Mann said he has, indeed, offered neighbors who would be most impacted by the turbine remuneration for any perceived annoyance, adding that studies show that once a turbine is erected concerns about them tend to evaporate. According to Mann, he's offered residents living within 2,300 of the proposed turbine up to $2,000 annually for 20 years.

Citizens Alliance for Responsible Renewable Energy is appealing the decision made by the planning commission last month to approve Consumers Energy's special land use application to build a wind farm consisting of 56 476-foot wind turbines in Riverton and Summit townships.

During its Wednesday night hearing on the issue, the ZBA granted cranberry grower Keith Mann's revised request for three turbines instead of four on 331 acres of land off Head of the Bay Road. "It's a step in the right direction," Mann said. "We do intend to re-file for number five (turbine). That's near Route 25 with larger setbacks from homes - 1,800 feet." Mann revised his request when it became clear there was not a majority of ZBA members on board for all four.

Some town residents are questioning whether all the questions in a poll gauging support for wind energy conducted by IBOPE Zogby International, Utica, were even-handed, but a Zogby representative defended his organization's work.

Zoltek Cos. Inc. posted a loss in its fiscal third quarter as wind farm developers delay projects to see how they can cash in on the federal stimulus package. The company lost $1.4 million in the quarter ended June 30, compared with a profit of $2.3 million a year ago.

Many of the north country's 165 businesses that receive Empire Zone tax breaks could lose the benefit under the state's new budget agreement. State officials say the Empire Zone program is being abused by companies that are getting tax breaks without generating new jobs. ...In the new regulations, a measure is included to kick out businesses that have not matched dollar-for-dollar wages and capital investments with the tax breaks they received.

Massachusetts and federal officials have designated a 3,000-square-mile swath of ocean south of Cape Cod and the Islands available to lease to developers of commercial-scale offshore wind farms. State officials and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement announced Tuesday a "request for interest" to find out where in the area developers might want to pursue projects.

The borough is advancing its exploration of energy options. The Pine Grove Township Zoning Hearing Board gave approval Monday night for erection of a 197-foot wind monitoring tower, on 216 acres of Pine Grove borough property, to gather data to determine if the area would be a good location for a wind farm. Gamesa Energy USA, Philadelphia, will construct the tower on a site located above the borough's well field in the Black Creek Valley north of Second Mountain.

After another five-hour meeting dedicated to Windhorse Power LLC’s wind-turbine proposal, the Beekmantown Zoning Board of Appeals tabled its decision. Nearly every meeting with the Windhorse proposal on the agenda has turned out substantial response from both the developers and residents of the Rand Hill Road area, which is the main site of the project. The Clinton County Planning Board recently disapproved Windhorse’s project by a 6-1 vote, saying, among other issues, that more information was needed. That sent the issue back to the Beekmantown Zoning Board.

Horizons Regional Council wants city and district councils to set zones for wind farms and other renewable energy sources. This will enable communities and companies to make informed choices about where they live and where they look to develop, chairman Garry Murfitt said.

Looking to take advantage of one of the windiest parts of the state, an energy company has cleared a hurdle in its plans to develop a La Salle County wind farm. The County Zoning Board of Appeals is recommending to the County Board that special-use permits be approved for the construction of two temporary 197-foot wind towers on properties belonging to Grand Rapids landowners William and Norma Dooley and Frank and Carol Corrigan. The project developer is Invenergy Wind North American. The board chose to add a time-frame stipulation of an option to renew the permits after two years, if necessary.

After about three hours of deliberations, the county Zoning Hearing Board Wednesday denied a special exception that would allow Vermont-based Laurel Hill Wind Energy to build a electricity-producing windmills on a mountain ridge in Jackson and McIntyre townships.

The zoning board in January also amended its variance to allow for the three turbines. The zoning board had originally approved four turbines at up to 400 feet and a fifth turbine at 500 feet. In January, the zoning board approved three 500-foot turbines.

EL PASO - Plans for wind farm proposed for the El Paso area, which is seen as an economic asset to some and an eyesore to others, are in the hands of the Woodford County Zoning Board of Appeals. The board took testimony from wind farm supporters this week. Now, interested parties have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to submit requests to speak at the next hearing on Aug. 7. That hearing will be at 6 p.m. at El Paso's Grace Fellowship Church.

Objections centered around existing problems which some residents are having with the Big Sky wind farm near Ohio. Those problems were stated by objectors as interrupted television reception, shadow flickering caused by the turning turbine blades, noise levels, and the lack by the Big Sky owners to take care of those problems in a timely fashion.

After a lengthy meeting Thursday night, the Stephenson County Zoning Board of Appeals voted not to recommend proposed changes to the county's zoning code that would alter the wind-farm application process. The zoning board Thursday listened to testimony from a variety of objectors to the proposed changes. At the end of the nearly four-hour meeting, the board voted unanimously not to recommend the wind-farm changes. Officials say the consensus of the board Thursday was that they could not recommend the altered zoning ordinance because the changes would limit the public's ability to object to future wind-farm projects.

Commercial wind energy projects will require a "special use" permit, which does not authorize construction of the project until the applicant (developer) has obtained a power purchase agreement for the electricity to be generated.

The Zoning Board of Appeals didn't get a chance to start to deliberate Wednesday night on whether or not to approve a special permit for a wind turbine project on Head of the Bay Road in South Plymouth.

URBANA - The Union Township zoning board unanimously voted Tuesday to make a recommendation to the trustees rejecting a proposed wind turbine zoning resolution. Executive Director Jenny Snapp of the Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission - LUC - called the proposal "too restrictive" in height and setback requirements. Champaign County Prosecutor Nick Selvaggio said it gave unauthorized power to governing bodies not listed in state law. The proposal, submitted to the township zoning board by Union Township residents, regulates wind towers to a minimum of 2,600 feet from a building and property line. Plus, it restricts the turbine height up to 360 feet.