Buckfield's Wind Ordinance Workshops
Well, Dan's post inspired me to share what is our experience here in Buckfield. The planning board proposed that a core group of members commit to meeting weekly in order to do the extensive work necessary to formulate a cohesive ordinance. We refer to the weekly meetings as "workshops" so that we aren't restricted in terms of quarum etc. We are not doing any official "voting" - instead formulating recommendations to take to the entire board for the voting.
The history here being that Keene Engineering, Kurt Nadeau, had proposed putting 3- 1.5 MW turbines atop a ridgeline on Streaked Mountain. The select board and the town manager were all in agreement that the project was a fit for the town and the revenue would be timely. A citizen's group initiated a petition and got a town meeting. Our moratorium vote was nearly unanimous at a well-attended town meeting!
We had Robert Rand speak to us and other community members on Feb. 10. His information was well presented and comprehensive in terms of the issues of noise and the engineering limitations to mitigate. He was well received by all who attended --- regardless of their "side" on the issue. I'd highly recommend Dixfield, if you have not yet done so, get him out to do his presentation for your town's policy makers.
We also had Jim Cassida of the DEP come on Feb 3. We found some of his information enlightening. For instance, he said, upon questioning and follow-up that the 5dB allowance granted in the Mars Hill project came BEFORE the permitting. He also said that the DEP was not the permit issuer for the Freedom project thus they have no involvement in those issues. I'd love to hear what others know of these things. RE: Vinalhaven, he indicated that they had not been able to do the testing yet as the "identified" site was not available due to landowner refusing them access.
Currently we are considering a smaller setback (for safety) with noise control limits based on Ambient + some dBa and perhaps dBc measure. Mr. Rand has agreed to assist us with this and he offered these as thoughts:
I see several stages:
- acquiring background sound levels in the town at several locations;
- reviewing data from existing actual sound level versus distance at wind turbine facilities;
- reviewing and incorporating limits based on peer-reviewed sufficient evidence for sleep disturbance and adverse impacts (which is available now)
However, he also cautions that currently there is no engineering strategy other than distance to mitigate the noise issues. Here in town the individuals who see the wind turbines as a revenue stream have indicated that they could be more comfortable with the restrictive ordinance without the one-mile setback, no matter what the noise levels are.
Although I, personally, feel that these don't make sense as a legitimate business, sustainable job, energy option, etc. -- not all have come to the same conclusion. I hope they someday do. I think this has been an excellent lesson in the value of forethought and "planning" with regard to a town's development. And yes, it seems that a Comprehensive Plan is not enough when the money promises are big enough.
While I'm at it I'll share a site that Mr. Rand alerted me to -- it is excellent, and some of you may already know about it: http://www.windpowerfacts.info/ -- I actually emailed the fellow and got a prompt reply. Good stuf!
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Comment by Stacey Scotia on March 2, 2010 at 8:47am
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Thanks Art -- as always sage advice and guidance! Our first step was a "citizens initiative" where we collected signatures and did the first step of education in the process. That got us the special town meeting where we had an incredible turnout and overwhelming support for the Moratorium of 180days -- in fact, the few that voted against it included the town officials/employees. If I were you Lisa I'd get the initiative going and get your signatures -- then you could have it as an agenda for the town meeting and get it placed IN FRONT OF the paltry ordinance that is in the works. Our select board had an ordinance on the agenda at the meeting where we voted on the moratorium -- after the vote on the moratorium a citizen moved to pass over the ordinance agenda item! The next thing that I did was apply for the empty seat on the Planning Board -- although it was an "alternate" I figured, what the heck. The select board wasn't very excited about my application, but I think it was difficult to refuse me as no one else had applied and the spot had been vacant for .... well, forever??? You need to get busy fast though, and gather as many like-minded citizens as you can to travel around and get the necessary number of signatures! Good luck and feel free to ask me anything.... I'll try to answer.
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Comment by Art Brigades on March 2, 2010 at 8:20am
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As one provision of the 2008 Expedited Wind Law, the State Planning Office was required to create a "model" ordinance. They produced it last year. It is worthless unless you're a developer. The 1.5 times height setback is in it. Jackson is 13 times. Vermont's legislature is considering a statewide 1.5 MILE standard. "Nothing on the table" is not to be trusted. Any Maine place with a hill has the speculators and land agents now combing around the countryside. And they are talking with municipal officials as well as moms and pops about leases. Cell towers are necessary infrastructure for local people and businesses. Like sewer, water, power lines, etc. Plus they are barely visible compared to a turbine. Plus they are solitary. Turbines tend to grow in vast clusters like bamboo. Equally useless too. Since it is a draft for the Town Meeting, please attend and rip it apart. Have plenty of people equally prepared to speak. If the town allows it, distribute info too. In fact, when (or before) the warrant is printed, start a local "conversation" about how dangerous the draft is. What other towns have done is issue a moratorium (180 days is the legal limit) so they can form a wind ordinance committee whose purpose is to draft a real ordinance. This prevents a speculator from submitting an application and having it "accepted" as complete. Accepted does not mean "approved." If accepted, the application would be grandfathered from any ordinance that you later adopt. You can't run the ordinance committee in a vacuum, but include the public and make sure the overriding sentiment is driven by the truth about wind power. Dixmont, Montville, and Jackson were thus guided. Oakfield's process was guided by First Wind and the visions of sugar plumbs that danced in "leaders'" heads. You need to take the pole position and keep it. Tom Olds' video is a good place to start. You have to de-bunk the general favorable attitudes people have toward wind power. You have all that info right here.
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Comment by Lisa Lindsay on March 2, 2010 at 7:40am
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Stacey--this is great information and news. Our planning board in Wilton already drafted a wind ordinance and the set-back is only 600 feet (or 1.5 times the height of the turbines). They are reluctant to making changes to the draft before it goes to the hearing that comes before the town meeting in June. What is your recommendation? That I just keep after them? I've already recommended one mile set-backs. Request a forum? *Supposedly* Wilton is not "suitable for wind power" and "there is nothing on the table" but we all know that can change.
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Food. Perfect!
Allow the cell towers...but say100 feet tall and with any appurtenant or attached structure that is more than 15 feet wide is a prohibited use. Fantastic that the PB wants a mile!!! In the absense of zoning, the Comp Plan is your local land use Bible. Honor it as it should be. Amend it with great deliberation.
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Well, tonight's planning board meeting resulted in a vote to put 1-mile setbacks in the ordinance. That is that! The height of structure idea, Art is interesting--- Buckfield has no zoning...I wonder how tall the highest radio/cell-phone towers on our mountain are??? points to ponder for sure.
Yes, we feed any helpers well when the come to town!
Thanks for the input -- we will keep plugging away.
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Stacey- you asked what others know. Here goes:
Look at Jackson, Montville, and Dixmont ordinances. Don't re-invent the wheel...just modify it to fit your town.
Freedom was approved with a two page building permit. They were'nt as ready as the rest of us. I visited the siite yesterday and it is just horrific how their three turbines dominate the landscape like some alien monsters. If I were a kid I'd a had nightmares last night.
Vinalhaven was an anomaly. Yes, the Lindgrens and Halls have been statesmanlike in their public advocacy, and they did NOT deserve to be stuck with turbines, but Vinalhaven is not like the rest of Maine. It's island living and different in so many respects. One of them is their electricity cost. It was much higher than on the mainland (like many things they buy). The turbines there actually come close to making economic sense. On land they don't, and they aren't worth the other prices we pay.
You mentioned three stages and strategies for mitigating sound. Consider another: amend your zoning ordinance to prohibit structures above 100 feet tall. Believe me when I say these things will be paperweights in six years. Like those aluminum hous trailers you see next to the early satellite dishes that are bigger than the house trailers, and all filled up with pine needles and chipmunks. Just say no.
Cassida works for Baldacci. He is not on your side, even if he wants to be. He's a Brown Shirt.
Mr. Rand is invaluable. Feed him a nice dinner when he comes.
Mike Rogers of Maine Revenue Services MUST be consulted. Yes, he works for Baldacci, but his science is less fungible. These weasels are not in the electricity business, but inthe investment/speculation/subsidy-absorbing business. They WILL ask you for TIF. They will tell you how well you can live with the extra money. It's like Mr. Potter seducing George Bailey in that Donna Reed movie. They're buying, not selling. Rebuke their cigar!! Mike Rogers will run models showing how the speculators screw the town. He considers state revenue sharing, General Purpose Aid to Education...the works. Feed him too. The developer will "pay" $10,000 for Eaton Peabody to come analyze why TIF is a good deal for the town. They are the foremost TIF lawfirm in the state. They sell TIFs like Jolly John sells cars. DO NOT BUY WHAT THEY ARE SELLING. They work for the developer.
Distribute Tom Olds' Jackson video to everyone in town.
Let me say that again:
Distribute Tom Olds' Jackson video to everyone in town.
Godspeed, and beat the scurrilous scoundrels off your land!!! Beat them!!!
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Comment by Joanne Moore on February 27, 2010 at 10:49pm
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Thanks, Stacey! Great job! The windpowerfacts link is invaluable! Priceless! I bookmarked it and actually spent some time going over many important points.
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Maine as Third World Country:
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Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
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