Tower in Downe: What does it mean?
DOWNE TWP. – Residents here are finally noticing the tall tower rising from the marsh near the bayshore, and questions abound.
At Monday’s township committee meeting, many wanted to know why construction of the device used to measure wind velocity and the feasibility of a wind farm in the area never came before the planning board.
Others wondered if it could mean money for the township.
Answers provided at Monday’s meeting were disappointing, residents said.
Resident Bernie Sayers said it’s one of the best ideas he’s heard, but he asked about tax revenue issues.
“What will be the potential tax revenues to us?” he asked. “What kind of revenue would we get from 50 windmill towers?”
Mayor Renee Blizzard said when the committee sees the towers, they will address that. She said the township is not involved at this point.
Committeeman Chet Riland said renewable energy is not taxed.
Resident Jesse Briggs said the planning board and state should “be on top of this.
“If there are no tax benefits to us, I don’t want to see it,” he said.
Blizzard said the governor has signed a declaration that windmills are inherently beneficial, and the township can’t regulate how people use private property.
Briggs said the power would have to be transferred from the towers and would have to cross other people’s property.
“There are a lot of issues involved,” he said.
Riland said there might be different parameters of regulation if it is a commercial venture.
“We can’t just turn our backs on something this big. It’s going to have a huge impact,” Sayers said. “Who does have jurisdiction?”
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has already said it doesn’t have jurisdiction.
Delsea Energy, the company that wants to put 50 wind turbines in Delaware Bay, installed the device, an anemometer.
The project has drawn widespread opposition from commercial fishermen, environmentalists and others.
Delsea has retained former DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell to represent the company.
Sayers also said the height of the anemometer is supposed to be 95 feet, but said it is obviously much taller.
He estimated the height at 150 to 190 feet.
Riland said there will be a lot of environmental and wildlife issues.
“It could be 10 years in the future. There will be a whole lot of obstacles,” he said.
Riland said among the issues to be considered are the number of turbines proposed, their placement, height and noise.
By Jean Jones
The News
10 December 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
The copyright of this article is owned by the author or publisher indicated. Its availability here constitutes a "fair use" as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law as well as in similar "fair dealing" exceptions of the copyright laws of other nations, as part of National Wind Watch's effort to advance understanding of the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development. For more information, click here.
