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Wind Alert! 13-Feb-2017News and information from The WindAction Group facts, analysis, exposure of industrial wind energy's real impacts - www.windAction.org |
| Issue: 13-Feb-2017 |
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WindAction EDITORIALU.S. Wind Energy Policy: Correcting the abuse in 100 Days (Introduction) “Obama’s green energy agenda meant advancing wind interests at any cost, and it shows. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) now estimates the total cost of the wind production tax credit in the years 2016–2020 at $23.7 billion.” → MORE Recent ArticlesNo end in sight for Ontario's offshore wind moratoriumSix years after Ontario abruptly imposed a moratorium on offshore wind projects, citing the need for more research, the government is signalling it will likely continue for several more years, even with all of its studies in hand. → MORE Cash in the wind: New York’s wind-power giveawayPlus, when the new subsidies are combined with existing federal cash, the amount in subsidies NextEra and Invenergy will be collecting will exceed the prevailing wholesale price of electricity in the state by nearly $13 per megawatt-hour. → MORE Protest over proposed wind farm prompts St. Lawrence County Legislature to create wind committeeOpposition to a proposed wind farm in the towns of Hopkinton and Parishville has prompted St. Lawrence County Legislature to create an ad-hoc wind committee. → MORE Turbine tax showdown with energy giants planned for this summerContention over wind development started in 2011 when the Michigan Tax Commission (STC) arbitrarily changed the taxing methodology and depreciation on wind turbines. The change lowered taxable values on turbines along with a faster depreciation rate. → MORE Turnbull slams Labor’s power ‘horror show’Malcolm Turnbull has blasted Labor’s renewable energy “horror show” by seizing on blackouts in South Australia to warn of outages across the country under the “insanity” of Bill Shorten’s 50 per cent renewables target. ...“How many South Australians are worse off because of the Labor Left ideological approach to power?... → MORE Public grills Swanton Wind representatives; Four hour meeting kicks off PSB processSWANTON — For more than four hours Thursday night, opponents of Swanton Wind got a chance to question the team behind the project. → MORE States push back against DOE transmission siting authorityThe nation’s state utility regulators are poised to reassert their authority over the siting of electric transmission lines, beginning with a resolution to be considered at their winter meetings in Washington next week. → MORE Is the reduced PTC still relevant to the wind industry?With a four-year construction window for projects already qualified under the full PTC, does the smaller tax credit still matter? asks Karl-Erik Stromsta The US wind production tax credit (PTC) may have started its terminal decline on 1 January — dropping to 80% of its former value, on its way... → MORE TransAlta wind turbines shut down by gunfire near Fort MacleodRCMP discovered several bullet holes in one of the transformers for the wind turbines. They say it appears the shots were possibly fired from the nearby roadway. → MORE US wind should 'lay low' under Trump, says EDPR chiefThe US wind industry would be wise to “lay low” as the Trump administration settles in, rather than mounting a noisy lobbying campaign, advises Gabriel Alonso, chief executive of EDP Renewables North America, one of the continent’s most important wind developers. → MORE Ogle, Shade township residents oppose proposed wind farmOgle, Shade township residents oppose proposed wind farm OGLETOWN – Three 300-foot-tall test towers have been erected on a sprawling tract of Berwind Corp. woodland spanning parts of Ogle and Shade townships. → MORE Gov. Mary Fallin proposes tax on Oklahoma wind productionOklahoma would become the second state to impose a tax on wind power, and its tax would be the nation's highest, under a proposal announced Monday by Gov. Mary Fallin. In her executive budget, Fallin proposed a 0.5 cent per kilowatt hour tax on electricity from wind generation. She also wants... → MORE The "dark doldrums" brings Germany's power supply to the limitIn January, green power plants in Germany were almost completely turned off as energy suppliers for weeks. A so-called dark tone was responsible. A high pressure area provides still winds and fog, while at the same time the electricity demand in Germany is increasing strongly, also because it is so cold. → MORE Calhan residents say wind turbines are causing health issuesCalhan residents expressed their complaints towards wind turbines at a county meeting on Tuesday. KRDO NewsChannel 13 was at that meeting to hear several passionate pleas from those who say they are fed up. → MORE Wind farm being sued by families admits its liabilityThe case is next listed for hearing on April 25, and will be closely observed by many of the families living in close proximity to wind farms and who claim that there should be a greater distance between homes and turbines. → MORE LEEDCo's IceBreaker lake wind farm files for state permitIcebreaker Windpower, Inc., the company created by Fred. Olsen Renewables, USA, to build a pilot wind farm in Lake Erie, has filed formal applications with the Ohio Power Siting Board. → MORE The Kafkaesque world of windmill neighborsEditor’s note: This commentary is by Annette Smith, of Danby, who is the executive director of Vermonters for a Clean Environment. → MORE Wind turbine collapses as storms batter Northern IrelandThe massive structure, near the Begny Hill Road between Dromara and Ballynahinch, was photographed lying in pieces on the ground. The images also showed a large crane active on the site amid the wreckage. → MORE Propeller plane crashes into wind turbine, killing pilotThe reason for the crash and the identity of the pilot both remained unclear by Thursday afternoon. But the plane reportedly hit the wind turbine at a height of 40 metres in relatively clear air. → MORE Two Michigan counties pause wind development to sort out local regulationsIn the past two months, two rural Michigan counties have adopted one-year moratoriums on wind development, though they appear to be in vastly different positions when it comes to regulatory experience. → MORE Judge issues draft order recommending PSC deny wind farm permitIn a draft order, a Public Utility Law Judge has recommended that the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) deny a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) permit for the construction of the Dan's Mountain Wind Farm. → MORE Public Service Board penalty for turbine violation called a ‘slap on the wrist’“The PSB has sent us a clear message that we may as well stop filing complaints when GMCW is in violation,” said Melodie McLane, who issued the complaint. → MORE Trump's victory creates uncertainty for wind and solar powerPresident Donald Trump has disputed climate change, pledged a revival of coal and disparaged wind power, and his nominee to head the Energy Department was once highly skeptical of the agency's value. What this means for states' efforts to promote renewable energy is an open question. → MORE Almer Township board denies application for 19 wind turbinesThe Almer Township board of trustees denied an application for special land use permit that would have cleared the way for a Florida-based energy company to erect 19 wind turbines in the community. → MORE Kilgallioch wind farm turbine incident under investigationA wind turbine has collapsed in the south-west of Scotland, BBC Scotland understands. The incident happened at Kilgallioch wind farm early last Friday. An investigation has been launched by developer Scottish Power Renewables and turbine manufacturer Gamesa. → MORE State opposition to wind power spikes as Trump prepares to take officeAmazon’s latest wind farm in coastal North Carolina has completed construction and is weeks from beginning operations—and state legislators have just asked the incoming Trump administration to shut it down. → MORE Wind farms killing more bats than expected“We don’t think the mitigation measure and adaptive measurements have met the standards of the law,” Phillips said. “Specifically with the Hawaiian hoary bat, we don’t really know how many bats there are. … Even at those numbers, if it’s only a couple hundred and if they are killing over... → MORE The End of the Energiewende?The prominent German economist Heiner Flassbeck has challenged fundamental assumptions of the Energiewende at his blog site makroskop.eu. According to Flassbeck, the former Director of Macroeconomics and Development at the UNCTAD in Geneva and a former State Secretary of Finance, a recent period of extremely low solar and wind power... → MORE Hey Connecticut, Vermont ridgelines, meadows are not for saleIn 2015, neighbors living within 3,800 feet of an industrial wind project on Vermont's Georgia Mountain filed a motion for relief. They reported sleep disturbance and other health impacts caused by the operations of the 440-foot-tall turbines. Vermont's Department of Public Service found the neighbors' complaints to be credible and serious,... → MORE Energy policy shouldn’t override conservation policyWith the SEC approval, an ugly statewide precedent has now been set that undermines the integrity and work of local volunteers who develop these important land-use plans. The undeveloped forests in this area are now more vulnerable to future development. ...Green project or not, the AWE farm is located on... → MORE Wind power promises failingIn 2008, Governor John Baldacci worked with a very cooperative Legislature to craft a special zoning and permitting process that significantly aided developers seeking to capitalize on Maine’s rural resources for large-scale wind power projects. → MORE It's our county, not the wind companies' countySeven years ago, a company came to Fayette County wanting to develop a Commercial Wind Farm in Posey and Fairview Townships. They claim they were “invited” by the people of Fayette County. There are a lot of farmers and homeowners in Fairview and Posey Township who would like to “un-invite”... → MORE Storm blows off Vestas blade in DenmarkA blade has been blown off a Vestas turbine at Bindesbol, western Denmark during storm Urd, local publication Dagbladet Ringkobing-Skjern reported last week. → MORE Safety of power-generating wind turbines questioned In the past four weeks, four giant power-generating wind turbines in Germany have either toppled over or experienced broken rotary blades. Now the question is: How safe are wind turbines really? → MORE Fierce Canadian winds snap turbine like a matchstick People in the Grand Étang area of Nova Scotia's Inverness County tweeted photos and video of a wind turbine, whose main trunk was snapped clean in two, with the leftover blade apparatus lying at its base. → MORE US yanks funds from unbuilt windmill farmThe U.S. Department of Energy says Fishermen's Energy failed to meet a Dec. 31 deadline to have a power purchase agreement in place. The department is revoking most of the $47 million in funding it pledged to the project in 2014; about $10.6 million has been spent. → MORE Chunks of ice falling from 98 meters height; Wind turbine did not turn offWhen on New Year's Eve he walked along the Mähneweg near Bocholt, a chunk of ice crashed to the ground just a few meters from where he stood. "I've got a huge horror, of course," he says. The approximately 60-centimeter (nearly 2-foot) ice piece had flown down from a 98-meter high wind turbine. → MORE Petition: Revoke wind permitA Chowan County couple opposed to Apex Clean Energy’s proposed Timbermill wind turbine project in the county have filed a petition in Superior Court asking that the firm’s conditional use permit for the project be revoked. → MORE Swedish offshore wind project dead in the water”Parliament has made it clear that Sweden’s ambitions are to improve its defense. Hanöbukten is one of the strategically most important defense areas Sweden has. The government has considered this issue carefully and have concluded that in this case it is not possible to combine the defense business with wind... → MORE RI Clean Line withdrawn in Iowa pending Illinois court decisionClean Line Energy Partners announced Thursday it is withdrawing its application to the Iowa Utilities Board to construct a transmission line across the state pending a court challenge to the project in Illinois. → MORE Apex appeals Perquimans' decision to deny permit“We are disappointed that Apex cannot accept the decision of our county commissioners on behalf of the residents of Perquimans County,” Winslow said. “In an abundance of caution and in order to preserve additional and alternative grounds for denying the permit, we will be filing a cross petition later today.” → MORE Northern Michigan leaseholder regrets turbinesI signed a wind turbine lease with Heritage Sustainable in 2008. If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have signed. Since the turbines went up, I have had frequent headaches lasting three days. I never had these before. → MORE Fire takes down an entire wind turbine, families nearby react “Unfortunately with the hazards because of the heavy machinery that's up there, there's not much that we could do until it falls down or wait until the point that it's safe and we can send somebody up there to make an inspection,” says Jay Deboer, the Deputy Chief for McBain... → MORE Sand Hills wind farm proposal rejected by county board, but developer says idea isn't deadA controversial proposal for a wind farm in Nebraska’s scenic Sand Hills was shot down by the Cherry County Board on Monday. ...Johnson said that the backers of the wind farm must now decide how to proceed. → MORE Wind turbines hinder military readiness, state lawmaker arguesState Sen. Donna Campbell wants to end subsidies for turbines built near military facilities. Facilities too valuable for operations to be hindered, Campbell argues. Wind industry says federal permitting process already “robust.” → MORE Feds get defensive in allowing wind turbines to kill more eaglesThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service got a little defensive in issuing the final regulations on eagle "take permits," or licenses to kill, saying the Obama administration's focus is to protect eagles, not to allow the wind industry to get away with unrestricted killings, according to the final rule published... → MORE Rush County deals blow to another wind projectNot only were those special exception applications denied by the BZA, they added their own requirements for setback distance and turbine height for future special exception applications NextEra might submit. The BZA announced that any wind turbines constructed by NextEra, in Rush County, must adhere to a 2,640-foot setback from non-participating... → MORE Wind turbine breaks on snowmobile trail between Minden City and DeckervilleAccording to Minden City Fire Chief Zach Kramer, a blade snapped on the turbine sometime overnight Wednesday and it's hanging on, blowing debris across the area. The turbine is located right next to Sanilac County's snowmobile Trail No. 20, which is the main trail between Minden City and Deckerville. → MORE Landowner battling big energy over turbine noiseRobert Gaffke, who owns property near the Big Turtle II project, addressed the Huron County Planning Commission last week regarding a noise complaint he has filed against Heritage Sustainable Energy of Traverse City. ...“It sounds like a guy’s in there with an eight-pound sledge pounding on it, every revolution,” Gaffke... → MORE Man dies after landslide on wind turbine farmHe was on the ground and not operating any machinery when an area of bog shifted and trapped him. A second worker was also caught up in the incident. He was in a digger when the bogland started to move but was able to climb down and walk to safety. → MORE Hungarian parliament passes bill banning new wind projectsThe Hungarian parliament passed a law on December 12 that bans wind turbines within a 12-kilometer radius of populated areas. The legislation will leave no area in Hungary where it will be possible to install new wind energy capacity. → MORE Families forced from homes due to wind farm noise win court case A number of families in Co Cork who were forced to leave their homes because of noise from a nearby wind farm have won a significant case in the High Court this week. ...A spokesperson for Wind Aware Ireland said: “There now is a possibility for multiple legal actions against... → MORE Wind turbines generating regret; $100,000 turbines to create $1.39 in electricity dailyOnce they are working to generate electricity, they will produce so little power — $1.50 worth of electricity a month in savings — that at least one council member is regretting her decision to purchase them. ...The return on investment is over 50 years. → MORE Energy firm must pay for farm’s unused wind powerThe parties’ contract anticipated who is liable when transmission facilities are not available. “Duke is to pay for power not taken,” Easterbrook wrote. “Duke could build its own transmission lines or buy extra capacity from NIPSCO [a grid owner] or some other firm.” → MORE Wind developer drops plan for 119-turbine wind farm in Aroostook CountyEDP Renewables says the need to build new transmission lines and the loss of a power-purchase agreement with utilities in Connecticut contributed to the company's decision to withdraw its application. → MORE Town will ban wind turbinesThe Hagerstown Town Council plans to enact a zoning change that will effectively ban industrial-sized wind turbines in an area referred to as the two-mile fringe, council members told a room full of area residents Monday. The two-mile fringe is an area outside of town where town development and zoning... → MORE Recent DocumentsPatterns of migrating soaring migrants indicate attraction to marine wind farms This important research identified that migrating raptor species tend to be attracted to offshore wind turbines and that the risk of colliding with wind turbines at sea is much greater than previously assumed. The abstract and resulting discussion of the paper are provided below. The full paper can be downloaded by clinking... → MORE Recent PicturesNurlu France turbine blade shred The Nurlu wind energy facility suffered a catastrophic blade failure. The four Gamesa G90-2 MW turbines are owned and operated by EDF Renewable Energies (Iberdrola) and have been in service since 2010. → MORE Another blade failure on a wind turbine - this one in northern Sanilac County Another blade failure on a wind turbine recently occurred a couple miles south of Minden City on Minden Road in northern Sanilac County. Much of the blade has broken off. Work on replacing the blade will likely have to wait until Spring, leaving this unit out of service for some... → MORE German Turbine Collapse A wind turbine standing nearly 100-meters tall and sited near Leisnig in Central Saxony (Germany) collapsed after one of its three blades broke created an imbalance in the tower. According to the investigative report, the force of the impact imbedded the gearbox unit almost 2 meters into the ground. → MORE Recent VideosWind turbine disintegrates near a road: fear among the car driversOn February 5, 2017 in Aquilonia, town in the province of Avellino in the Campania region of Southern Italy, a wind turbine near the road began to turn very fast, then disintegrated, throwing pieces around and forcing the car drivers to make a U-turn. The scene was filmed by some... → MORE Living with EDPR's Jericho Rise wind turbinesKevin Sigourney, who is suffering the impact of EDPR's Jericho Rise wind facility sited in Chateaugay, NY, addressed the Hopkinton (NY) Wind Advisory Committee (WAC). Four turbines are directly behind Mr. Sigourney's home. Two are 1/3 of a mile away. The other two are 1/2 a mile a way. Mr.... → MORE Sacrificed Landscapes: How the energy transition is destroying our environmentThis video by Verlagsgruppe Random House was created for the promotion of the book “Geopferte Landschaften” by Georg Etscheit (editor) and published by HEYNE Verlag. Special thanks to Friends Against Wind for bringing this video to our attention and working to provide the English subtitles. English subtitles by Vind-Alarm-Danmark.eu & Friends-Against-Wind.org. → MORE |
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