February 4, 2013
North Carolina

Military representatives to discuss wind farms with Pamlico boards

By Charlie Hall, Sun Journal Staff | February 4, 2013 | www.newbernsj.com

BAYBORO – An information meeting on wind energy with representatives from the U.S. Marine Corps is scheduled Wednesday during a joint session of the Pamlico County commissioners and planning board.

Pamlico County was approached last year by the Wind Capital Group about building wind turbines on as much as 20,000 acres in the county.

The proposed project area is east of N.C. 306 near Grantsboro and north of Bayboro in open farm land and timber areas.

The commissioners turned the matter over to the planning board to work on an ordinance covering such an industry.

Representatives of Cherry Point air station and the regional command for Marine installations on the East Coast will be at the Wednesday 6 p.m. meeting in the commissioners room in the county courthouse.

Tyler Harris, the community plans and liaison officer at Cherry Point air station, said military speakers would include representatives of the regional MCI East – Marine Corps Installations.

Mike Evers is the deputy director of the MCI East Governmental and External Relations. Dave Plummer is the MCI East Regional Airspace coordinator.

“We are going to talk about the effects of wind turbines and the mission of Cherry Point in the Pamlico County area,” Harris said. “We are not talking about any particular wind farm. We will share with them where the mission is and different things we do in the county. We’re going to answer any questions and that’s the extent of it. It is information sharing.”

Harris said the military did not request the meeting. He also said Cherry Point had issued no official stance on wind turbine energy farms.

“Our position is to work with wind farms and to find ways to mitigate the co-existence of both,” he said. “We have no position on any specific one or ones that are in question in Pamlico County.”

In January, Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow (ACT) approved a resolution in support of proposed regulations for potential wind turbine and tall structures in the area.

That comes during Craven County’s effort toward regulation of tall structures, including windmills.

During the Jan. 22 Pamlico commissioners meeting to set the Wednesday presentation, Pamlico Commissioner Paul Delamar IIIvoted against the meeting with the military.

He categorized it as a method by a few opponents of windmills to provide negative influence on what he said was a potential industry for the county.

Wind Capital Group spokesmen told the commissioners last year that land owners would make money leasing the space for the windmills and that construction and subsequent operations would create jobs and provide tax revenues to the county.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/02/04/military-representatives-to-discuss-wind-farms-with-pamlico-boards/