Wind project hearing off again
RICHMOND — The Highland wind project hearing that was slated for Tuesday this week has been cancelled, but officials indicate it will be rescheduled.
Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources filed a motion late Friday with the State Corporation Commission, asking to continue the case focused on whether Highland New Wind Development is meeting the conditions of its state permit for a 38-megawatt facility on Allegheny Mountain.
DHR was seeking additional information from the National Park Service about the Camp Allegheny Civil War site near the project, and said it will be unable to review, analyze and consulted with HNWD before Tuesday.
DHR officials said they received the NPS information shortly after filing the motion last week.
SCC hearing examiner Alexander Skirpan Jr. noted DHR requested the matter be “continued generally,” and agreed to do so.
“I have been advised that Highland Wind plans no response to the motion,” he wrote. “Based on DHR’s pleading, I find that the evidentiary hearing scheduled for Nov. 10 should be cancelled, and that this matter should be continued generally.”
DHR will now have to notify the SCC when it is ready to proceed, and a new hearing will be scheduled, SCC says.
DHR had alleged HNWD was not meeting one of the conditions in its SCC permit, to work with DHR on issues related to archaeological and historic resources.
Its motion explained, “On Tuesday, Oct. 27, DHR advised defendant Highland New Wind that the two reports it submitted would be accepted as archeological and visual impact reports, thus continuing the constructive consultation as requested by
DHR. The parties agreed that DHR would seek additional information from the National Park Service, and, once that information was received and analyzed, provide (HNWD) with its comments regarding the reports Highland New Wind submitted in addition to the information from the parks service.”
At the time the motion was submitted, DHR noted it “still has not received the information requested from the parks service, and thus has not been able to draft its comments to (HNWD) and determine if the parties can resolve the issues of minimizing impacts to the historic battlefield resources likely to result from the defendant’s proposed development. Since a constructive consultation is what DHR sought when it filed its complaint, it does not seem appropriate to proceed with a hearing on the complaint before it has had a chance to provide its comments to (HNWD) and engage in dialogue in seeking resolution of the issues.”
Officials indicate DHR and HNWD are still “far apart” on several issues, however. DHR requested data from NPS related to how the battlefield site area was determined, and where important Civil War events took place there.
By Anne Adams
Staff Writer
The Recorder
12 November 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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