March 5, 2011
Massachusetts

Ingersoll says he will re-file wind-farm permit application

By Paul Gately, Bourne Courier, www.wickedlocal.com 4 March 2011

Wind-farm developer Tudor Ingersoll says he will re-file his controversial plan for seven turbines off Scenic Highway, the special permit application for which was suddenly withdrawn last week from local and regional review.

“We’re still in the game,” Ingersoll said. “We will re-file. We think we have a good plan. There are questions about it and concerns with it, and we’re dealing with them. We’re not going away.”

Ingersoll said the wind-farm proposal had somewhat fallen victim at the Cape Cod Commission to “faulty communications.” He said New Generation Wind itself could have provided much better communications during its review process.

He said it is difficult to shepherd a complicated project through commission review and then past elected town planners. “From our perspective, it would be nice to have some form of concurrent review,” he said. “It’s a long process.”

A five member commission sub-panel started out scrutinizing the seven-turbine proposal off Scenic Highway and the Route 25 connector.

That review fell to three members even as Buzzards Bay residents filed a citizen-petition article for the May Annual Town Meeting Warrant that would amend the town’s wind-energy systems control bylaw, something that would it approved by voters, made it impossible for the wind-farm plan as now devised to proceed.

Selectman Jamie Sloniecki, a wind-farm opponent, said the project was “never a good fit” for its location.

“I hope the New Generation withdrawal doesn’t make this all a moot point,” Sloniecki said. “It’s important to review this, now more than ever,” he said. “It’s a good time for the town to put an amended regulation in place. I think you have to take into effect the enormity of the project next to a residential neighborhood.

“Bourne has never really tried to welcome new business, and this proposal is certainly new business,” Sloniecki said. “But this vehicle is just too large. It all comes down to location. The citizen petition article should go forward.”

Bourne Planning Board Chairman Chris Farrell said his committee will listen to the supporters of the citizen-petition article “and make our decision from there.”

Farrell said he understands why Ingersoll and Lorusso withdrew their permit application.

“At the commission you have five members and two alternates reviewing the plans with their staff and all of a sudden you’re down to three members,” Farrell said. “Would you want to take your chances with three members? I think they were smart to withdraw it.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/05/ingersoll-says-he-will-re-file-wind-farm-permit-application/