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Planning board recommends 6-month wind turbine moratorium
May 16, 2013 by Elizabeth McNamara in East Greenwich Patch
May 16, 2013 by Elizabeth McNamara in East Greenwich Patch
"We thought we would impose a moratorium while we study other ordinances and templates and models and what's happened in other places and draft something coherent," she said.
Other Rhode Island municipalities have imposed such a moratorium in advance of legislation, including North Kingstown, which ended up with a large wind turbine it didn't want on privately owned land on Route 102.
Also filed under [
Zoning/Planning|
Rhode Island]
The 1.5-megawatt turbine was commissioned in March 2009 but was shut down June 18, 2012, after the gearbox showed significant wear. The faulty gearbox was no longer covered by warranty, and the manufacturer of the turbine, AAER Wind Energy of Quebec, is no longer in business. Three of five turbines of the same make and model erected in California and Templeton, Mass., also suffered gearbox failure.
In 2007 voters approved a $3 million bond issue for the turbine, which sits behind the tennis courts at the high school. It's been idle since June 2012 due to a broken gear box. The town has been weighing its options ever since.
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]
Charlestown turbine foes hear scientific evidence of infrasonic threat
May 9, 2013 by David Pepin in The Westerly Sun
May 9, 2013 by David Pepin in The Westerly Sun
It's not always the noise you hear that damages your ears. The noise you don't hear can be more harmful, wind turbine opponents were told Wednesday night.
Harold Vincent, an associate research professor at the University of Rhode Island, told an audience of about 75 residents at Cross' Mills Public Library that infrasonic noise can create health problems that go beyond hearing difficulties.
The Narragansett Town Council Voted 5-0 to suspend talks with the offshore wind turbine developer, Deepwater Wind, until June. The council felt its residents needed more time to vet a plan to run a transmission line through a popular beach.
Also filed under [
Rhode Island]
The long-running quest of Larry LeBlanc and his son-in-law, Michael Carlino, to build the twin 262-foot turbines received a boost in R.I. Superior Court when Associate Justice Kristin Rodgers denied appeals by the Town Council and abutters of the property to halt the turbine project, which has been before town officials and boards since 2010.
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]
"While I understand the concerns that this bill could take funding away from other sources of renewable energy, I believe that lower electricity rates will provide families much needed relief in their household budgets and improve the prospect of jobs going forward," Kelly said after the vote.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Connecticut]
Pros and cons (mostly con) aired during Deepwater hearing
April 29, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
April 29, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
Opponents and supporters of the Deepwater Wind's proposed five-turbine wind farm off Block Island had a chance to air their arguments before the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Wednesday during one of two public hearings being sponsored by the state permitting agency. The second public hearing will be held Wednesday, May 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at New Shoreham Town Hall.
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]
State clean energy study changes look At hydropower and biomass
April 27, 2013 by Brian Dowling in The Hartford Courant
April 27, 2013 by Brian Dowling in The Hartford Courant
The state's energy department released a final version of its study recommending changes to how Connecticut supports clean energy Friday after weeks of public debate on the plan that initially blazed a wide path for large-scale hydropower to be included in the state's portfolio of renewables.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Connecticut]
Nearly 100 people came out Wednesday night to speak out on Deepwater Wind's $250-million proposal to install five wind turbines in state waters off Block Island and connect them to the mainland through an underwater transmission line.
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]
Motion to suspend talks with Deepwater tabled until May; Wants to update new council members
April 18, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
April 18, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
“The project proposed by Deepwater Wind is extremely complicated and the short-term and/or long-term impact of that project on the town of Narragansett is unclear,” Mannix said in his motion.
“The reason I put in a motion is to make sure we get a complete vetting of information,” Mannix said last week.
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]
High Court To Hear Wind Farm Project Case
April 15, 2013 by Jay Stapleton in Connecticut Law Tribune
April 15, 2013 by Jay Stapleton in Connecticut Law Tribune
A proposal to build Connecticut's first wind farm in the state's Northwest Corner has been blowing around for several years. Now an appeal brought by a citizens' group that opposes the project will be heard by the state Supreme Court in coming months.
The key question is whether the Connecticut Siting Council had jurisdiction when it approved the wind turbine electric generation project.
Also filed under [
Legal|
Connecticut]
FAA considers decommissioning navigation device at B.I. Airport; Says Deepwater Wind project may impact signal
April 7, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
April 7, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
"This is really important for people who are flying in bad weather to be able to land," said pilot Henry duPont, an island resident. Without the Sandy Point VOR, pilots without more advanced GPS technology would not be able to fly to Block Island legally, duPont said.
Also filed under [
Safety|
Rhode Island]
National Park Services raises concerns about Deepwater site; Advises more locations be looked into
April 5, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
April 5, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
In public comments submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the NPS said that it is concerned about potential adverse impacts to Block Island's historic South East Lighthouse, the lighthouse's property and its viewshed. The NPS also suggests that additional locations be considered for the wind farm.
Nicholas J. Harding, a Hartford lawyer representing the group, Fairwindct, along with plaintiffs Michael and Stella Somers and Susan Wagner, said he filed a 60-page statement March 22.
The action follows a dismissal of their case by a New Britain Superior Court judge in October, and appeals subsequently filed in Appellate Court.
Also filed under [
General|
Connecticut]
Mannix asks to suspend Deepwater negotiations
March 29, 2013 by Derek Gomes in South Coast Independent
March 29, 2013 by Derek Gomes in South Coast Independent
Councilman Matthew Mannix has asked the Town Council to consider suspending negotiations with Deepwater Wind until July 1.
Mannix submitted the motion to the Town Clerk's office earlier this week...Mannix cited the complexity of the project and its "unclear" impacts on the town.
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]
Proposed changes to Connecticut's RPS could be bad news for wind energy
March 21, 2013 in North American Windpower
March 21, 2013 in North American Windpower
That means large-scale hydropower could fulfill the requirement currently reserved for renewable energy resources like wind and solar. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy already made it clear that wind power would not play a large role in efforts to meet the state's RPS. ...role in efforts to meet the state's RPS.
"In Connecticut, where we have limited in-state wind potential, and the New England region as a whole, high transmission costs are barriers to capturing the full potential of wind resources."
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Connecticut]
State's new plan for renewables turns to large hydropower, away from biomass
March 20, 2013 by Brian Dowling in The Hartford Courant
March 20, 2013 by Brian Dowling in The Hartford Courant
The plan supports proposed changes to state laws governing how much of which type of energy the state should promote.
Ratepayers suffer when the state falls short of its renewable energy targets, as is expected this year, Esty said. The main reason: State incentives have gone to the wrong technologies, he said.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Connecticut]
Since large-scale hydro is cheaper than the average price of electricity in New England, the state could meet its renewable electricity goals while not relying on the more expensive power from technologies such as solar and fuel cells. T
Also filed under [
General|
Connecticut]
Several Block Island residents attended the meeting to voice their opposition to the project, including Town Councilors Sean McGarry and Chris Warfel. "The cheapest option is for Block Island to develop its own power," Warfel said. "I ask Narragansett not to allow itself to be manipulated like Block Island has."
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]