by jboullion | Apr 1, 2011 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A new air pollution permit issued by state regulators for the coal-fired power plant near downtown Milwaukee doesn’t go far enough to protect public health, environmental groups said Thursday as they filed challenges to the permit.
We Energies’ Valley plant doesn’t have modern controls to reduce emissions linked to soot, smog and respiratory health problems.
The state Department of Natural Resources recently issued a permit for the plant to keep operating without installing more controls.
Sierra Club and Clean Wisconsin, backed by the Cleaner Valley Coalition, filed petitions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DNR seeking changes to the permit. The DNR filing seeks a contested case hearing before an administrative law judge.
In light of new EPA standards, the Milwaukee utility is continuing to evaluate whether to add controls to the plant or switch the plant from burning coal to burning natural gas.
A decision on changes for the Valley plant, which provides steam to heat and cool downtown Milwaukee buildings, is expected this year.
“It’s great that they’re deciding. We need a decision now because Milwaukee air quality is bad now. And we’re hoping they’ll make the right decision and move away from coal because it’s just going to get more expensive to continue to burn coal,” said Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “There are so many people living by that plant, and coal is too dirty to burn amid that many people.”
by jboullion | Mar 30, 2011 | Uncategorized
Immediate release:
March 30, 2011
Contact:
Bill French
Midwest Wind Energy
(847) 414-0134
French@midwestwind.com
Midwest Wind suspends project development in Wisconsin
In view of continued regulatory uncertainty in the State of Wisconsin, a leading wind farm developer has announced that it has suspended development activity until a more predictable climate is restored. Chicago-based Midwest Wind Energy, LLC (MWE) has been developing utility scale wind farms in Wisconsin since 2003 and has two of its developed projects operating; one a 54-megawatt project in Dodge County and the other a 67-megawatt project in Fond du Lac County. MWE is also developing a 98-megawatt project in Calumet County and another project which had not yet been announced publicly.
According to MWE President, Stefan Noe, it no longer makes sense to invest significant development capital in a state that appears to be closed to the wind energy business. “Most states are clearly open for renewable energy development and the economic development dollars and jobs that come with it. So long as there are states rolling out the welcome mat it doesn’t make sense to devote significant dollars to a state that is creating unreasonable roadblocks for wind development.”
Noe cites the recent suspension of PSC 128 by the Wisconsin Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules as the most convincing evidence that Wisconsin is not interested in working in good faith with the U.S. wind energy industry. The rule was the culmination of almost two years of work by the Public Service Commission and resulted in some of the most stringent and detailed wind siting rules in the country. Although restrictive, these rules created a workable compromise between the wind industry and a range of stakeholders.
“Our four projects alone represent more than $600 million of capital investment in Wisconsin and more than 400 construction jobs and 40 permanent high-tech jobs. The industry as a whole has the potential to be a multi-bill ion dollar industry for the state. These projects also generate millions in local landowner payments and local government revenues, cash flow that is sorely needed in Wisconsin’s rural communities.” Noe said.
Midwest Wind Energy, LLC is a leading developer of utility-scale wind farms in the Midwest and Great Plains with seven projects totaling 649 megawatts currently in operation. MWE has an additional 5000 megawatts of projects in its development pipeline.
END
by jboullion | Mar 29, 2011 | Uncategorized
More information
Michael Vickerman
Executive Director
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
Less than a month after a 10-member legislative committee prevented a statewide wind permitting rule from taking effect, Invenergy, LLC, a Chicago-based wind developer that owns and operates the 86-turbine Forward Energy Center installation south of Fond du Lac, has ended efforts to install 100 turbines in southern Brown County.
In a March 21 letter to the Public Service Commission (PSC), Invenergy singled out the recent suspension of the agency’s wind siting rule as a significant factor in its decision to cancel the Ledge Wind Energy Center. “The absence of regulatory stability has made it imprudent for Invenergy to proceed with investments in a project which unknown regulations might make infeasible to construct,” the letter states. Invenergy’s application to build the 150-megawatt Ledge Wind project was filed in October 2009.
“The regulatory environment for permitting wind energy systems in Wisconsin is deteriorating rapidly,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin. “The rollback started with Governor Walker’s proposal to impose onerous and unworkable setback requirements on wind turbines, and continues with the Legislature’s assault on the PSC’s wind siting rule.”
“By all appearances, it seems that Governor Walker and the Legislature intend to close the door on wind development in Wisconsin once We Energies completes its Glacier Hills project later this year,” Vickerman said.
The PSC rule, which was scheduled to take effect March 1st, would have fulfilled the Legislature’s intent to create uniform siting regulations to replace what had become a restrictive and hodgepodge of local requirements. On that very day, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules suspended the rule on a 5-2 vote that tracked along party line votes (Republicans in favor; Democrats against).
Had the 150 MW Ledge Wind Energy Center gone forward, it would have generated $600,000 annually in municipal revenues to Brown County and four host townships, and more than $600,000 annually to host landowners and their neighbors. On average, installing one turbine requires 1,325 hours of craft labor, and a 100-turbine wind project will support a payroll of over $10 million, according to figures provided by Boldt Construction.
“Invenergy’s cancellation of its Ledge Wind project should not come as a surprise,” Vickerman said. “It should be expected with a political leadership that treats windpower as a pariah energy source. Until the day the Governor and the Legislature put aside their ideological blinders and recognize the benefits that come with developing a clean, locally available and inexhaustible energy source, Wisconsin will remain a very unappetizing place to pursue utility- scale wind projects.”
“Wisconsin can ill-afford to export windpower-related jobs and local payments to other states,” Vickerman said.
— END —
RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that acts as a catalyst to advance a sustainable energy future through public policy and private sector initiatives. More information on RENEW’s Web site at http://www.renewwisconsin.org.
by jboullion | Mar 16, 2011 | Uncategorized
From a post by Tom Content on JSOnline:
Broadwind Energy Inc. will supply 70 wind towers for a wind farm Goldwind USA Inc. will build in Illinois later this year.
Broadwind Energy, based in Naperville, Ill., operates a wind tower manufacturing plant in Manitowoc formerly known as Tower Tech.
Goldwind is planning to build a 70-tower project for its Shady Oaks project in Lee County, Ill., set for installation in the second half of the year.
The company saw record production levels for wind turbine towers in the fourth quarter, Broadwind said today. Broadwind is currently building towers for the Glacier Hills Wind Park, which is being built northeast of Madison in Columbia County by We Energies.
The Glacier Hills project will be Wisconsin’s largest wind farm. Goldwind USA is a subsidiary of Chinese-based Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd., which is a leading global manufacturer of wind turbines.
“Our partnership on this project is an ideal example of how U.S. and Chinese companies can work together to make the wind industry stronger while creating economic opportunity locally,” Peter Duprey, Broadwind president and chief executive, said in a statement.
