July 2, 2014
Maine

Clifton voters accept changes to land rules for proposed wind farm

By Terry Stackhouse | WABI TV5 | July 2nd, 2014 | wabi.tv

Clifton voters approved a series of changes to the town’s land use rules that pave way for a proposed wind farm on Pisgah Mountain.

The amendments passed in a 210 to 138 vote.

Some of the changes include the elimination of different day and night sound standards and the creation of new sound limits near homes and property lines.

Project planner Paul Fuller says the company behind the proposal was most concerned about correcting, what he described as, “flawed ordinances” that were impossible to meet.

For 5 years, he and others have been working on a plan to put up five turbines there.

Opposition to the plan has led to several other votes and expensive legal battles.

Paula Kelso, a former planning board member, said, “It is a pretty sad day for our town.” She now represents the Clifton Task Force on Wind. She continued to say, “Mr. Fuller has promised a community benefit of giving the town $45,000 a year. He is under no obligation to do that.”

Fuller, who accuses Kelso of changing land use ordinances to block the wind farm, said, “It is a great victory for the town of Clifton.” What they did is they corrected those flaws, those two impossible standards, and made those retroactive to our 2010 permit.”

Opponents involved with the Clifton Task Force on Wind tell us they’re now looking forward to a State Supreme Court case where the applicant hopes to overturn a judge’s December decision that the Clifton Planning Board made a mistake in approving the project.

That case is expected to begin in the late summer or early fall.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/07/02/clifton-voters-accept-changes-to-land-rules-for-proposed-wind-farm/