Why would anyone not want turbines in their town? They blend right in.
Pioneer Green Energy’s plans to begin building wind turbines in Alabama has run into some legal trouble. A group of 32 property owners near Shinbone Ridge in Alabama have filed suit against Pioneer Green Energy and Noccalula Wind LLC over the industrial wind project planned on Lookout Mountain.
The property owners near Shinbone Ridge claim the project will destroy the scenic beauty and diminish property values in the area, according to the suit. They say it will destroy the way of life that drew them to the area long before Noccalula Wind LLC and Texas-based Pioneer Green Energy decided to place dozens of wind turbines in Etowah County.
Pioneer Green Energy is the same wind developer trying to build wind turbines in North East, PA. The project in North East has been described differently over time, beginning with an estimate of 50 to 75 wind turbines and more recently described as 10 to 20 turbines, though no definite plan has been presented to the public by either the company or township officials so residents can’t be sure what the company really intends to do.
Pioneer recently pulled the plug on a project in California where they had planned to build as many as 400 turbines in the Dunnigan Hills wind farm project. Besides the new lawsuit in Alabama, they also face opposition in North East for a variety of reasons, among them, public safety due to setbacks the company is demanding which residents in North East say are too close to neighboring property and diminished property values that will result from the wind project.
Wind energy is in a prolonged slump with major cutbacks in countries around the world and absolutely no installations during the 2nd quarter of 2013 anywhere in the US. Pioneer Green Energy is trying to get a project started before the end of this year when tax credits are due to expire, but may be facing an uphill battle as local resistance to their projects continues to grow.
Derek R. says
In their September 2013 issue, the magazine, “Business Alabama,” published an article discussing the Alabama wind project.
Is it coincidence that Alabama has the same complaints about Pioneer as we have here in North East? EACH ONE of Alabama’s concerns has already been discussed here on the NorthEastWindmills website. Listed below are quotes from the Alabama article, and if you are a frequent reader of the NorthEastWindmills website, these will all sound very familiar to you:
“Projects started by Dec. 31, 2013 can be eligible for as much as 30 percent of the cost through a cash grant. With all of the 2013 incentives, as much as 70 percent of the project could be paid for by federal funds.”
“Another problem is the ambition of unusually tall turbines built by a company [Pioneer] that has not built an operating wind farm to date.”
“Pioneer Green claims to have four years of wind data on Shinbone Ridge, but their numbers do not match with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration numbers, according to Phil Williams, a state senator.”
“Rental incomes on the ridge will fetch $7,000 a year for the landowners . . . Much of the income from the turbines for landowners is based on a 30 percent production rate; the Tennessee wind farm rarely exceeds 24 percent.”
“‘Tens of millions of dollars in lost property values, plus migration out of the area, could cause loss of revenue,’ says Stinson, founder, principal and managing member of Commercial Realty Services of Alabama LLC.”
“All too often, wind farms that don’t produce get abandoned, leaving an enormous and visible structure to rust, according to Williams [state senator]. ‘If they don’t pan out, it can cost millions to remove the turbines, if they get removed,’ says Williams.”
http://www.businessalabama.com/Business-Alabama/September-2013/Wind-Farm-Turbulence-Statewide/
Shannon Mackey says
Pioneer Green has reportedly threatened Business Alabama with a lawsuit over the article. The above mentioned article has been removed. You can check the site to see that it is “under review.” A copy of the original print article has been posted at http://www.facebook.com/SaveShinboneRidge.
Tammy C Truitt says
“Pioneer Green can’t handle the truth.”
Shannon Mackey says
Keep an eye on your local board of education. Pioneer Green is offering the Cherokee County Board of Education a paltry sum to further their PR. The elected superintendent is under heavy fire on the Save Cherokee Rock Village facebook page. Plus, Pioneer Green has just hired a local attorney to convince everyone how honest they are…