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A resident who has followed the development of the ordinance closely and called for provisions protecting the public's safety defended the results of their work.
"Recent criticism of this draft ordinance seems to suggest that the planning commission should compromise public safety in order to accommodate the fact that all the safely remote places in our county may be unavailable due to military airspace or wildlife sanctuary restrictions," said Stephanie Miscovich. "This criticism is misguided. It is not the planning commission's responsibility to find an acceptable location for utility-scale wind turbines in our county if none exists. They are, however, responsible for making sure utility-scale turbines stay out of unacceptable locations."
Miscovich spoke during Thursday night's special meeting of the Planning Commission, which is finalizing work on the tall structures ordinance. The board finished its review of the wind energy section and will complete the section on communication towers next week.
Her comments followed criticism that came earlier in the week from property owner Nelson Paul of Raleigh. He and his wife Dianna have proposed plans that, if they are able to proceed, would put three industrial wind turbines on their land in the Bettie community.
The Pauls have said the Down East area has wind suitable for the development of an alternative energy source, and they see their Golden Wind Farm project as an opportunity to further wind energy efforts in the county.
Whether or not they get that opportunity may depend on the regulations being developed and with the latest draft, they made public their concerns about the ordinance.
"It is my estimation that, in the end, this ordinance will effectively turn out to be a very complicated and elaborate ban on commercial wind development in Carteret County," Paul wrote in an e-mail sent out to the media and county commissioners. "The result will be that Carteret County will miss out on the opportunity to capitalize on a valuable energy resource unique to the area, at a time when we should be exploring and developing all our energy potential; as a community, as a state, and as a nation."
Paul specifically refers to maps illustrating the maximum property line setback requirements for utility-scale wind turbines of up to 550 feet. The setback would be six feet for each foot of height, which would be a maximum of 3,300 feet.
The map pinpoints seven sites Down East where utility-scale turbines at that maximum height would be possible, but Paul said planners have failed to account for other constraints on property use.
"There are significant constraints with the properties identified on these maps," Paul states. "For example, I don't think the military would view the establishment of wind turbines at the BT-11 bombing range as being a compatible use. Additionally, I don't think the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would kindly allow wind turbines to be placed in the Cedar Island marshes."
Miscovich, who lives near the site of the proposed Golden Wind Farm, said the setbacks are justifiable and heed manufacturers' recommendations that utility-scale turbines be located away from populated areas.
She said she shares the conviction of many that a wind energy facility may be ideal on Open Grounds Farm, one of the sites identified. If not, she said, there are other options.
"If our wind resources are located in areas that aren't appropriate for utility-scale turbines because they are either restricted or too close to people's homes, the responsible thing to do is to explore other options," she said. "Many in the public have an interest in exploring solar, tidal and wave energy in addition to wind."
Discussions about wind energy projects and the lack of regulations in the county arose after residents in the county became aware of the Golden Wind Farm proposal. While no formal plans have been submitted to the county, the Pauls received a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the N.C. Utilities Commission in March that gives them the right to provide electricity to the public if they are able to build the facility.
The Carteret County Board of Commissioners enacted a nine-month moratorium in early March on the permitting of wind turbines and other tall structures to give planners time to develop regulations. With that time soon to expire, the Planning Commission is finalizing a draft ordinance to send to county commissioners for consideration.
The Planning Commission will meet Tuesday in a special session beginning at 5 p.m. in the boardroom of the county administration building in Beaufort.
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