Saturday, March 31, 2012

New York agrees to spur offshore wind development in Great Lakes

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By JAEGUN LEE

TIMES STAFF WRITER
SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012

The Obama administration has struck a deal with five states, including New York, to spur offshore wind farm projects in the Great Lakes.

While federal and state officials claim that offshore wind development in the region could create “tens of thousands of clean energy jobs,” area representatives say that lakefront communities have little to gain and a lot to lose from such projects.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Parishville officials want local participation at wind energy public hearing

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012


By BRIAN HAYDEN

PARISHVILLE - The town of Parishville will once again consider a local law for regulating wind energy facilities.

This time around, town officials are hoping it’s Parishville residents, not out-of-town wind advocates and opponents, who turn out and offer input at the public hearing for the law.

County Planning Board reviews Lyme’s wind turbine moratorium

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By CRAIG FOX
TIMES STAFF WRITER
TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012

The Jefferson County Planning Board gave its informal blessing on Tuesday for the Lyme Town Board to pass another six-month moratorium on wind turbines.Planning board members reviewed the extension on the moratorium and sent it back to the town “as a local concern” without making any comments. The extension would give Lyme’s Planning Board more time to draft a revised wind zoning law.
The town first passed a moratorium in 2007, which was extended several times for varying periods.A public hearing on the moratorium will be held at 6:15 p.m. April 11 at the town offices, Route 12E, prior to the regular council meeting.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Lyme plans to enact another 6-month wind moratorium

 Link here to continue reading--   Lyme plans to enact another 6-month wind moratorium in April
By JAEGUN LEE
TIMES STAFF WRITER
MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012


CHAUMONT — Lyme’s town board is set to pass another six-month moratorium on wind turbines to give its Planning Board more time to draft a revised wind zoning law.

A public hearing on the moratorium will be held at 6:15 p.m. April 11 at the town offices, Route 12E, prior to the regular council meeting.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Fort Drum plans to retrofit post power plant to run on Biomass

Fort Drum energy plant purchase formally announced
By GORDON BLOCK
TIMES STAFF WRITER
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2012


FORT DRUM — A planned retrofit to convert the post’s idled coal plant to run on biomass is expected to bring hundreds of new jobs and enough sustainable energy to handle all of the post’s power needs.

The plans come as ReEnergy Holdings LLC, Albany, formally announced on Monday morning its purchase of the plant, and its scheduled work to convert it to run off of biomass materials. The company will invest about $34 million to make the conversion.


     
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Monday, March 19, 2012

Snail Power

Clarkson team generates electricity from snails

By CHRISTOPHER ROBBINS
TIMES STAFF WRITER
MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2012

POTSDAM — The snail, one of nature’s slowpokes, carries its house on its back — but it might also hold the power to fuel a revolution in nanotechnology.

A team of scientists at Clarkson University has developed technology to turn an ordinary snail into a living, moving battery.
[Watertown Times]

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Judge hears arguments over Hammond wind turbine law

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

CANTON — A judge in state Supreme Court heard arguments Friday on whether a wind turbine law in the town of Hammond is constitutional.

The lawsuit was filed by Daniel and Michelle McQueer and other Hammond residents who feel the law passed in October discriminated against people who were already setting up contracts for wind turbines. The town has said the Wind Energy Facility Law was created to protect the safety of Hammond residents, but critics say it arbitrarily defines where turbines can be built.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Hammond considers solar power at town hall

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By AMANDA PURCELL


FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

HAMMOND – Following the example of municipalities like Alexandria Bay and Clayton, the town is looking into solar power to cut energy costs.

Fourth Coast Inc., Clayton, is expected to present the cost and energy savings benefits of installing solar panels on the Hammond Town Hall at the Town Council’s April 9 meeting.

Louisville enacts wind turbine regulations law

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By BENNY FAIRCHILD
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS


FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

LOUISVILLE — Following a public hearing attended by no members of the public, the town of Louisville voted unanimously to enact a wind turbine regulations law that would prohibit wind turbines from appearing along the town’s waterfront.

“This is something that has been in the making for a long time, probably for four or five years,” Town Supervisor Larry R. Legault said.

Cape Vincent plans audit on water districts

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By JAEGUN LEE
TIMES STAFF WRITER

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

CAPE VINCENT — The town plans to conduct an audit on all water districts in Cape Vincent in an effort to distribute the cost evenly among users.

Cape Vincent Supervisor Urban C. Hirschey said the audit on the five districts will take a few months but the town eventually will make sure every municipal water user is paying a fair share.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Rutland, Champion officials schedule public hearing on wind development moratorium

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By TIFFANY WATTS
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS


THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012


RUTLAND — The Rutland Town Council voted to schedule a public hearing on a proposed 180-day moratorium on wind development and the construction of transmissions lines in Rutland for 7 p.m. April 12.

OwnEnergy, Brooklyn, is considering the construction of a wind farm of up to 80 megawatts in the town of Denmark. The company in December erected a meteorological tower off Wilson Road, just west of the hamlet of Denmark, to test wind speeds.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Senate brushes back wind tax credit

By MARC HELLER

 Link here to read more--TIMES WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

ARTICLE OPTIONS

WASHINGTON — A tax credit for wind energy providers that will soon expire suffered a setback in the Senate Tuesday as lawmakers rejected a one-year extension.

But the defeat owed more to what was attached to it — a grant program tied to the Obama administration’s 2009 economic stimulus — and lawmakers are likely to revisit the extension.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Hammond wind lawsuit heads to court

  Link here to read more-- Hammond wind lawsuit heads to court

By AMANDA PURCELL

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012

HAMMOND — A group of landowners challenging wind turbine restrictions in the town’s Wind Energy Facility Law will have their day in court March 16.

Landowners Michele W. and Daniel I. McQueer, Steven S. Demick, William F. Hadlock and Crayton L. Buck are bringing the legal challenge against the town in state Supreme Court in Canton.

Friday, March 9, 2012

JCC Article X forum Thursday draws a crowd of 100 concerned citizens

  Link here to read more-- JCC Article X forum Thursday draws a crowd of 100 concerned citizens
By JAEGUN LEE
TIMES STAFF WRITER

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

New York’s Article X energy law is not flawless and indeed was passed “surprisingly fast” but addresses both statewide energy needs and local concerns, according to a sponsor of the state rule.

Addressing more than 100 people gathered Thursday in Jefferson Community College’s Jules Center Amphitheater, Assemblyman Kevin A. Cahill, D-Kingston, said Article X allows the state to override municipal zoning laws only if local rules are deemed “unreasonable” by a siting board.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Circuit failure at NYPA’s Massena operations causes explosion



 Link here to read more--   Circuit failure at NYPA’s Massena operations causes explosion


By BRIAN HAYDEN
Watertown Daily Times


THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012


MASSENA - An explosion at the New York Power Authority’s St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project sent a fireball into the air Saturday afternoon.

NYPA Regional Manager Rick Turner said a “catastrophic failure” involving a circuit breaker at a switch yard caused the fire shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday. There were no injuries resulting from the explosion, Mr. Turner said.

HAMMOND ~ landowners challenging

Wind

Turbine Restrictions

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012

HAMMOND — A group of landowners challenging wind turbine restrictions in the town’s Wind Energy Facility Law will have their day in court March 16.

Landowners Michele W. and Daniel I. McQueer, Steven S. Demick, William F. Hadlock and Crayton L. Buck are bringing the legal challenge against the town in state Supreme Court in Canton.

   

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Friday, March 2, 2012

JCC to host energy law forum

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By JAEGUN LEE
TIMES STAFF WRITER


FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012

Jefferson Community College will host a public forum Thursday on the state’s Article X energy law — a 2011 rule that allows the state to override municipal zoning laws for the siting of electrical energy generation facilities with more than 25 megawatts.

The two-hour forum, which is free, will start at 6:30 p.m. in the Jules Center Amphitheater, Room 6-002, at JCC off Coffeen Street.