News
Category:
Minnesota
Mower County Sheriff's deputies were called about 1:30 p.m. Sunday to the turbine at 21404 770th Ave., where the operations manager of Prairie Star Wind Farm said someone had fired two rounds into the mechanism.
Also filed under [
General]
"I don't think that the American people are ready to watch Minnesota's nesting bald eagles be destroyed on behalf of a Texas millionaire."
The commission's decision highlights an emerging conflict between a demand for clean energy and growing evidence wind farms can kill hundreds of thousands of birds and bats a year.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife]
Bald eagles win a round against Red Wing wind farm
February 24, 2012 by Josephine Marcotty in Star Tribune
February 24, 2012 by Josephine Marcotty in Star Tribune
Bald eagles won an unexpected victory Thursday when Minnesota regulators delayed a wind farm near Red Wing for at least a year because the developer failed to produce an adequate plan to protect America's national symbol and other flying creatures.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife]
Controversial Goodhue wind farm environmental impact plan rejected
February 24, 2012 by Stephanie Hemphill in Minnesota Public Radio
February 24, 2012 by Stephanie Hemphill in Minnesota Public Radio
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission rejected a developer's plan to protect eagles and other wildlife that might be harmed by a controversial wind farm project in the southeastern region of the state. ...Neighbors who oppose the project packed the hearing room and took turns to speak about flaws they see in the project.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife]
State to decide whether wind farm plan minimizes threat to animals
February 23, 2012 by Stephanie Hemphill in Minnesota Public Radio
February 23, 2012 by Stephanie Hemphill in Minnesota Public Radio
The company says it will apply for an eagle take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The permit would allow the turbines to kill a certain number of eagles before the company would face penalties.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife]
St. Paul panel votes against Metro State's proposal for wind turbine
February 18, 2012 by Frederick Melo in Pioneer Press
February 18, 2012 by Frederick Melo in Pioneer Press
The committee received three letters of support for the turbine and three letters against it, as well as a community petition in opposition. At the zoning committee hearing on Thursday, one person spoke in favor of the turbine and six against.
Also filed under [
General]
PUC delays hearing on wind turbine bird deaths
February 2, 2012 by Stephanie Hemphill in Minnesota Public Radio
February 2, 2012 by Stephanie Hemphill in Minnesota Public Radio
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has postponed a hearing on a plan to limit bird and bat deaths at a controversial wind farm proposed for Goodhue County.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife|
Impact on Birds]
Southwest Minnesota is home to more than 70 wind farms ...But the turbines spin intermittently, with peak output generally in the spring and fall. In addition, wind often is stronger at night than by day.
Chris Little, director of development for Ecos, said he hopes the project answers the question: "Could you fill that gap with another energy resource that might complement the wind?"
Also filed under [
General]
Wind farm will seek permit to legally kill eagles
January 21, 2012 by Josephine Marcotty in Star Tribune
January 21, 2012 by Josephine Marcotty in Star Tribune
A controversial wind farm proposed near Red Wing plans to ask for federal permission to legally kill eagles, making it one of the first in the nation to participate in a new federal strategy aimed at managing the often-lethal conflict between birds and turbine blades.
Also filed under [
Impact on Birds|
USA]
DNR, U.S. Fish & Wildlife criticize Goodhue County wind project
January 21, 2012 by Brett Boese in The Post-Bulletin
January 21, 2012 by Brett Boese in The Post-Bulletin
"The service recommends AWA Wind analyzes the data they have collected, rather than attempt to extrapolate potential data," wrote Tony Sullins, USFWS field supervisor.
Turbine shut downs were also recommended as a potential mitigation plan, while calls for clarification and more data were common — though bald eagle issues were most prevalent.
Also filed under [
General]
Major Paynesville wind farm falls behind construction schedule
December 24, 2011 by Kirsti Marohn in St Cloud Times
December 24, 2011 by Kirsti Marohn in St Cloud Times
The Edina-based company has signed agreements for easements with landowners in Zion, Paynesville, Spring Hill and Lake Henry townships. Geronimo had planned to erect the turbines this year and expected them to be generating electricity as soon as the third quarter of 2011.
Also filed under [
General]
Wind projects prompt fight in Congress over subsidies
December 19, 2011 by Kevin Diaz in Star Tribune
December 19, 2011 by Kevin Diaz in Star Tribune
When they bought a dairy farm near Red Wing 20 years ago, Ann and David Buck never thought the quiet life in rural Goodhue County could lead to a clash of wills with a faraway oil tycoon like T. Boone Pickens.
Also filed under [
General]
To date, there are only five known instances in North America of bald eagles killed by wind turbines, said Rich Davis, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who has been monitoring the project for two years. But the Goodhue project is the first to be constructed in an area widely used by both bald and golden eagles for nesting and migrating, he said.
Also filed under [
Impact on Birds]
Wind company suing Belle Creek Township
December 17, 2011 by Regan Carstensen in The Republican Eagle
December 17, 2011 by Regan Carstensen in The Republican Eagle
The summons also says that AWA Goodhue "will potentially suffer irreparable harm" if Belle Creek is allowed to interfere with its rights under the site permit to proceed with developing the project, and attorneys argue that the wind company is entitled to an injunction preventing the township from any such interference.
Also filed under [
General]
An initiative led by Congressman John Kline (MN-R) would do more than terminate the federal stimulus renewable energy program that funded the bankrupt $535 million notorious Solyndra solar power project. If successful, it would also knock the wind out of a key funding source for one of the nation's most controversial wind projects -T. Boone Pickens' proposed $180 million AWA Goodhue Wind farm in Kline's congressional district.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
USA]
County board drives last nail into coffin of wind case
December 4, 2011 by Regan Carstensen in The Republican Eagle
December 4, 2011 by Regan Carstensen in The Republican Eagle
The original vote from the County Board’s meeting Nov. 15 resulted in a 2-2 tie to appeal the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s decision to approve a 78-megawatt wind project in Goodhue County. Without a majority ruling, the motion failed.
Also filed under [
General]
Xcel is far enough ahead in building or buying wind energy that it can stand pat with what it has and reassess in a couple years, McCarten said. The utility gets 17 percent of its electricity from renewable resources like wind and still can get to a state mandate of 30 percent by 2020 with its present resources.
Also filed under [
General]
"Since the county won't fight it, we felt that we will," Ryan said. "Generally speaking, I would say that 80 percent of the citizens of Belle Creek wanted us to appeal, so that's probably one of the main reasons why we decided to appeal."
The turbine project has generated strong opposition.
Also filed under [
General]
Belle Creek Township to challenge wind project in court
November 29, 2011 by Brett Boese in The Post-Bulletin
November 29, 2011 by Brett Boese in The Post-Bulletin
Monday's decision by the Belle Creek Town Board to file a legal appeal against the AWA Goodhue wind project could extend the battle over renewable energy in Goodhue County by another year.
Also filed under [
General]
Minnesota wind farm suit forwarded to high court
November 28, 2011 by Thomas Content in Journal Sentinel
November 28, 2011 by Thomas Content in Journal Sentinel
In 2009, two customer groups challenged the Public Service Commission's decision to grant a permit for Wisconsin Power & Light Co. to build the $460 million Bent Tree Wind Farm in Minnesota to meet Wisconsin's renewable energy standard.
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