Communities and local government secretary Ruth Kelly has said that the aim of today's planning white paper was to make to the planning system less complex and more accessible for everyone.

Attorney White said Monday he had asked for an apology from GMP as well as compensation for expenses and legal fees that came to $22,330. "Had Green Mountain Power disclosed this information to the State Attorney's Office promptly, Chris never would have had to undergo a year facing criminal charges," wrote Mr. White in an e-mail.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission will take comments through Sept. 21 on a proposed resolution to issues that have slowed development of small-wind projects in the state for two years. In 2005, Idaho Power Co., asked for a moratorium on wind development within its territory to allow the utility time to study how much it costs Idaho Power to provide back-up generation when wind output is less than projected. The commission denied the suspension, but agreed to lower the size of wind projects that can qualify for the rates utilities must pay generators of small renewable power projects from 10 megawatts to 100 kilowatts.

The Coastal Habitat Alliance - a coalition of eleven Texas-based and national organizations working to preserve the Texas Gulf Coast - today expressed satisfaction that the Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas has agreed to hear their appeal regarding the group's intervenor status in the AEP 345 kV transmission line case to be held on October 17 in Austin.

The R.I. Public Utilities Commission made no decision Wednesday whether to stop hearings on a proposed offshore wind farm. Instead, the commission said it would determine whether to dismiss the case after the entire case wraps up Aug. 11.

The New Ulm Public Utilities Commission Tuesday approved a $41.3 million budget for 2007, narrowed the water tower site selection to three sites and authorized $200,000 in pre-development costs for converting the No. 4 boiler to coal/biomass fuel and developing a nine-Megawatt wind farm.

State utility regulators Thursday approved more sections of Southern California Edison Co.'s $1.8-billion Tehachapi renewable power transmission project as well as a 4.5% rate increase for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The Edison project is designed to allow the flow of renewable power - mainly from wind farms in the Tehachapi area northeast of Los Angeles - and is key to the utility's push to increase the amount of renewable power delivered to its 4.7 million electricity customers. The Tehachapi project has 11 phases that by 2013 will have the potential to bring 4,500 megawatts of renewable power to the state power grid. The California Public Utilities Commission on March 1 approved the transmission line's first phase, which is for 300 megawatts. Phases 2 and 3, which the PUC approved Thursday, are for 400 megawatts.

The bond was sold to Bank of America in June 2008 to finance a planned wind turbine project. Complications with gaining right to build the turbine resulted in the project being halted. Since no other clean energy project was available at this time, City Council moved to buy back the bond.

Texas public utility regulators have approved plans for a $60 million transmission-line project in South Texas, a victory for two proposed wind farms that have placed two of the nation's biggest ranches at odds. The state's Public Utility Commission on Tuesday OK'd the application of AEP Texas, a division of Ohio-based American Electric Power, to build a 21-mile transmission line and switching stations that would interconnect the two wind farms in Kenedy County, Texas. ...The approval notice says AEP will consult with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before construction begins to ensure compliance with wetland regulations and with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on permit requirements related to the possible effect on endangered and threatened species.

California's investor-owned utilities will be allowed to pass on to customers the costs of building lines to transmit renewable power from sources such as wind farms, the California Public Utilities Commission ruled Thursday.

The chairman of the state Public Utilities Commission on Thursday raised concerns about the potentially groundbreaking decision he and his two colleagues must make for or against a power-purchase agreement between Deepwater Wind and National Grid. Elia Germani spoke out on the third day of evidentiary hearings on a 20-year contract that would see National Grid pay 24.4 cents per kilowatt hour for power in the first year from an eight-turbine wind farm Deepwater is planning within three miles of Block Island.

While he was Maine's chief utilities regulator, Kurt Adams accepted an ownership interest in a leading wind-energy company. One month later, in May 2008, he went to work for that company, First Wind, as a senior vice president. A "summary compensation table" in a recent SEC filing shows that Adams' 2009 compensation of $1.3 million included $315,000 in salary, $658,000 in stock awards, $29,000 of "other" compensation and $315,000 in "non-equity incentives."

Oak Tree Energy attempted in 2010 to negotiate with NorthWestern. The utility refused to buy the power, saying the additional electricity wasn't necessary. Oak Tree Energy turned to the PUC in April 2011. Oak Tree used a federal law known as the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 as the basis for its complaint.

A proposed wind-energy farm north of Paynesville cleared a major hurdle today when the state Public Utilities Commission approved a certificate of need and a site permit for the project.

Whether San Diego Gas & Electric Co. should build a massive power line into the Imperial Valley goes to the heart of a debate that's gripping California and the country as it works to wean itself from fossil fuels. Is it better to rely on huge solar, wind and geothermal power plants far away or generate that power close to where it is needed?

On Wednesday, the three-member commission heard arguments for dismissal. While both entities contend that the law calling upon the PUC to weigh the new contract violated the U.S. Constitution, they concentrated on other arguments, including that it was unlawful to reconsider a contract once a decision had already been rendered.

MITCHELL, S.D. - The major-party candidates seeking a six-year term on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission have made wind energy a big issue in their campaigns. Democrat Steve Kolbeck of Brandon said the PUC needs to be more aggressive in making deals with companies that build transmission lines that South Dakota energy providers could use. Republican John Koskan of Wood said the PUC needs to consider all forms of energy and be creative in its marketing because of growing markets in places like the Twin Cities.

Mark Dreyfus, chairman of the ERCOT committee responsible for technical and policy issues, said it remains unclear whether the organization should have done something differently Tuesday night, or whether the rules themselves should be changed. He said ERCOT rules -- or "protocols," which carry the force of law -- are part of a living document that often changes. Dreyfus acknowledged that the rules might change again as a result of Tuesday's incident. "We'll go though this with ERCOT staff and the member companies to review the incident, and we'll look at the protocols and the procedures and operations and determine whether there are tweaks to be made," Dreyfus said.

In allowing the case to proceed, commissioners pointed to the law passed by the General Assembly that outlined a 45-day schedule for the PUC to hear the case and said a delay would go against the intent of lawmakers. And they said the Conservation Law Foundation would not suffer irreparable harm if the hearing continued, but Deepwater Wind would.

But in her letter to committee chairman Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, Bray says that the commission did look at the economic impact of the project. She cites the PUC's finding that the $390 million in above-market costs for power from the wind farm would directly lead to only 50 temporary jobs and 6 permanent ones. And among several other points, she also refers to sizeable annual increases in the energy costs of the largest businesses in Rhode Island.