Millions in federal stimulus money was expected for Locust Ridge II wind farm near Shenandoah even before President Obama took office in January, according to the company that developed the project. "When we were lobbying (the Obama transition team), we said, 'You need to do something or we can't utilize the tax credit,' " Rich Glick, government affairs director with international wind power company Iberdrola Renewables, said in a conference call with The Republican-Herald late Thursday afternoon. "It allowed us to complete Locust Ridge."

Despite reports to the contrary, none of the $294 million in stimulus money awarded Tuesday to Spanish wind company Iberdrola Renewables will be spent in Pennsylvania, according to company officials. ...Johnson said Iberdrola applied for stimulus money using projects already completed, like Locust Ridge II, as examples. She said the federal government was looking at a company's track record of success.

The latest generation of wind turbines needs bigger blades than the 140-foot-long, 6-ton models that Gamesa Technology Corp. Inc. has been making at its factory in Fairless Hills. So company officials announced 184 layoffs in January and said the blade work would be transferred to a larger Gamesa plant in the center of the state, near Altoona. And just that fast, manufacturing jobs that Spain-based Gamesa had delivered to this region less than three years earlier - aided by more than $10 million in financial incentives from Harrisburg - were gone

The borough has applied for two Department of Environmental Protection grants, each for $168,000, to fund a proposed $173,000 windmill and solar electric system. The borough would pay $5,000 toward the overall cost. Borough Manager Dave Montz said if one or both grants are awarded, the total amount will not exceed $168,000. Council President Mark Sampogna said, however, he is unsure if council will approve the project, even if funding is secured. The height of proposed installation, 100-feet to 120-feet, could have a negative impact on the appearance of the park, he said.

Reed said the economic benefits were not sufficient to make a compelling case for a municipal wind farm at this time, due in part to the uncertain availability of any federal incentives for municipally owned wind projects.

Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell and the Republican-controlled Senate reached an agreement last night on a $27.3 billion state budget, ending a partial state shutdown that idled 25,000 government employees. Speaking after 11 p.m. local time, the second-term Democrat said he and Republicans agreed on a deal that left intact the budget outline he presented in February. Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said Rendell agreed to forgo a planned annual surcharge on energy bills to fund clean energy programs that became the main sticking point and said he would seek another source of money for the project.

Renewable energy projects including wind and biomass are springing up in Schuylkill County, and state utilities will be required to increase their purchase of power generated by these and similar sources over the next 13 years. Although reports suggest customers should not experience much increase in cost and, in some cases, could see savings as these new sources become more prevalent, experts say other factors must also be considered. "There is no magic bullet as far as getting us off fossil fuels right now," said Joel Morrison, a research associate at Penn State University and fund manager for the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund.

As the legislature pushed past its weekend budget deadline, the state's power industry squared off with Gov. Rendell over energy proposals he says are crucial to keeping electricity prices from skyrocketing as decade-old caps expire in the years ahead. Dozens of lobbyists representing utilities and power generators were working the Capitol's anterooms last week, pulling legislators off the floor to urge changes in the package of bills that Rendell calls his "Energy Independence Strategy." The fight helped derail efforts to pass a 2008 budget by this weekend's traditional deadline, as Rendell repeated his threat to hold up the budget unless his energy package was approved.

Montemuro wants to build a 28-foot turbine to generate electricity for his store and for his home. He figures the turbine will cost about $30,000, but he expects to recoup that through electricity savings and a reimbursement from a state incentive program, such as the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, which encourages the use of alternative energy sources.

Locust Ridge Wind Farm owner Joe Green, of Shenandoah, would like the Mahanoy Township Board of Supervisors to give him a tax break on his wind energy enterprise. He would even be willing to give the township a share of his profits in exchange for a break in taxes. Tax law, however, prohibits local government from agreeing not to tax somebody. That's the legislature's job, according to township Solicitor Victoria Edwards.

But so far Mahanoy Township government has realized nothing in the way of substantial tax income from its wind farm. "The government came out with a thing at the end of the year (saying) that they can't be taxed on their real estate value," Stevens told the Schuylkill County commissioners last Wednesday. "So we're looking at the energy they produce," Stevens added. "That's the only way we can go."

A Mahanoy Township supervisor is asking Schuylkill County commissioners for help in finding out how to get tax revenue from a wind farm. Supervisor Vice Chairman James Stevens on Wednesday told commissioners the county, township and Mahanoy Area School District have seen no tax revenue from Green Energy Products Inc., which began operating in November 2006.

Hybrid vehicles are getting a push from Gov. Ed Rendell. So are solar and wind power, biofuels and renewable energy. The governor yesterday made $31.4 million in grants available to help businesses, municipalities, organizations and individuals develop and use clean technology, energy and alternative fuels.

When a group of passionate windmill opponents took their message before Somerset County commissioners, Commissioner Brad Cober said the county can do little to stop turbine development. But he had this bit of advice for wind-power opponents: Urge elected officials to stop federal tax credits for wind power.

Owners of wind farms stand to gain from a little-noticed bill passed last month that exempts wind-turbine equipment from local property taxes. The big winner was FPL Energy, which owns five wind farms in Pennsylvania, including one in Wayne County that was the subject of tax litigation.

The state Public Utility Commission yesterday picked a California company to monitor compliance with a 2004 state law that requires electric utilities to purchase a certain amount of renewable energy. Clean Power Markets Inc. won the contract on a 4-0 vote, but not before several commissioners expressed discomfort with potential conflicts of interest in the small, but growing renewable energy industry.

Commissioners said they will not change the ordinance, which they say balances the rights of property owners who are opposed to windmills with those who want to lease their land to turbine developers. Officials laid the blame on state and federal tax incentives for the wind industry. “If you want to stop them, take away the federal subsidies,” Commissioner Brad Cober said.

When it comes to taxing wind farms in Pennsylvania, two approaches have been used. Somerset County assesses the 16 wind turbines at the Meyersdale Wind Farm for tax purposes. That method, which may or may not be what state law and court decisions require, assesses only the ground on which a wind turbine sits, not the turbine itself. A method used by Wayne County in the northeastern corner of the state is to assess the 43 turbines at the Waymart Wind Farm. It places a value on some, but not all, of the turbines. FPL Energy, a division of Florida Power & Light Co., owns both wind farms.

Proposal to increase use of alternative energy is deemed too expensive by officials. MARPLE TWP. - Despite the upcoming "ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day" on Oct. 4, the outlook for cleaner, renewable energy in Marple looks a little dim. A resolution promising that by 2010 the township would purchase 20 percent of its electricity from higher-priced sources - such as wind, solar and farm methane -was defeated by a vote of 4-3 Monday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell is urging municipalities to participate in small-scale wind-energy projects throughout the state to reduce the state´s dependence on imported energy.