June 23, 2022
Pennsylvania

PA House committee passes bill limiting wind turbines near military bases

By George Stockburger | WHTM | Jun 22, 2022 | www.abc27.com

A Pennsylvania House committee voted on party lines to limit the construction or installation of wind turbines that negatively affect military installations.

House Bill 2367, known as the Military Installation Training Preservation Act, would “prohibit the
construction or installation of a wind turbine in an area or a region of a military installation in this Commonwealth that may affect the military installation’s airspace, flight paths or established training needs in accordance with this act.”

The bill was voted on by the Environmental Resources and Energy committee.

Under the proposed law a wind turbine owner could apply for a request for authorization from the Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth prior to engaging in the construction or installation of wind turbines.

Owners would need to provide the department with the size of each wind turbine, the number of proposed wind turbines, the area where each wind turbine would be constructed, and any other necessary information requested by the department.

Applications would be submitted to the Adjutant General, which must review the application in at least 60 days to determine whether the turbines would negatively impact a military installation’s airspace, flight paths or established training needs.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Zachary Mako (R-Northampton/Lehigh), a military helicopter pilot with the Pennsylvania National Guard. Rep. Mako says he has “flown countless missions out of Fort Indiantown Gap” and that recent proposals to build wind turbines on property adjoining the base may increase the risk of accidents and impact helicopter training maneuvers at night.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/06/23/pa-house-committee-passes-bill-limiting-wind-turbines-near-military-bases/