September 16, 2007
New York
New York
ELLENBURG – Few spoke up at recent public hearings on Marble River Wind Farm’s supplemental environmental impact statement.
“One landowner got up and praised (the project) because it’s helping the community out and helping the farmers,” said Ellenburg Town Supervisor James McNeil.
He said 25 or so people showed up for the hearing.
Horizon Wind Energy, in partnership with AES-Acciona Energy NY, LLC, wants to build 88 wind turbines in the Town of Clinton and 21 in Ellenburg as part of its Marble River Wind Farm.
Still with various permits to come, the project would follow on the heels of Noble Environmental Power’s wind-energy farms, now under construction in Clinton and Ellenburg. Noble is also finalizing plans for Altona Wind Park.
Over the course of several months, Marble River fine-tuned its plan and revamped parts of it, including shifting proposed underground collection lines to overhead to minimize environmental impact.
Underground lines restrict the number of turbines connected to one line, therefore, Marble River would have to run several parallel lines to serve all the wind towers.
But only one overhead line would be needed.
McNeil spoke up at the hearing in his town.
“I told them I look forward to working with them.”
He said he appreciates the extra time the company has taken to finalize plans “rather than trying to rush it.”
“The comments were very positive,” said Marble River Project Manager Charles Turlinski. “That was very encouraging for us. We worked for a year putting together our supplemental work.”
The project remains on track for construction in May 2008, he said.
At the Town of Clinton hearing, which also took place on Aug. 28, just one written comment was submitted; no one spoke up.
The towns posted legal advertisements announcing the hearings in the Aug. 17 Press-Republican, noting as well that copies of the supplemental draft environmental impact statement are available at the town clerks’ offices in Ellenburg and Clinton.
Written comments can be submitted to those offices until Sept. 30.
By Suzanne Moore
15 September 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/09/16/public-says-little-at-wind-park-hearing/