News
Category:
New Hampshire
A Hillsborough County Superior Court judge David Garfunkel ruled Monday that town officials violated the state's Right-To-Know law by holding illegal non-public hearings with Antrim Wind Energy and its counsel to negotiate a payment in lieu of taxes, known as a PILOT agreement. As a result of the ruling, the terms of the deal between the town and Antrim Wind Energy has been voided.
Also filed under [
General]
Court finds Town of Antrim in violation of NH 'right to know' law; Voids PILOT agreement with Antrim Wind LLC
May 21, 2013
May 21, 2013
In his ruling he wrote: "The court grants the petitioners' request to void the PILOT Agreement ... the Board conducted numerous noticed and unnoticed, non-public meetings while negotiating the PILOT Agreement. These meetings contravened the fundamental purpose of the Right-to-Know law's goal of transparent and open government."
Also filed under [
Legal]
Residents question why wind developer wrote town's appeal
May 21, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
May 21, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Antrim Town Administrator Galen Stearns said that the wind developer's attorney drafted the motion for rehearing, and it was sent back and forth several times between Geiger and the town for modifications. ...He added that having Geiger draft the appeal was an attempt to speed up the process. Geiger drafted the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement that was also signed by the town.
Antrim asks for review of wind farm project
May 17, 2013 by Meghan Pierce in New Hampshire Union Leader
May 17, 2013 by Meghan Pierce in New Hampshire Union Leader
The appeal and request for a rehearing were crafted by Antrim Wind's attorneys Orr & Reno, according to Select Board Chairman Gordon Webber. Antrim Wind requested the town appeal the decision in support of the LLC's pending appeal, which has to be submitted by June 1, Webber said.
Also filed under [
General]
The Antrim Select Board voted to appeal the state ruling that denied a 10-turbine wind project after deciding to accept a $40,000 offer from Antrim Wind in a contentious meeting Monday that led to one resident being escorted out by police and several others walking away in frustration.
Also filed under [
General|
Zoning/Planning]
Written order issued for Wind Energy project
May 8, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
May 8, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
The SEC denied Antrim Wind Energy's application based on negative visual impacts the wind farm - proposed for the ridgeline of Tuttle Hill and Willard Mountain in Antrim - would have had on the town and its surrounding communities.
Also filed under [
General]
Northern Pass money dividing North Country opinions
May 7, 2013 by Dave Solomon in New Hampshire Union Leader
May 7, 2013 by Dave Solomon in New Hampshire Union Leader
Savage said the recent purchases by Northern Pass are contiguous to the anticipated route the company is trying to build, but do not address its fundamental problems of crossing the Connecticut River along Route 3 at the Canadian border, or clearing a narrow passage through conservation land in Stewartstown near the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters.
Also filed under [
Transmission]
One point of agreement during a daylong forum on wind energy in Concord last week is that nobody's really happy with the way New Hampshire has been deciding on these projects since Lempster Wind, between Keene and Claremont, was approved more than five years ago.
Also filed under [
General]
$40,000 payment sets off debate; Developer of rejected wind site makes proposal contingent on ruling's reversal
May 2, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
May 2, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
The Select Board voted Monday night to delay the decision whether to accept a $40,000 compensation from Antrim Wind Energy until after the state committee that turned down the project in February releases its final order. ..."It does look like you're taking a bribe," said Kat Affholter.
Also filed under [
General]
Lawmakers weighing wind permit changes
April 30, 2013 by Sam Evans-Brown in New Hampshire Public Radio
April 30, 2013 by Sam Evans-Brown in New Hampshire Public Radio
The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee kicked off a summer's worth of work to reform the way the state evaluates proposals for new power plants Tuesday. They heard a whole day's worth of testimony about wind energy.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
Dummer residents oppose PILOT agreement with wind farm owner
April 24, 2013 by Barbara Tetreault in Berlin Daily Sun
April 24, 2013 by Barbara Tetreault in Berlin Daily Sun
At the end of an almost two hour informational meeting on a proposed payment-in-lieu-of taxes agreement with Granite Reliable Power, selectmen asked how many in the crowd of about 30 support that approach. Only three people raised their hands. The majority said they favored the town annually appraising the wind farm property based on its ad valorem or fair market value.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies]
Town officials will hold a public hearing on Monday to decide whether or not to accept a one-time payment of $40,000 from Antrim Wind Energy for "acceptable compensation" for negative visual impacts a wind farm would have had on the town.
In February, the N.H. Site Evaluation Committee voted down a proposed 10-turbine wind farm due to negative visual impacts the turbines would have had on the area and the town.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Impact on Views]
Wind developer offers town $40K for impacts
April 4, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
April 4, 2013 by Brandon Lawrence in Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Antrim Wind Energy has offered the town $40,000 as recompense for a proposed wind farm's visual impacts to the Gregg Lake area. The caveat is the state's Site Evaluation Committee has already denied the application.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Impact on Views]
Lori Lerner and her husband purchased a second home on Newfound Lake more than a decade ago and loved the area so much that they moved in for good. Now, she worries the construction of wind turbines on the ridges above the lake might stop others from following in their footsteps.
"Who wants to invest their hard-earned money in an area that's being over taken by these monstrosities?"
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Impact on People]
Instead the Senate voted 23-1 to establish two study committees to review the state Site Evaluation Committee's ability and capacity to do its job and the criteria for siting wind farms.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
Legislation gives Northern Pass project a pass, foes insist
March 27, 2013 by Dave Soloman in New Hampshire Union Leader
March 27, 2013 by Dave Soloman in New Hampshire Union Leader
"We didn't want to make a blanket decision to stop all SEC applications," said Prescott. "We made a decision to stop the filings for wind energy because there are many imminent issues. They are right on our doorstep. The decisions are going to be made soon.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
Renewed push at State House for a moratorium on wind farms
March 24, 2013 by Ben Leibsdorf in Concord Monitor
March 24, 2013 by Ben Leibsdorf in Concord Monitor
"Some breathing room is what everybody is asking for, and a chance to have an independent study of the SEC and its processes and to perhaps recommend ways it could become more efficient, more sensitive to the voices of the people most impacted," Tuthill said. "You can back off take a year, and see what's happening."
Also filed under [
General]
RGGI money eyed by NH House for low-income families
March 21, 2013 by Garry Raymo in New Hampshire Union Leader
March 21, 2013 by Garry Raymo in New Hampshire Union Leader
However, some members wanted to see the program repealed, including House Republican Alliance co-chair Rep Pam Tucker, R-Greenland. ...Over the past two years, the House voted to repeal RGGI, while the Senate wanted to modify the program. Two years ago, the bill died when the Senate failed to override former Gov. John Lynch's veto.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
Energy Policy]
SEC changes met with skepticism in Senate
March 20, 2013 by Sam Evans-Brown in New Hampshire Public Radio
March 20, 2013 by Sam Evans-Brown in New Hampshire Public Radio
Opponents of Wind Farms and of Northern Pass are backing an effort to explicitly require the state's Site Evaluation Committee to consider effects on view sheds, home values, opinions of town governments and other factors, when permitting new energy projects.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
With project proposals popping up with increased frequency, supporters of the idea said a step back would be a thoughtful move.
"This is not about thumbs up or thumbs down on any specific project, it's looking at the process by which we approve them," said Sen. Andy Sanborn, R-Bedford.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
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