It seems the proposed Enfield wind law - whether it passes or not - is going to leave some residents unhappy. ...Dissenters at the meeting complained the proposed law contains setbacks of 450 feet from structures, such as homes, and 100 feet from property lines. ...Town Supervisor Frank Podufalski said he appreciated the turnout, and said Enfield "has a golden opportunity to pass a law with the right restrictions."

Newly named New York Power Authority chief executive Richard Kessel is drawing up a 10-year plan that includes a wind farm "of significant size" off the Atlantic coast and a new sub-Atlantic power cable, he said Thursday. ...Kessel said he has already had a phone conversation with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg about the wind farm, which he envisions producing between 200 and 500 megawatts of power - potentially 150 turbines. A Bloomberg spokesman said the mayor and Kessel will meet on the topic in coming weeks.

Members of the committee formed to produce a zoning amendment to deal with wind farms want specifics. During a meeting Thursday afternoon, the committee agreed to ask the acoustical engineering firm Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Sudbury, Mass., to evaluate the noise-measuring methods in different laws. That firm panned Hessler Associates' ambient noise study in BP Alternative Energy's draft environmental impact statement for the Cape Vincent Wind Farm. "My request would be that these documents should be sent to Cavanaugh and Tocci for their review," said Richard Macsherry, Tibbetts Point.

At a special Town Council meeting Monday, a silenced crowd was sharply divided against the town board as it passed a law regulating the creation of wind energy farms. The law passed 3-0. James Pitcher and Russell Stewart did not vote because they have recused themselves from wind law meetings for conflicts of interest. Roughly 20 community members attended the meeting, which was not open to public comment.

The Farmersville Town Board voted Monday to place a moratorium on wind farm applications while changes are made to a 2007 law regulating wind-energy conversion facilities in the town. The updated law will require a host community agreement with a wind-energy developer prior to the town's approval of a wind farm, according to the town's wind-energy attorney, Eric Dadd.

A Vermont wind energy company is in the very early stages of developing a wind farm in Schenectady County. A site for a 79.2-megawatt wind farm is being studied in the towns of Rotterdam and Princetown by Reunion Power LLC of Manchester. Steve Eisenberg, Reunion's managing director, said the company has not yet acquired land for the project, although a meteorological tower has been erected to collect data.

The Tioga County Planning Board gave a positive recommendation Wednesday on a proposal from the town of Barton to place a 180 day moratorium on the installation of wind energy facilities within the town. The Town of Barton currently has deficient ordinances in place to regulate new wind energy facilities, the board said.

The members of the committee formed to produce a zoning amendment to deal with wind farms changed their minds about boundaries for the area in which turbines would be allowed. About three weeks ago, the committee tentatively agreed to set Route 6 as the western boundary for a wind overlay district. But Wednesday afternoon, the committee decided that the entire agricultural-residential district should allow turbines. That once again adds some land west of Route 6 and south of Bates Road. That land had five turbines planned for BP Alternative Energy's Cape Vincent Wind Farm.

The Hornellsville town board believes wind energy is the way to go. The board, joined by members of the town planning board, passed a resolution Tuesday night opening the town up for wind development. Bob Panter, chair of the Hornellsville town planning board, said town officials have been reviewing wind energy in general for several years. "We got a bus and the board members and some residents went to Tug Hill (a wind turbine development in Lewis County)," he said. "The town needed to be sort of experts on wind."

The Westfield Town Board adopted a Final Scoping Document for Babcock & Brown's proposed Ripley-Westfield wind turbine project at its October 1st meeting. The Final Scoping Document was prepared by the Town Board, as co-lead agency with the Ripley Town Board, in conjunction with consultants from Environmental Design & Research. The Ripley Town Board is expected to discuss the document at an upcoming meeting.

The Town Board is taking the advice of its new lawyer and will introduce a one-year moratorium on wind farm proposals, pending changes to the town's Wind Energy Facilities law that was adopted last year to regulate permits. During a special board session Monday night, acting Town Supervisor Joe Brodka said the step is being taken to protect the town. He assured about a dozen property owners and residents in attendance that the move shouldn't cause Noble Environmental Power to abandon its plans for a project in the town.

Wind power in Tompkins County took another step toward becoming a reality with the completion of a wind law for Enfield. The Enfield Town Board is still months away from adopting the law, but a draft of it was reviewed by the board and its attorney, and is now in the hands of the Tompkins County Planning Department for additional scrutiny.

The boundary for the wind turbine overlay district is set tentatively as Route 6 to the west and the riverfront district to the north. The town's wind zoning amendment committee agreed to those boundaries at its meeting Thursday afternoon. ...The lakefront district is excluded under the Route 6 boundary, as is a section of agricultural district land west of Route 6. "There are people out there that would be affected," said Beth A. White, president of Voters for Wind.

The Yates County Planning Board approved proposed incentive zoning amendments to the Town of Italy's comprehensive plan that would make way for wind energy development. Incentive zoning refers to designated areas in the town where wind turbines would be allowed and developers eligible for financial incentives. At Thursday's meeting, board member Dave Christiansen asked Italy Town Supervisor Margaret Dunn why the town didn't address the zoning issue during its moratorium on wind farm development.

A small classroom in St. John's parish was filled with curious citizens Wednesday night, gathered to ask questions and discuss zoning for possible wind turbines. The purpose of the meeting, held by the Wind Energy Committee, was to "put the horse before the cart" and examine possible zoning laws before wind energy companies take a closer look at the town. "The point is, they are talking to the east and west," Wind Energy Committee Chairman Peter A. Paquette said. "We want to be ahead of the game."

The Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency is not mentioned in a proposed local law intended to sidestep a blanket state tax exemption and maintain the county's ability to tax wind farms and other alternative energy facilities. But some Cattaraugus County Legislators said Monday that mistrust of the agency, along with a lack of understanding of the proposed law, probably will scuttle the second attempt in a year to bring it to a vote. The decision is likely to be made after a public hearing at 3 p. m. today in the legislative chambers on the third floor of the County Center in Little Valley.

When the Benton County Planning Board meets at 5:30 p.m. today, it will decide the fate of a meteorological tower slated to go up off Sibley Road in Sulphur Springs. ...The company has already leased the wind rights to 2, 000 acres in Benton County in order to study the winds as a part of the project called the Honey Creek Wind Project.

Nearly 70 concerned residents and neighbors spoke out about potential rezoning for wind turbines in the Italy Valley at a public hearing Saturday. The discussion continued a forum that began at a meeting last week in which emotional residents protested the proposed changes, which would allow developer Ecogen LLC to move forward with plans for wind turbines in two areas in the southern portion of the town. About two-thirds of the speakers on Saturday opposed wind development, said Town Board member Malcolm MacKenzie. Of those, many surmised that developers are not concerned about the best interest of the residents.

Windhorse Power's turbines are allowed in Beekmantown - again. Though approved by the Beekmantown Zoning Board of Appeals in early 2007, an Article 78 proceeding had kept the project in legal limbo. But the New York State Appellate Court recently upheld a State Supreme Court decision from Aug. 23, 2007. That decision dismissed the Article 78 proceeding started by the West Beekmantown Neighborhood Association in March 2007.

The Allegany Town Planning Board Monday night formally accepted the application for a wind energy project in the southwest portion of the town. The board also approved a resolution that would begin the environmental review process, which would include sending letters to agencies that would be involved with the review or may be interested in the review of the project. The letter will inform the agencies that Everpower Renewables, a New York City-based energy company, has submitted an application to build a wind farm in the Chipmonk area and ask for suggestions on issues to consider during the review.