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Environmental groups accuse utilities of dodging Missouri renewable energy standards
February 11, 2013 by Brendan Gibbons in The Missourian

Renew Missouri and seven other environmental advocacy and green energy groups filed complaints with the Missouri Public Service Commission on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31. The complaints accused Ameren Missouri, Empire District Electric Co. and Kansas City Power & Light of not complying with the standards.

Also filed under [ General]

Complaint says Ameren is circumventing green power law
February 1, 2013 by Jeffrey Tomich in St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The case revives long-running arguments over how the renewable energy law is implemented. The measure, approved as Proposition C in 2008, requires investor-owned utilities to use renewable energy for a fraction of electricity sales.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Missouri court upholds PSC's renewable energy rules
November 21, 2012 by Jeffrey Tomich in St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The law says the use of renewable energy cannot cause electric rates to rise more than 1 percent from what they would be otherwise. The rate cap provision in the rules was at the heart of the legal battle. The PSC rules require utilities to use a 10-year average when calculating the 1 percent rate impact to allow for higher upfront costs.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Wind farm fight continues in court
November 1, 2012 by Alex Hassel in St Joe Channel

After a year of dispute, the Dekalb County Assessor and Wind Capital Group have taken their arguments to the courtroom. The dispute is over assessed tax rates on 97 wind turbines in the Lost Creek Wind Energy project in Dekalb County.

Also filed under [ General]

Groups spar over Missouri's green energy future
January 8, 2012 by Jeffrey Tomich in ST. Louis Today

Disappointed with how the 2008 ballot measure turned out, the state's renewable energy industry resolved to fix what it considered broken. The group is setting out to put in place a more aggressive green power mandate -- one that would put Missouri on par with Illinois.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Carnahan denies conflict over Missouri renewable-energy ballot measure
December 27, 2011 by The Associated Press in The Missourian

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan says the state's attorney general's office agrees that there is no conflict of interest in her office promoting renewable energy, even though her brother is an investor in a wind-energy production company.

Also filed under [ General]

Dispute still stands as Wind Capital pays up
December 23, 2011 by Andrew Gaug in St. Joseph News-Press

The company is disputing Ms. Ross' assessed property tax value of about $297,000 per wind turbine, an amount she came to when using a formula created by former Wind Capital Group CEO Tom Carnahan. Assessors in several other counties in Northwest Missouri with wind farms have told the News-Press they used the same formula as Holt County, without conflict.

Also filed under [ General]

Wind farm project in Oklahoma clashes with land's other energy use
December 4, 2011 by Jeffrey Tomich in Post-Dispatch

In one northern Oklahoma county, oil and wind don't mix. That's where plans by St. Louisan Tom Carnahan's Wind Capital Group LLC for a large wind farm have run into a roadblock - claims by the Osage Nation that it would interfere with the tribe's rights to tap oil and gas deposits.

Also filed under [ General| Oklahoma]

Wind farm fights property tax; Decision could negatively affect funding for area schools
November 14, 2011 by Andrew Gaug in St. Joseph News-Press

Touted as an innovation when it began, Lost Creek wind farm and its owners, Wind Capital Group, have entered into a legal battle with DeKalb County, wanting to pay about half of its assessed property taxes. ..."It's kind of ironic that what was seen to be a kind of good taxpaying asset is almost becoming a liability," State Rep. Glen Klippenstein, R-Maysville, said.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Wind projects' costs irk utilities in 9-state pool
July 25, 2011 by Dan Voorhis in The Wichita Eagle

With the deck stacked in favor of building, he said, if systems aren't designed to keep costs down, ratepayers will suffer the most. "I'm not opposed to building transmission lines, but right now it's sort of the gold rush," Springe said. "I'd like to see a few more checks and balances, and actually building in the least-cost way for customers."

Also filed under [ Transmission| USA| Kansas| Oklahoma]

Midwest power transmission project targets Kansas wind
May 29, 2011 by Jeffrey Tomich in St Louis Post-Dispatch

Developers there are lining up to build new wind farms, representing thousands of megawatts. Projects have been permitted and land has been leased, but work won't go forward without additional transmission ...the existing transmission grid lacked capacity to move Kansas wind power to eastern Missouri.

Also filed under [ Transmission| USA| Kansas| Ohio]

Bill would overhaul Missouri's renewable energy law
April 17, 2011 by Jeffery Tomich in Post Dispatch

The bill would cut the mandate for renewable energy about in half, resulting in utilities deriving 7 percent, rather than 15 percent, of their electricity from green fuels by 2020. It also would eliminate a controversial provision that allowed utilities to receive credit for subsidizing out-of-state renewable projects.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

A Missouri Compromise for renewables; Not much of a mandate left after a recent controversy
April 11, 2011 by Bill Opalka in Renewablesbiz

A Missouri legislative committee has salvaged the state's renewable energy law, but it looks like it had to be considerably weakened to succeed. At least, renewable energy advocates say, the requirement for state-sourced clean energy has survived earlier attacks.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Rules for turbines get look; Panel will host spring hearing
February 27, 2011 by Will Guldin in Columbia Daily Tribune

If you want to put up a wind turbine in Columbia you might need an environmental study, shadow analysis and simulated model of what the turbine will look like before you can legally install one. These stringent permit requirements are part a new draft ordinance that would regulate wind turbines. The ordinance was presented to the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday night.

Also filed under [ Zoning/Planning]

State Renewable Energy Standards under attack from GOP legislators
February 9, 2011 by Maria Gallucci in SolveClimate

Officials pushing the bills say that energy prices soar and consumers suffer when utilities are required to allocate a certain percentage of electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar. Clean energy groups counter that lowering the bar on state renewable energy policies would stifle new investment and kill jobs.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy| Colorado| Minnesota| Montana]

Proposed wind farm stalled in Jeff City
January 26, 2011 by Eden Derby in Heartland Connection

A 2008 law passed by voters requires that utilities use at least 15 percent renewable energy by 2021. On Monday the senate voted against a part of the rules saying the energy must be produced in the state of Missouri. County officials say this could hurt the chances of the trade wind farm coming to Adair and Sullivan counties.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Missouri Senate votes to reject part of renewable energy rule
January 25, 2011 by The Associated Press in The Missourian

Senators voted 29-2 to reject part of the rules developed by state regulators. At issue is a portion of the rule that requires the electricity from renewable energy sources be produced or sold in Missouri. Critics of the rule said that requirement goes beyond the law approved by voters.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Missouri Senate to take up resolution to weaken 2008's Prop C
January 24, 2011 by Tony Messenger in STL Today

PSC member Jeff Davis was one of two commissioners, both Republicans, to vote against the new rule. He says that Missouri renewable energy companies are trying to 'stick up" consumers by forcing them to pay higher rates for their product. "What you are witnessing here is an attempted train robbery of consumers," Davis told a House committee that passed the resolution 8-3 on Wednesday.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Bats a concern for wind farm
December 8, 2010 by Taylor Muller in Daily Express

High Prairie Wind Energy, owned by Wind Capital Group, is seeking to create a wind farm just north of Queen City, but the development will likely harm or kill Indiana bats, one of 14 bat species in the state. In order to overcome that challenge, the project will need an incidental take permit.

Also filed under [ Impact on Bats| USA]

Fish, Wildlife Service seeking input on proposed wind farm, impact on endangered bat species
December 7, 2010 in Daily Express

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hosting an open house this evening to gather input on the development of a Habitat Conservation Plan for a proposed wind energy facility near Queen City which could affect local endangered species. Representatives from the Fish and Wildlife Service and High Prairie Wind Energy will answer questions about the planning effort.

Also filed under [ Impact on Bats]