The WindAction Group (www.windAction.org)
Facts, analysis, exposure to industrial wind energy's real impacts
Appeal lost over plans to build wind turbines on a farm in Benwick
An appeal to build two 18-metre high wind turbines on a farm in Benwick have been refused by planners and objected to by the MOD due to “aviation safety”.
Articles filed under Legal
Clean energy company drops out of The Wind Coalition because of accusations involving legislator
A clean energy company dropped out of The Wind Coalition this year after a legislator made accusations about a tracking device found on his pickup, The Oklahoman has learned.
Wind farm operator loses High Court challenge to a refusal of permission for 25 turbines in Meath
Mr Justice Michael Twomey refused to quash the decision and remit it back to the board. He said that despite the alleged errors ...there was a reasonable basis upon which the board could refuse permission.
Wind Catcher files exceptions to judge's report against project pre-approval
Public Service Company of Oklahoma filed a 23-page exceptions report Feb. 23 in response to an Oklahoma Corporation Commission administrative law judge's recommendation earlier this month against pre-approval of PSO's request to allow the company to charge ratepayers to help fund the project.
Tenth Circuit takes expansive view of the definition of the term “mining,” holding wind farm project needs permit prior to commencement of excavation in tribal mineral estate
United States of America v. Osage Wind, LLC et al., 871 F.3d 1078 2017 WL 4109940 (10th Cir. Sept. 18, 2017). Causing heartburn for project applicants developing on tribal land, the Tenth Circuit reversed the District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma’s grant of summary judgment and determined that the defendants’ large-scale excavation project, involving site modification and the use of excavated rock and soil in the installation of wind turbines, constituted “mining” under federal regulations addressing mineral development on Native American land. Id. at *1. This decision creates new obligations for developers, which could result in delay and additional costs.
ERT rules no cost relief to challenge Clearview wind turbine decision
“As the community proved at the ERT hearing, this project should not have been approved in the first place,” he said. “It’s outrageous the government could be so negligent, making it necessary for the citizens to protect the public, then hide behind flawed legislation that robs the tribunal appointed by them in overlooking their bad decisions to award costs to the citizens who successfully proved the government compromised people’s safety.”
Case over stalled transmission line for wind energy advances to Missouri Supreme Court
With the proposed multi-state wind energy transmission line, Grain Belt Express, held up over controversial interpretations of Missouri law, prospective developers of the project have pushed for the case to go before the state Supreme Court.
Appeals court affirms tearing down turbines
A zoning administrator acted illegally when she granted applications to a company to build turbines on agricultural land north and east of Fairbank. That’s what the Iowa Court of Appeals said in a Feb. 21 ruling.
Appeals Court rules against Fairbank wind farm
FAIRBANK — The Iowa Court of Appeals dealt a blow Wednesday to three wind turbines built just east of Fairbank.
Wind industry sues LePage administration over order halting permits
LePage’s spokeswoman said her office cannot comment on pending litigation. But in announcing the executive order last month, the governor said steps were necessary to protect Maine’s scenic beauty from “out-of-state interests … eager to exploit our western mountains in order to serve their political agendas.”
Miami Co. faces lawsuit over wind farm ordinance
The county wind-farm statute requires a minimum setback of 1,000 feet from residential properties and bars property owners from building a residential structure within the setback area. That means even landowners who aren’t participating in the project could not build a residential building, or add onto their current home, if it’s within 1,000 feet of a wind turbine.
Wind turbine blades falling off Addison’s water tower result in $1 million flop, crazy lawsuit
The turbines ran for three months before one blade fell to the ground 190 feet below. Then a second blade crashed through a nearby storage building's roof, falling into a conference room. No one was hurt. The city asked the builders to remove the contraption and rebuild it. That happened. Then another blade came loose.
State’s highest court hears Antrim Wind appeal arguments
Oral arguments for an appeal against the approval of a wind project in Antrim were heard in the state’s Supreme Court on Thursday morning.
Citizen groups say several large wind developments allowed to use older standards
A Notice of Application for Judicial Review was filed by DDOWT in the Divisional Court in Toronto on Tuesday against the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change alleging the ministry has allowed companies promoting at least five large-scale wind projects to ignore new government guidelines with respect to limiting the amount of noise any residence in the area should have to tolerate.
China's Sinovel convicted in U.S. of trade-secret theft
Chinese wind turbine maker Sinovel Wind Group Co was convicted on Wednesday of U.S. charges that it stole trade secrets from AMSC, causing the Massachusetts-based company to lose more than $800 million. A federal jury in Madison, Wisconsin, found Sinovel, once AMSC’s largest customer, guilty on all charges it faced, including conspiracy, trade-secret theft and wire fraud, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Landowners sue Cass County over wind rules
The complaint refers to Cass County's wind energy conversion systems ordinance, which requires wind turbines to be at least 1,000 feet from homes. That means no homes can be constructed within 1,000 feet of wind turbines, which the complaint states "authorizes the taking of private property without compensation being paid."
Michigan landowners’ long-shot lawsuit has high stakes for wind industry
“If someone got a judgment that windmills contributed to some adverse health effects people suffered, I would think that would be a pretty significant ruling,” said Ross Hammersley, a Traverse City attorney with Olson, Bzdok & Howard who specializes in environmental and real estate law. Hammersley, who is not involved in the case, reviewed some of the court filings for Midwest Energy News.
Court orders halt to Juchitán wind farm
Judges from Mexico’s highest court unanimously decided to grant an amparo, or injunction, to members of the Zapotec community in Juchitán on the grounds that they hadn’t been consulted or given their permission or authorization for the project to go ahead on their land.
BUSINESS Trial Over Theft of Wind Technology Spotlights U.S.-China Tensions
Federal prosecutors accuse Chinese wind-turbine maker Sinovel Wind Group Co. 601558 -4.29% Ltd. of stealing the source code for software that controls wind turbines from American Superconductor Corp. AMSC 2.42% , a Massachusetts-based engineering company that once counted Sinovel as its biggest customer.
Judge blocks intervention in Falmouth turbine case
Judge Cornelius Moriarty has denied a motion to intervene in the case filed recently by the Green Center, a nonprofit educational institute in Hatchville that supports ecological projects, and a group of Falmouth residents. They were looking for the judge to alter his ruling and come up with a more moderate solution to the problem. The motion filed by the Green Center and denied by Judge Moriarty can be accessed by clicking the document icon on this page.