. "Nobody wants this except you people," Miller said later. "Take it back to Houston with you."

Kahuku resident Kent Fonoimoana said he feels a proposed site for wind turbines to generate electricity is too close to his home. "It's not good if it's right here," he said, noting that West Wind Works LLC's site is about a quarter mile away. "It's going to have a negative impact on property values."

Black Creek Township residents' concerns weren't eased by testimony Thursday from a wind power company that plans to construct 22 turbines on the Buck Mountain ridge. ...Resident Edward Vergari said the township should collect more information and mandate that all applicable state, county and local permits be secured by Penn Wind prior to zoning approval.

The noise and vibration from heavy equipment has been known to frighten emus to death, Debi VanTassel said in a recent interview. She wonders what living near a wind turbine will be like. Ms. VanTassel has another worry, though. Her husband is an epileptic who may have grand mal seizures. They can't have wallpaper in their home because the patterns could seem to come alive and bother Mr. VanTassel.

About 50 protesters greeted officials, with signs and placards reading "Windfarms Make People Sick," "Welcome to Hell," "Save Our Skyline" and "Health before Politics." "I consider myself a green person, but there's controversy on how green (wind turbines) actually are," said Norma Schmidt of the former Bruce Township, adding that she and her husband Ron have had problems sleeping since the project was commissioned.

But this week, neighbors finally had a chance to weigh in on wind power at a meeting of the council’s Planning and Development Committee that was scheduled specifically to take a second look at the Wind Energy Conversion ordinance. Ward 2 City Councilor Greg Earls requested that the committee review regulations in the year-old law. Specifically, councilors are looking at dimensions, siting, density and required notification to neighbors.

The wind farm debate that has raged across America has landed on Chicago's doorstep. Folks in quiet, rural DeKalb County are raising a ruckus at the possibility of 400-foot turbines next to their orchards, honeybees and livestock. About 700 people gathered in a high school gymnasium at 9 a.m. on a recent Saturday for a public hearing on the proposed wind farm. By the time the project developer had fielded every question and concern, it was 4 a.m. Sunday.

Plans for a wind farm atop Georgia Mountain are coming together rapidly and the project-which would establish three to five turbines along the ridge-could be operational as soon as 2011, said consultants for the Georgia Mountain Community Wind LLC. The consultants testified before the Milton Planning Commission on March 17, as part of the project's permitting process.

Six weeks ago, Ann Robinson of Falls Mills, Va., had never heard of wind turbines, but on Sunday afternoon, she was expressing her concerns over a BP Dominion's proposed wind turbine farm on East River Mountain in Tazewell County, Va. "At first I thought, oh well, wind energy, this is green ... this is a good thing, but then I started researching wind turbines and learned differently," Robinson said to a crowd.

Construction is to begin on 35 new wind turbines in the mountains of eastern Somerset County. E.ON Climate and Renewables North America Inc. has received approval to place construction trailers at the Stonycreek Wind Farm site along Route 30 near Reels Corners.

NorthWestern Energy may have the juice, but the people have the power. That was the overwhelming message Wednesday evening when area residents packed council chambers to tell commissioners they oppose the utility company's plans for a major transmission line through southwestern Montana. The crowd spilled into the hallway where another roughly 30 people stood and listened as residents voiced their concerns about the 500-kilovolt power line ruining the visual aesthetics of their rural property.

Complaints by some regarding noise issues with the turbines have been brought to the town board's attention, most recently at the board's March 20 meeting. At least one resident reports that the noise is interrupting his sleep, which in turn is affecting his health. ...O'Connor, who attended the March meeting along with a neighbor, said that the company that did the study, Hessler Associates, is closely connected with Noble. "I had it reviewed by another guy," he said. O'Connor told the board that he videotapes the turbines and uses a sound meter to back up his claims. "My metering is honest and legitimate," he said, reporting that the sound level reaches over 50 decibels at times.

Alan Bailey soaks up the unspoilt view from his sitting-room window, as the sun sets across the valley outside. He shudders as he imagines this treasured scene over Dunion Hill, near Jedburgh, scarred for ever by a row of giant wind turbines. For Bailey, as for others in Scotland, it is a prospect that raises such intense opposition that he has devoted vast amounts of time, effort and money to fighting for the wild land surrounding his home to remain untouched.

Hearing of the map from her neighbor, Nan Cook couldn't believe it. Drafted by the city's former planning director, Nancy Colbert, last March, the map shows possible locations where wind turbines could be placed in the industrial park. There are about 22. ...Cook, who lives on Hill Street, called the possibility of adding 22 more turbines to the industrial park "insane."

DeKalb County Board Member Mike Haines addressed the Genoa City Council last week asking for feedback on two issues: a133-unit windmill operation proposed by NextEra Energy Resources, and a solution to the county's need for more landfill space. ..."All the tough decisions are when there's no right or wrong answer," Haines said. "There will be good people on both sides of the issue."

Across the Great Plains the wind blows incessantly, while in the remote Nevada desert the sun bears down without relief. Each holds the potential of a vast new energy resource. While wind turbine and solar projects are ready to capture this new, eco-friendly energy source, where are the transmission lines to get the power to where it is needed?

A power line company wants to build a massive power line across seven states, including Minnesota. The line would carry electricity generated by wind to points east and the project could have major implications for Minnesota's wind developers. It would also require the erection of towers and lines across a big section of the state.