North Harmony reviewing wind energy law
A review of North Harmony’s wind energy law is beginning so it can be ready for an April 21 public hearing.
Supervisor Sally Carlson said she was approached previously by New York State Wind Energy officials to see if the town would be receptive to windmills being built between Sherman and North Harmony. Although, she said, the company has not gotten back to her, the correspondence prompted the municipality’s officials to begin work on a wind energy law.
She said the planning board has been working on the law, which is modeled after Villenova and Hanover wind energy laws. It addresses locations, with commercial windmills to be allowed in agricultural districts, where there is enough open land to accommodate the windmills. Road control and maintenance are also addressed, as equipment brought in to install windmills is sizeable and can take tolls on roads, she said. Setbacks, sizes and more are also addressed in the law.
Town board member Richard Sena, who was on the planning board for six years before being appointed to the town board, said he would like there to be a separate residential wind energy law from the ”commercial boiler plate” one. Sena said he is trying to get together with some windmill producers to get information to include in the law.
His concerns, he said, deal with generation of kilowatt hours. Sena said a lot of laws allow for more generation, but, he said, that would allow a ”huge” windmill, adding that he has learned most residential windmills generate smaller amounts than what town officials are considering. He said if an ”enormous” windmill is allowed in a residential area, it would add to noise.
Another concern, he said, is height. Some laws, Sena said, discuss whether windmills should be above tree lines. He would like to find out more about what the height allowance should be so that can also be addressed in the town’s law.
Sena said the issues ”drew red flags” for him about what the town’s wind energy law should address about the topics. He is therefore getting information from those with knowledge about the issues so the matters can be discussed by municipal officials prior to the April 21 hearing.
Although Sena said he thinks wind energy is ”the way of the future,” he said he also thinks the law should protect others in the town from possible intrusions from windmills.
”Some things need to be tweaked,” said Sena about the town’s residential windmill law it is drafting.
Mrs. Carlson said the town’s officials are receptive to windmills but want to be ready with its ordinance in case they are proposed for the town.
”They will effect other people,” she said about wind mills that could come to parts of the town.
By Sharon Turano
5 April 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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