Campbell parrot in new alert
The bird at the centre of a row over a proposed $220million wind farm in Victoria has had its conservation status lifted to critically endangered. Environment Minister Ian Campbell has promised "extraordinary effort" will be put in to save the orange-bellied parrot, whose plight he has used to block a 52-turbine wind farm in Bald Hills. The bird now has the same status as 17 other species near extinction, including the grey nurse shark, western swamp tortoise and Gilbert's potoroo. Senator Campbell said the decision would not create any extra hurdles for wind-farm developers, who were "well aware of the issues" regarding the protection of the bird.

Windfarm Action Group questions noise guidelines
The Windfarm Action Group (WAG) wants the public to challenge municipal, county and wind power officials to look deeper into the health issues associated with inaudible sound and light flicker before they’re erected. A large crowd gathered at Saugeen Shores Plex’s Rotary Hall on August 30 to hear members of WAG and its guests, sharing concerns regarding wind power projects in both the Shelburne area and Kingsbridge project near Goderich. “Is it ethical, moral or just to expose residents to unwanted sound,” said WAG member Kathy McCarrel.

The deepwater solution
Can the United States, the first nation to put a man on the moon, develop deepwater wind turbines capable of harnessing the ocean’s vast wind resources? The answer is "yes." Unfortunately, it’s not the right question, because the real puzzler is whether deepwater technology can be made cost-effective. If it can - and experts believe the answer to that question may be at least a decade away - deepwater wind farms could offer a real alternative to fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Deepwater wind farms could also provide an alternative to their near-shore cousins, proposed projects such as Cape Wind’s bid to build a wind farm in Nantucket Sound. Such projects have sparked controversy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that, however large or small, they can be seen from the shoreline.