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Opponents of wind power project begin occupation on Vermont's Lowell Mountain
September 27, 2011 by Dave Gram in Associated Press
September 27, 2011 by Dave Gram in Associated Press
Some opponents of a wind power project planned for the ridge line of northern Vermont's Lowell Mountain began camping out on nearby property Wednesday, hoping their presence will halt blasting for the project.
Rob Pforzheimer, a Sutton resident and longtime First Wind critic, said, "This is the second haz mat spill [TNT truck in December] on this project and it hasn't even started producing anything yet. There will undoubtedly be more spills in the future.
The District 7 Commission of the ANR ruled that the cross was "shocking and offensive," and wants it down.
State attorneys confirmed that the evidence has been reopened for the case, due to the erection of the wind towers, but declined to comment for the record. The judge is agreeable to admitting new evidence based on the wind towers being in the view shed, attorneys on both sides said.
Certain roads closed to hunters during wind farm construction
September 15, 2011 in Berlin Daily Sun
September 15, 2011 in Berlin Daily Sun
The area that is closed to "non-essential" vehicles and people -- is known locally as Dummer Pond Road; it begins on the west side of Route 16 in the southern part of Dummer and goes northward to Erving's Location. To the north, a second smaller closure involves the West Branch of Clear Stream off Route 26 near the Millsfield/Dixville town line.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
New Hampshire]
BRSA's wind turbine parts arrive in Newark
September 13, 2011 by Scott Greenberg and Christina Johnson in Holmdel Patch
September 13, 2011 by Scott Greenberg and Christina Johnson in Holmdel Patch
As road permits are gathered and court fights continue over construction of the BRSA's $7.7 million wind turbine, parts of the wind turbine are arriving in Newark.
The activists travelled by bus to Montpelier from towns in close proximity to the ridgeline in the Northeast Kingdom and then they continued their rally at a second location - the electric utility's headquarters in Colchester. At each stop they expressed their outrage that the state had granted Green Mountain Power all of the permits it needs to fast-track construction on Lowell this fall.
Dr. Ron Holland of Irasburg called the wind project "a total corporate scam" that will benefit foreign corporations that put up the money for it.
"We pay higher rates and they destroy our mountains," he said. "There is no benefit for Vermont."
The board's approval came after the company's landowner-partner did some unauthorized work on the mountain and by building a logging road and filling in part of a nearby wetland.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Vermont]
GMP has operated for months on the hope of putting shovels in the ground on Aug. 1 to begin construction of its proposed 21-turbine wind project worth $150 million.
That's because GMP wants to have those turbines spinning in time to qualify for federal production tax credits worth millions but which expire at the end of 2012.
[Luke Snelling] said the size of the no vote showed that opposition is growing. Opponents will continue to fight the project, he said. Albany and Craftsbury are challenging the project's certificate of public good in court and they are involved in all the permits still outstanding.
Also filed under [
Transmission|
Vermont]
Regulators won't approve GMP permits before August
July 27, 2011 by John Dillon in Vermont Public Radio
July 27, 2011 by John Dillon in Vermont Public Radio
Green Mountain Power will not get the environmental permits it needs to start work August 1st on its Lowell Mountain wind project. That's the word from state officials. They say their permit review cannot be rushed by G-M-P's construction deadline.
GMP halts Lowell wind project over missteps
July 23, 2011 by Terri Hallenbeck in Burlington Free Press
July 23, 2011 by Terri Hallenbeck in Burlington Free Press
Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz said her agency has been to the site and is assessing the damage. Markowitz said at the agency's request, Green Mountain Power asked the Public Service Board not to give final approval to its conservation easements until the issues are resolved.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Vermont]
ANR's draft certification for GMP wind project allows Lowell Mountains' water quality to be degraded
July 22, 2011 by Lukas B. Snelling in Energize Vermont and VTdigger
July 22, 2011 by Lukas B. Snelling in Energize Vermont and VTdigger
"The Lowell wind project is a high-risk site with steep elevations and very erodible soils, the Applicants have proposed the use of alternate Best Management Practices, which are essentially untested and unproven at scale this large," stated Geoff Goll of Princeton Hydro, the experts hired by Energize Vermont to examine the application.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Vermont]
VEC hits campaign trail; co-op pushes members to adopt upgrade for Kingdom Community Wind
July 17, 2011 by Anne Galloway in VT Digger
July 17, 2011 by Anne Galloway in VT Digger
Snelling, of Energize Vermont, disputes Hallquist's savings assumptions. There is no guarantee, he said, that Green Mountain Power will sell electricity to the co-op at the 9.6 cent per kilowatt rate. ..."They're making guesses about performance of a project that hasn't been built," Snelling said. "It's a gamble whether those numbers are right.
Also filed under [
Transmission|
Vermont]
Renewable energy sources in Vermont are too expensive compared to others that are available, he said during an informational meeting about the mail-in vote on the proposed upgrade of a VEC power line from Lowell to Jay.
He said the utilities shouldn't just follow such policies, that there is no real penalty if they can't meet the goals set by the Legislature.
Board delays conservation easements for wind project
July 15, 2011 by John Dillon in VT Public Radio
July 15, 2011 by John Dillon in VT Public Radio
The company will be allowed to start construction next month on Lowell without first having conservation easements in place to protect wildlife habitat.
The Public Service Board originally said the conservation easements had to be secured prior to August 1st.
Wind farm cleared by state panel; Regulators override objections
July 14, 2011 by Melanie Plenda in Concord Monitor
July 14, 2011 by Melanie Plenda in Concord Monitor
The Site Evaluation Committee included ongoing studies on the migratory bird populations among the conditions it placed on the project. Iberdrola appealed that condition among others to the committee but lost that argument, Iacopino said.
Also filed under [
General|
New Hampshire]
Shumlin suggested that Vermont, or another state, could “negotiate a preferential price in exchange for hosting that corridor.”
“Canada has cheap renewable hydro power that can work as a reliable load (power) when the wind isn’t blowing, and the sun isn’t shining...,” Shumlin said.
Also filed under [
Transmission|
Vermont]
What Hallquist did acknowledge to questioner Pat O'Neill (an active opponent of the wind project) is that if Co-op members vote down the proposal, Green Mountain Power's alternative route would not just cost more; Green Mountain Power would also need a new or amended certificate of public good from the Public Service Board.
Lawmakers urge defeat of power line upgrade linked to Lowell wind project
July 7, 2011 by Chris Braithwaite in Barton Chronicle
July 7, 2011 by Chris Braithwaite in Barton Chronicle
"I believe these wind towers are an irresponsible choice fiscally," Rep. Vicki Strong said. "We have to be alert and aware of how we spend our money, and this wind project is not an efficient way to do it."
Speakers stood at a small podium with the Lowell Mountain ridge as a backdrop.
Also filed under [
Transmission|
Vermont]