The planning commission is rewriting the Town Plan and, as part of that
process, is hearing from the public as well as wind energy developers
about the possibility of a wind farm on the Northfield Ridge. The
current Town Plan prohibits wind farming above 1,700 feet on the ridge.
Residential and almost all over development is also prohibited on the
ridge.
WIND TURBINES
Male said he understood the town's process and assured the crowd that
his company would not try to force a project on an unwilling town. He
described a project that could run from the northern end of Waitsfield,
along the top of the Northfield Ridge, south four and one-half to five
miles, to the southerly border of Waitsfield and Warren. He said that he
had discussed the project with Virginia Houston, who owns 1,500 acres
along the top of the ridge, and said Waitsfield owns the land at the
south end, the town's Scrag Mountain municipal forest.
That land along the ridge might support 15 to 24 wind turbines, each
turbine a 1.5 MW (megawatt) turbine capable of generating enough power
for 350 to 450 homes. The turbines are 400 to 500 feet high with a rotor
diameter of 240 to 350 feet.
Male said that his company was interested in taking the next steps to
determine if the ridge would make a good site, including determining if
the town is interested in amending the Town Plan to allow wind energy on
the ridge.
POWER LINES
The next steps include a desktop wind analysis conducted by Citizens'
Energy, followed by an independent wind analysis and the installation of
a MET tower which transmits wind data to a computer to create a
one-year record of wind/energy potential on a proposed site. Another
step involves determining if the existing power lines close to the ridge
have additional capacity to accept more energy.
After that, a series of environmental analyses are required by the state
of Vermont and the project site would be finalized.
For each wind turbine, an acre of land would be cleared (and allowed to
grow back after installation) and a 900-square-foot cement base pad
would be used to secure the tower. To maximize the wind, the towers
would be placed on the top of the ridgeline, 1,000 feet apart, accessed
by a service road along the ridge. That road would not be open to the
public for recreation or other uses.
Construction of the project would involve access to the ridge from the
old Northfield/Waitsfield Gap Road for cement trucks and cranes to hoist
the turbines upright.
Q AND A
Male and Axelman were peppered with questions as fast as they could
answer them:
Q: Had they considered wind towers on the flats?
A: No, not enough wind.
Q: Could they construct a wind farm lower down on the ridge?
A: Not enough wind and it would require cutting a road into the side of
the ridge.
Q: Could the project be phased with a few towers clustered together and
more added later?
A: Yes, it is possible but not fiscally attractive.
Q: Would the road from tower to tower have to be plowed in the winter?
A: Yes, the re-enforced dirt road would need to be kept open.
Q: How does the power generated get to the grid?
A: From regular collector lines like those that run along Route 100.
Q: Would the collector lines be visible?
A: Not from down below.
Q: Since the Town Plan prohibits this, what makes you think this would
work?
A: We're exploring. What makes it work is the topography, the wind and
the transmission lines.
("We're aware that there are issues with the Town Plan that will require
the community to think about whether this is something the town wants
to support," Male explained further. "There's a lot more we don't know
about this project than we do and this is the first of what will be many
opportunities to talk to you about it," Axelman added.)
LIGHTS?
Q: Will there be lights on the towers?
A: Yes, as required by the FAA. Some lights on the end towers and a
designated number of towers in between, per FAA regulations.
Q: Can the Vermont Public Service Board approve this if it is deemed
worthwhile, even without Town Plan amendment and community support?
A: The state can rule that something is in the best interest of the
state.
Q: Will there be a requirement that money for decommissioning the farm
be set aside?
A: Yes, there are state regulations that require that, along with
banking regulations.
Q: Have you ever gone to a community and heard a resounding "Yes, we
want that solar farm"?
A: Yes, we have heard that, and we've also encountered people opposed to
the projects.
THIS IS A POWER PLANT
"This is a power plant and you've got a view that people value. There
are appropriate and inappropriate places for these projects. I believe
that this - wind energy -- is the right thing for us to do. We have the
resource and we can get clean, renewable energy from it," Male detailed
as the questions continued.
"There is the cost of the viewshed and the resource and the ecosystems
and there is also the cost of our oil dependence, the spill in the Gulf,
the tritium leak at Vermont Yankee and the cost of inaction," offered
up one man in attendance.
Questions from those in attendance did not slow until close to 10 p.m.
when town resident, professional planner and development review board
chair Brian Shupe summed up what he felt, and what others felt.
TANGIBLE IMPACT
"The ridgeline zoning we have protects the ridge from the impacts of
distributed housing development which would have a very tangible impact
on the ridge. Wind is different; we may be able to mitigate the impacts.
I urge the planning commission to not open the door wide but to create a
path for us to talk to these guys or some other group," Shupe said.
Planning commission chair Steve Shea said that the voters could petition
for a Town Plan amendment or petition for the right to have the whole
town adopt the new Town Plan instead of just the select board.
"It doesn't need to be as black and white as that yet. The ridge is a
sensitive area and a sensitive resource. There needs to be a way for us
to have more answers before we write the words that will change the Town
Plan," Shupe noted.
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