News
Category:
Massachusetts
Use of town letterhead questioned in Fairhaven ethics complaint
March 26, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today
March 26, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today
"What I wrote was a dumb statement but it wasn't a threat," he said in an interview with The Standard-Times last week. "He wanted to keep me quiet about the turbines and is painting a picture of me as some kind of crazy person."
Selectman Bob Espindola said Monday neither he nor fellow board member Charlie Murphy had been aware of Bowcock's letter until Ferreira complained to him in September.
Also filed under [
Impact on People]
Fight over Scituate's wind turbine heats up as Town Meeting draws closer
March 25, 2013 by Jessica Bartlett in Boston Globe
March 25, 2013 by Jessica Bartlett in Boston Globe
The argument over whether the turbine is causing health effects has been underway since early 2012, when the turbine was turned on and residents first started complaining of health problems.
Yet with Town Meeting likely to consider a petition to bring the turbine down, both sides have grown more adamant in their opinions.
Also filed under [
General]
Wind turbines face opposition in Falmouth and across the state
March 24, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger
March 24, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger
The turbine backlash has prompted some local communities to proceed more cautiously when considering wind turbine projects. In recent years, turbine proposals have been tossed around in Plymouth, Weymouth, Quincy, Milton, Marshfield, Norwell and Cohasset. Some of these plans have been met with resistance or been ruled out altogether.
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General]
BOARD OF HEALTH: Turbine study under way
March 21, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
March 21, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
The Board of Health voted against taking action to shut down the turbines until the study has been completed, he said, and that vote still stands. That decision, he added, was based on the board's concern that such a vote would put the town's contract with the turbine owner at risk without scientific evidence.
"This study will determine whether that turbine is compliant," Casna said.
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Impact on People]
Since then, that figure has been slashed to 24 megawatts on 23 sites. Projects have been eliminated or delayed because of problems with roofs, concerns over clear-cutting and a complicated approval process to connect to the grid or to locate panels on land used for other purposes.
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General]
Cape Wind construction could begin off Massachusetts coast by year-end
March 19, 2013 by Scott DiSavino in Reuters
March 19, 2013 by Scott DiSavino in Reuters
BTMU is providing a significant amount of debt capital that will be used to pay for development and construction of the project, Cape Wind said. The company could not say how much BTMU was expected to raise.
The cooperative, which was formed in 2007 to pursue renewable energy projects on behalf of its member towns, counties and the Compact, has largely given up on wind energy in the face of fierce opposition and is struggling to construct solar projects announced in 2012.
Also filed under [
General]
Middle-school student Brian Reilly says he can't play basketball on Leland Road when the strobing effect from the Kingston Wind Independence (KWI) Turbine's shadow flicker is at full throttle. "I get a wicked bad headache so I have to go inside," Brian told the Journal as he stood on the front steps of his neighbors house.
Shah says company financial struggles won't affect turbines
March 14, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today
March 14, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today
Pottel said he has become increasingly skeptical of Shah since it was revealed two weeks ago that one of the turbines malfunctioned during a state noise test.
"How did that malfunction magically fix itself when the testing was done?" Pottel asked. "It definitely raises questions about (Shah's) general credibility."
Also filed under [
General]
The Water and Sewer Commission is poised to yank a $1.8 million contract from a Saugus firm over claims that KGCI Inc. has not paid a vendor assembling the commission's 254-foot-tall wind turbine tower.
"The contractor obviously has a cash flow problem," said commission attorney Samuel Vitali.
Also filed under [
General]
Town officials are unsure whether Falmouth will have to pay back nearly $5 million in federal stimulus funds that the town received in 2010 to construct the Wind 2 turbine. When taking into account the debt amassed by the two turbines, the cost of removing them and service contract is between about $12.3 and $15.2 million.
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General]
Scituate selectmen vote against petition looking to shut down wind turbine
March 13, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger
March 13, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger
The selectmen said no decision on the turbine should be made until the board of health completes a noise study that is expected to start this spring. The study will determine if the turbine complies with state noise standards.
Also filed under [
General]
'Unprecedented' plan needed to remove Falmouth turbines; Special legislation also required
March 12, 2013 by Scott A. Giordano in The Bulletin
March 12, 2013 by Scott A. Giordano in The Bulletin
Selectmen Chairman Kevin Murphy said there are many variables remaining. There is still no word on whether the state will offer any financial assistance to the town, no word on whether any existing debts will be forgiven, and no definite figure for resale value of the turbines. In addition, legal expenses are unknown.
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General]
Can Plymouth wind turbines spin savings in Wareham?
March 12, 2013 by Caitlin Flaherty in Wicked Local Wareham
March 12, 2013 by Caitlin Flaherty in Wicked Local Wareham
There is a 10-megawatt cap of net-metering credits per town as regulated by the state, but the town of Marion does not need to use all of its megawatts. Therefore, Wareham would be able to purchase power from Marion, a host customer, at a discounted price.
Also filed under [
Impact on Economy]
Horstmann said in an interview Friday at this Middleborough company that he feels his company was "used" to win public support for the controversial project he was once confident would boost local jobs. ...Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers said Monday that Mass Tank just didn't have the experience or resources for the job.
Also filed under [
General]
Board of Health takes no action on sound level meter request
March 9, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
March 9, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
Board of Health Chairman Joe Casna said this week that the board has taken no vote, nor acted on any motion by any member of the board, to direct the health agent to acquire a loaner meter.
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Noise]
Selectmen are scheduled Monday to vote on their recommendations for warrant articles for the annual and special town meetings. Three of the articles would collectively order the removal of the turbines.
Town Manager Julian Suso has estimated it will cost $5 million to $15 million to remove them.
Also filed under [
General]
Hanover wind turbine: new consultant hired to watch old contractor
March 5, 2013 by Mark Burridge in Wicked Local Hanover
March 5, 2013 by Mark Burridge in Wicked Local Hanover
Lumus Construction, which Hanover town officials had previously said would have their contract terminated, is still working on the wind turbine. A consultant now supervises Lumus' work. ...bringing in Aeronautica does not cost residents any additional tax dollars because the company is being paid with funds that were withheld from Lumus.
Also filed under [
General]
A flood of unexpectedly cheap natural gas could put a damper on offshore winds' fresh enthusiasm. Electric utilities may find it cheaper and easier to enjoy cheap gas while they can and put off more costly investments in alternatives, at least in the near term. "There's some truth that the decline in gas prices has changed people's perception about the urgency of renewables."
Also filed under [
Offshore Wind|
Rhode Island]
U.S. Reps. Paul Broun, R-Ga., and James Lankford, R-Okla., sent a letter Thursday to outgoing Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, reiterating demands they first made in January for agency documents related to Cape Wind, a list of all pending applications for two DOE loan programs, and a briefing about their concerns.
Also filed under [
General]
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