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Welsh Assembly committee urges caution in rural wind farm siting

The Petiitions Committee of the Welsh Assembly, which includes members from four diverse political parties, has issued a report on its investigation of wind farm noise in Welsh communities. The report is short but concisely comprehensive in considering input from residents with noise complaints, advocates of wind energy, and wind developers. ...

Floating in whalesong

For a welcome change of pace from stories about contentious acoustic ecology issues, check out this column from Australia about a group of people who were treated to two sessions of whale song while floating near their inflatable raft. Here's a teaser: "This time the singer was right before my eyes, ...

(Update alert): Queensland Health joins other Australian govts in recommending 2km (1.2 mi) wind farm setbacks

UPDATE, 5/30/12: It appears that the article in The Australian that spurred this post was based on somewhat faulty information. The Queensland Health Department has not issued any new guidance on wind farms; rather, a letter from an employee (apparently the David Sellars quoted below, who ) was issued to a ...

Falmouth board hears from dozens of wind farm neighbors

The Falmouth Board of Health held a special meeting to gather written and oral testimony from neighbors of three wind turbines in town who are experiencing health issues. Seventy people attended the meeting, with about 30 having prepared written testimony about their personal health after the turbines became operational, as ...

One Falmouth turbine shut down by state DEP

One of the contentious wind turbines in Falmouth, Massachusetts has been ruled out of compliance with state noise rules after an investigation by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The noise study found that the turbine created noise levels at one residence less than 1500 feet away that exceeded background ...

Tension builds over expanded whale “takes” in new Navy sonar EIS

The US Navy has released its initial Draft Environmental Impact Statements for the next 5-year round of permits it will seek from the National Marine Fisheries Service for its at-sea training activities, and the numbers of animals expected to be affected have skyrocketed. This is in part thanks to the new ...

Cook Inlet seismic survey permits challenged in court

Permits issued by National Marine Fisheries Service to allow seismic surveys in Alaska's Cook Inlet have been challenged in Federal Court. Cook Inlet is home to a dwindling population of beluga whales (under 300), and the permits allow behavioral harassment of up to 30 belugas per year. In part, the ...

Vermont wind farm challenged in court for intruding on nearby wilderness

Vermonters for a Clean Environment have filed a complaint in US District Court challenging the Forest Service's planned permit for 15 new wind turbines in the Green Mountain National Forest. The challenge includes several issues, but centers on the visual and sound impact of the new turbines on the nearby ...

Maine wind farm reimburses everyone in town for their electric bill costs

The Record Hill Wind Farm has made the first of planned ongoing quarterly payments to all year-round and seasonal property owners in Roxbury, Maine. The checks, for $111.57, reflect the average cost of the power used by residents in town over the course of three months. While wind farms cannot ...

Falmouth selectmen, town meeting continue to tangle over wind turbines

Two town meeting votes, along with a short-lived wind turbine plan adopted by the local board of selectmen, kept things blustery in meeting rooms as well as in the springtime air of Falmouth this month. A large number of people living within a half mile to mile of the two ...