Pending appeal, a decision handed down in state Supreme Court Monday could spell the beginning of the end of the proposed $775 million Alle-Catt Wind Farm. State Supreme Court Judge Terrence Parker ruled the Freedom Town Board acted illegally in approving its new wind law at the urging of Invenergy, the developer of the proposed 340-megawatt wind farm spread across five towns.

Legal New York

“Today is not the end. We’re still going to be fighting,” said Kamalani Keliikuli, vice president of Ku Kiai Kahuku. “We just don’t want the turbines, and we want them to listen to us. We’re in it for the fight.” The arrests started Thursday night in Kalaeloa, where hundreds gathered to try to stop the equipment from leaving a base yard for the North Shore.

Legal Zoning/Planning Hawaii

The Intermediate Court of Appeals is reviewing whether a key component of the windmill project’s environmental review is adequate. The challenge by Keep the North Shore Country is likely to carry on in court well into next year. “Should we prevail then these guys might not be able to operate,” said Sen. Gil Riviere, who represents the area at the legislature and is part of the Keep the North Shore Country group. 

Legal Zoning/Planning Hawaii

To date, the county has spent $22,725 on lawyers for work related to the Expedition Wind project since National Renewable Solutions purchased the project from an earlier developer. The county spent $2,973 on legal expenses with the earlier developer. County clerk Tina Spencer said Expedition has reimbursed the county $16,600 of those expenses.

Legal Iowa

Final ruling on the construction of 17 turbines on Dan's Mountain expected Oct. 16

Legal Maryland

Before his downfall, Nicastri operated as many as 43 wind and solar energy companies and had 98 properties. At the time of his arrest and asset seizure, in 2013, the BBC quoted the head of the Palermo-based anti-mafia agency, Arturo de Felice, as saying "This [wind energy] is a sector in which money can easily be laundered."

Legal Europe

The suit was filed Tuesday and names EDP Renewables, Arkwright Summit Wind Farm LLC, Horizon Wind Energy LLC, Tetra Tec EC Inc., Tetra Tech ES Inc., Tetra Tech Construction Inc., URS Corp., West Inc. Fisher Associates P.E., L.S., L.A. of New York, P.C., Fisher Associates, P.E., L.S., L.A., D.P.C., White Construction of Indiana LLC and any other corporations who may be liable to the plaintiffs. No court date has been set yet, though an answer by the companies is due in either 20 or 30 days depending on how the companies are served paperwork.

Legal New York

Commissioner’s ‘apparent collaboration’ with wind farm opponents an issue in lawsuit

Legal Kansas

The other contention is that the project developer failed to acquire control of the state-owned site for the wind farm within a PUC deadline. Collins said the developer missed a 120-day deadline because it didn't receive a permit for incidental Hawaiian hoary bat deaths until six months after the PUC approval. "You don't have an incidental take permit, you don't have site control, " he said.

Legal Hawaii

“Buckeye Wind LLC and Champaign Wind LLC have relinquished the Certificates of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need issued for the Buckeye Wind project as construction activities have not commenced as required under the certificates,” according to a statement issued by Viola Baumann of Innogy – the Germany-based parent company of Buckeye Wind.

Legal Ohio

Proponents of a wind farm project in the south-central part of Marion County received a favorable nod from the district court on its motion to dismiss a civil suit filed in mid-May.

Legal Kansas

A district judge has dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit seeking to block development of a wind farm in Marion County.

Legal Kansas

Rick Porter, the attorney for the 15 neighbors, said he had “yet to deal with a 50-page motion to dismiss.” “It seems they're trying to litigate the entire matter in a motion to dismiss,” he said, adding that it was “before we even have a chance to bring in witnesses” in a trial. He said his clients were “citizens hiring an attorney battling a mega-company with an unlimited budget.”

Legal Illinois

Ontario's Environment Minister Jeff Yurek has responded to being named in charges regarding the Ontario Court of Justice determining there are reasonable grounds to believe environmental offenses were committed at several wind turbine projects in Chatham-Kent.

Pollution Impact on People Legal Ontario

Despite the fact the project was denied, DePasquale began prepping the two properties for the installation of solar arrays anyway. In early June, the Department of Planning & Development issued a cease-and-desist order for DePasquale’s unauthorized solar installation. A week later, on June 10, the town issued a finalized order, requiring that DePasquale remove all pilings and cease all work on the property except for seeding, loaming, and related landscape clean-up activities.

Legal Rhode Island

Fifteen Marion County landowners are continuing their fight against Expedition Wind, by asking the court not to grant a motion to dismiss the civil action lawsuit filed in mid-May. The lawsuit, according to the legal document filed July 26, stated that it’s too early to dismiss because the expected findings, which will come from discovery, have yet to be entered before the Eighth Judicial District in Marion County.

Legal Kansas

The sharp drop in power from the wind farms overloaded demand for power on a transmission line from a neighboring state, which then tripped that link off, cutting the state off from back-up electricity supply. “These alleged failures contributed to the black system event and meant that AEMO (the Australian Energy Market Operator) was not fully informed when responding to system wide failure in South Australia."

Legal Australia

The Australian Energy Regulatoralleges subsidiaries of the four companies – AGL Energy, Neoen SA, Pacific Hydro and Tilt Renewables – failed to ensure their windfarms complied with a generator performance standard requirement and had automatic protection systems to ensure continuity of supply. The regulator’s chair, Paula Conboy, said the alleged failures meant the Australian Energy Market Operator was not fully informed when responding to the system-wide failure.

Legal Australia

An Oregon Supreme Court ruling could bring an end to permits for two big energy projects in Eastern Oregon and eight more statewide. The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council in October 2017 adopted a swifter, less public method to amend permits, or site certificates, for wind farms, thermal power plants and other large energy facilities. While the traditional “type A” review process involved public notices and hearings, the new “type B” process cut out the public involvement, including allowing interested parties to request a contested case proceeding. Type B also required staff to issue decisions as soon as possible.

Legal Oregon

Today the Oregon Supreme Court held in favor of a coalition of nine conservation organizations, invalidating rules adopted in 2017 by the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) that had dramatically reduced transparency and discouraged public participation in permitting decisions for large power plants throughout Oregon. Today’s legal victory is also expected to terminate the previously issued permits for two controversial power projects, the Summit Ridge Wind Farm proposed in Wasco County, along the Deschutes river, and the Perennial Wind Chaser Station, a natural gas power plant proposed in Umatilla County.

Legal Oregon