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Group to continue opposing wind turbines; Action filed in Allegany County Circuit Court
Credit: Greg Larry | The Cumberland Times-News | June 27, 2020 | www.times-news.com ~~
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CUMBERLAND – A citizens’ group plans to carry its fight against wind turbines on Dan’s Mountain to the Allegany County Circuit Court.
Despite an unfavorable ruling in a recent Maryland Public Service Commission hearing, the organization – Allegany Neighbors and Citizens for Home Owners Rights Limited, or ANCHOR – is vowing to continue the fight. The group opposes a plan that calls for the construction of 17 wind turbines on Dan’s Mountain near the communities of Midland and the Harwood Subdivision, along with Vale Summit, Cresaptown and Bel Air.
In a case that has dragged on for years, Dan’s Mountain Wind Force, LLC received a favorable ruling on June 10 when the PSC voted 4-1 to grant the wind farm developer a certificate of public convenience and necessity to move forward with the project.
However, ANCHOR has vowed to carry the fight against the wind turbines to Circuit Court, where it has already filed a case against the project. ANCHOR opposes the project, saying the wind turbines create noise pollution, obstruct views and have a negative impact on home values.
“We are not giving up,” said Darlene Park, ANCHOR president. “We are in this case until it is finished.”
The struggle between ANCHOR and Dan’s Mountain Wind Force dates back as far as 2001. The case has been bouncing back and forth on appeal between the Allegany County Board of Zoning Appeals and the PSC. Early on, ANCHOR received favorable ruling denying the wind farm project their needed approvals. However, the zoning board, in an October decision, and recent ruling from the PSC, have been in favor of the project.
Park said her group was “upset” by the recent PSC ruling, but they feel they can stop the project in Circuit Court.
“Our members weren’t happy,” she said. “We feel the residents are not being protected. But we are not done. It is a hard fight. They have cost a lot of money with these decisions.”
Park said the battle will now focus on the zoning board’s October ruling. The board voted 2-1 in favor of granting the project the special exemptions needed to proceed. To appeal the decision, according to Park, action must be taken in Circuit Court.
Park said the appeal is basically on the grounds that evaluations conducted of the properties at the site were inadequate. In addition, ANCHOR said the October BOZA proceeding did not encompass the full scope of material presented in the filing.
A hearing in Circuit Court in the spring concluded that the case did have merit, or standing, to go to trial, according to Park. The case is expected to be heard on Aug. 14.
“It is costly but the people have supported us,” said Park. “We can’t give up now.”
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