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Wind Alert! 17-Mar-2021News and information from The WindAction Group facts, analysis, exposure of industrial wind energy's real impacts - www.windAction.org |
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17-Mar-2021
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WindAction EDITORIALJoin the Wildlife, Energy & Community Coalition
WECC is an alliance of grassroots environmental and community organizations, scientists, and conservationists working to protect communities and wildlife threatened by irresponsible energy development – specifically industrial renewable energy projects. → MORE Recent ArticlesHorse Heaven Wind Farm proposal brings opposition from local groupThe potential wind farm, south of Tri-Cities, has brought up opposition from a group in the area, Save Our Ridges. “It’s not wanted and it’s not needed,” Barry Bush with Save Our Ridges said. → MORE North Texas Heritage Association to hold rally against potential wind turbine industrial complexJACK COUNTY — Wind turbines are hard to miss, whether they are far away or close up, sometimes you just can’t avoid them. → MORE Top Democratic tax writers differ on clean energy breaksWyden's plan would establish one credit for production of electricity or investment in facilities producing lower emissions than the national average, increasing in value with a maximum credit applied to zero-carbon electricity sources. Another is a credit for cleaner transportation fuels, with an expanded credit for electric vehicle purchases, and... → MORE The tragedy of wind turbine blade disposalPlans for dealing with deteriorated turbine blades are insufficient and lead to absurd amounts of material and land waste. There are around 58,000 wind turbines in the U.S. according to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database, with an estimated 3,000 more planned to be erected by the end of this year.... → MORE Cabin owner speaks out against Rail Tie projectTucked against the foothills west of Tie Siding is a small cabin, under construction for the last seven years, representing the dreams and life savings of Carson and Loretta Aanenson. Better known around Laramie as Ace, Aanenson and his wife have been working on the project since 2014. “We come... → MORE Renewable energy vs. the environmentThe leading theory about why renewable energy projects were not being built places the blame on rural opposition. The theory is that the projects are good but uninformed people cause problems. → MORE Scituate wind turbine to stop spinning at night this summerResponding to years of complaints from neighbors that they can’t sleep at night because of the noise from the Scituate Wind turbine, the Scituate Select Board ordered the operation shut down at night — from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. — from mid-May to mid-October. The seasonal hiatus will cost... → MORE Over 230 submissions on proposed wind farmWicklow Uplands Council observed that the project could pose a 'significant threat to the character of this historic upland landscape'. The group expressed its support for renewable energy, but suggested that alternative and less sensitive locations could be considered. This view was echoed by a number of observations. Mountaineering Ireland... → MORE The Aumelas wind farm condemned for the destruction of kestrels
The Versailles Court of Appeal has just ordered EDF and its subsidiaries to pay 500 euros to the France Nature Environnement association and reminds that the destruction of protected species is prohibited. The FNE renews its request for the dismantling of the wind turbines in Aumelas (Hérault). → MORE State gives renewable energy developers a blank check in site selectionA 2020 state law stripped local control from the site selection process, in effect giving renewable energy developers a blank check regarding site location. From Queens to Grand Island, local control has played a role in Amazon’s site selection, but the state has decided that for renewable energy local input... → MORE 34 Indiana counties restrict wind, solar projects. Lawmakers are pushing a bill to override themThe roads in Henry County, Indiana, were dotted with signs protesting projects locals say will infringe on their rights and their quality of life: wind turbines. → MORE Maple Valley Township Board rescinds controversial wind ordinanceThe Maple Valley Township Board voted 4-0 on Monday night — with new Trustee Benjamin Newell abstaining due to his lease with Apex Clean Energy — to rescind their recently approved controversial wind ordinance, to rescind approval of a ballot question regarding the wind ordinance and to place a six-month... → MORE Energy company to breed endangered California condors to replace birds killed by turbine bladesROSAMOND, CA - After a decades-long effort to rescue the California condor from the brink of extinction, government officials say the critically endangered vultures are now at risk of being killed by spinning turbine blades. → MORE Bats vs. 'batteries': Clean-energy project worries biologistsThe old mine, in the Town of Moriah near the shores of Lake Champlain, is now one of the most important refuges for bats in North America. The Barton Hill hibernaculum, as it’s known, is a winter home to some 50,000 bats, including one of the largest populations of endangered... → MORE After 45 hours with no electricity, some top takeaways from the Texas blackoutsThe first and most important point is this: We ignore the fragility of the electric grid at our peril. The Texas Blackouts are a stark reminder that the electric grid is our biggest, most important, and most complex network. Its strategic importance to our society cannot be overstated. The electric... → MORE Xcel plans to double its renewable energy generation by 2030. It’ll cost consumers $8 billion to do it.The centerpiece of the plan is a dramatic increase in renewables and storage, adding approximately 5,600 MW of new capacity. This includes 2,300 MW of wind power, 1,600 MW of large-scale solar projects and 400 MW of battery storage. Another 1,300 MW of distributed solar, such as community solar gardens,... → MORE State Senators, Rep chastise SECNew Hampshire State Senators Jeb Bradley, Bob Giuda and Ruth Ward, as well as Rep. Michael Vose sent a letter to the Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) on Jan. 29 pointing out that the Committee has been sidelining public complaints about noise the Antrim Wind Energy turbines make in the Antrim... → MORE Crane collapse delays wind farm using giant GE turbines to sell power to GoogleThe developer confirmed the January collapse was the second crane-related incident at the site. A crane slid off the road and into a ditch last August ...A spokesperson for GE said: “There was a weather-related incident in January at the Bjorkvattnet wind farm in Sweden that impacted installation but did... → MORE Offshore wind plans will drive up electricity prices and require ‘massive industrialization of the oceans’“Environmentalists have not yet grasped the massive industrialization of the oceans now underway and proposed.” ...If the advisors on Biden’s climate team are serious about protecting the environment, now would be a good time for them to reconsider the massive industrialization of the oceans that is now underway. It might... → MORE Solar industry baffled, angry as CMP cites need for costly upgradesMaine’s burgeoning solar industry is up in arms, after many developers received emails from Central Maine Power last week indicating that their projects are causing technical problems at substations that could require costly upgrades. The controversy is erupting as scores of solar developers are building and proposing projects in Maine... → MORE Court ruling means wind farms must provide more information on noiseA significant High Court ruling means wind farms have greater transparency obligations to the public concerning the provision of environmental information, including in relation to wind turbine noise. → MORE Vineyard Wind reawakens in the Biden era; America’s first industrial scale offshore wind farm appears back on track.Vineyard Wind, the wind energy developer that aims to construct America’s first industrial scale offshore wind farm some 15 miles south of Aquinnah, has resuscitated its project permit process. The company formally pulled out from the federal permitting process on Dec 1. → MORE 'Beastly' windmill project that 'will endanger animal lives and the environment' is universally slammed on Spain’s Costa BlancaBenissa councillor, Mari Carme Ronda, claims the 82-metre blades would be a threat to species of birds such as the Golden Eagle, the Peregrine Falcon and the Osprey. After discovering the plan on Wednesday, she said the windmills (each as high as a 30-storey building) would have ‘a beastly environmental... → MORE New studies show pronghorn avoid wind turbinesWind turbines do displace pronghorn, which in return lose valuable food especially in winter months. ...“We know there is a negative effect, and we would fully expect that to translate that animals don’t eat as much, they don’t put on as much fat, they don’t survive the winter as well... → MORE Madison County puts effective ban on new wind energy development as storm over turbines continuesThe nation might be bitterly divided over politics, Stancil said in an email to the Des Moines Register, but opposition to additional wind development in is "decidedly bipartisan" in Madison County, which sits on the edge of the Des Moines metro and is best known for its picturesque covered bridges.... → MORE Is there a dark side to green energy?‘Renewables are just not what people think they are. People think that they harmonise society with the natural world but that’s fantasy. Renewables can’t save the planet, are we going to keep letting them destroy it?’ ...Pound for pound, however, rare earths are vastly more intensive to extract and refine.... → MORE Major N.Y. offshore wind project sparks NIMBY fightA New York project has emerged as a contender to be the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm, shifting the U.S. industry’s sights to a proposal that has encountered opposition from residents of a resort town in the Hamptons. → MORE As rumors swirl of large-scale turbine farm, fishermen worry about rapid pace of wind developmentMaine fishermen say that Gov. Janet Mills’ plan for a state-led offshore wind project is being rushed. And now news that a developer is considering a new commercial-scale wind project off the coast is adding to their fears. → MORE As US moves to renewable energy, wind turbines from Xinjiang may get caught in political tempestOn one hand, the Las Lomas wind site is an example of US, Chinese and European companies taking action together ...On the other, they are companies whose supply chains run through a part of China where there has been widespread international condemnation, ...human rights violations reported to be taking place... → MORE ¥60 billion wind power project off Fukushima to be dismantledThe government said Thursday it will remove the two remaining wind power turbines it installed off Fukushima Prefecture citing lack of profit in the project, which cost ¥60 billion ($580 million). The project was widely seen as a symbol of the reconstruction of the northeastern prefecture following the 2011 earthquake,... → MORE Wind farm backlash grows in oil-rich Norway ahead of electionWhile the cost of wind power is falling, a growing number of voters want to see less of it. They’d rather see alternatives like more hydro or even fossil fuels -- which would clash with the government’s environmental goals. A survey in November showed that only 36% were favorable about... → MORE FAA reverses approval of Campo Wind project“Attorneys for our non-profit, Backcountry Against Dumps (“Backcountry”), informed us yesterday that the FAA GRANTED our Petition for Review and vacated its previous approval of the Campo Wind Project,” Tisdale told ECM in an email Dec. 4. “This means the Campo Wind Project cannot be built unless and until the... → MORE Amazon staying tight lipped on landslide at wind farm construction siteInternet giant Amazon is staying tight lipped after construction was suspended at a windfarm it is invested in, following a landslide. A peat slippage at Meenbog on the Donegal-Tyrone border has polluted rivers in both NI and the Republic leaving angling groups and fishermen seriously concerned about a mass fishkill. → MORE Wind-solar parks: Conflicts galore but India wants more“The questions that need to be answered before India pursues such a massive renewable programme involving huge solar and wind parks are – whether there is sufficient available land, whether comprehensive environmental impact assessments are conducted prior to construction and whether a proper compliance of environmental safeguards is carried out... → MORE Huge Vestas wind turbine collapses in Northern Sweden in rare accidentThe cause of the accident is unknown and the company is assembling a team that will investigate at the site, spokesman Anders Riis said on Monday by phone. A lot of snow is expected this week, which may delay the work, he said. No one was injured in the incident.... → MORE ‘Wind turbines don’t turn forever’: Industry issues new end-of-life guidanceAcross Europe, some 14,000 blades from 4,700 first generation turbines are due to be decommissioned by the end of 2023. WindEurope’s End-of-Life Issues and Strategies Seminar (EoLIS 2020) aims to offer assistance. The guidance provides a comprehensive overview of the rules and regulations on decommissioning. → MORE Vestas Blades America to lay off 185 from its Brighton workforceVestas Blades America plans to cut 185 workers from its Brighton operations in January. Workers at Vestas put the finishing touches on a nacelle, a wind turbine generator, back in 2016. → MORE Farmersville, Concerned Citizens file lawsuits against Alle-Catt decisionGary Abraham, attorney for the Coalition of Concerned Citizens (CCC), and Zoghlin Group of Rochester, representing the Town of Farmersville, both filed lawsuits against the Siting Board and Alle-Catt Wind Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Invenergy, with the Fourth Department of the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division in Rochester. → MORE Vardafjellet wind farm - NVE has decided to stop all turbinesAfter turbines 1 and 3 were stopped, it was discovered that this was not sufficient to recover the TV signals. ...NVE has therefore made a new decision in the case. NVE has now ordered the shutdown of all turbines at Vardafjellet wind farm. → MORE Taiwan bans solar PV on salt flats in ecologically sensitive areas in Chiayi County and Tainan City
Land used for producing salt connected to highly ecologically disputed areas in Chiayi County and Tainan City according to the investigation completed by the Institute shall no longer be provided for solar photovoltaic installations. The consent given for the provision of land is revoked and the deposit shall be refunded... → MORE Seneca Nation calls on solar developer to ‘cease and desist’ following bone discoveryThe President of the Seneca Nation of Indians is asking the solar developer behind the Horseshoe solar array in Caledonia and Rush to “cease and desist” all activity so it can investigate whether a bone recovered during an archaeological investigation survey is human. → MORE Wind turbines take a terrible toll on birdsBut it is time to acknowledge that Wind (Energy) is not green and clean. It might sound absurd or shocking to some readers, but that is the reality and the facts confirm this undeniable truth. → MORE Mayan communities are suing the Mexican government over a million solar panel megaprojectThis is not an isolated example of human rights issues with large-scale solar projects, Hudlet told Climate Home: “The consultation process with indigenous communities has become more of a mandatory checklist” than a serious attempt to seek consent… “If we keep allowing companies to press ahead with such projects and... → MORE Fires at wind farms 'underreported over fears of reputational damage'The fire specialist says that because of a lack of reporting and transparency around wind farm blazes, it is difficult to know how far off current estimates (ranging from 1 in 2,000 turbines to 1 in 15,000 ) are from the true number of fires each year, while many figures... → MORE MidAmerican Energy takes 46 wind turbines offline after blades fall in rural IowaMidAmerican Energy says it has idled nearly four-dozen electricity-generating wind turbines while workers check them for safety after blades broke off of two similar turbines over the past two months. Those blade failures follow a break earlier this year and one in 2019. → MORE Recent DocumentsCardiologist’s Investigation and Response to Industrial Wind Turbines in the Rural Residential Countryside
This important report written by a cardiologist provides a critically important, fact-based review of what he's learned and witnessed regarding the impacts of industrial wind turbines on human health. The executive summary and purpose of the report are provided below. The full report can be downloaded from this page. Windaction... → MORE Déja vu and wind Turbines: A review of lived experiences after appeals of Ontario industrial-scale wind power facilities
This informative report validates the testimonies of homeowners that were filed in numerous appeals involving wind energy facilities approved for construction in Ontario Canada. The abstract of the report and an excerpt of the paper's discussion are provided below. The full report, which includes the list of the wind energy... → MORE Recent PicturesLocust Ridge wind turbine burns
Avangrid Renewables, previously known as Iberdrola, built and now owns and operates the Locust Ridge I and II wind energy facilities. Phase I consists of 13 Gamesa G87 2.0 megawatt turbines. Phase II includes 51 Gamesa G83 2.0 megawatt turbines. The phases were placed in service in 2007 and 2009... → MORE |
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