Noble Environmental Power LLC (Noble Environmental) has announced the closing of its Rutland office. Noble Environmental Project Manager Brad King said that the company has not abandoned its proposal to place a wind farm at Grandpa's Knob and will continue to gather data from equipment it placed on the ridgeline in 2008. The company's financial difficulties were reported in October 2008, when the company laid off employees and stopped work at two wind farms in New York.
Noble’s problems were linked to the failure of Lehman Brothers Holding,Inc. one of the company’s main backers.
Though the poor economic outlook prevents us from speculating on our 2009 development plans, we will continue to evaluate the financial markets and the Grandpa’s Knob Windpark, Noble Chief Executive Officer Walter Howard said. Noble firmly believes that the State of Vermont’s good wind resources and tradition of environmental stewardship hold great opportunity for future wind development and construction.
Two meteorological towers went up in the area in early 2008, measuring wind speed, wind direction and temperature at the site.
There’s an ongoing wind resources assessment, King said. That’s unchanged.
I guess I’m discouraged that any business would feel the need to narrow its operations because of the economic times we’re living through, Pittsford Town Manager John Haverstock said.
Haverstock hoped that the incoming presidential administration is interested in subsidizing alternative energy production it will provide a shot in the arm to companies like Noble.
We were looking forward to working with Noble and seeing what they could do with the town, Castleton Town Manager Charles Jacien said.