October 26, 2011
Vermont

Judge continues restraining order for wind project protesters

Written by Free Press Staff Report, www.burlingtonfreepress.com 26 October 2011

After a daylong court hearing Tuesday, Orleans Superior Court Judge Martin Maley continued a temporary restraining order requiring protesters to stay at least 1,000 feet from blasting at the construction site of a Green Mountain Power Corp. wind project in Lowell pending his upcoming ruling in the case.

Maley is considering whether the company should be allowed to blast within 1,000 feet of another property owner’s land after neighbors Don and Shirley Nelson challenged the restraining order in court. The Nelsons are also arguing that they own some of the land where GMP is doing the blasting.

Utility spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure said Maley did not say when his ruling would come but continued the restraining order through this week.

Protesters had been camping out on land the Nelsons own within 1,000 feet of where Green Mountain Power is building 21 wind turbines and had refused to leave during blasting, requiring contractors to curtail the power of the blasts and slowing the project. Late last week, Maley directed local police to enforce a court order against the protesters. Schnure said no protesters were on site Monday or Tuesday during blasting.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/10/26/judge-continues-restraining-order-for-wind-project-protesters/