One of the world's largest energy companies proposed on Tuesday to build hundreds of wind turbines in New York, significantly raising the stakes in a nine-month battle with state regulators over its intended purchase of a power company. ...James Denn, a spokesman for the commission, said the added investment would not allay the commission's concern, adding, "On this deal, [Iberdrola] would be able to produce, transmit, and distribute power within their region." . Mr. Denn also noted that Iberdrola had not formally submitted the new proposal to the commission; the current plan has the company making only a binding commitment of $100 million worth of investment in the state.

Determining which way the wind blows has rarely been as important to a politician as it is to Gov. David Paterson. Paterson's ambitious goal of increasing renewable energy to 25 percent of New York's power by 2013 will hinge on wind turbines. Since most of New York's renewable energy comes from hydroelectric power plants with little capacity to grow, and the pace of growth in solar energy has gone at less than light speed, with only 15 megawatts of installed capacity to date, the wind industry will likely account for most of the desired growth in so-called clean energy. Local companies like AWS Truewind and MSE Power Systems, both founded in Albany, are poised to profit from New York's promotion of wind energy.

Tourists have long treked to the region to see the Niagara River plunge as far as 188 feet over the Horseshoe and American falls. But what if windmills taller than the falls is deep soared above the city's skyline? A company founded by Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano has approached city leaders about building wind turbines on old industrial sites in the city. While the company sees economic opportunity, the prospect exists for millions of tourists to see windmills on the horizon of Niagara Falls. "The issue for us is one more of aesthetics than anything else," said Thomas J. DeSantis, senior planner for the city. "Is it OK to put a 600-foot wind generating station at Falls and First streets? Probably not. "I think because we're Niagara Falls, and because we have certain scenic and national resources that are important to us, that we'll want to try to protect them in some small way, we'll want to look at those issues."

Town officials finalized a proposed local law for wind energy conversion systems, cultivating the area for a future wind farm. At the Hanover Town Board meeting Wednesday, officials took another step toward actualizing a joint wind energy project with the town of Villenova by setting a public hearing to adopt an updated local law to regulate wind energy conversion systems within the town. "This is a law that revises an existing law that we have on the books," Supervisor Katherine Tampio explained. The original local law was enacted in 2006, with the 2008 amendment proposed in preparation for a joint wind energy project through Noble Power. ..."(The original local law) needed some revision, some tightening up to protect town residents as well as the town," Tampio said after the meeting. The main change to existing legislation was to include PILOT agreements, Tampio added, since commercial wind towers are tax exempt.

Both sides of a dispute over eminent domain proceedings in the town of Prattsburgh weighed in with vigor Thursday night in the volunteer fire station. ...Before residents had their say, project manager Brian Cocca told them First Wind has worked diligently to reach agreements with landowners. Since the town board's decision last month to begin the proceedings, one of the original eight landowners has signed an easement, he said. ...While the public benefit of the project was hotly debated, the issue of eminent domain was more emotional. "This doesn't benefit the general public," one man said. "It benefits a private wind developer. Eminent domain itself is a, a gross interference...You are attacking your own citizenry."

Neighbors in one Southern Tier community want their opinions heard on a controversial wind farm project. James Hall owns more than 30 acres of land in Prattsburgh. Plans call for a wind farm to be built on 48 properties here. Some land owners have already agreed to sell. A month ago town officials voted to use eminent domain, if needed, to take the rest, including Hall's. Eminent domain is when a government can force a property owner to sell his land for a project that benefits the entire area. But Hall says the town hasn't proven that the wind farm will be beneficial to the area.

A wind turbine project underway in one Steuben County town could come under threat, pending a meeting Thursday night with some neighbors. A public hearing is aimed at eight property owners who so far have refused to grant permission to a wind farm company to bury electrical transmission cables on their properties.

The town Planning Board voted unanimously yesterday to let a resident's plan to erect a wind turbine move forward after listening to speakers equally divided over the prospect of a windmill in view of the lake. Specifically, the board allowed Jack Schilbe's plan for a windmill at his 100-acre Jones Road farm to pass the environmental review by ruling that it would not negatively affect views in the neighborhood. Two residents disagreed.

The town Planning Board will hold a hearing tonight on an application for a 100-foot windmill to power a farm on Jones Road, off Route 364. A second application, for a turbine on Hall Road, is in the works as well. ...Projects without the benefit of grants range in price from $12,000 to $60,000, according to Bulman. Startup for the Fuller turbine is an estimated $57,000, offset by $25,000 in energy research grant money, explained Freida. Schilbe's startup will be $54,000, and he, too, will receive $25,000 in energy research money. In order to erect a turbine, a permit is required from the town, an interconnection agreement with a utility company must be in place, and an environmental impact form must be filled out with a visual addendum stating that there will be no negative impact to vistas. The town also requires a survey showing the turbine's placement in relation to other properties, eight photos facing all directions and proof of insurance.

Most New Yorkers could care less about a ruling that an administrative law judge could make on the Iberdrola-Energy East merger as early as Friday. But the decision could have huge implications for upstate New Yorkers and their energy usage. ...Staff at the department, who provide guidance and recommendations to the five-person Public Service Commission that must ultimately approve or deny the merger, have argued that the deal does not provide the public with enough benefits and that it could cause disruption to the state's wholesale electric market. Agency staff believe Iberdrola will hold too much sway over the state's wholesale electric market if it owns a substantial amount of generation in the state, which is why the company has been pushed to sell Energy East's power plants and divest itself of its wind business in New York.

Horizon Wind Energy is in the process of installing more meteorological test towers, Arkwright Town Board members learned Monday. Horizon representative Tom Stebbins said one was being constructed on Ruttenbur Road this week and a second is planned for Center Road by the end of June. Councilwoman Linda Fairbanks asked what procedures need to be followed to notify Horizon when the wind escrow account established with Arkwright needs to be replenished. She said she did not like that a temporary stop order was issued last month because of this.

The Town Zoning Board of Appeals decided it needs more time to review the controversial Buckwheat Bridge Angoras area variance application for a 135-foot-tall wind turbine before determining what height will be allowed. ...Dr. Melamed says he needs more power than is generated by his solar panels to run his mill on a more full-time basis. He proposes to generate that power--20 kilowatts--by putting up a wind turbine with a 120-foot tower and 3 15-foot-long blades for a maximum height of 135 feet. The town zoning law will allow the windmill, but only at a height of 75 feet, which is why the doctor has applied for a variance. His application has been before the ZBA since October 2006.

Babcock & Brown has submitted applications for Special Use Permits to the Towns of Westfield and Ripley for the proposed Ripley-Westfield Wind Farm Project. The project involves the construction and operation of wind turbine generators with a capacity of up to 125-megawatts. Babcock & Brown officials have indicated that a specific number of wind turbine generators has not yet been determined. The application includes a proposal for 83 potential wind turbine generator sites. There are, according to the project description included in the application, 47 potential wind turbine sites in Westfield and 36 potential sites in Ripley.

The town of Cherry Valley's Citizens Committee on Renewable and Alternative Energy is sponsoring a presentation next week by town of Caroline supervisor Don Barber. Caroline town officials have put together a proposal to build a 10-turbine, 2.5 mega-watt generating facility that would be financed, owned and operated by the town. The town would issue bonds to finance the project, and once those bonds are paid off, revenue generated by the turbines could be used to reduce property taxes. ...The smaller scale would address some of the residents' concerns about the visual impact of the industrialscale turbines, Garretson said.

A two-year special-use permit was issued to Babcock & Brown Renewable Holdings of Houston to erect a meteorological tower on land off Fredonia- Stockton Road. The tower is designed to measure whether there is enough wind velocity in the area for a wind farm. A public hearing on the permit was held Wednesday night, prior to the regular meeting of the Pomfret Town Board in Town Hall. Three people attended the public hearing and no one spoke.

After discussing it for about 10 minutes, board members agreed to approve a "host community agreement" with Empire State Wind Energy LLC of Oneida to pursue a project on the Davie-DeBoover farms off County Road 6. Town Supervisor Mary Luckern, however, told board members that they would later be asked to approve a contract with the company, because it was "just an agreement" they passed Tuesday night. It would also be determined later how much money the town would receive from the project, she said.

The town Zoning Board of Appeals will ask Schoharie County for a recommendation on Reunion Power's request to keep its wind-measuring tower on Warnerville Hill for another year. The ZBA's decision to seek the advice of the county followed a 90-minute hearing where most speakers, including an attorney for Schoharie Valley Watch, a tower opponent, argued that the original permit allowing the tower violated zoning and should not have been issued. Reunion Power Managing Director Steve Eisenberg said another year was needed to obtain an accurate measurement of wind conditions at the David Huse farm site ...

The Town of Westfield has received a wind project SUP application from Babcock and Brown, outlining the possible areas which the company would like to set up turbines. “We filed a permit application in which we request 83 different turbine sites,” said Matt Dallas of Babcock and Brown. “However, it could be much less depending on what size turbines and which sites are approved based on the environmental impact report and many other factors, including wind speed.”

The Lyme Town Council approved a strict zoning law for wind development that one developer said will make industrial turbine development virtually impossible. The approval was on a 3-2 vote at a special meeting Tuesday night. Before the vote, the council received a report from the assessors that invalidated a protest petition from wind development supporters that would have required four votes for passage of the law. ...BP Alternative Energy Project Manager James H. Madden has said that the law would make BP's proposed project section in Lyme impossible.

At the outset of the hearing, town attorney Daniel Spitzer said its purpose was to record public statements and opinions on the DEIS, which is part of the required State Environmental Quality Review process. ...Arkwright Zoning Board of Appeals chairman Fred Bretl said he read through the DEIS and has forwarded concerns he has about the project to the town. "I accept the fact that we need to address energy problems and, thinking about the future generation, I'm in favor of the project," he said. But, he noted, the project has fractured the community with some residents supporting it and others opposed to it.