Cranes and crews worked into the late hours Tuesday to remove a 68-ton wind turbine section that fell onto Pueblo Boulevard. The roadway was closed most of the day between Hollywood Drive and Vinewood Lane.

Drivers on Highway 85 through Commerce City saw something unexpected in the middle of the road at 112th Street. A large piece of a wind turbine was left on the road, in the middle of the intersection.

A 70-year-old woman was injured on Monday after her car hit a semitrailer carrying a large wind turbine blade. The woman was driving her car south on Highway 85 in Platteville at 4 p.m. when she collided with the turbine truck as it was turning.

OSHA said Monday it has cited Vestas for one willful and 23 serious violations following an inspection of the wind turbine manufacturing plant. The inspection was initiated after an employee suffered a partial amputation of two fingers and a broken wrist in November. OSHA has proposed $164,000 in fines against Vestas.

An employee was injured early Friday at the Vestas wind turbine plant south of Pueblo. Pueblo police said a 29-year-old man suffered "crushing injuries" to one of his hands.

A 21-year-old man died from an accident Wednesday morning at Vestas wind turbine tower plant.

The Windsor plant has also been cited by U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, for numerous violations related to the chemicals and lack of training that contributed to workers' injuries. According to OSHA records and current and former Vestas employees, some employees exposed to epoxy resin have developed the skin allergy dermatitis, an often painful allergy that causes swollen, red and itchy skin.

The blades' rotation — at speeds as fast as 200 mph — can prevent radar signals from reaching targets and can create radar echoes. The reflected signals — called "clutter" — produce shadows that can hide an object such as a plane. Although no major incidents have been reported so far, leaders on both sides of the issue are looking for ways to mitigate the turbines' radar effects.

"A formal vetting process is required with the necessary authorities to prevent projects from interfering with the defense of North America, while supporting the expansion of alternative energy sources, such as wind farms," Renuart told the House committee. Wind towers can interfere with radar in two ways: their height and their spinning blades.

A brush fire, apparently started from a short in a power line from wind turbines in the area, burned 1,100 acres before firefighters were able to stop the wind-blown flames. The fire was reported about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, near the intersection of Weld County roads 111 and 128.

A Sunday morning leak in a paint thinner pipe at the Vestas Blades paint building allowed about 20 to 30 gallons of the flammable material to be spilled. ...The spill is believed to be the first of its kind at the $60 million wind turbine blade manufacturing plant located on an 80-acre site in the Great Western Industrial Park.

Working on an object nearly 30 stories high can be a harrowing experience for anyone. For the crews that maintain the wind turbines in southeastern Colorado maintaining a safe working environment is paramount. ...He said one of the prevailing themes from the tour was the necessity of emergency personnel to be in top physical condition when attempting a rescue from a turbine tower. Cook said the rescue personnel have to climb over two hundred feet of stairs with equipment to reach the top of the towers, an exercise that can tire many rescuers and potentially detract from their ability to adequately perform their duties.