In an effort to satisfy the concerns of neighbors and officials affected by a wind turbine project in Georges and Springhill townships, the company has offered concessions in the form of removing some turbines from its list and changing the location of other proposed windmills. PPM Atlantic Renewable Energy Corp. also has drafted an agreement that would establish a scholarship fund for local students.

Gamesa Project Developer Josh Framel has been involved with Gamesa's proposal to the borough since its inception. Framel once again made his trek from Gamesa's Philadelphia location to Tyrone Monday night to ask council to vote on the Ice Mountain turbine site. Once again, Framel was turned down by council. Mayor Jim Kilmartin and borough solicitor Larry Clapper informed him that council wants to have all of its members present when voting on the wind farm issue. The council seats will not be full until the September 8 meeting.

County Council on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution calling on the utility to hold a hearing in one of the county townships that would be affected by the possible route. Lehigh, Moore, Bushkill, Plainfield, Washington and Lower Mount Bethel townships are along the route. ...''We welcome all input and we are still taking public comment. Any resolution will be considered carefully by us,'' Wirth said, adding PPL has heard ''loud and clear'' the opposition to Route C in Northampton County. ''We understand that and are taking that into account before making a decision,'' he said.

Airtricty Stonycreek Wind Farm is looking to build four electricity-generating wind turbines in Allegheny Township -- part of a broader project that includes 28 wind turbines in Stonycreek Township and three in Shade Township. The project since has been taken over by E.ON Climate & Renewable, a German energy company. E.ON recently purchased the North American operations of Airtricty, which is based in Ireland. The three townships in Somerset County were chosen for the project, set for next year, for several reasons. "Wind, transmission and land," said Douglas Colbeck, E.ON's vice president of Northeast development.

Residents will get their chance to speak up about a proposed power line route through Springfield at three public hearings this month hosted by the Public Utility Commission. The supervisors have taken a stand against PPL's plans for the "cross-country route" and substation. They say the route will negatively affect environmentally sensitive areas and should be moved closer to Route 309 or the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority railroad corridor. The proposed line crosses woodlands, wetlands, flood plains and agricultural land through rural parts of Springfield and Richland.

Supervisors on Tuesday approved an agreement that could provide $40,000 each year for a wind farm BP Alternative Energy wants to build in the township. Under the "voluntary host community agreement," Noxen will receive a one-time upfront payment of $50,000 payable within 30 days of the installation of the first wind turbine.

A possible wind farm atop Ice Mountain in Blair County has caused a flurry of controversy, with residents even signing petitions and casting ballots in favor or against it. However, it looks like all that buzz might not even matter. Officials said some companies have found natural gas on Ice Mountain in Snyder Township, just outside of Tyrone. Although there's nothing set in stone, it could be an alternative to those windmills.

Wind turbines proposed for a portion of the East Conneaut Industrial Park would occupy land that now contains wetlands, not property earmarked for commercial growth, interim City Manager Edward Somppi said Thursday. "We wouldn't involve the good, developable land," Somppi said. City officials continue to talk with representatives of SRG Sites Associates of Willoughby, which wants to buy at least 159 acres of the 286-acre park and market it to a company that would install wind turbine generators.

Wind can be strong or weak, consistent or unreliable, sufficient to support wind generation or not. It all depends on location. Local support for wind can also be strong or weak, consistent or unreliable, sufficient or insufficient to support wind generation. It, too, depends on location. About 200 people from across Virginia converged at JMU for the second annual VWEC symposium on wind energy and their interest in the industry was about the only thing they had in common. Most, but not all, supported wind power development. And not all those in favor were willing to accept wind energy unconditionally.

Two Fayette County property owners who opposed a windmill project have reached a tentative agreement with the developer that will ensure the turbines are built at least 6,000 feet away from their homes. Eric Williams of Skyline Drive in Wharton said Thursday that he and another property owner, Larry Williams, expect to finalize the tentative deal with PPM Atlantic Renewable Energy Corp. by next week. Sam Enfield of PPM confirmed yesterday that a verbal agreement has been reached. The two property owners, who are not related, were seeking to intervene in a lawsuit brought by PPM.

A hearing on the appeal filed by the Tioga Preservation Group against the Tioga County Planning Commission's decision to grant a conditional approval to a 124-turbine wind farm project has not yet been scheduled, and it could be some time before any decision is made. And, no hearing will be scheduled soon, according to Ron Kamzelski, a member of the group that filed the appeal in Tioga County Court to change the decision about AES's project. "All the parties involved met with the judge in April so he could set ground rules and they agreed to prepare briefs in the case," Kamzelski said. ...[AES project director] White said the appeal still is in the court process but "has not caused us to stop moving forward."

"I kept looking at them the last couple weeks," he said. "They haven't been spinning." As energy company officials continue to eye Somerset County hillsides for potential tower sites, Walukas said, he wants some explanation for the ones standing still. "With all of the hubbub about getting them up and running I thought somebody should be looking into it," he said. The windmills Walukas said he sees standing idle are towers south of Meyersdale and ones near Garrett.

The proposed construction of wind turbines on Fox Hill in Ulysses Township will have no noticeable affect on the dark skies at Cherry Springs according to a study released last Thursday by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. DCNR commissioned the study from an internationally respected lighting consultant - Clanton and Associates of Boulder, Colo. - after opponents of the wind power project and some amateur astronomers who use the park raised concerns that flashing red lights on top of the turbines could create light pollution that would diminish the quality of stargazing at the park.

Juniata Township supervisors have signed a contract with a Vermont company to study pinpointing how much noise is created by the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm turbines. But how fast the study gets done may depend on the time residents take to complete survey forms documenting noise, followed by company personnel visiting the area based on weather forecasts. ...For more than a year, residents living near the wind turbines have complained about intermittent noise from the wind turbines, created under various weather conditions. Sixty people signed a petition asking for help.

The plaintiffs said that the township, in violation of the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, passed an ordinance in December 2007 that seeks to ban mining in the township. "The Anti-Mining Ordinance has a substantial impact on interstate commerce because it has the effect of curbing the supply of coal, which is an important natural resource, at a time when demand for coal is growing substantially," said the plaintiffs. The lawsuit also said the ordinance violates the contracts and equal protection clauses, due process rights and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It is also an illegal taking without adequate compensation, the plaintiffs contend.

A surcharge on electric bills in Delaware and surrounding states that was designed to increase generating capacity hasn't delivered on its promise, four states are arguing in a complaint filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The states of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania filed the complaint late Friday, together with a coalition of electricity buyers and consumer advocates. They say the surcharge will overcharge electricity consumers in the 13-state territory in the PJM Interconnection grid by $12 billion between 2008 and 2011. As a share of that, Delmarva Power ratepayers in Delaware will overpay by about $125 million in "unjust and unreasonable" rates, the states claim.

They're too noisy, too big and too clunky. And they kill bats and birds. Those are key criticisms about harnessing the wind and converting Mother Nature's fury into energy via a wind turbine, which might be better known as a windmill. Karl Douglass, an engineer with a degree from Drexel University, went about trying to remedy those complaints and he believes he's done that. Sometime this summer, his Omniwind Energy Systems of Dublin in Central Bucks will begin production on a wind turbine that he says is quiet, relatively compact and environmentally friendly. ..."You wouldn't even have seen windmills in Pennsylvania not long ago, but still it's a small amount in the overall scheme," Wood added. "Solar, wind, biomass are nice, but they're a niche, they only fulfill a small percentage of our needs."

With a recent state Supreme Court ruling in its favor, Energy Unlimited believes its windpark project proposed for Penobscot Mountain is headed forward, but the Bear Creek Township solicitor says a previous court decision has already doomed the project. On Tuesday, the state Supreme Court denied a petition from a citizens group opposed to the project that challenged a township zoning board ruling. The ruling essentially cemented the company's assertion that the site near Crystal Lake "is generally a good place to put a wind farm," said Ed Schoener, a consultant on the project. ...The company's original land plan was rejected with about two dozen conditions the company had to satisfy. Before the company could submit a revised plan, the township passed a stricter windpark ordinance and said the company's new plan would be required to follow the new ordinance. The company argued the new ordinance made its plan impossible.

Gamesa Project Developer Josh Framel was on hand to answer questions and update the proposed lease agreement with the borough. Tyrone resident Dave Panasiti addressed council during the public comment section of the agenda about his and other residents concerns over a wind farm site on watershed property. Panasiti expressed worry over council "jumping the gun" with a yes or no vote based on the informal survey taken by borough registered voters at the April 22 primary, that he termed as not being "scientific." "I would of taken the votes from people who pay real estate taxes for one thing," said Panasiti to council. "And I would of taken the votes from those who pay water bills."

Fayette County commissioners will intervene in a civil lawsuit over proposed windmills in Georges and Springhill townships, but not necessarily because they favor or oppose the project. Commissioners on Thursday voted 2-1 to file a notice of intervention in the lawsuit, which pits PPM Renewable Energy Corp. of Portland, Ore., against the county's zoning hearing board. PPM, which has offices in Perryopolis, filed the civil suit last month, after the zoning board denied its request for a special exception and variances for 24 wind turbines.