October 25, 2011
Virginia

Roanoke County board rejects bid to revisit wind farm rules

The Roanoke Times, www.roanoke.com 25 October 2011

The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors this afternoon nixed Supervisor Ed Elswick’s attempt to revisit noise decibel limits in the county’s recently amended ordinance governing commercial wind farms.

Supervisors Mike Altizer, Butch Church, Richard Flora and Charlotte Moore voted down Elswick’s request.

Two weeks ago Elswick asked his colleagues to rescind a 60-decibel maximum noise limit on large wind turbines measured from the nearest property line. In the zoning ordinance the board adopted in September, it set a minimum distance for a wind turbine from the nearest property lines at 1,000 feet and the maximum noise limit. Elswick argued 60 decibels was too high. Lowering the decibel limit likely would have forced the turbines to be located further from property lines.

Elswick was the lone vote against the ordinance when the board adopted it Sept. 13. He represents the Windsor Hills District, where a Chicago company has leased land for a potential commercial wind-energy generating farm on Poor Mountain.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/10/25/roanoke-county-board-rejects-bid-to-revisit-wind-farm-rules/