National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Yates revising wind ordinance

YATES – In an effort to reach his target of 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for a procurement of at least 800 megawatts of offshore wind power between two solicitations to be issued in 2018 and 2019.

In Yates, however, where the Lighthouse Wind project is currently going through the Article 10 process, the town board has begun the process of amending its Wind Energy Facilities Law.

“We’re going through the process of updating and amending our wind law based on all the things that we learned in the last two years of wind energy systems – not just in New York state but elsewhere,” said Yates Supervisor Jim Simon.

The changes focus on three areas:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends no wind turbines within three miles of the Lake Ontario shoreline for the Town of Yates in order to avoid possible severe impact on avian flyways and habitat.

The State of Vermont Public Service Board recommends 42 dBA daytime and 39 dBA nighttime noise limits at residential receivers. This is stricter than Yates current noise limits and a result of a several year study.

Numerous towns, counties, states and countries have determined that increased setbacks from residences, property lines, villages, sensitive areas and other important locations are critical steps governments should take to mitigate the negative effects of industrial wind turbines.

“This is the second time in the past two years that the Town of Yates has proposed major modifications to its wind energy ordinance. As we did last time, we plan to work cooperatively with the town throughout this process,” said Cat Mosley, public affairs manager for Apex Clean Energy. “This will include carefully reviewing these new proposed law changes and submitting comments during the upcoming public hearing.”

The amendments will be reviewed by the Yates Planning Board, and subject to a public hearing on Jan. 8 at 7 p.m., and be referred to the Orleans County Planning Board for their review.