[SustainableTompkins] Enfield wind farm a county-wide concern

[senecajean at aol.com]

Thank You! I will pass this article on.

Jeanne Fudala

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Banford <brew_bird at yahoo.com>
To: Sustainable Tompkins <sustainabletompkins at lists.mutualaid.org>; TREEA <treea at lists.ithaca.edu>
Sent: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 9:48 am
Subject: [SustainableTompkins] Enfield wind farm a county-wide concern



Excellent guest column in the Ithaca Journal today from Marguerite Wells:
http://ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070924/OPINION02/709240315
Most Tompkins County residents have heard there is a proposed 10-turbine wind 
arm in the Town of Enfield. The great majority of Tompkins County residents and 
nfield residents are in favor of it for many reasons, but do not turn up at 
nfield town meetings to speak their minds. There are a small handful of Enfield 
esidents who are opposed to the wind farm project, who turn up at every town 
eeting to voice their opinions, and the rest of us, who are not such squeaky 
heels, are in danger of losing the opportunity to have a wind farm because of 
ur complacency.
The issue of concern at the moment is the wind ordinance the town is discussing. 
his local ordinance would govern the placement of the towers, and as such is an 
mportant piece of legislation to have in place to make the wind farm go 
orward. However, there is one-line item in the proposed law that is very 
roblematic — it requires a 600-foot setback from any property line or road. 
uch a setback may be important for physical infrastructure such as houses, but 
roperty lines are invisible, and criss-cross the rural landscape with no 
elation to residences or roads. There is no safety-related reason for this 
roperty setback, and it effectively prohibits the wind farm from being 
eveloped, because almost no landowner, even those with hundreds of acres, has a 
arcel large enough and windy enough to allow a 600-foot setback from all 
oundaries. The setback from roads is equally arbitrary; there is no safety 
eason for this either. Many wind farms have
turbines near roads, with no problems. If the town intends to prevent the wind 
evelopment, then it should do so straightforwardly and because it is unwanted. 
t should not backhandedly prevent it through setback restrictions. If, instead, 
he town would like to reasonably regulate the wind development, as it should, 
hile allowing it to go forward, it should remove the property line and road 
etbacks altogether, or minimize them to something like 50 feet so that 
andowners with parcels of all sizes and shapes can equitably choose to allow a 
urbine on their land if they want one. A turbine will pay a landowner several 
housand dollars a year in rent, and if only very large landowners can have one, 
his regulation heavily favors them over those of more moderate means.
The Town of Enfield should welcome the proposed wind farm. It could send 
uch-needed revenue into the town coffers, to improve the school, roads, and 
ervices, while reducing town taxes to residents.
t would put Enfield on the map, generating jobs, building a wind energy 
ducation center, and being an example of community-owned energy generation for 
he whole state. Opponents of the project seem primarily opposed to change in 
rinciple.
They voice concern over declining property values, although studies show only 
ncreased or steady values near wind farms. If they're honestly concerned about 
irds, keep house cats inside and stop driving so much, cats and cars kill many 
ore birds than turbines. Health and safety concerns, both for humans and 
ildlife, are hype, not based on fact. Modern turbines are very quiet, and do 
ot cause any health problems or disturbance to neighbors. Would densely 
opulated Europe allow thousands of them in their midst if they did?
Enfield town meetings happen on the second Wednesday of the month, and Oct. 10 
s the next one, at 7 p.m. in the community building. Mark your calendars, and 
e the squeaky wheel that helps move this project forward. Otherwise, Tompkins 
ounty's best hope for green local energy will be squashed at the hands of the 
nly five citizens who are exercising democracy.
Letters of support can be sent to the Town of Enfield Board, Enfield Town Hall 
68 Enfield Main Road, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850
Marguerite Wells lives in Enfield.


      
___________________________________________________________________________________
eed a vacation? Get great deals
o amazing places on Yahoo! Travel.
ttp://travel.yahoo.com/
______________________________________________
SS, archives, subscription & listserv information for:
ustainableTompkins at lists.mutualaid.org
ttp://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins
ree hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org


________________________________________________________________________
Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com