December 20, 2019
Pennsylvania

New Hegins Twp. board will decide wind energy zoning fix

Vicki Terwilliger | Republican Herald | December 20, 2019 | www.republicanherald.com

Hegins Township will ring in the new year with two new supervisors and a vote on a curative amendment to the township’s zoning ordinance. The amended ordinance addresses wind energy use.

Gary Hornberger and William Wolfgang will be sworn in at 7 p.m. Jan. 6, during the reorganization meeting. They replace supervisors Gary Harner and Michael Begis, whose terms expire at the end of this year. Hornberger currently serves as township secretary/treasurer.

The board of supervisors, which will include Hornberger, Wolfgang and current members Brad Carl, Doug Lucas and Bruce Klouser, will hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 8, and then hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 23, to consider the curative amendment.

The purpose of the amended ordinance is “to permit the use of wind energy and to provide for the land planning, installation and construction of wind energy facilities in Hegins Township, subject to reasonable conditions that will protect the public health, safety and welfare,” the 33-page document states.

A copy of the proposed, amended ordinance is in the township office for public review. It lists, in part, definitions of wind energy terms and elements such as noise, height, setback distance, accessory buildings and structures, lighting, shadow flicker, ice throw, visual impact, safety and security, environmental impact and decommissioning.

In June, a wind energy developer, Clean Air Generation LLC, submitted a “substantive validity challenge” to the township asserting that the township’s current zoning ordinance was deficient because it did not address where wind energy development could occur. CAG, who has proposed a maximum of 75- to 80-wind turbines in Hegins and parts of Frailey, Porter and Tremont townships, had suggested permitting wind energy projects in Hegins’ S-3 special purpose mining zone. The Hegins Township supervisors agreed in August that CAG’s challenge had merit; however, the township came up with its own correction. They hired John R. Varaly, a Wilkes-Barre professional planning consultant, to draft the curative amendment.

Some of the major elements in the curative amendment are:


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/12/20/new-hegins-twp-board-will-decide-wind-energy-zoning-fix/