South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Dusty Johnson said the general consensus is that South Dakota should move faster to bring certain industries — wind farms, for instance — to the state. The amount of channeled wind power in the state has increased 700 percent in the last 18 months, Johnson said, and work is continuing to lay groundwork for new wind farm projects.

Controversial plans for a wind farm will still go ahead despite alleged sabotage activity - and turbines could now be spread over a wider area than first thought. Anger has greeted news that as many as 26 turbines may appear at Marshland St James, with police brought in after a test mast used to check wind power was destroyed.

Debate about the development of wind power within the town of Sackville has been widespread in the last two months, as the introduction of bylaws by the planning commission were tabled before the town council. The by-laws cover both turbines for individual use, and wind farms, with a generation capacity exceeding three megawatts. At the council meeting on November 9, the by-laws passed by a vote of 4-3.

The first city in Maine to erect a municipal windmill is considering what may be the first zoning ordinance in the state regarding residential wind turbines. The Saco City Council is considering a set of rules to establish standards for placement of small windmills of the sort that could power a home. With the city taking a leading role in wind power by putting up two turbines of its own in the last couple years, Saco City Councilor Eric Cote said many residents are inquiring about erecting their own windmills. ...The ordinance under consideration by the Saco City Council would limit residential windmills to those with a capacity of 10 kilowatts or less.

Reeling a bit from the news their new school won’t be ready until the fall of 2009, SAD 3 board members also received some good news Monday night. Supt. Barbara Mosseau said Steve Cole of Coastal Enterprises Inc. has informed her the district is receiving a $60,000 grant from the Cox Trust. The money will be used to assist the district in determining whether wind power will be feasible in the energy mix at the new school. The district is already eyeing a wood chip boiler and board members think a windmill would be a good addition as well.

Proposals to build 85 wind turbines in East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway have been rejected on safety grounds. The Scottish Government said the Kyle wind farm would have had detrimental effects on safety at Prestwick Airport and the surrounding landscape.

The feasibility for wind turbine installation at the city Board of Public Utility’s Newton Run reservoir property will be studied. Keith King, BPU general manager, said the BPU owns 850 acres at the site, and, he said, all that is occurring there is the growth of trees. The study will examine the feasibility of installing the turbines so power generated could be sold and money made off the land. King said the idea is ‘‘very preliminary,’’ but, would look at land use at the site. King said the market for selling power is good, and, he said, interest-free loans are available for turbine installation. The study is expected to be complete by winter.

The Berkshire Wind Project, a $25 million, 10-turbine wind energy project on Brodie Mountain that is facing two lawsuits, is under contract to be sold to a municipal utility consortium for $4 million. Once the sale is completed in May, the new ownership status could render one pending lawsuit moot and prevent new lawsuits from further delaying the project. ...A lawsuit against the project by Silverleaf Resorts, which plans a 332-unit, $42 million condominium project at the former Brodie ski area site off Route 7, has entered a motion to dismiss the legal proceedings. Another lawsuit brought by Silverleaf Resorts and two residents of Hancock, which alleges that a special permit had expired before construction of the project started and that the special permit was not issued legally, could become moot upon completion of the sale. MMWEC, created by the Legislature in 1975, is owned by municipally owned utility companies. It's a nonprofit, publicly owned corporation, and a political subdivision of the state. As such, MMWEC is exempt from local zoning regulations, which would render the second lawsuit no legal grounds.

The commission voted unanimously to approve a resolution adopting an amendment to the county code that will lay out rules and regulations for wind farms that would produce energy for sale. The county code already allows for private wind facilities.

The Saline County Commission on Tuesday cleared the way for commercial wind farms to operate within the county. ...The commission voted unanimously to approve a resolution adopting an amendment to the county code that will lay out rules and regulations for wind farms that would produce energy for sale. The county code already allows for private wind facilities.

San Diego County Supervisors are being sued over their May 15th approval of the technically and legally flawed Wind Energy Ordinance & Plan Amendment-that benefits wealthy industrial wind and solar developers, San Diego Gas & Electric, Sempra, and absentee land-owners at the expense of rural east county residents and valued resources.

Dozens of community activists, public officials and environmentalists Thursday criticized a plan that sets the stage for the federal government to overrule state decisions on new power lines. At the same time, several elected officials and business leaders supported giving the federal government power to solve Southern California's electricity problems if the state fails to adequately address the challenge of keeping lights and air conditioners on. San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, one of about 60 to testify at a hearing hosted by the U.S. Energy Department on a proposed national power corridor for Southern California, said that allowing a federal commission to overrule a state regulatory body is a bad idea.

Dozens of community activists, public officials and environmentalists Thursday criticized a plan that sets the stage for the federal government to overrule state decisions on new power lines. At the same time, several elected officials and business leaders supported giving the federal government power to solve Southern California's electricity problems if the state fails to adequately address the challenge of keeping lights and air conditioners on.

After failing in its plans to build 65 upscale homes on land that was once sand-mined, Nugent Sand Co. wants to embark on an experiment involving generation of wind power and is seeking approval tonight. Within the next month, the firm would like to erect two meteorological towers up to 162 feet in height on its property. They would be used only for the next year to test wind speeds and direction.

SANDWICH - The zoning board last night unanimously approved two wind turbines in a residential neighborhood, as long as the homeowner can produce evidence they won't generate excessive noise.

The regulatory agency has told a Santa Cruz County couple that a wind turbine planned for their new home in the Pleasure Point neighborhood is too tall. Suggesting it would add to the area's "visual clutter," the commission recommends the residents lower their proposed 35-foot-high, electricity-generating windmill, an idea the home's architect says is simply unworkable.

The proposed project, currently being processed by the Riverside County Planning Dept. in Indio would put 360 ft. high windmills on the western ridgelines of the San Jacinto Mountains above Snow Creek and 410 ft. high windmills directly in front of the spectacular North Face of Mt. San Jacinto. This proposal, like the last Enron proposal will be on the “Fast Track” with public hearings starting in January in downtown Riverside. The meeting will start at 9AM and the public comments period begins at 11AM.

Cagliari, Jan. 11 - The Constitutional Court disallowed the appeal lodged by the government against a regional law of Sardinia dated November 25, 2004 introducing town-planning and environmental protection measures to safeguard the region's coasts.

Sauk Rapids City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Monday that bans wind energy conversion systems within city limits. The city had a moratorium in place barring construction of the systems while a subcommittee explored the technology. The committee recommended banning the systems in the city.

With the costs of electricity rising, and budgets tightening, more North Shore communities are looking at building wind turbines to help power schools and other municipal properties.