The meeting’s attendees had the goal in mind of keeping tax revenues from the proposed High Prairie wind farm project in Adair and Schuyler counties, rather than disbursing the tax benefit across the state of Missouri. Because the project will be purchased by Ameren Missouri, a public utility company, after its construction, its taxes would currently be assessed at the state level.

Taxes & Subsidies Missouri

Deepwater spokesperson Meaghan Whims cited the recent unanimous support of the Trustees for hiring a municipal contract attorney to represent the board in the negotiations of the lease, and said the company has taken it as a sign that the Trustees ultimately expect to hammer out an agreement with Deepwater—though she acknowledged that the application with the state also will account for the possibility that one or both of the town entities will balk when it comes to signing actual contracts. 

Offshore Wind New York

The owners of Maple Ridge Wind Farm are seeking to have the assessments on the project’s Lewis County properties reduced by hundreds of millions of dollars. ...Ms. McNichol said the county, as lead agency, the municipalities and school districts will now consider Flat Rock’s proposed assessments and likely counter them in what may become “a battle of experts” in court. “It comes down to our appraisal versus their appraisal, our experts versus their experts,” Mr. Piche said. “At the end of the day, the judge is probably going to go right down the middle.”

Taxes & Subsidies New York

The most powerful wind turbines ever seen in the state could soon be built in southwest Minnesota. The state needs to approve the proposed wind farm. The industry is ramping up turbine size in the name of efficiency, but the skyscraper-sized machines are also attracting more public opposition.

Impact on People Minnesota South Dakota

The most powerful wind turbines ever seen in the state could soon be built in southwest Minnesota. The state needs to approve the proposed wind farm. The industry is ramping up turbine size in the name of efficiency, but the skyscraper-sized machines are also attracting more public opposition.

Impact on People Minnesota South Dakota

The sooner these leases are terminated, the sooner our communities can begin to heal. To all other communities -- beware of the false promises of these multi-million dollar solar and wind energy companies -- they are not in the business of helping us, only themselves.

General New York

“This is a significant milestone for Seneca Wind, which will bring revenue and economic activity to Seneca County and deliver clean energy throughout the region,” Gordon Gray, director of wind for sPower, stated in a release. “We are grateful to the state of Ohio for issuing this certification, and to the people of Seneca County for engaging with us throughout our process.”

General Ohio

APEX Clean Energy wants to erect 30 turbines on Galloo Island but residents in New York State are fighting back.

Impact on Landscape Property Values New York

Most states are enjoying flat or declining electricity rates thanks to shale fracking, which has sent natural gas prices plummeting. But not California, where rates have jumped 25% since 2013. Electricity prices in the Golden State are by far the highest in the continental western U.S. and twice as high as in Washington state. The reason: California requires that 50% of power be generated from renewables such as solar and wind by 2030. 

Energy Policy California

The IDA will submit a letter responding to a interrogatory letter from the developer, Apex Clean Energy, sent to the state Department of Public Service staff regarding a potential PILOT for its 108.9 megawatt wind farm. “It’s really pretty straightforward,” said agency Chairman David J. Converse. “It’s basically telling them no decisions have been made yet.”

Taxes & Subsidies New York

The OPSB says it postponed the hearings in response to a request from Republic Wind LLC to suspend the procedural schedule until the company files an application to amend the project as it is currently proposed. 

General Ohio

Director of Science Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, Holly Copeland remarked, “Over a half million birds and about a million bats, a study in 2013 by Smallwood, et al showed. And if you run those numbers out for Wyoming there are about 5000 grassland birds we would be losing every year…there was a paper that showed 20 eagles and in addition to that Duke Energy reported 52 eagles as well.”

Impact on Birds Impact on Bats Wyoming

Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday requesting county commissioners adopt a moratorium on the acceptance of any applications for wind turbines and related equipment.

Zoning/Planning Indiana

A Florida-based energy company continues to put up wind turbines in western Oklahoma, despite a request from the state to 'cease and desist.' The construction would seem to violate state law, and yet it's not at all clear if the law can be enforced, at least in this particular case.

General Oklahoma

The staff of the Ohio Power Siting Board has recommended that the six wind turbines the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. (LEEDCo) has proposed building 10 miles offshore operate only during daylight hours for 10 months out of the year while experts determine whether technology designed to detect bird and bat collisions with the turbines is effective.  LEEDCo has tried without success to negotiate a compromise.  The issue and other issues regarding sophisticated radar systems are now headed into hearings that begin Sept. 24 in Columbus. 

Impact on Birds Impact on Bats Ohio

Ken Walker proposed the following phrase be added to page 104: “With the current shift in attitude, the county will not allow any new wind development.” The “shift in attitude” refers to the May 2017 vote, where voters in county-zoned municipalities turned down two new wind energy developments by a 2 to 1 margin.

Zoning/Planning Michigan

In reviewing the study, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection found that noise samples were collected at the wrong time of day and that not all the turbines were spinning when the sampling was done. The state also pointed out that some necessary information was missing from the analysis and that the report provided conflicting information relative to the turbines’ exact locations on the site.

Impact on People Noise Massachusetts

Members of the Adams County Planning and Zoning Commission are looking to change the county’s wind energy regulations. ...All the counties also have similar regulations for commercial wind energy systems. However, towers in Adams County shall not exceed 300 feet for the tower and 400 feet for the entire structure.

Zoning/Planning Nebraska

Newly constructed wind turbines in the hills of Arkwright as well as other potential projects have caught the attention of the Western New York Public Health Alliance.

Impact on People New York

I write here a cautionary warning for those who may mistakenly think that today’s wind energy is that quaint throwback to olden days. Old –fashioned windmills were not connected with miles and miles of high voltage underground and overhead wires. If your rural community is presently under siege by a mega-billion industrial scale wind turbine  developer, Buyer beware. (Editor's note: The incident described in this piece involving the turbine failure occurred the week of August 27, 2018)

Safety Structural Failure New York