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David Schnare: We're putting global warming on trial in Colorado
March 22, 2013 in Energy Policy Center

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Colorado Energy Office misspends millions in stimulus funds
January 29, 2013 by Michael Sandoval in The Foundry

Twenty of 22 contracts administered by the agency contained incorrect or missing information in the state contract database, with six missing performance elements and another 13 missing contractor progress reports. ...The audit also discovered that as many as 16 travel and other expenditures "lacked appropriate approval and justification documentation." This included a line item for a $25,000 expenditure listed only as "2008 Membership."

Also filed under [ General]

Vestas cuts workers hours at two US factories
December 12, 2012 by James Quilter in Windpower Monthly

Vestas is cutting working hours at its Colorado blade plants at Windsor and Brighton in preparation for a post-PTC slowdown in the US wind sector. The company said it had told employees at the factories that it was reducing their weekly hours from 40 to 32 hours. The change will take effect in January.

Also filed under [ Impact on Economy]

Layoffs, failures test Colorado's "new energy economy"
October 22, 2012 by Steve Raabe in The Denver Post

The resilience of Colorado's vaunted "new energy economy" is being tested after a series of job cuts, financial setbacks and political firestorms. ...Hard times for the green industries stem from a combination of technical challenges, low-cost foreign competition and an uncertain outlook for government support of alternative energy.

Also filed under [ Impact on Economy]

Vestas Wind Systems lays off 200 workers at its Windsor blade factory
October 11, 2012 by Steve Raabe in The Denver Post

Wind-turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems made its largest Colorado job cut Thursday, laying off about 200 workers at its Windsor blade plant. The cuts represent 29 percent of the plant's workforce. Vestas also had laid off workers at plants in Brighton and Pueblo.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Vestas cuts 75 workers at its Brighton wind turbine blade factory
October 10, 2012 by Mark Jaffe in The Denver Post

Vestas Wind Systems, the wind turbine manufacturer that built four factories in Colorado, announced its third round of job cuts on Tuesday, firing 75 workers at its blade factory in Brighton.

Also filed under [ General]

Wednesday's pesidential debate: What happened to wind energy?
October 5, 2012 by Laura DiMugno in North American Windpower

What Romney considers "breaks" and "green" are up for debate. Despite his assertion that he supports "green energy," Romney has made it clear that he is in favor of letting the PTC expire ... Instead, Romney said the money invested in renewable energy and cleantech companies could have been better used for other purposes.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Failing wind market leads to job cuts at Vestas Pueblo factory
August 13, 2012 by Mark Jaffe in Denver Post

"In response to this market slowdown and in accordance with its business needs, Vestas Towers America in Pueblo, Colo., today adjusted its manufacturing workforce. This workforce reduction in the tower factory represents approximately 3 percent of Vestas' total workforce in the U.S. and Canada."

Also filed under [ General]

A 2nd U.S.-supported maker of solar panels will close
June 29, 2012 by Matthew L. Wald in New York Times

"Our government is not good at picking winners and losers in the marketplace but has certainly proved it is good at wasting taxpayer dollars," Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio and chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee's subcommittee on regulatory affairs, stimulus oversight and government spending, said on Thursday.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Popular wind-energy tax credit stumbles in Congress
April 2, 2012 by Allison Sherry in The Denver Post

Colorado's entire delegation - save GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs - supports an extension. So does Iowa's congressional delegation. Lots of senators and House members, both liberals and conservatives, have signed up to support it. But the production-tax-credit extension - which costs $4.1 billion over 10 years and includes some other renewables such as geothermal - has thrice failed in the U.S. Senate.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Bennet, Udall scrambling to extend credit; Colorado senators say immediate outlook isn't good.
March 14, 2012 by Peter Roper in Pueblo Chieftain

Udall also is pressing ahead by drafting a separate bill to renew the wind credit, hoping to get influential Republican senators to co-sponsor the measure. Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, for example, supports wind power but voted against the Stabenow package of tax credits on Tuesday.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Wind energy tax credit discarded
February 16, 2012 by Peter Roper in Pueblo Chieftain

A Senate staffer said that in the highly partisan push-and-shove over the payroll tax deduction and cutting federal spending to pay for that, the conference committee ultimately pushed the list of sought-after business credits out of the discussion. "Bills like this can quickly become Christmas trees with other measures attached in committee and it looks like the conferees ultimately tried to stick to the major issues.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

New wind transmission approach urged
December 3, 2011 by Candace Krebs in Ag Journal

Rather than see building more transmission as the solution, though, Bowman sees its drawbacks as a symptom of a bigger problem: a highly centralized power system. "I'm going to predict the day of very large transmission lines to carry energy from remote areas to urban centers are about over," he said. "What I do think you'll see happen is smaller projects that are built to accommodate the existing system you have in the rural electric districts and to move that power to the cities that way. I think there will be a different model."

Also filed under [ Transmission| Wyoming]

‘Green jobs' farm in Colorado sheds jobs after receiving $200M in stimulus funds
October 4, 2011 by Matthew Boyle in The Daily Caller

NREL spokesman Bob Noun blames Congress for the organization's failures. The Denver Post reports that he believes the gridlocked U.S. Congress forced the NREL to find $8 million in new budgetary savings. "We don't see any budget scenario where the lab doesn't face budget cuts," Noun said.

Also filed under [ General]

Study: Energy boom hurting deer, antelope herds
July 21, 2011 by Troy Hooper in The Colorado Independent

After reviewing population trends, hunter-harvest reports and licenses sales from the two states over the last 30 years, wildlife biologists concluded that oil and gas drilling, wind farms, agricultural practices and other human encroachments are slicing and dicing critical habitat the animals have historically relied upon to survive.

Also filed under [ Impact on Wildlife| Wyoming]

Turbine maker cited in death, amputation at new plant
May 19, 2011 in Paint Square

The willful violation addresses the deliberate removal of support equipment while welding sections of wind towers together, which caused the sections to slide and resulted in the amputation injury. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

Also filed under [ Impact on People]

Vestas Pueblo plant cited for alleged safety, health violations
May 16, 2011 by Bill Radford in The Gazette

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.

Also filed under [ Safety| Denmark]

Environmentalists, new energy seek common ground at Pawnee Buttes
December 31, 2010 by Bobby Magill in The Coloradoan

For hikers who took a walk to the Pawnee Buttes on Christmas Day, the experience provided a view of more than just the two buttes and the Cedar Creek wind farm to the north. Hikers that day also saw an oil rig drilling a well on property to the west of the buttes.

Also filed under [ Impact on Wildlife| Impact on Landscape]

Wind power's big blades can mask radar; Researchers on a quest to solve problem
July 17, 2010 by Ann Schrader in Denver Post

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.

Also filed under [ Safety]

Plans for Colorado's new-energy economy get tangled in "green tape"
June 27, 2010 by Jason Blevins in Denver Post

Politicians have been quick to pledge increasing use of clean energy and set ambitious production goals for solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and nuclear. ...But when land managers and investors float plans for building wind farms or tapping geothermal energy or stringing new transmission lines or processing uranium for nuclear power, the potential impacts to neighbors stir passionate resistance.

Also filed under [ General]

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