DCPC targets wind turbines

The Martha's Vineyard Commission (MVC) last Thursday voted 12 to 1 to accept a nomination to create an Island wind district of critical planning concern (DCPC) that would cover the airspace above 220 feet over the waters of Dukes County.

The purpose of the DCPC is to provide a framework to regulate large-scale wind turbine development, according to the MVC.

Much of the discussion Thursday night concerned whether or not to include Island land and waters in the DCPC nomination. Acceptance of a nomination immediately triggers a moratorium on development permits.

Several commissioners expressed concerns about the impact of a DCPC moratorium on small-scale land-based wind turbine projects already in the works for the Edgartown wastewater plant and West Tisbury School. After much discussion, the MVC decided to separate the DCPC nominations into two, one for land and one for sea.

With Thursday night's vote, a development moratorium is now in effect on all building projects exceeding 220 feet above mean sea level in the waters of Dukes County, from the Island's shoreline to the three-mile Massachusetts boundary limit.

The next step in the regulatory process is a public hearing scheduled for Thursday, November 5 at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. The commissioners will accept public comment on the nomination to designate Island waters as a wind DCPC.

If the MVC votes at a public hearing on November 5 to designate the Island's waters as a DCPC, a moratorium of up to one year would be put into effect. During that time the towns would create proposed regulations for the new district in conformance with the MVC's guidelines for development.

Also on November 5 the MVC is expected to act on a second DCPC that would apply to airspace above 220 feet over Vineyard lands, except for Indian common lands and settlement lands. If accepted, a second public hearing and DCPC vote would be required within 60 days. During that time a second development moratorium would go into effect for land-based projects that exceed 220 feet in height while the towns create proposed regulations.

As a next step, the MVC will hold a public hearing and vote to approve the proposed regulations based on conformance to the commission's guidelines for development. The regulations for a newly created DCPC require approval by a two-thirds majority vote at town meetings, at which time the development moratorium ends.

Commissioner Holly Stephenson of Tisbury began discussion Thursday night by reading a prepared statement.