Wind Watch: Industrial Wind Energy News
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Mad as the sea and wind: Wind power in France: A lie and a swindle?
[Cliquez ici pour la version Française.] The public’s disenchantment with wind power is growing rapidly: its supporters have become a minority. More and more French people are concerned about the environmental and health damage and the blots on their country’s famous landscapes as a result of its massive development. They are also exasperated by the cavalier methods used to impose it, and the corruption of elected officials that too often accompanies it. But the French still do not realize, due . . . Complete story »
EDF lawsuit heard in Gage County
A pre-trial hearing concerning a civil lawsuit against Saline County and seven wind farm entities was held Jan. 15 at the Gage County courthouse in Beatrice. The wind entities include Milligan One Wind LLC, EDF Renewables, Aksamit Energy Development, Aksamit Resources Management, Golden Rock Wind LLC, US Development LLC and York Nebraska Wind Partners LLC. The case was moved from Saline County to Gage County because a staff member of the Saline County judge was involved in the proceedings, creating . . . Complete story »
Wind farms near homes isn’t a win-win
I disagree with the Nov. 19 letter to the editor “Wind power can help rural areas.” The letter was about a large wind project proposed for the town of Forest by Texas-based Leeward Energy Corporation. While our town board appreciates the global need to generate electricity from sources other than coal, the stalled $250 million Highland Wind Farm project is financially risky and environmentally insensitive at best. Wisconsin is not facing an electric shortage, and regulators just approved a high-voltage . . . Complete story »
Court: County cannot redefine ‘real property’
The Hawaii Supreme Court said Tuesday that Maui County did not have the power to include wind turbines as “real property” when it taxed major wind farms on Maui. The court upheld an earlier decision by the Tax Appeal Court that the county exceeded its authority under the Hawaii Constitution when it changed its rules to allow wind turbines to be assessed for real property taxes – shortly after an appeals court had decided that wind turbines should not count . . . Complete story »
Protect health, safety, property rights
Protect Christian County LLC has requested that the Christian County board suspend all wind farm activity in the county for six months. This will allow time to conduct due diligence on proper wind farm ordinances and to amend the counties current ordinance adopted in 2008. This 2008 ordinance, reported to have been developed by a Chicago law firm and funded by the wind industry, is the same ordinance that many other Illinois counties adopted. Once the first industrial wind farm . . . Complete story »
No new activity on wind turbines in Presque Isle County
ROGERS CITY –Developers with Sstar Ridge-Run Energy have been in contact with Presque Isle County officials, but have yet to submit formal documents for a planned wind energy project. “There has been no type of application for any type of zoning permit,” Toby Kuznicki, chairman of the county’s planning commission, said. Kuznicki said the planning commission recently learned a marked-up Google Map had been submitted to county Building and Zoning Official Mike Libby, but Kuznicki did not have any further . . . Complete story »
Huge crowd has its say on wind farms off Maryland and Delaware coast, now the wait begins
OCEAN CITY, Md.- It is now a waiting game for those hoping for changes to two large winds farms off the coasts of Maryland and Delaware. A standing room only crowd of several hundred people descended in Ocean City on Saturday to hear and be heard on the issue. This past fall, the two companies hoping to build the wind farms increased the size of the turbines used to generate power to over 850 feet. Ocean City’s mayor, Rick Meehan, . . . Complete story »
$270M Washington County wind project on track for 2021 groundbreaking
Apex Clean Energy, headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., is on track to break ground for its 30-turbine Downeast Wind project in Washington County in 2021. Representing a private investment of more than $270 million, the project is a 126-megawatt wind energy development located in the town of Columbia and the unorganized areas of MD T18, MD T19 and MD T24, in Washington County. The project will include 30 wind turbines and associated infrastructure, including an operations and maintenance building, collector and . . . Complete story »
Seneca Wind project suspended
The Seneca Wind project that had been proposed in Seneca County has been suspended by sPower, its parent company, according to an sPower news release. The announcement was made Tuesday. The release said sPower “will not refile an application with the Ohio Power Siting Board at this time.” In early October, sPower filed a pre-application letter with OPSB for a 212-megawatt wind turbine project in Scipio, Reed, Venice, Eden and Bloom townships similar to the project the company withdrew in . . . Complete story »
Blade breaks off wind turbine in Cohocton
COHOCTON – The Town of Cohocton will have an unexpected item on the agenda tonight when the council meets at 7 p.m. in Atlanta. A blade partially broke off one of the wind turbines on Pine Hill Road Friday. Though no one witnessed the blade fall to the earth and no one was injured during the incident, the failure has caused concern among residents in the town. Town Supervisor Judy Hall said there are three turbines in that area of Pine . . . Complete story »
