Nine East Bay communities formed a partnership – the East Bay Energy Consortium (EBEC) – four years ago to explore making some money from wind turbines. 

The cities and towns, including Barrington, got some significant financial help with nearly half a million dollars in public seed money from the RI Economic Development Corporation, according to today's Hummel Report. 

That amount of cash, in turn, attracted the attention of a private developer who was interested in developing a potential $55 million project of his own in Tiverton. 

Instead of embracing the private project, though, the economic development corporation saw it as a threat. And Jim Hummel finds that heading into 2013 the fate of the public project is still unclear.

In short, four years and $400,000 later, the communities still have a long way to go to decide how to move forward. 

See the latest Hummel Report – “Testing the Winds.”