With more than $2 million in mechanic's liens filed in New York against its parent company, a company interested in developing a wind park in Coos County has state officials asking more questions. Peter Roth, in his role as an advocate for the public's interest, has asked to recall for questioning Granite Reliable Power's chief financial officer, Christopher Lowe, for additional cross-examination.

The Coos County commissioners voted last month to slash $48,000 from the Coos Economic Development Corp.'s $109,000 budget because the CEDC didn't advocate that an upgrade of the electric transmission lines that connect to the New England electric grid be included in a regional stimulus wish list. ...County Commissioner Paul Grenier of Berlin blasted CEDC leadership for failing to promote an issue that he said is vital to the region. He equated the stand to a "crime against the residents of Coos County."

The prospect of wind turbines in Coos County drew about 100 residents and foresters to a public hearing Monday night at Lancaster Town Hall. About 50 people gave testimony to the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee which is expected to render its decision by May 6.

Jobs, the environment and energy independence were the hot-button issues last night at a Lancaster public hearing on the proposal to erect 33 wind turbines on forested ridgelines in Coos County, with the makeup of the crowd tipped slightly in favor of the project. Supporters said the wind farm would give the area an economic boost, increase the acreage of protected forest and help change the state's energy mix. Opponents said the jobs created are too few, the energy would be shipped out of state and construction would harm an ecologically sensitive area.

The state's public hearings on a wind farm proposal in Northern Coos County are coming to a close. The state's Site Evaluation Committee is expected to rule this spring whether the project can move forward. But on Monday night, in Lancaster, local county residents got a chance to tell state officials what they think of the plan. NHPR Correspondent Chris Jensen has the story.

A crowd of more than 150 North Country residents last night offered their opinions on a proposed wind power project for Coos County. ...Jeff Elliott, a conservation biologist from Lancaster, said the project was being conducted on an "absurd" scale. He warned the wind farm would destroy biological habitats" ..."It's the only remote area left in the East. This is the only dark spot left," Elliott said. John Harrigan of Colebrook said the "horrendous" project is "an insult to our history and high country."

The state Site Evaluation Committee heard closing arguments yesterday on whether ridgelines in Coos County should become host to 33 wind turbines. Meanwhile, two federal agencies last week wrote letters asking the committee not to issue a permit, saying not enough is known about the environmental impact of the project. ...Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Roth, who represents the public in the proceedings, urged the committee to reject the proposal, saying the company had left too many questions unanswered: How would it pay for the project?

Interveners against a wind farm in Coos County and the company representatives proposing it gave closing arguments on the project that, if given the green light, would stretch across more than 15 miles of ridge from Odell to Dixville Peak. The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee heard the arguments Thursday at the state Forests and Lands Building in Lancaster.

Public safety concerns began the first day of hearings yesterday for a proposed 99-megawatt wind park in Coos County. ...In Altona, local firefighters were able to knock down the blaze, fueled by as much as 100 gallons of oil housed within the tower, which snapped in half. Linowes asked if the company's technicians are equipped with fire suppression equipment. She was told they are not. She also pointed to the remoteness of the proposed North Country turbines and their distance from fire departments.

Opponents of a proposed wind park in Coos County are looking at their federal options to halt the massive project, even as a state hearing begins today on licensing. Richard A. Roach, senior project manager in the regulatory division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Concord, Mass., said he has received more than a dozen letters from the public regarding Granite Reliable Power LLC's proposal to build a wind electric facility across 15 miles of remote North Country hilltops.

Power generated from a proposed wind park in Coos County will not be designated to stay in the North Country, but could be used just about anywhere in New England. Granite Reliable Power LLC spokesman Pip Decker said the power would go directly into the New England grid -- it could run a dishwasher in Lancaster or a traffic light on Boston's Boylston Street.

On Monday New Hampshire's Site Evaluation Committee is going to begin evaluating a proposed renewable energy project for Coos county. Granite Reliable Power wants to put up 33 wind turbines on nine miles of ridgeline across Millsfield, Dixville and Dummer. The project would go a long way to increasing the state's renewable energy portfolio. But as NHPR Correspondent Chris Jensen reports, it has a great deal of opposition.

Intervenors in a proposal to build a large wind power project in the North Country say they're worried about what the project will do to the landscape and economy. ...Next week, the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee will begin about two weeks of hearings on the $275 million project in Concord. Seven North Country residents and three organizations filed by the Sept. 18 deadline to intervene on the project, which gives them an opportunity to participate in the proceedings.

Executives from Noble Environmental Power said that they can raise the $275 million the project costs but that they have been hampered by tumultuous financial markets, according to testimony filed Tuesday. The company asked the state Site Evaluation Committee to allow it to proceed on the condition it proves its financing plan before construction begins. ...An investment banker testifying for the state Tuesday wrote that he did not believe Granite Reliable nor Noble have a plan to finance the park. The company has not shown how it will find lenders and investors.

After a week that smoothed the path for a proposed Coos County wind farm, a state attorney is asking for closer scrutiny of its financing. Peter Roth, a senior assistant attorney general, has asked the state Site Evaluation Committee to suspend hearings to license the construction of 33 wind turbines along forested ridgelines. He said Granite Reliable Power has not shown it can pay for the $275 million project, a claim rebutted by an attorney for the company.

Granite Reliable Power, LLC, a subsidiary of Noble Environmental Power, is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for work in waters of the United States in conjunction with the development of a 100-megawatt wind energy facility in Coös County. The applicant proposes to place fill material in approximately 14 acres of waters and wetlands in conjunction with the development of the proposed facility, which has numerous project elements. ...Public comments regarding this permit request (File # NAE-2008-410) should be submitted no later than February 27 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Hearings set for next month on a $275 million wind project for the North Country could be halted under a request filed by the counsel for the public. Peter C.L. Roth, a senior assistant attorney general for the state, filed the request to suspend the hearings, set to begin March 9, saying there was inadequate financial information to determine whether the Granite Reliable Power's proposed wind electric generation park will be viable.

Biologists for Fish and Game said the project of Granite Reliable Power LLC to build 33 turbines in the Dixville Peak and Mount Kelsey area would permanently bisect habitat of at least four wildlife species and will have "severe and unmitigated adverse effects on the natural community," which is host to about 60 others. AMC has filed as an intervenor on the project, expressing concern about the siting of half of the 33 turbines for the same reasons.

Granite Reliable Power's plan to erect 33 wind turbines on peaks in Coos County might be good for Gov. John Lynch and his goal of making 25 percent of the state's energy renewable by 2025. It would not be so good, according to Fish and Game officials, for the American marten or the three-toed woodpecker, threatened species that depend on the high-altitude forests that the project would disrupt.

Noble Environmental Power, the company looking to erect 33 wind turbines in the North Country, has postponed plans for a second, larger wind farm in Coos County. ISO New England, the nonprofit that runs the region's power grid, maintains a queue of proposed generation projects. The company this month withdrew plans for a 146-megawatt project which would be run by its subsidiary, Paris Generation.