| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Utility touts wind power project’s noise record, Vt. regulators fault it
Credit: Associated Press | July 20, 2013 | www.therepublic.com ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Vermont’s largest utility is touting what it says is an excellent record of preventing excess noise at its wind power project on Lowell Mountain, while state regulators are demanding to know why the company shouldn’t be fined over it.
The Public Service Board has set an Aug. 8 show-cause hearing to hear arguments on why Green Mountain Power should or should not face penalties for exceeding noise limits at its Kingdom Community Wind Project.
The Department of Public Service, which represents the administration and consumers before the board, said GMP should be required to redouble its efforts to meet the standards, but should not be fined.
Meanwhile, this past week, GMP issued a statement touting its record of staying within noise limits more than 99 percent of the time.
The excess noise came during testing periods in early and mid-winter, the Public Service Board said.
GMP’s statement focused on a later testing period, from May 22 to June 5, during which it said no excess noise – above the limit set by the board of an average of 45 audible decibels over the course of an hour – was found.
“For most of the testing period, sound levels were well below the maximum level allowed,” said GMP spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure. “While some community members can hear the turbines from time to time, the report shows that the sound falls within the range of typical background noise in a rural community.”
The board said it would not hear from individual neighbors on their concerns about noise, but has invited the towns of Craftsbury and Albany, which have been acting in tandem to raise criticisms about the wind power project, to the hearing. Schnure, meanwhile, noted some people living near the turbines have said they are not bothered by the noise.
Steve Wright, a former Vermont Fish & Wildlife Commissioner who lives in Craftsbury and has been representing local critics of the project, said he expected the towns would decide this coming week the degree to which they want to participate in the Aug. 8 hearing.
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.
| Wind Watch relies entirely on User Funding |
 (via Stripe) |
 (via Paypal) |
Share:
[ Short URL: https://wind-watch.org/news/?p=50665 ]
