lthough wind energy is an important part of Gov. Ed Rendell's push toward clean energy, interfering with a local decision to reject wind energy "is not the state's business," state Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky said Monday. "We have a model ordinance, but we are not going to pressure people on the local level to do something they don't think they should do," he said in response to a question regarding the wind farm that was proposed on Laurel Hill in Jackson and McIntyre townships. Yablonsky said he is familiar with the situation and knows that an appeal has been filed in court regarding the county Zoning Hearing Board rejection of the wind farm developer's request for a special exception. Yablonsky said the board's rejection is the first that he has heard of since the Gov. Ed Rendell took office four years ago. Yablonsky said neither he nor the governor are discouraged by the rejection, adding that since the issue is still in the hands of a judge, it could still be approved. Other projects have been approved elsewhere in the state, he said. "To be fair, we've had some (wind farms) go forward already," he said. "We are seeing communities becoming more accepting of this."

The plan to erect some 60 windmills around nearby Herrick Mountain and Susie's Peak would ruin the precious scenery, say the town's residents. "Suddenly you're thrusting an industrial complex into what's really a rural residential neighborhood," said David Potter, who represents Ira in the Vermont House of Representatives. "In my opinion, [the windmills] don't fit."

If the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm is built, local officials want a say in how it affects their roads and wetlands. Selectmen and other town officials met last night with Cape Wind representatives to hear the latest on plans to connect the proposed wind farm to the electric grid. The meeting at the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School auditorium was public but not a hearing, so public comment was not allowed.

Committee members worked with the planning board and looked at bylaws in Fairhaven, Harwich and Orleans. They were also wary of possible disputes like the one in Sandwich over residential wind turbines and ''wanted to be more restrictive rather than opening the floodgates,'' Braginton-Smith said. Sections of the bylaw addressed height restrictions, setbacks and noise generated by the turbines. It also addressed flicker, the visual effect of the moving turbine blades on the light from the sun. Despite a nod toward the hard work of the energy committee, Snowden moved to indefinitely postpone a vote on the bylaw article.

Yarmouth officials are upset that they received no notice of the project when it went before the Dennis Old King's Highway Historic District Commission, Gilmore said. ...The town of Yarmouth needs to have its interests represented in the case, he wrote, especially since Austin is not represented by counsel.

Local residents affected by a proposed 182 turbine wind farm development in and around the Yass Valley are refusing to let the issue destroy long held friendships. A proposal to construct 110 wind turbines in the Yass Valley local government area and a further 72 in the Harden Shire has been on hold at the office of the Minister for Planning, Kristina Keneally, for over 12 months.

The Italy Town Board voted last night to deny an application from a company that wanted to build an 18-turbine wind farm in the picturesque Yates County town. "We're all very pleased, and surprised. All of us who have been fighting for so long - our jaws were on the floor. We couldn't believe what we were hearing from our town board," said Kathy Johnstone, a town resident and a vice president of the Finger Lakes Preservation Association, which opposes the project.

Millionaire Marlborough grape-grower Peter Yealands appears to be a driving force behind attempts to build a major wind farm in the region..... He has also been closely linked with TrustPower's proposal for a Marlborough wind farm, which involved monitoring of wind conditions on his land.

"We're not happy with the installation so far," said Griffin. "They're only working intermittently but they are under warranty." The two, 20-foot wind turbines adjacent to the new hanger "B" were supposed to generate enough energy from the wind to power security streetlights along Industrial Park Drive at the airport.

The first major wind turbine project in Yellow Medicine County has received approval from the county commissioners. During the Yellow Medicine County board meeting Tuesday, the board voted to approve the proposed project that would see 20 megawatts developed in Fortier Township near Canby. Jeff Hemish of Canby received support from the Yellow Medicine County Planning and Zoning board during the June 19 meeting which helped get the 20- megawatt project approved by the county commissioners. The 20-megawatt project will be spread over 10 wind turbines Hemish said.

There were planning issues, aesthetic issues, things that people get concerned about when one of these type of projects shows up in their backyard, their neighborhood, so we really felt, and the Commission felt, that we needed to emphasize the planning process more first and also give the public an opportunity, a much longer opportunity to respond. Right now, there's a 45-day public notice period when an applicant is going to file with the board.

Wind farm policy is one of the few clear-cut differences between the major parties, and shapes as a significant issue in some regional seats at the November election. The wind industry's goals are clear enough - to develop the industry and in the process turn a profit - but critics say the motivation behind the guardians is less transparent.

Green consumers and businesses who want to neutralise their carbon emissions face being ripped off by unscrupulous operators who exploit the growing market in carbon offset schemes, a Guardian investigation has revealed. The surge in interest in such schemes, which invest millions of pounds in forestry and clean energy projects in the developing world, has created a lucrative market in carbon, which is unregulated and subject to little scrutiny. Campaigners and analysts say independent standards are urgently needed to protect consumers and to ensure the promised carbon savings are delivered. Francis Sullivan, a carbon offset expert who led attempts by banking group HSBC to neutralise its emissions, said: “There will be individuals and companies out there who think they’re doing the right thing but they’re not. I am sure that people are buying offsets in this unregulated market that are not credible. I am sure there are people buying nothing more than hot air.”

The spinning blades of wind turbines can help power a town and save energy, but the high cost of buying and installing them has stopped Perkasie from churning forward. The Upper Bucks borough considered buying wind turbines, but after meeting with officials from electrical utility giant Exelon Corp., PECO Energy’s parent company, Perkasie officials decided that wind-generated energy might be too expensive — at least for now.

David Cameron dismissed wind farms as "giant windmills" that would blight the landscape in a paean to nuclear power written in his early 20s.