A number of public speakers at an offshore wind energy impact analysis scoping meeting said a full environmental impact statement should be prepared before the federal government leases tracts in an area northwest of Morro Bay. But officials with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said a full EIS can’t be conducted on the effects of wind turbine installation and operation in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area until leaseholders propose specific projects that can be analyzed.

Offshore Wind California

Opponents of the offshore South Fork Wind farm that recently received federal approval are asking a judge to block the land-based portion of construction from starting on the project under arguments that can be heard in a pending related lawsuit.​

Legal Offshore Wind New York

Regulators have approved the purchase of a proposed wind farm in southwestern Wisconsin that is the state’s first project approved under 12-year-old rules designed to make the process easier for developers. The Public Service Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to authorize Wisconsin Public Service Corp. and Madison Gas and Electric to spend $162 million on the Red Barn Wind Farm as part of long-term strategies to phase out coal-fired power plants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

General Wisconsin

Many, like Cheri Hafer, are concerned the area will prohibit commercial fishing. “One of our biggest enemies right now is industrialization of the ocean," Hafer said. "Not just to fishermen, but to the marine habitat.” Larry Thevik, a dungeness crab fisherman, said many fishermen feel like their concerns aren’t being heard and that the impact it may have on the commercial fishing industry isn’t being thoroughly considered.

Offshore Wind California

The Solar Futures Study also emphasizes the potential of “solar-pollinator habitats,” which are intended to combine solar panels with pollinator-friendly native plants, ultimately bolstering crop yields while simultaneously producing cleaner energy. Christensen-Lewis, who already plants wildflowers on her organic farm to encourage pollinators, has her doubts about those habitats as well. “We always say that when a solar company comes in and puts in their pollinator habitat, it’s three years away from becoming a patch of weeds, and then they’re going to have to use Roundup,” she said. “It’s just a label—it’s just a selling point—and not necessarily a very good one.”

General USA

HENDERSON — The onetime owners of most of Galloo Island have reacquired the 1,900-acre Lake Ontario property with the intent of preserving it as farmland.

General Rhode Island

The settlement agreement states, “Enforcement found that Cameron Ridge formulated, documented, and implemented a plan to reduce the output of the resource during periods of negative prices,” thus pocketing unjust profits.  Moreover, Terra-Gen “falsely represented that more than fifty percent of Cameron Ridge was comprised of technology that was physically unable to curtail output” yet did just that to cut output n response to market pricing.

Legal California

“Is this throwing more money at a project that should never have been built where it is, all at ratepayer expense?” asked Smith. “Regardless of the reason, the Lowell Wind project was built in a remote area with extraordinary ecological resources that had much greater value than the minimal amount of electricity being produced. It was well known at the time it was proposed that the area lacked adequate transmission capacity to handle the additional power. There is no excuse, more than a decade later, to saddle ratepayers with any additional costs.”

General Vermont

It’s difficult to pick a single topic that has received more ink this year than renewable energy projects. With solar projects tipping the scales a bit more than wind, the WDN has covered meetings at all levels, interviewed citizens as well as local and state legislators on the topic and have worked to stay on top of the subject as the conversations and legislation continue to evolve.

General Ohio

North Dakota regulators on Wednesday approved a wind farm’s plan for dismantling its turbines at the end of the facility’s life using a new method that drew a comparison to chopping down trees. ...The PSC denied another wind farm’s request for more time to comply with the state’s light mitigation law. The state requires that wind farms use technology to keep the red lights atop turbines from blinking all night long. ...The commission earlier this month denied similar extension requests from other wind farms.

General North Dakota

The group Citizens for the Preservation for Wainscott filed the motion in the State Appellate Division on Dec. 20 seeking to block construction of the on-land portion of the South Fork Wind Farm which would run underground cables through their neighborhood. The group said in its motion a high-voltage cable under Wainscott Beach and the hamlet’s roads could disrupt the "bucolic environment" of the neighborhood and cause "irreparable environmental damage."

Offshore Wind Transmission USA New York

The group Citizens for the Preservation for Wainscott filed the motion in the State Appellate Division on Dec. 20 seeking to block construction of the on-land portion of the South Fork Wind Farm which would run underground cables through their neighborhood. The group said in its motion a high-voltage cable under Wainscott Beach and the hamlet’s roads could disrupt the "bucolic environment" of the neighborhood and cause "irreparable environmental damage."

Offshore Wind Transmission New York USA

The nation’s largest proposed offshore wind-power facility is already encountering rough seas, with its developer acknowledging it will cost at least $2 billion more than originally estimated.

Offshore Wind Virginia

NORWICH — An Upper Valley solar company is proposing to build a 500-kilowatt solar array on a wooded hillside that was once part of a farm now bisected by Interstate 91.

General New Hampshire Vermont

NORWICH — An Upper Valley solar company is proposing to build a 500-kilowatt solar array on a wooded hillside that was once part of a farm now bisected by Interstate 91.

General New Hampshire Vermont

It’s time to end the hype about offshore wind and the giveaways to foreign corporations. Let’s hope these lawsuits succeed and they scuttle the offshore wind business once and for all. I’ll end by saying once again that if policymakers are serious about decarbonizing the electric grid, they need to get serious about nuclear energy. 

Legal Offshore Wind USA

These fights are part of a global backlash against the energy sprawl that always comes with the expansion of wind and solar energy. Earlier this month, the International Energy Agency’s “Renewables 2021” report included more than a dozen mentions of the growing problem of “social acceptance” of renewables in countries all over the world. For instance, in Italy, the IEA says that “limited land availability and growing social acceptance challenges further hamper faster growth of renewables.”

General USA Iowa

After hearing from many in the community who oppose the Rough Hat Nye County Solar Project, the advisory committe decided to withhold support for the project. That recommendation was a key piece of the puzzle when the Nye County Commission took up the topic on Dec. 16. Many opponents have cited the project’s potential negative environmental impacts and its effect on recreational activites. Some fear a drop in housing values, if the project is approved.

General Nevada

These fights are part of a global backlash against the energy sprawl that always comes with the expansion of wind and solar energy. Earlier this month, the International Energy Agency’s “Renewables 2021” report included more than a dozen mentions of the growing problem of “social acceptance” of renewables in countries all over the world. For instance, in Italy, the IEA says that “limited land availability and growing social acceptance challenges further hamper faster growth of renewables.”

General Iowa USA

Some Falmouth residents are upset and are particularly concerned about the danger of high-voltage cables beneath their neighborhood. “The electro-magnetic field will be substantial. Who is going to protect us from this?” Grand Avenue resident Marc P. Finneran asked. David Buzanoski, chairman of the community group Falmouth Heights-Maravista Neighborhood Association, aired concerns on behalf of the neighbors.

Offshore Wind Transmission Massachusetts