Beth Einsele of Shabbona doesn't have one nice thing to say about windmill farms. They're dinosaurs, the Realtor said about the rows of typically white whooshing turbines. They're offensive to home buyers. They're dangerous. They don't produce anything. ...Not surprisingly, Einsele is among those opposing a 151 turbine wind farm proposed for ...DeKalb and Lee counties. The project is proposed by Florida Power & Light Energy Illinois Wind LLC.

Residents of the desolate Palomino Valley have attended citizen’s advisory board meetings, planning commission meetings and will soon face another round of meetings because of an appeal filed by area resident Dan Herman. Herman said he filed the appeal not in opposition to the Virginia Peak Wind Project as a whole, but in opposition to the project’s two closest turbines to residents’ homes and property. As part of the special-use permit, approved by the Washoe County Planning Commission on Feb. 4, no wind turbines can be installed within one mile of existing homes.

"South Dakotans are generally protective of their assets and we just encourage landowners to keep that protection top-of-mind when they may be considering an easement for a wind energy facility on their property," PUC Chairman Dusty Johnson said.

Nevada Wind won a small battle with the Washoe County Planning Commission on Feb. 4 when the panel unanimously voted to approve a special-use permit for the project slated for development in the Palomino Valley, approximately 30 miles north of Sparks. ...Then the project hit a snag Tuesday when nearby landowner Dan Herman filed an appeal. "Well, the only thing I appealed is the one condition that allowed the two windmills on the property at the end of Quaking Aspen that directly affects the surrounding neighbors," Herman said.

Storey County residents told the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday that a proposed windmill project would ruin the tourist-based economy in Virginia City and surrounding areas. Jane Peterson, bureau energy project manager, said in a presentation to the Storey County Planning Commission that public comments collected since November have been split on whether to allow Reno-based Great Basin Wind to build about 70 windmills on BLM land in Storey and Washoe counties.

A windfarm proposed for the Vale of Belvoir has come under fire from all directions, potentially sounding its death knell. County Hall blasted the scheme, near Bottesford, branding it an 'unacceptable' risk to the region's heritage while the parish council unanimously opposed the plans.

Planning commissioners have given approval for the construction of Meridian Energy's Mill Creek wind farm west of Wellington - but with 29 wind turbines instead of the 31 proposed by Meridian. The visual impact of two of the 111-metre tall turbines, at the southern end of the site, on nearby farms and properties was the principal reason why the commissioners turned them down. The 200-page decision report by independent commissioners David Hill (Chair), David McMahon and Pamela Peters has been released today.

Wind energy advocates want the Douglas administration to lift its ban on large-scale wind projects on state-owned land. The advocates say Vermont needs to explore all options as it looks for new energy resources. But Governor Jim Douglas remains opposed to the idea VPR's John Dillon reports:

People will have a chance to ask questions and comment on a proposal to build a 22-turbine wind farm on several ridges in Roxbury at a hearing Wednesday night. The hearing, required by the state Department of Environmental Protection as part of the approval process, begins at 6 p.m. at Mountain Valley High School. ...Another wind project in the early planning stages is in the works for nearby Black Mountain in Rumford.

It's green and mean. At least some say so. The Ontario government is introducing green legislation next week expected to strip the right of local councils to oppose wind farms and other green industry projects. Wind farms are a prime example of the type of green industry the province is trying to encourage to generate clean electricity and foster growth in new industries.

Following news that several wireless communication company representatives were in town scouting possible locations for cell phone towers last week, selectmen unanimously voted to place a moratorium on communication towers Monday. The moratorium prohibits all new towers, monopoles and tower-mounted wind turbines for the next 180 days.

On Tuesday afternoon, McGuinty told the London Chamber of Commerce new legislation will stop special-interest groups or municipal governments from blocking wind turbines, solar panels or biofuel plants on any grounds other than safety or environmental concerns. On Wednesday morning, Tiny Township Deputy Mayor George Lawrence appealed to the county's Corporate Services Committee for aid in stopping a six-turbine farm on Conc. 19 of Tiny, including possibly two turbines within the Cedar Point Tract of county forests, north of Lafontaine, not far from the peninsular coastline.

Opponents of wind turbines off the Scarborough Bluffs have worked themselves into an "artificial lather" as the government prepares to force "green" energy projects on neighbourhoods, says Energy Minister George Smitherman. ...Depending on the nature of the projects and their proximity to homes and neighbourhoods, the effort to boost Ontario's supply of clean electricity could end up eroding the value of the biggest asset many Ontarians own - their homes, said Progressive Conservative MPP and justice critic Christine Elliott

Santa Barbara County's first renewable wind-energy project, which proponents say could provide enough electricity to serve up to 50,000 homes, was given hands-down approval Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors. The supervisors agreed that the benefits of having a wind farm southwest of Lompoc far outweighed the unavoidable environmental impacts it will bring. ..."I look at these monsters and I don't like them, but they're part of making wind energy, and I guess they're needed," said 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno.

Residents filled the auditorium of Washington High School on Monday evening in hopes that their voices would be heard and a change would be made to the proposed route for a high-voltage power line slated for construction in the area. Nearly 150 people turned out for a public hearing about P.A.T.H., which stands for Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, and is a joint venture of Allegheny Energy and American Electric Power that was announced last year.

The not-in-my backyard syndrome will not be allowed to halt green energy projects in Ontario and the jobs they bring, Premier Dalton McGuinty told a London audience today. He said if all safety and environmental standards are met, communities will not be allowed to reject wind turbines, solar panels or biofuel plants simply because they don't like them. He said the new Green Energy Act his government will enact is intended to prevent such barriers to green energy projects and the 50,000 jobs they bring.

It is still too early for ITC Holdings Corp. to pinpoint the routes for its Green Power Express, but Dane County representatives already are skeptical of a path through the region. "People try to sell lots of ideas with green trimmings," said Dane County Supervisor Kyle Richmond. "But we'll still want to know who's going to pay for it, if they're guaranteed profit and if there's a reasonable analysis of the need for this project."

The Flat Hill project is one of several proposed wind farms that could, if built, transform the landscape of eastern Clay County and neighboring Becker and Otter Tail counties. ...Combined, the trio of projects could mean almost 375 towers dotting a landscape that contains important wildlife habitat areas - and altered views for the homes that increasingly are being built in the gateway to Minnesota lakes country.

Should wind turbines hundreds of feet tall -higher than the existing Kumeyaay wind farm turbines- be allowed in the rural McCain Valley/Boulevard region in East County? Does the nation's critical need for "green" energy outweigh the concerns of residents seeking to preserve the rural character of their backcountry communities? With new industrial-scale wind farms proposed across America, East County Magazine's Gayle Early set out on a quest to explore these issues in depth for our three-part series on wind energy.

When Duke Energy went to Boulder City to pitch a wind farm outside Searchlight, the company was greeted with a virtual love-in. Not so in Searchlight, where residents seemed armed with pitchforks and torches. ..."I presented that to the town of Searchlight and I couldn't get to the car fast enough," Charlebois said.