Rutland Herald -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 9/16/2004
Last Visited: 9/17/2004
Sam Lloyd of Weston, co-chairman of the Glebe Mountain Group, which opposes the proposed wind facility on Glebe Mountain in Londonderry and Windham, matched facts and opinions with John Berkowitz of Southern Vermonters for a Fair Economy and Environmental Protection, a supporter of wind energy development.
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Lloyd, a former state representative and longtime member of the state Environmental Board, said that wind energy projects should be reviewed under Act 250, the state's primary land-use law.
Lloyd said that the current "regulatory scheme" puts wind energy projects under the review of the Public Service Board, but Lloyd said that three-person board lacked the expertise to fully evaluate the environmental effects of building wind towers on fragile, high elevation ridgelines.
Lloyd said that when the current law, Section 248, was written, large-scale commercial wind facilities weren't even thought of.
He noted that a state commission is currently reviewing the adequacy of Section 248, and would make recommendations to Gov.
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Lloyd claimed that only 1 percent of the state's power needs - currently about 1,000 megawatts (twice the generating capacity of Vermont Yankee) - comes from fossil fuel.
Lloyd said he believed that aesthetics were not the most important consideration when evaluating wind projects, but the effects on the environment - pristine mountain streams, erosion of thin mountain soils and displacement of high elevation wildlife.