North Dakota wind farm on hold a year after approval

ASHLEY, N.D. (AP) — More than a year after federal regulators approved a wind project in McIntosh County, not a single turbine has been erected.

Landowners who signed leases with the developer were told in December that the project is on hold. County Commissioner Ron Meidinger tells The Forum newspaper (http://bit.ly/HRYGSY) that officials with Competitive Power Ventures said the wind farm won't move forward this year because of the uncertainty surrounding federal tax credits.

The Maryland-based company did not return calls to The Forum and did not immediately respond Monday to an Associated Press request for comment.

Officials say North Dakota's once-booming wind energy sector is waning because of the sluggish economy, electricity transmission bottlenecks and the prospect that federal tax credits will expire at the end of the year.

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