November 1, 2006
New York
New York
A local law regulating the construction of wind turbines in the Town of Tonawanda is ready for a public hearing.
The hearing is scheduled for Monday’s Town Board meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers of the municipal building.
Town lawmakers approved a moratorium last December on “wind-energy-deriving towers and transmission facilities.” The subject has been broached in many communities in recent years, and inquiries were made in the Town of Tonawanda.
In fact, the General Motors property in the Town of Tonawanda was one of five sites identified following a year-long study of shoreline winds by Erie County and Ecology & Environment of Lancaster to determine the potential for generating wind power.
Town of Tonawanda officials enacted the moratorium to give them time to draft appropriate regulations for the town code. But the moratorium may need to be extended to give officials time to review and amend the proposed legislation.
Within town borders, potential sites include the industrial area near the south Grand Island bridges and near the town’s water treatment plant along Aqua Lane.
Wendel Duchscherer is working on legislation for several municipalities, said engineer Andrew C. Reilly. “This is something that private business is going to look at, municipalities are going to look at,” he said.
“You’re not asking for much more than what they [developers] normally have to do,” Riley said.
“There may be some tweaking,” Riley said. “Let’s hear from the public.”
By Janice L. Habuda
News Staff Reporter
e-mail: jhabuda@buffnews.com
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2006/11/01/hearing-monday-on-local-law-on-wind-turbines/