March 29, 2012
Virginia

Floyd Co. Supervisors appoint task force to study wind farm pros and cons

By: Doug Thompson, www2.swvatoday.com 29 March 2012

Floyd County Supervisors Tuesday night appointed nine county residents to a task force to study the wind generator issue and report pros and cons of allowing commercial turbine farms on the county’s ridgelines.

Appointed to the task force are eight men and one woman. They are, by district.:

Michael Turman, Gary Ytoma: Burks Fork;

Tony Marisco, Elizabeth Aldridge: Locust Grove;

Jerry Boothe, Dave Dixon: Courthouse;

Jeff Walker, Bob Bonsignore: Little River;

Doug Phillips: Indian Valley. One more appointment from Indian Valley remains. Supervisor Fred Gerald said he is working to find a second person to fill the slot.

Locust Grove Supervisor Lauren Yoder will chair the task force and serve as a tie-breaking vote if one is needed.

The board discussed, in broad terms, guidelines for the task force but left most of the direction open. They urged a site visit to a turbine installation in West Virginia and said legal counsel would be provided by county attorney Jim Cornwell.

Supervisors created the task force earlier this year after tabling a proposed ordinance to limit development along the county ridgelines. Proposed commercial wind generator farms for Wills Ridge and other possible locations in the county have divided county residents, and the ordinance sparked debate on private property rights and a long public hearing on Jan. 31 at Floyd County High School and comments by many residents at the board’s regular monthly meetings.

Yoder said he would call a first meeting of the task force in the near future. The board did not set a deadline for the group to bring a report back to the board.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/29/floyd-co-supervisors-appoint-task-force-to-study-wind-farm-pros-and-cons/