Wind farm developer withdraws application in Paupack Township, Wayne County

Winds of change? Residents of Paupack Township, Wayne County, concerned over impacts from a proposed commercial wind farm, might feel calm in the air. Boralex US Development has withdrawn its application for two wind velocity meteorological testing towers, supervisors have announced.  

A lengthy, well-attended conditional use hearing held May 22 was continued until July 24 at the township offices in Lakeville. That hearing has consequently been canceled.   

A storm of protest had been aired by concerned public, prompting the supervisors to congratulate them in the announcement posted July 1 on the township website.  

“After hearing the overwhelming concerns expressed by the Parties to the proceedings, residents and property owners, we are pleased to report to you that Boralex US Development has officially requested that their Conditional Use Application... be withdrawn from consideration at this time,” the announcement reads.  

The supervisors formally accepted the request for withdrawal at their July 10 meeting. Supervisor Bruce Chandler read aloud the letter from the applicant’s legal counsel stating the reasons for the withdrawal, which corroborate an email reply from Boralex to the Tri-County Independent.

Morgan Roy, public affairs advisor for Boralex, stated that the company chose to withdraw the application “following a comprehensive review of technical, regulatory, and logistical factors.” Roy added, “We also recognize there was significant community feedback during the exploratory phase. We respect and appreciate the input shared by residents and local stakeholders, and it played an important role in our due diligence process.” 

Paupack supervisors expressed thanks to the public in their website notice, stating their efforts expressing their concerns “certainly made an impact on the applicant” in the company’s decision to withdraw. 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by President Donald Trump quickens the phasing out of tax credits for new wind and solar energy projects beginning construction after July 5, 2026. “While federal policy changes are always a consideration in long-term planning, they were not a determining factor,” Roy stated. She said that Boralex remains committed to renewable energy development in the United States, adding “our presence in the US remains unchanged.” 

Asked if Boralex expected to re-apply in Paupack Township in the future, Roy replied, “At this time there are no plans to resubmit the conditional use permit. Boralex remains committed to renewable energy development in Pennsylvania.” 

Boralex US Development had proposed erecting two towers, each 196 feet tall, on the hills on either side of Hoadley Road. Each would have been approximately half a mile from the nearest points north of Paupacken Lake and northwest of Whitney Lake. The proposed sites of these towers and potential future wind farm installation were on hunting grounds owned by Cherry Ridge Corporation, a map Boralex provided showed.

Paupack Township Planning Commission chairperson Frank Williams said that the company did not state plans for how many turbines would be erected or at what height, as that would have been for a future submission to the township, pending results of the wind velocity testing had the two towers been built. 

Paupacken Lake and Whitney Lake are both within private communities. “There was indeed huge resistance to their project,” Paupack Township resident Eric French stated in an email. Discussion on Facebook “sparked huge attendance at the hearing in late May,” French said.

Concerned property owners became organized after that meeting. Along with about 20 others, he and his wife Darlene attended the regular supervisors’ meeting in June to air their grievances about the project. Along with posters, two billboards were put up advertising the July 24 hearing.  

Eric French stated, “Thousands of people travel to our area to experience this natural beauty, and we simply don't want to see it obliterated by these whirling, destructive monstrosities.”  

At the July supervisors’ meeting, Mark Malone, a Whitney Lake resident and private pilot, said that he objected to the application because one of the proposed towers would have been in direct conflict with a runway flight approach. He has been in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and is concerned that Boralex will apply again. He said that a wind farm located there would endanger pilots flying into Cherry Ridge Airport. 

Darlene French urged the supervisors to protect the residents from future wind farms when amending the zoning ordinance. Solicitor Ronald Bugaj replied, “The concept of zoning is primarily one of control and not of exclusion.” The township is looking at how to amend the ordinance to best protect their residents and yet provide for an opportunity for this kind of installation somewhere in the township. 

Williams, who is working on proposed ordinance changes, said that the township cannot excessively restrict the regulations to keep wind farms out.

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Possible regulations, however, could include limiting use of the turbines during the Lake Wallenpaupack tourist season due to “shadow flicker” from spinning turbines, Williams said, or limiting turbine height to no higher than that of the Waymart Wind Farm. 

A public informational presentation by an applicant would be beneficial, he said, in advance of learning about their plans at a hearing. 

Expert testimony would be needed to substantiate concerns such as impacts on real estate values and wildlife so the arguments could be held up in court, Bugaj advised. 

Boralex, based in Quebec, builds wind, solar and hydroelectric facilities in Canada, the United States and Europe.