Energy Law

A Vermont Environmental Court judge has ruled that a 16-turbine wind-energy project is entitled to the final permits it needs to begin construction on Granby Mountain and Libby Hill in Sheffield.

Judge Merideth Wright ordered several revisions in the construction stormwater permits issued to Vermont Wind, a subsidiary of Boston-based First Wind, but upheld those permits. Vermont Wind would be only the second such project to be constructed in Vermont. A commercial wind farm in Searsburg, in southern Vermont, was completed in 1997.

If the company follows the permit conditions, there is no reason to expect that road-building and installation of the towers would degrade five small streams on the ridge, Wright concluded.

Disclosure: SDRS represents First Wind in this matter.

A farming operation north of Idaho's capital city is taking advantage of the region's geothermal hot water to extend its growing season, just the latest example of how energy-conscious residents are putting the largely unseen but steamy reservoir beneath their feet to work.

The Idaho Statesman reports that Sweet Valley Organic, located in a valley near rural Emmett, Idaho, has built a geothermal greenhouse. It also uses outdoor pipes to keep its crops from freezing.

The Connecticut state government has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as one of the organizations doing the most in the country to buy renewable energy.

Government procurement officers have contracted for more than 107 million kilowatts in renewable energy for the coming year, 17 percent of the state's power use.