Tagged: wind energy

Legislation that began as a proposed three-year moratorium on wind development in Vermont is drawing the ire of environmental and renewable energy advocates.

Supporters of a call for a three-year moratorium on wind power projects in Vermont say the solution to global warming is to reduce the use of fossil fuels, not build industrial-scale wind projects on the state's ridgelines.

The group called Ridgeprotectors issued a statement Monday after U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders urged Vermont lawmakers not to impose the moratorium.

The recently passed fiscal cliff legislation included a one year extension of a wind tax credit, a welcome move for developers in Vermont.  The credit is being renewed at the same time that a pair of state senators are calling for a moratorium on wind development.

The federal government says it plans to sell leases for wind farms off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia, marking the first time it has sold competitive leases for wind energy on the outer continental shelf.

The Department of Interior and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Friday said the leases for two areas totaling more than 430 square miles would be sold next year.