In the first lawsuit to involve a planet, Judge Thomas Coffin of the United States Federal District Court in Eugene, Oregon, ruled on Friday in favor of twenty-one plaintiffs, ages 8 to 19, on behalf of future generations of Americans in a landmark constitutional climate change case brought against the Federal Government and the Fossil Fuel Industry. The lawsuit alleges that the Federal Government is violating the Plaintiffs’ constitutional and public trust rights by promoting the use of fossil fuels. Read more here.

We know that wind power is a powerful, renewable energy source. Did you know that wind farms also help landowners keep their farms in the family by providing revenue and royalties from the power provided? Each year, American landowners receive $222 million in lease payments alone. Wind is a drought-resistant crop that is reliable and not subject to fluctuating crop prices.  Greg Alvarez of the American Wind Energy Association went on a tour through Colorado looking for the community impacts of wind power. During his trip, he met Jason Wilson of Calhan, Colorado, whose family almost had to give up its 76-year-old farm because it wasn't financially profitable anymore. Wilson said, "The wind farm allowed us to be able to keep our family farm. The wind farm balanced the financial viability with the sentimental value, allowing the family farm to be passed on to the next generation." Click through to read more Continue reading

That's right, $128 billion! Not to mention an average of $13 billion per year for the past five years alone. The American Wind Energy Assocation (AWEA) released the data last week. Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA, said, "Over this time, wind has rapidly scaled up. There's now enough wind power installed to reliably produce electricity for over 19 million American homes." There were more records broken last year by wind energy, including capacity installed. Click through to read more Continue reading

MidAmerican Energy posted this informative and cool video that shows a turbine being constructed from beginning to end. The video includes interesting facts about the individual parts of the turbine (such as the nacelle being the size of a school bus!) and how long it takes to assemble.Check out the video below! MidAmerican Turbine Construction

Have you ever wondered how a wind turbine works? Save On Energy posted an animated graphic that shows every step of how a turbine works. Check out the cool picture below!  Continue reading

You can find the full report here. The DOE’s new Wind Vision Report explores our nation’s potential to increase its energy production from wind power.    According to the report, America’s wind power capacity has tripled since the 2008 release of the Energy Department’s 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report, making it more clear than ever that it will be possible for the U.S. to generate a significant portion of its power from land-based, offshore and distributed wind facilities by 2030. The report outlines numerous benefits the U.S. will receive from increasing our domestic production of wind energy, including reduced pollution, increased domestic employment, consumer cost savings, water conservation, nationwide availability, and increased community revenues. Continue reading

A new study analyzing the environmental impacts of Maine’s wind turbines has been released by Massachusetts-based Sustainable Energy Advantage (SEA). The study finds that Maine’s wind energy facilities have a strong positive impact on the health and environment in the state, by reducing emissions from energy generation.  You can find the full study here.  Continue reading

Health Canada just completed the most comprehensive and largest study on wind energy and health to date.  They collected data for two years, and they have released their summary report today.  The good news is – the results support what previous studies have concluded: wind turbines are not related to adverse health. Read the complete summary from Health Canada, here.  Key findings are: Continue reading

Welcome to the Downeast Wind blog.  This is where you'll find updates on the project, interesting news reports and studies relating to the project, and personal stories from local residents and leaders.  Check back soon for more information about wind energy and Downeast Wind!