Wind Power News: Vermont
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Wind 'farm' a bad idea
This letter is written in response to the June 22 editorial entitled “Airing differences.” This editorial overtly criticizes regional elected officials for not supporting wind energy efforts in western Rutland County.
As state representative for Clarendon, southern Ira, Proctor and West Rutland, I’ve thought long and hard about the pros and cons of wind energy development by Noble (north of Route 4) and Vermont Community Wind Farm (south of Route 4). The smaller, more remote Noble project, running along the Hanley . . .
Neighbors neutral on wind farm
LEMPSTER, N.H. — The turbine closest to Kevin Onnela’s house produced two sounds, both of them barely audible.
The first was a gentle whooshing sound. The second was a whistle that could have been a bird call. Though originating about 500 feet away, neither could be heard over a conversational voice. There wasn’t much wind in the New Hampshire town on Saturday, and Onnela said that made a difference.
“It’s not going to be representative,” Onnela told the crowd of Rutland County . . .
Wind power is a lie
This isn’t about a bunch of rich folks being bent out of shape about the view. Industrial wind power is a lie. It’s not about making power, it’s about making money. Big money. Guys like Per White Hansen and his local figurehead, Jeff Weinberg, and a few local yokels who think they’ll be plowing the roads are trying to sell you on an unreliable, high-cost, source of power that won’t be there when you need it most. Let’s talk about . . .
Can Ira zone out energy proposal?
Public Service Department spokesman Stephen Wark said he could not think of an occasion when a town plan prevented a utility project.
“That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened,” he said Thursday.
Many residents of Ira expressed interest at two recent meetings in amending the town plan to keep out a proposed 80-megawatt wind farm. Members of the Planning Commission have cautioned that they are not sure such a move will work.
State statute requires the Public Service Board to give town plans “due . . .
Killington condo owners planning wind tower
KILLINGTON — Sunrise Mountain Village wants to put up a 100-kilowatt wind turbine to offset its electrical use.
“It’s a relatively small wind turbine as opposed to the commercial ones,” general manager Richard Kolb said Thursday.
The condominium complex has applied to the Public Service Board for a certificate of public good to erect a meteorological testing tower. Kolb said they hope to have it up by August and will need a year of data before they can decide if the turbine . . .
Many problems with wind
Well over 80 residents filled Ira’s Town Hall recently to discuss updating the town plan and the proposed wind turbine project by Vermont Community Wind Farm. This meeting followed the submission to the Select Board of a petition signed by over 100 townspeople opposing the wind turbine project. A newsletter had also been mailed prior to this meeting to every property owner explaining and commenting on industrial wind turbines.
Most people’s understanding of wind turbines, as those gathering signatures for the . . .
Town goes on attack against tower plan
CLARENDON — The town’s Select Board plans to file documents with the state Public Service Board opposing a wind farm proposal to be located in Clarendon, Ira and neighboring towns.
Board members voted Monday to oppose Vermont Community Wind Farm’s plan to develop an 80-megawatt wind facility and to erect a 197-foot temporary wind measurement tower on Susie’s Peak in Clarendon.
Town officials further voted to direct the local planning commission to review the Clarendon Town Plan and take the necessary steps . . .
Wind project opposition dominates Ira meeting
IRA — A proposed wind farm dominated discussion of updating the town plan Tuesday, with many residents asking if the town can put a stop to the development.
Neither the Select Board nor the Planning Commission took any formal action Tuesday night, but commission member Tim Martin called the comments “very useful” and said the commission would work on revisions. He said the commission was not used to getting this amount of input.
The meeting Tuesday was the second of two to . . .
Company organizes bus trip to wind farm
Officials from Vermont Community Wind have organized a bus trip to a wind farm in New Hampshire to try and build support for a large scale wind farm they’re proposing in and around the Rutland County town of Ira.
Company officials say about 35 residents from the area will travel to Lempster, New Hampshire, on Saturday where a 24-megawatt wind farm has recently been built.
VPR’s Nina Keck has more.
(sound of store)
(Keck) Vicki Arsenault owns Grant’s Village Store . . .
Wind farm could have impact on Ira town plan
IRA — An impending development proposal has stirred up strong interest in the rewrite of the town plan.
Planning Commissioner Tim Martin said the town undertook the five-year rewrite of the plan before learning about the proposal to put most or all of an 80-megawatt wind farm in Ira.
“We typically do not get a hot issue of a large public participation in this process,” Martin said.
Roughly 90 people attended a meeting June 10. Another meeting, designed for the planners to gather . . .
