News
Category:
Massachusetts
Radar risk research threatens wind farm
March 30, 2006 by Kevin Dennehy & David Schoetz in Cape Cod Times
March 30, 2006 by Kevin Dennehy & David Schoetz in Cape Cod Times
Foes of the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm say British research on wind turbines interfering with radar raises grave doubts about the Cape project.
Also filed under [
Safety]
Rare Right Whales Move into Area, Mariner Restrictions in Place
February 22, 2013 by Mark Alan Lovewell in Vineyard Gazette
February 22, 2013 by Mark Alan Lovewell in Vineyard Gazette
The whales have also caught the attention of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is overseeing wind farm lease areas off the Vineyard and Rhode Island, and has commissioned the New England Aquarium to do an aerial survey, according to Tim Cole, a research fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife|
USA]
A continuous protest at the meeting’s opening led Liz Argo, a consultant for Cape and Vineyard Electric Co-operative, who was overseeing the presentation for CVEC, to terminate the event less than nine minutes after it was to begin.
Also filed under [
Zoning/Planning]
As of Monday, Donald had logged 20 complaints with the town about noise and shadow flicker causing ear ringing and ear pressure.
"I think that people's physiologies are different," Donald said when told of neighbors who have experienced no negative health effects.
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Noise]
Town Meeting would have to approve the spending of $8.3 million, which includes $4.9 million borrowed to construct Wind 2, $2 million to pay back the renewable energy credits, and $1.4 million to remove both turbines. That is the same amount Town Meeting failed to authorize earlier this month by six votes shy of a two-thirds majority.
"I'm guardedly optimistic" that the ballot question will pass, Mr. Suso said.
Also filed under [
General]
Reality sinks in for wind project; Turbine shut down for foundation fix
February 25, 2012 by John Zaremba in Boston Herald
February 25, 2012 by John Zaremba in Boston Herald
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority honchos and engineers met yesterday to figure out a fix for the $4.7 million wind turbine, which started turning in October, only to power down last month when crews discovered it had settled about 2 inches, agency officials said. Possible causes, they said, include soil conditions and vibrations from a sudden shutdown triggered by high winds.
Also filed under [
Safety|
Structural Failure]
"Cape Wind's oversized costs do not represent a reasonable return on the public's investment," wrote Joseph P. Kennedy II, the former congressman and president of the Citizens Energy Corporation, a Boston nonprofit group, in a letter to The Cape Cod Times in February. Mr. Kennedy's family owns property that looks out on the proposed wind farm site.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
USA]
A new report on the financial threat posed by Cape Wind to consumers makes it even more clear that Attorney General Martha Coakley is taking the right steps by demanding more answers about the true cost - and true profits - of this beleaguered project.
Also filed under [
Impact on Economy]
The Board of Assessors is seeking to deny property tax reductions to land owners who have Chapter 61 forestry designations on their property but have also signed leases with First Wind to allow use of their land for a proposed wind farm atop West Mountain.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies]
Regional leaders discuss energy at governors, premiers conference
May 13, 2006 by Eric Tucker, Associated Press in The Standard Times
May 13, 2006 by Eric Tucker, Associated Press in The Standard Times
Lee also warned that renewable energy sources, though desirable, were not a "silver bullet" solution. "It does leave an environmental footprint," Lee said, noting that wind energy and solar energy take up large areas of land, making it difficult to find a place to put them, especially in densely populated parts of the world.
A new state ocean management plan will likely leave control over the size of renewable energy projects in state waters in the hands of regional planning authorities such as the Cape Cod Commission and Martha's Vineyard Commission.
In a letter sent yesterday ...Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles agreed to change the draft plan released in July.
Also filed under [
General]
Regional Planning Commission to advise Adams on projects
March 19, 2010 by Ryan Hutton in North Adams Transcript
March 19, 2010 by Ryan Hutton in North Adams Transcript
Town Administrator Jonathan Butler told the Selectmen Wednesday night that the two "district local technical assistance grants" are not monetary awards, but consist of advising services from the planning commission. A joint project with Savoy is designed to help the towns gain further understanding of purchase agreements regarding commercial renewable-energy projects.
Also filed under [
General]
Maine's largest energy provider is forecasting record-breaking electricity use this summer, as well as a need for additional supply lines to feed an ever-increasing demand.
But a solution planned by ISO New England -- which manages electricity distribution in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont -- is being met with skepticism by Maine officials, who question the proposal's need and fairness.
Regulators push energy projects farther offshore
September 9, 2010 by Patrick Cassidy in Cape Cod Times
September 9, 2010 by Patrick Cassidy in Cape Cod Times
The new area for federal leases begins 12 miles offshore, three miles farther out to sea than some locations in an earlier draft leasing plan, said Deerin Babb-Brott, state assistant secretary for Oceans and Coastal Zone Management. The planning area covers 2,542 square nautical miles, 1,300 square nautical miles less than originally proposed.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
USA]
Regulators to ride herd on harnessing the wind
July 30, 2009 by Janet Hefler in Martha's Vineyard Times
July 30, 2009 by Janet Hefler in Martha's Vineyard Times
Like prospectors who discovered gold in the old West, developers, business owners, and homeowners are rushing to stake their claims to free, renewable energy by putting up wind turbines.
As more of the structures sprout, however, local, state, and federal authorities are struggling to close the gap between old regulations and relatively new technology.
Also filed under [
Zoning/Planning]
The decision Thursday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is seen as a boon for the Cape Wind project because it puts increased pressure on utilities seeking mergers to purchase energy from renewable sources like wind and solar power.
Cape Wind, the nation's first offshore wind farm, is still trying to find a buyer for half its power.
Also filed under [
General]
Rehoboth voters to be asked to OK bylaw for wind turbines
March 12, 2009 by Laura Calverley in The Sun Chronicle
March 12, 2009 by Laura Calverley in The Sun Chronicle
Voters at the April town meeting will be asked to approve the town's first wind turbine bylaw.
The bylaw would regulate the construction and operation of wind turbines and provide standards for placement, design, monitoring, removal and other specifications. It also is designed to address public safety issues and minimize the impact on scenic, natural and historic resources.
Also filed under [
Zoning/Planning]
Reilly names attorney to defend Cape Wind ruling
February 16, 2006 by Jim O'Sullivan in The Register
February 16, 2006 by Jim O'Sullivan in The Register
As the state's top attorney, Reilly would normally lead the board's defense against an appeal filed by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound when the Supreme Judicial Court in Suffolk County begins its review of the appeal in the next few months, with hearings expected later in the year.
Instead, Reilly, who opposes the Cape Wind plan, has recused himself and appointed a special assistant attorney general from outside his office to represent the state board against charges that its approval process contained "procedural and substantive" flaws.
Also filed under [
General|
Zoning/Planning]
Brooks made the comment during the Planning Board's April 7 meeting. Members were discussing the Annual Town Meeting at which voters rejected a citizen's petition to allow residential wind turbine by right.
Enough support was voiced that the board could bring a new wind bylaw forward, said Brooks. ...Former associate planner Leo Blair, recently elected to the Board of Selectmen, attended the meeting to encourage the board to continue working on a wind-energy bylaw.
Also filed under [
Zoning/Planning]
Relocating Turbines Off The Table options group considering curtailment of operation, buyouts
November 9, 2012 by Brent Runyon in Falmouth Enterprise
November 9, 2012 by Brent Runyon in Falmouth Enterprise
With moving the turbines now off the table, at least for now, the group is down to two sets of options: curtailing the operations of the turbines to meet some balance with the neighbors' concerns or removing the turbines, selling them for parts and possibly purchasing photovoltaic solar panels to replace them. The first option could involve the town purchasing some neighbors' homes and reselling them with a noise easement so the turbines can run more often.
Also filed under [
Impact on People]
| << Louisiana | Maryland >> |