LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

Get weekly updates
RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Stripe

Donate via Paypal

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Planning board approves Clayton’s proposed wind law 

Credit:  By Marcus Wolf | Watertown Daily Times | September 29, 2016 | www.watertowndailytimes.com ~~

WATERTOWN – The Jefferson County Planning Board on Tuesday unanimously approved, with conditions, the Clayton Town Council’s new local wind law proposal, Local Law No. 5.

The Town Council introduced the law at its Aug. 24 meeting in order to update its methods to regulate “the application, development and placement of wind energy facilities to protect public health and safety and to minimize the negative impacts.”

“We obviously agree with the proactive approach in updating their pre-existing laws,” said Jefferson County Senior Planner Michael J. Bourcy.

While the Planning Board approved the proposed law, board members discussed multiple comments and concerns they had with its regulations, particularly setback regulations.

One of the board’s major concerns with the proposed law is that it allows the establishment of setback easements through an agreement between developers and private land owners. Mr. Bourcy said that setback variances are typically granted through a town Zoning Board of Appeals after reviewing variance requests from energy facility developers and property owners.

“Our issue is that this is basically a private agreement,” Mr. Bourcy said.

The board also encouraged the Town Council to include wind energy facility setbacks from state wildlife management areas.

Mr. Bourcy said while the law references potential impacts wind development can have on various forms of wildlife, including birds and bats, the Town Council did not include setback regulations from wildlife areas where these species reside, such as the Chaumont Barrens.

“We feel that maybe they should have specific setbacks from areas mentioned,” he said.

The Planning Board also shared their concerns with items that would help determine setback regulations.

Board Chairman David W. Prosser said the town should include a definition for the word “structure” for clarification of structural setbacks.

“Here we are saying that we don’t know what they are defining it as,” Mr. Prosser said.

Under the law, large wind energy facilities must maintain a one-mile setback from any structure, roadway or property line, but Mr. Prosser said he wondered if the town’s wind overlay district would allow developers to construct wind energy facilities without violating the setback regulations based on its size. Mr. Bourcy said that developers should have to pursue a setback easement in order to develop in the town’s overlay district.

“We just question if one mile is achievable,” Mr. Prosser said. “Is the one mile setback justifiable?”

Under the law, wind energy facility developers would have to pay property owners for any decreases in property value or damages, but the Planning Board encouraged the Town Board to make sure that it has that power under state law.

“These are regulations we have not typically seen in land use regulations,” Mr. Bourcy said.

Mr. Bourcy said that the Town Council should make sure that either the proposed law’s regulations coincide with the town’s Comprehensive Plan or determine if state law requires their plan to govern their proposed law.

Mr. Bourcy also said the Town Council should incorporate any zoning regulations established in the proposed wind law into the town’s Zoning Law to eliminate any discrepancies.

One discrepancy Mr. Bourcy said that the town should clear up is whether it will require special use permits for meteorological towers.

This is required under the proposed wind law, or wind energy permits, which is require under the town’s zoning ordinance.

Source:  By Marcus Wolf | Watertown Daily Times | September 29, 2016 | www.watertowndailytimes.com

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
   Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)
Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI M TG TS G Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook Wind Watch on Linked In

Wind Watch on Mastodon Wind Watch on Truth Social

Wind Watch on Gab Wind Watch on Bluesky