He [Golisano] said if windmills can be positioned so that they don't impact people negatively, then he supports them.

Perry charged Friday that Cape Wind would be a drain on the economy. Electricity for a small grocery store would increase $500 per month if the state Department of Public Utilities gives the wind farm the green light, he said. "That's a job killer," Perry said.

A one-year moratorium on wind energy development was approved at Wednesday's Town Board meeting. Board members approved the moratorium 4-1 with Town Supervisor James Brick voting no. It will allow the town to re-examine and potentially change its wind energy law.

The proposed Dairy Hills wind farm application has been declared null and void. The Town Board voted 4-1 on Wednesday to stand by the deadline set at its March meeting. The board also voted unanimously to enact a 12-month moratorium to revisit its wind energy law. A public hearing on the moratorium has been set for 7:30 p.m. June 2.

There was barely room to move at a special town meeting in Perry. At issue are wind farms and whether they are right for the town.

Horizon Wind Energy has suspended its plans for a windmill farm in Perry, Town Clerk Sarah Ballinger said Thursday morning. "We just made the announcement yesterday," she said, referring to Wednesday night's Town Board meeting. Ballinger did not have any other details about Horizon's decision.

"I think for farm and residential use they can be appropriate in some places," said Eleanor Tillinghast, spokeswoman for Green Berkshires, a group that has opposed every commercial wind farm in the county. "If a structure conforms to the local bylaws and serves a purpose to the homeowner or farm, then they could be very appropriate."

On good years, the turbine helps Blackwell CISD save between $15,000 to $20,000 on its energy bills, but that's not always the case. "It is an expense to take care of it as well," said Gott.

The town Wind Ordinance Committee learned about balancing the good with the bad on wind energy developments at Wednesday night's meeting.

Wind power is a "hot potato in this town right now," the chairman of the Board of Selectmen said at Monday night's meeting. Tim Holland said because of confusion about the effective date of the industrial wind power development moratorium, which was passed last fall, the board missed the April deadline for extending it another six months.

The Wind Ordinance Committee is nearly finished writing regulations for wind power projects in town, members said at Tuesday night's meeting. A public hearing on the proposed ordinance is set for Sept. 10. Based on public comments then, a final version will be developed and a public informational meeting held before a November vote.

The primary restrictions in the ordinance were a maximum sound level of 25 decibels at night and 35 decibels during the day; a 1½ mile setback from each wind turbine tower to the nearest nonparticipating land parcel; and a 300-foot maximum height to the tip of the blades.

Cassida said DEP now requires developers to make demonstrations during the length of the project to determine sound level compliance, which they didn't do with the Mars Hill project. In that 2001 project, DEP OK'd a variance to 50 decibels without realizing that it would adversely affect people. "If I could turn back time, I'd require that we do that differently," he said.

Members of the town Wind Turbine Ordinance Committee and residents gained insight Wednesday night into how state regulations govern wind farms. They also learned that should they develop an ordinance that's more restrictive than Maine Department of Environmental Protection permitting rules for such development, if the two compare apples to apples, DEP will apply the stricter regulations when considering a developer's application.

A petition has been launched to oppose a planned windfarm at Brownriggs Hall Farm near Allonby. Dutch company Nuon Renewables wants to build five 320-feet-high turbines.

A wind turbine project proposed at Plymouth North High School generated so much opposition it was withdrawn, as was another plan to site a wind turbine in a junkyard on Columbus Road. A wind turbine is slated for Colony Place near Walmart, but abutters aren't exactly thrilled about this project either.

"The negative consequences of this industrial wind farm development far outweigh the benefits. We the people want this stopped to protect our homes, our land, our communities," states the petition, which was written by Grafton resident Erin Darrow.

The petition seeks to have a moratorium ordinance enacted that would apply "to any wind energy facility consisting of one or more wind turbines, the purpose of which is to primarily generate electricity to supply off-site customers, and included substations, cables/wires, and other structures accessory to such a facility."

A petition has been launched amid a rising tide of anger against plans to build four giant wind turbines in the midst of two scenic communities. People in shops and post offices in Ormesby St Margaret and Hemsby have put their names to a petition against the development which opponents say will destroy the landscape and disturb wildlife and neighbours.

NORWELL - A plan to build six large wind turbines could go before voters at town meeting in the spring. Petitions calling for construction of the turbines are now circulating. By collecting 10 signatures on each petition, Norwell resident David Brooks can put his proposal on the agenda at Town Meeting. The municipal light department in Hull already has erected two turbines to help provide electric power, and several South Shore communities are considering wind-energy proposals. Most towns, however, are not now considering building more than one or two turbines. The six turbines in Norwell would be scattered throughout the town and would provide enough energy to power every home, business and public building in Norwell, said Brooks, a wind-energy consultant working with an Iowa-based firm, J.P. Sayler and Associates. Brooks is confident he will collect the necessary signatures. ‘‘It all boils down to how receptive the public is,’’ Brooks said. ‘‘With a little bit of luck and some public support, Norwell will be the town to look at in the whole country to say, ‘This is how you do it.’’’