New developments have raised serious questions regarding the economic and job benefits from offshore wind energy projects in U.S. waters. 

Offshore Wind USA

The sponsor of 124 megawatt wind turbine installation in eastern Broome County has applied for a 30-year, $21 million property tax reduction in return for two permanent jobs. ...During the application process many of these numbers have been kept under wraps by developers, who claimed they were proprietary. The application for the tax abatement is the first detailed public disclosure of the financials driving the deal.

General New York

A new group called, Albany County for Smart Energy Development delivered 1,224 signatures in support of the petition urging county officials to amend wind energy development regulations. ..."Albany County's current Industrial Wind Energy Regulations do NOT adequately protect the county's natural resources, nor do they ensure the health, safety, and quality of life of the residents, businesses, and recreational users in proximity of these facilities," the petition stated. "I request the county immediately review and amend existing regulations.”

General Wyoming

The seven-year clash over Icebreaker exemplifies the growing tension among environmentalists as they weigh the costs of clean energy. The rapid rollout of renewable power is shattering old alliances, pitting green groups against energy projects meant to address climate change – a top priority of other environmental organizations. 

General Ohio

An ongoing protest against Albany County wind energy rules continued on Monday when a petition critical of current rules and carrying more than 1,200 signatures was delivered to the county’s board of commissioners.

Zoning/Planning Wyoming

Windfall resident McCorkle said since the Wildcat Wind Farm opened, wildlife has decreased in the area. He said the turbines also wake them up at night, have caused nausea, cause houses to vibrate and interfere with cell phones and satellite service. “Don’t let them bully you into accepting what is not good for all of the people in your county,” he wrote in a letter. “Why should most of us suffer at the greed of a few?”

General Indiana

Pretty Prairie Wind LLC, a subsidiary formed by NextEra Energy to develop an 82-turbine wind farm in the southeast quadrant of the county, filed the suit in July 2019 after it failed to obtain a conditional use permit to build the project.

Legal Kansas

“Because, after all this surveying work the companies did, they determined like we asked them several years ago that the best way to bury these cables was by horizontal directional drilling and that is what they are going to do,” CRMC’s interim executive director Jeffrey Willis said when the plan was finalized by the CRMC board at its Sept. 8 meeting. The drilling is expected to begin in October and finish over the winter.

General Rhode Island

Considering the many tax benefits which the wind industry is granted, it is somewhat surprising how few local jobs are created in either their construction or their operations. ...After taking advantage of these generous federal, state, and local tax abatements, these companies typically file valuation lawsuits against local county appraisal districts in an attempt to drastically lower their property taxes. This is almost always done immediately after their tax abatements expire.

Taxes & Subsidies Texas

A 180-day moratorium ordinance to give the town of Belgrade time to update its ordinances related to development such as commercial solar and wind facilities, telecommunications towers and subdivisions is up for discussion.

Zoning/Planning Maine

The long-delayed hearings for Broad Mountain Power’s windmill farm proposal before Packer Township’s zoning hearing board resumed Aug. 31.

General Pennsylvania

Vestas and developer EDP Renewables are investigating after the blade of a V150 4.2MW turbine at the 125MW Timber Road 4 project broke off. The project was commissioned earlier this year.

Safety Structural Failure Ohio

The three legislators, all of whom were sponsors of the Offshore Wind Development Act, asked the state agency to look into representations made by Ørsted in its application to hire union labor and set up a fund to ensure minority businesses and women-owned businesses have an opportunity to enter the offshore-wind industry. They also want the agency to reach out to colleagues in other states about whether they experienced similar problems.

Offshore Wind New Jersey

According to the Indiana Conservative Alliance for Energy at least 29 Indiana counties have ordinances that significantly limit large wind projects. A recent study by Purdue University looks at the attitudes of Indiana counties toward wind energy developments.

General Indiana

Northern Gage County residents won a long battle today, as the Gage County Board approved an amendment increasing the setback between wind turbines and non-participating rural homes, to one mile.

Zoning/Planning Nebraska

The amendment increases setback requirements from nonparticipating residences from 3/8 to one mile. Nonparticipating residents are those who do not have contracts in place with a wind company. The Gage County Planning and Zoning committee previously approved the resolution in a 6-1 vote in August, after a six hour meeting.

Zoning/Planning Nebraska

The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors is considering how to craft what essentially would be a ban on the expansion of commercial wind energy production in the county.

Zoning/Planning Iowa

The U.S. power industry would struggle to meet presidential hopeful Joe Biden’s proposed mandate that it become carbon neutral by 2035 without some big breakthroughs in clean energy technology, according to a Reuters analysis of planning documents and a survey of top utilities.

Energy Policy USA

"I think it takes even more rights away from the communities than the little bit that they had," said Newfane Supervisor Timothy R. Horanburg, whose town is included in the site of a proposed 2,000-acre solar project. "Just because public comments are allowed doesn't mean they're going to be taken into consideration," said Pamela Atwater, head of Save Ontario Shores, a citizen group that battled a wind power project in Somerset and Yates for five years.

General New York

Reduced to essentials, the PacifiCorp proposal is to close its coal-fired power plants in Wyoming, replace them with wind and solar farms and build out new and upgraded transmission lines to deliver power to its customers, 85% of which are in states to the west of Wyoming. The proposed wind development alone would involve project areas encompassing roughly 500 square miles of our landscape.

General Wyoming