September 19, 2012
Massachusetts

Plymouth: Selectmen reject moratorium on wind turbines in residential areas

By Bobbi Clark | 959watd.com 19 September 2012

In Plymouth, the Board of Selectmen have rejected an article calling for a moratorium on wind turbines in residential areas.

Although recently approved by the Planning Board, Selectmen decidedly said no to the petitioned article calling for a two-year moratorium on wind turbines in residential and village center areas. During discussion, Board members said they had faith in the Planning Board and its permitting process. This seems a contradiction to the petitioner Kerry Kearney:

“The Planning Board’s decision was to approve a moratorium only in residential zones, to allow them in industrial zones, and I think that was the right decision, and I’m surprised the Selectmen did not support the Planning Board’s decision when they were adamant that they support the Planning Board.”

Keith Mann told the Board a moratorium is not needed since the Planning Board’s permitting process works. A process he knows well since it took him almost two years to get four turbines approved:

“It was close to a dozen public hearings that we went through and in that process we had to modify the project quite a bit. We reduced numbers of turbines, we re-located turbines. We took a lot of input from neighbors and incorporated that in the project.”

The article was defeated on a four to one vote with only Selectman Ken Tavares voting in favor.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/09/19/plymouth-selectmen-reject-moratorium-on-wind-turbines-in-residential-areas/