Windaction News

In an unprecedented move in Ontario, Transport Canada has ordered the removal of eight wind turbines in close proximity to the Chatham Municipal Airport. Chatham-Kent Essex MP Dave Van Kesteren confirmed the action Friday morning. more…

“Health Board Chairman Peter DeTerra made the motion to shut the turbines down. He said the town has received more than 450 complaints from more than 45 households. Mr. DeTerra said the turbines should be “shut down as a public health nuisance.” more…

The existence of the permit applications was revealed by FOIA requests by Oklahoma journalist Louise Red Corn, and shared Thursday in a web-based seminar held by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC). The 102.5-megawatt Shiloh IV Wind project applied for its take permit in March 2012, and the other three projects have applied in the last six months. more…

The Prime Minister said he would “think very carefully” about green subsidies for energy sources such as wind farms and solar panels, as they “end up on consumer bills”. He admitted that fuel bills are being driven up by green subsidies, even though the Department of Energy and Climate Change largely blames the rising cost of gas for soaring energy costs. more…

Speaking at an energy conference in Berlin, Ms. Merkel said she still supports further expansion of renewable energy such as wind and solar power to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But she said the costs need to be contained as global rivals are benefiting from lower energy prices. Utility executives welcomed her recognition, but criticized her for remaining vague on specifics. more…

Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, said it is “absolutely essential” to have a study, particularly of projects like Northern Pass and the wind farms proposed around the Newfound Lake area.”This can’t happen fast enough because we don’t have good siting criteria,” he said. more…

Merkel’s policy to wean Europe’s biggest power market off fossil fuels and to embrace renewables has led to a boom in green energy sources, but ballooning costs have led to calls for cuts to feed-in tariffs and for industry to pay more.”Dealing with the renewable energy reform is the most urgent of the energy topics, in my view.” more…

A federal appeals court found last week that it’s unconstitutional for Michigan to discriminate against out-of-state renewable electricity – a decision being described as giving a major edge to clean power in the legal fight over the future of the U.S. grid. more…

In The Journal of Laryngology and Otology, the authors reported in March that “there is ample evidence of symptoms arising in individuals exposed to wind turbine noise.” “…there is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that infrasound and low frequency noise (caused by the wind turbines) have physiological effects on the ear.” more…

An effort by a Charlottesville, Va., company to put a wind farm in Baldwin County might be coming to a grinding halt. Vince Jackson, director of the county’s Planning and Zoning Department, has crafted an ordinance that would prohibit wind projects like the one APEX Wind Energy has proposed for southern Baldwin County.
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The DEP had concerns that the proposed 275-foot wind turbine might exceed sound limit guidelines during the winter. So, the agency recommended three possible actions be taken: The applicant could withdraw its proposal without prejudice; recommend the Zoning Board of Appeals deny the requested special permit for the project; or Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC could implement mitigation measures. more…

Of these 808, according to the results, 188 are expected to realistically receive greater than 10 flicker hours per year and 54 are expected to realistically receive greater than 30 flicker hours per year. more…

An attorney for the towns of Albany and Craftsbury say that violations in noise limitations from Lowell wind turbines are endangering neighbors’ health and creating a public nuisance. And the towns are asking for more indoor testing to make sure that noise levels inside homes are not higher than allowed. more…

The yet-to-be-released resources policy is set to require all windfarms to provide “real-time” noise monitoring, with the findings immediately publicly available, so nearby residents concerned about the alleged health impact of windfarms can compare the results with strict state government noise controls. The Coalition resources spokesman, Ian Macfarlane, will also try to introduce the measures before the election with a private members bill. more…

The white shirts were obviously on edge, ready to snap – and they did the next day, on Saturday, during another protest near the site. Video footage obtained by the Times shows a larger number of white shirts pulling at and dragging protesters away, both near the site and atop the ridge. more…

The Fairhaven Board of Health voted unanimously to shut down the town’s two wind turbines between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. beginning tonight. …the board of selectmen also voted to put the turbines’ developers on 30 days notice because state testing of the turbines revealed that the turbines not only violated state noise regulation but also violated the contract between developers and the Board of Selectmen. more…

On Wednesday, county commissioners and trustees from Goshen, Union and Urbana townships met in executive session and then voted to ask Kevin Talebi, Champaign County prosecutor, to seek a rehearing with the siting board on the decision. more…

The Conservatives have taken a tougher line on wind farms in recent months, and this week unveiled plans to give communities a powerful ‘veto’ over controversial new onshore developments. Schemes will have to gain local residents’ consent before a planning application can even be made, effectively handing them the power to prevent turbines being erected. more…

Dunbeath Wind Energy wanted to build 17 turbines near Dunbeath, a Caithness coastal village, only for ministers to reject the proposal due to the impact on the countryside.Energy Secretary Fergus Ewing found that the project, between Berriedale Water and Dunbeath Water, would have adversely affected the landscape. more…

A Texas energy firm has abandoned its bid to build hundreds of wind turbines in Dunnigan Hills, according to a letter to one of the landowners.”In the end, we were not able to secure a partner,” said Patrick Buckley of Pioneer Green Energy, in a letter to Charlie Schaupp explaining why the company was pulling out. more…

Barbara Ashbee and Dennis Lormand lived 457 metres from an industrial wind turbine in Amaranth, Ont. for seven months before the wind company bought them out of their home. Despite signing a non-disclosure agreement, Ashbee is sharing her story in hopes of convincing the province to put a stop on wind energy development. more…

Reps. Ray Franz, R-Onekama, and Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin, co-sponsored House Bill No. 4778 this week. The bill would prevent Michigan from entering into a lease or deed for the siting, placement or construction of a wind turbine on Michigan’s unpatented or submerged lands. The legislation also would prevent leasing similar lands for an electric transmission line – a critical component for offshore wind projects in the Great Lakes. more…

According to counsel for the SEC, Mike Iacapino, the committee made its decision based on the fact that the towns of New Ipswich and Temple have ordinances in place that deal with the pertinent issues, and the committee wasn’t inclined to assert jurisdiction under those circumstances, among other considerations. more…

Opponents of the permit, including conservationists and tribes in the area, say they aren’t against “green” energy investments. However, they are firmly against the placement of the planned 94-turbine wind farm, which is surrounded within five miles by several active bald eagle nests. …”If you look at one site, it’s not that big of a deal, but you look at all the sites … collectively, you’re looking at a huge impact,” more…

The proposed Fourmile Ridge wind project in eastern Garrett County has gone beyond the 60-day appeal process for the Federal Aviation Administration’s interim decision in? February that all 24 proposed wind turbines are presumed to be a hazard to air navigation. more…

Lanai’s “Big Wind” opponents are going on the offensive via a television commercial, in which they take aim at Castle & Cooke Hawaii Inc.’s planned 200-megawatt project that would utilize an undersea cable to pump electricity back to Oahu. more…

Eric Pickles’s Department for Communities and Local Government will announce that planning laws are to be amended so that “consultation with local communities” is compulsory before wind farm developers can even ­formally apply for planning permissionIt means local authorities will get powers to block possible developments early in the planning process. more…

The DIA’s aggressiveness in clamping down on organised crime is widely lauded but investor confidence is far from being restored. An industry insider who has observed investment funds shying away from Italy believes the country risk is just too high when the political instability and the reduced incentive schemes announced in 2012 are added in. …The mafia allegations and potential for random asset seizures hasn’t helped – companies wanting to sell their wind farms in Sicily aren’t finding buyers. more…

The Spain-based wind-power company that drew public outcry with its proposed wind farm project for the ridgelines near Newfound Lake and Mount Cardigan has not filed for permits for the project with the state. more…

Senior Conservatives claim the move will effectively end the spread of the controversial turbines which have been blamed for blighting picturesque landscapes. Ministers will announce that residents will have to be consulted over new wind farms with applications barred if there is significant opposition. Councils are currently prevented from even considering applications for larger turbines. more…

Ridgeline wind project opponents want hearings on a permit application by Green Mountain Power to allow the deaths of a small number of endangered or protected bats each year by Lowell wind turbines. more…

Princeton Municipal Light Department manager Brian Allen has written to Governor Deval Patrick, noting that the failed wind turbine project has contributed significantly to the town’s high utility costs. He is seeking financial support from the state. …PMLD is a municipal utility with a $3 million budget and the turbine cost was approximately $1.2 million of that budget in 2012. “The utility does not have the ability to sustain itself with those types of losses.” more…

“It remains to be seen just how, or if, this new direction will have any impact on Pattern and Samsung’s project, which already has Feed-in-Tariff approval,” Clarke said. “Going forward, if there will be a more inclusive process that engages municipalities, that’s fine, but what does it mean for current projects?” …”The devil will be in the details.” more…

Alex Attwood said the reason a final decision had not yet been issued on the long standing proposal to erect a single 60 metre turbine close to Lough Patrick indicated that concerns about the land’s religious significance were being factored in. more…

The federal government will hold the first lease sale for commercial offshore wind energy projects at the end of July, the Interior Department announced on Tuesday. …In 2010, federal officials approved the fiercely contested offshore wind farm known as Cape Wind after nine years of battles with Massachusetts residents. more…

“The decision to take the turbines down still stands but there is not yet a way to pay for it. The ball is surely in the selectmen’s court and in the state’s court. The state, ultimately, has a large responsibility to help the town solve this problem but are paralyzed by the politics involved.” more…

In a March 25 letter to the County Planing and Zoning Commission, the Arizona Department of Game and Fish (AZGF) “states specific concerns and recommendations for birds, bats, and other wildlife in connection with the Red Horse 2 wind energy project, including a recommendation of two years of data collection as part of the site evaluation and pre-construction monitoring,” he said. more…

Ontario is dropping its feed-in tariff (FIT) programme and will change its local content regulations for wind and solar farms following the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that they contravened international trade law.Energy minister Bob Chiarelli, announced on Thursday that the province will develop a competitive procurement process for renewable energy projects larger than 500kW in size. more…