Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Legislators approve wind-power regulations
Credit: April 22, 2014 | www.hartfordbusiness.com ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
The General Assembly’s Regulation Review Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved regulations that held up the construction of wind turbines in Connecticut since 2011.
The vote paves the way for Texas-based Pioneer Green Energy to apply to build a 10-12 megawatt wind farm in Ashford and Union.
Melanie Bachman, acting executive director of the Connecticut Siting Council, said Tuesday that she expects the council to receive an application soon.
“It certainly has taken a while, but we were very pleased particularly given that it is Earth Day,” Bachman said of the vote.
The Earth Day vote was made possible after committee members, the Siting Council, and various other state officials met earlier this year to hammer out their differences.
During the three-year moratorium, a citizens group called FairWindCT opposed pieces of the various regulation proposals— particularly rules pertaining to how close a turbine can be to a residential area.
Legislators addressed some concerns by making it more difficult for a developer to get a setback waiver, and by requiring developers to provide upfront financial assurance so the state can decommission a turbine that is no longer in use.
FairWindCT President Joyce Hemingson said Tuesday that she was pleased the state had its first set of comprehensive wind regulations, despite the fact that her group did not get what it wanted on a number of fronts.
In particular, the group wanted a bigger setback requirement for turbines proposed near residential properties. The committee approved a setback of 1.5 times the height a given turbine, which Hemingson said isn’t enough.
The group is also concerned about the noise turbines make.
“[The rules] aren’t perfect, but there’s a procedure in place for making changes, if changes need to be made,” Hemingson said.
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 Contributions |
(via Stripe) |
(via Paypal) |
Share: