No action on wind project
The Select Board decided, on a 3-1 vote, to take no position Tuesday on a small-scale, temporary wind research project being proposed for Little Equinox.
The project, which is before the state's Public Service Board, would construct an 80-foot residential wind turbine on the mountain for two years for testing purposes.
No support from board
It is being proposed by Endless Energy Corp., a Maine-based wind farm development company, with two joint applicants from Vermont. Earth Turbines wants to test its wind turbine, meant for residential use, in severe conditions, and its sister company, NRG Systems, wants to test its wind-measurement equipment.
Board members said they could not support the project, as was recommended by the Planning Commission, because of a 2006 town meeting vote that gave the town $150,000 to oppose a much larger project on the mountain. "My personal feelings don't matter," board member Michael Kilburn said Tuesday. "We have a mandate from Town Meeting. I'd rather take no position and have the issue go back to Town Meeting."
The former project, proposed by Endless Energy, would have put five 390-foot turbines on the mountain and generated 30 million kilowatt-hours a year. The project never made it to the Public Service Board but is still in the works, Harley Lee said at Tuesday's meeting. "We would like to propose the larger project," he said.
However, he added that the two projects are unrelated and the permit for the smaller one could not be used for the larger.
Board member Wayne Bell opposed the motion to send a letter to the Public Service Board taking no position on the project and reaffirming the 2006 vote to oppose a larger project.
He made an earlier motion, which was not seconded, to send a letter stating the board did not oppose the project. He said it would show tacit support and said he would have been inclined to support it fully. "I've heard little discussion from anybody who is opposed to this application," he said.
He said it would help two Vermont companies, alternative energy development and have no impact on the town.
Little Equinox had four turbines on it in the 1980s, and two in the 1990s. It still has a 100-foot wind-measurement tower and the project would use the existing foundation.
Lee Krohn, director of planning and zoning, and James Hand, a Dorset resident, thought residents and some board members were confusing the issue. Strictly looking at what is proposed, not the larger project, Krohn said the Planning Commission viewed it as a "non-issue."
"The Planning Commission saw absolutely no issues given what's proposed," he said.
After a few residents said the earlier town meeting vote should apply, Chairman Ivan Beattie said a vote against a 110-room hotel should not preclude the board from supporting a residence or a bed and breakfast, noting the size difference. However, Beattie did support the motion.
Entering the meeting, the board could have also taken no action or chosen to participate - for or against the project - in any public hearings. The Public Service Board has the ultimate say through the state's Act 248j permit process, which is meant for projects, such as power plants, that are essential but would often be turned down by local communities.
David Blittersdorf, CEO and president of Earth Turbines, has said the permit process usually takes 30 to 45 days, and he is hoping to complete the project before winter.
The project's land is owned by the Carthusian monks. The electricity from the turbine will power instruments on site and go back to the grid.