| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Allegany zoning denies wind farm developer requests
Credit: Zoning board denies wind farm developer requests | From Staff Reports | The Cumberland Times-News | November 14, 2015 | www.times-news.com ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
CUMBERLAND – The Allegany County Board of Zoning Appeals on Friday voted unanimously to deny an application for variances and a special exception for a proposed 17-turbine wind farm project on Dan’s Mountain, killing the $110 million project.
The project was proposed by Dans Mountain Windforce LLC. Opponents have said they were concerned about the viewshed, adverse health effects, noise and electromagnetic interference, among other issues.
The decision by the three-member board comes after a three-day public hearing last month. The board reconvened Friday.
Dans Mountain Wind Force has already invested more than $5 million in the project, according to David Friend, managing partner with Laurel Renewable Partners LLC, owner of Dan’s Mountain Windforce.
Friend said a special exception is a form of permitted use that must be obtained in order to locate a wind farm anywhere in the county. The denied variance deals with setback and separation requirements.
The project had been in the works since 2001. In 2008-2009, a 25-turbine farm was proposed, but that number was reduced to 17 to meet county requirements.
The project was delayed several times, with the Maryland Public Service Commission granting extensions to the developer. During a Dec. 17, 2014, meeting, the PSC granted a motion to extend the deadline for the start of construction of the project to Dec. 31, 2016, and the deadline for the beginning of operations to Dec. 31, 2018.
Questions regarding the board’s action can be directed to attorney Wesley W. McKee at 301-724-7400.
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:
[ Short URL: https://wind-watch.org/news/?p=74669 ]
