Some tax experts question what taxpayers are getting in return. Since 2002, the company has eliminated a fifth of its work force in the United States while increasing overseas employment. In that time, G.E.'s accumulated offshore profits have risen to $92 billion from $15 billion.

"They went through this document with a vacuum cleaner to remove any reference to clean energy. In the Pittsburgh G20 summit (in September 2009), there were 8 references to 'clean energy' - in this one, there is zero," WWF climate expert Kim Carstensen said.

Family First Senator Steve Fielding was in Glenbrae yesterday to encourage locals to make submissions to the inquiry into the social and economic impact of wind farms in rural areas. Standing against a backdrop of rotating Waubra wind turbines, Senator Fielding said it would be a "real concern" if anyone was gagged from coming forward on the issue.

Megan McElligott and Jason Gotte feel as though nobody is considering the possible negative impact of Airtricity’s plans to construct 55 to 80 wind turbines in the towns of Gaines and Albion within the next few years. To educate others about the environmental and economic impacts of the 400-foot towers, the couple will host an informational meeting Saturday at the Quality Work Life hall in Albion. Speaker Jerry Borkholder from the Wind Tower Committee in Hamlin, who is considered a local expert on wind energy issues, will address the topic and answer questions. “I’ve been on the Internet reading everything and anything I can and I’m really very concerned,” said McElligott, a home health care aide. “I don’t think this is the future. If this is the future, we’re going to have a lot of problems.”

The Wind Advisory Committee submitted their official recommendation against wind turbine development to the Gaines Town Board Thursday along with a list of suggestions to include in a local law. The eight-member volunteer committee was charged by the Town Board to research the possible effects of the 400-foot towers and to report back with a recommendation. After months of deliberation, the committee decided commercial wind energy is not in the best interest of the town in a majority 6-2 vote at the end of November. Airtricity, an international wind development company based out of Dublin, Ireland, has proposed constructing 55 to 80 wind turbines on land in the Towns of Gaines and Albion. Its North American operations were purchased for $1.4 billion Oct. 4 by E.O.N., a power and gas company based out of Dusseldorf. Town Supervisor Richard DeCarlo said the ultimate decision about the wind towers will be up to the board.

The majority of the Gaines Wind Advisory Committee said at Wednesday's meeting that they don't believe wind energy is in the best interest of the Town of Gaines. ...Concerned Gaines residents filled the town hall to capacity Wednesday evening as they listened to prepared statements from each of the committee members listing worries about noise, costs, property values, vibration effects and the impact on wildlife. Of the eight-member board, two said they would be in favor of the 400-foot wind turbines. The remaining, including alternate Ted Swierznski sitting in for Royce Klatt, voiced opposition to the towers, while acknowledging their research is incomplete. "Federal and state subsidies are the only reason wind energy is taking a foothold in this country," said advisory member Marilynn Miller.

Windham County Sen. Peter Galbraith announced Monday his plans to introduce legislation banning a controversial gas-producing practice and wind projects on Vermont-owned property. ...Galbraith pointed to the hotly-contested Lowell Wind Project as evidence his legislation is needed.

The threat of Hurricane Bill has workers at New Brunswick's first commercial wind farm busily attempting to protect the blackened remains of one of its turbines. A major fire damaged one of the 32 turbines at the Kent Hills wind farm on Aug. 8. The burnt-out wind turbine still sits atop its perch in Albert County two weeks after a fire grounded its power generation capabilities.

The debate over Mag-Wind is raging on green energy Internet forums, too. Critics argue with supporters about whether the unproven technology will produce power as advertised. A few would-be customers in the U.S. also complained about an unauthorized dealer in the Midwest, now under investigation by the FBI, who allegedly took deposits for non-existent Mag-Wind turbines. The gale-force controversy has surprised Mag-Wind founder Rowan. The delays and problems are real, he admitted - but so is the technology. Back in 2005, when Rowan and co-inventor Thomas Priest-Brown unveiled their prototype in Thorold, they hoped to be producing and delivering commercial units by the end of 2006. ...Well-known wind advocate Paul Gipe has called the company's power claims for the turbine "outlandish" on his website, www.wind--works.org. ...Gipe's best advice: make sure you understand what you're buying. "If you're going to spend $10,000, or $50,000 or $100,000 on a wind turbine, do your homework," he said.

The Zoning Board of Appeals has unanimously granted Dr. Daniel Melamed an area variance to erect a 135-foot-tall wind turbine at his sheep and goat farm. The many neighbors who packed the Town Hall to voice their opposition to the wind turbine over the several-month-long public hearing were absent from the final session Tuesday night, July 8. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes. After the meeting, Dr. Melamed told The Independent that he was pleased by the ZBA decision. "Hopefully, the entire discussion has raised the consciousness of the county about wind power in general," he said.

Galloo Island Wind Farm's developer is lobbying state officials to push the New York Power Authority to give the project a contract for its power. Attorneys for Upstate NY Power Corp. have talked to local officials and at least the chairmen, if not the members, of the state Assembly and Senate Energy Committees.

A 250-megawatt wind farm project could be coming to Galloo Island within the next couple of years. Robert W. Burgdorf, a Rochester attorney representing Upstate NY Power Co., a company affiliated with the global investment and advisory firm Babcock and Brown, said the company selected the 1,934.6 available acres on Galloo Island as a location for a wind farm due to its productive wind resource.

Jefferson County's Board of Legislators slowed down its consideration of the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm. ...Chairman Barry M. Ormsby, R-Belleville, said representatives of the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency and Galloo Island's developer, Upstate NY Power Corp., would come to the meeting. Mr. Ormsby said they also would allow the public to speak during privilege of the floor, though no public hearing is required.

Mr. Hagner said the "current downturn in the wind energy industry" may cause several other projects in the New York Independent System Operator interconnection queue to abandon their positions and "allow an interconnection for the Galloo project at existing Coffeen Street substation."

Proposed wind farm projects may not get off the ground due to recent refusals to purchase wind produced electricity. The New York Power Authority was the main buyer until recent refusals to participate in the wind farm project purchases, including the Galloo Island Wind Farm Project in development stages.

Though local leaders oppose turbine placement on the Lake Ontario lake bed, they support the Galloo Island Wind Farm with a few stipulations. "My two stipulations were that I wanted to make sure the purchase power agreement is at the market rate, ...," Sen. Ritchie said. "And I had the company Upstate NY Power agree that it should be an underwater transmission line."

Plans to run power from a wind turbine project in Lake Ontario through Oswego County are meeting surprise and resistance. "It'll ruin my property value," said Kathleen Schneider, who with her husband owns 55 acres on Castor Road in Albion. The Schneiders received a letter last month from Upstate NY Power Corp. telling them they would be contacted about selling a right of way on their land. They threw it out. Later they learned that Upstate NY Power has applied to install 77 wind turbines on Galloo Island, 12 miles off the shore of Lake Ontario. ...Oswego County Legislature Chairman Barry Leemann, R-Altmar, was upset that no one involved in the project told the county. "They haven't bothered to contact us," he said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation will hold two public hearings Tuesday to hear environmental concerns about the plan. A company called Upstate NY Power Corp. wants to build as many as 90 wind turbines on Galloo Island.

Galloo Island Wind Farm is shopping its electricity around to state and private buyers to keep the possibility of an underwater transmission line alive. A representative of developer Upstate NY Power Corp. told parties on a conference call held by the Public Service Commission on Thursday morning that the developer isn't giving up after the New York Power Authority scrapped its Great Lakes Offshore Wind project in September.

A decision on the transmission line for the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm is delayed once again as Upstate NY Power Corp., developer for the project, asks to wait until it knows whether it can sell the electricity from the project.