News
Category:
Pennsylvania
Windmills to shut at night following demise of rare bat
October 18, 2011 by Kathy Mellott in The Tribune-Democrat
October 18, 2011 by Kathy Mellott in The Tribune-Democrat
The bat was discovered during volunteer daily monitoring of the farm on Sept. 26, and Duke immediately brought in an Indiana bat expert for confirmation, Efthimiou said.
"We have not operated at night since the confirmation of the bat," he said of the span beginning before dusk and ending after dawn.
Also filed under [
Impact on Bats]
Answers about commercial wind farms could come from downstate
September 27, 2011 by Valerie Myers in The Erie Times-News
September 27, 2011 by Valerie Myers in The Erie Times-News
Other environmental concerns are the effects of noise, vibration and shadow on wildlife habitats and the number of birds and bats killed when they fly into the blades.
"When you put turbines up on these long, north-south mountain ridges, they're directly affecting the migration route of bald eagles and a lot of songbirds," Jackson said.
Also filed under [
General]
PPL shuts down engines at Turkey Hill site at height of Irene
August 31, 2011 by Ad Crable in Intelligencer Journal
August 31, 2011 by Ad Crable in Intelligencer Journal
For all the negative things that blew in with Hurricane Irene last weekend, you probably thought the new wind turbines on Turkey Hill, at least, were churning out the juice.
Wrong. It turns out you can have too much of a good thing, even in the wind energy industry.
Also filed under [
General]
Corbett defends green energy, conservation policy
August 15, 2011 by Associated Press in The Standard Speaker
August 15, 2011 by Associated Press in The Standard Speaker
Henderson said the prior administration, under former Gov. Ed Rendell, simply signed contracts with companies from Texas and Colorado to buy energy credits for the right to claim in advertising campaigns that Pennsylvania was supporting renewable energy.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
Reaction is mixed in northeast Pennsylvania, which already has 12 wind turbines in Bear Creek Township and the Waymart Wind Energy Center with 43 turbines along the ridge of Moosic Mountain in Wayne County.
Advocates tout wind turbines as a great way to provide clean and renewable energy. Critics say they spoil aesthetic beauty and endanger birds and bats.
Also filed under [
General]
Corbett quietly turning off the lights on renewable energy
August 14, 2011 by Don Hopey in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
August 14, 2011 by Don Hopey in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Quietly but systematically, the administration has all but shut down the state Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Energy and Technology Deployment -- the state's primary energy office -- and removed directors and reassigned staff in the Office of Energy Management in the Department of General Services and the Governor's Green Government Council.
Also filed under [
General]
Tower Trouble: Test tower for wind turbine upsets officials
August 10, 2011 by Eric Tichy in The Times Observer
August 10, 2011 by Eric Tichy in The Times Observer
"I'm a little concerned about these companies that came in and put this test wind mill up," Glade Township Chairman Dave Sedon said during a recent Council of Governments (COG) meeting.
Sedon said he came across the test tower two months ago and was unaware of any permits issued through the township.
Also filed under [
General]
Last year, Doug Caldwell paid $15,000 for a wind turbine to supply electrical power to his home, but today, all he has to show for it is a concrete pad and cement cylinder.
The contractor, Joe Larkin - owner of Tri-State Electricity - has disappeared leaving Caldwell in the lurch.
Also filed under [
General]
The Wind Equation: Green energy, cluttered horizon
July 30, 2011 by Denise Allabaugh in Citizens' Voice
July 30, 2011 by Denise Allabaugh in Citizens' Voice
Cathie Pauley, a Noxen resident and president of the Noxen Historical Community Association, said she is concerned about windmills defacing the mountains in Wyoming County.
Wyoming County does not have much of an industrial base and community officials look to "our beautiful mountains" for tourism dollars, Pauley said.
"Now, tell me who will want to see our mountains when they deface them with their roads, their wind mills and their clear-cutting."
In a one-sentence order, the state Supreme Court declined to allow Broad Mountain Development Co. LLC to appeal the revocation of its zoning permit to build the wind turbines, more commonly called windmills.
The order did not give a reason for the court's decision.
Also filed under [
General]
The petition is asking for the court to revoke "improperly issued zoning certificates" and building permits, to issue a cease-and-desist order to stop the wind turbine project immediately and to award Bozek all damages to which he may be entitled and costs of the suit.
Also filed under [
General]
Pa. wind turbines deadly to bats, costly to farmers
July 17, 2011 by Erich Schwartzel in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
July 17, 2011 by Erich Schwartzel in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The 420 wind turbines now in use across Pennsylvania killed more than 10,000 bats last year -- mostly in the late summer months, according to the state Game Commission. That's an average of 25 bats per turbine per year, and the Nature Conservancy predicts as many as 2,900 turbines will be set up across the state by 2030.
This is a bad time to be a bat.
Wind developer seeks PSC approval for power line
July 10, 2011 by Matthew Bieniek in Cumberland Times-News
July 10, 2011 by Matthew Bieniek in Cumberland Times-News
A wind farm developer seeking easements from Allegany County for a power transmission line has requested an expedited review by the state Public Service Commission for the transmission line project.
Also filed under [
Transmission|
Maryland]
Testing at wind energy sites throughout the state shows approximately 25 bats and four birds killed every year at each of the state's 420 active turbines ...That puts the estimated kills through June 2010 at some 10,500 bats and 1,680 birds.
Shelton says Delmarva is seeking approval to move the project to the Chestnut Flats site in Pennsylvania's Blair County, where an agreement has been reached that should prevent litigation over bats.
He mentions a 2009 case in West Virginia where a federal court found that a wind company's hired bat consultants reached a conclusion favorable to the client, but turned out to be inaccurate when the actual data was reviewed.
"The PGC cannot verify the work submitted by wind developers and the people of Pennsylvania cannot verify either the developers or the PGC."
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife]
More than a year ago, the county learned that Penn Wind in Sunbury was looking to sell its interest in the project. However, on Thursday, county board Chairman Frank Sawicki said he spoke with a Penn Wind representative about a month ago and was told the plans are moving along.
Also filed under [
General]
Environmentalists and Erie residents said there could also be downsides -- in the negative effect on fish that live in the lake and spawn in its tributary streams, and on bats and birds that migrate across Lake Erie between Presque Isle and Long Point, Ontario.
Also filed under [
General]
Commonwealth Court upholds revocation of Butler windmill permit
March 10, 2011 by Peter E. Bortner in Republic Herald
March 10, 2011 by Peter E. Bortner in Republic Herald
In an 18-page opinion and order filed Tuesday in Pottsville, the panel upheld county Judge Charles M. Miller's ruling that Broad Mountain Development Co. LLC did not have the right to the permit because wind turbines, more commonly called windmills, are not allowed in a Woodland-Conservation zoning district in the township.
Also filed under [
General]
Clean may not always be green where wind power is concerned
February, 2011 by Lara Lutz in Chesapeake Bay Journal
February, 2011 by Lara Lutz in Chesapeake Bay Journal
Industrial-scale wind farms have altered the rural landscape in places where the natural environment and quiet living are high priorities. Some local residents and conservationists say wind turbines are an assault on both.
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