Lyme Extends wind Moratorium

Link not available~

WWNY TV 7

29 January 2008

The Lyme town board decided Monday night to extend its moratorium on a proposed wind project for another three months.

That, as some residents urged the board to make the moratorium much longer.

BP Energy proposes 60 wind turbines for the town.

“Right now, we’ve gotta look at the setback issues, the noise issues,” said town supervisor Scott Aubertine.

At least three town residents proposed longer moratoriums — from six months to ‘indefinite.’

“One to five years minimum,” said one resident. “We should really study before we go ahead with this.”

As is the case in other north country towns, Lyme residents are divided over important questions — how noisy and environmentally damaging the wind towers are; how far they should be kept away from water front properties; what sort of deal should be struck with the developer.

Watch Alexandra Field’s report from Monday night:

WWNY TV 7

29 January 2008

January 26, 2008 DEIS ~ Meeting ~Called a Dog and Pony Show Because Citizens Voice Their Concerns

February 20, 2008 by Kristina Rusho in Thousand Island Sun

Evaluation of ~ DEIS ~ Noise report~Cape Vincent Wind Power Project by ~ R.H.Bolton ~

Evaluation of Environmental Noise Analysis of Cape Vincent Wind Power Project R.H.Bolton

Town Board still weighing option in Lyme wind debate

Link not available~

Watch Jessica Cain’s report:

WWNY TV 7

12 January 2008
The Lyme Town Board says it needs some time to think before voting on a proposed local law regulating wind power.

The decision comes after a second public hearing on the proposed law Saturday.

At the public hearing it became clear the wind debate is no longer divided among those in favor or against wind power in the town.

The debate is now complicated by how far setbacks for turbines should be and whether another moratorium on wind power should be put in place.

The Town Board says it needs time to process all the opinions from the two public hearings held on the proposed law.

It took nearly two hours to read all the written opinions on the law before those who attended Saturday’s public hearing spoke.

When the public did get up to speak the opinions were all different.

A big issue in the proposed law are 4500 foot setbacks from the waterfront, the Chaumont river, and the villages of Chaumont and Three Mile Bay.

Newly elected Town Supervisor Scott Aubertine says the proposed local law and the wind power debate overall have made for many sleepless nights.

Aubertine would not say how long he felt the board needed before voting on the proposed law or making changes to it.

Watch Jessica Cain’s report:

WWNY TV 7

12 January 2008

Lyme proposal could kill wind power plans

Chanel
WWNY TV 7 link not available

11 January 2008

Is the wind power issue dead in the Jefferson County town of Lyme?

The proposed local law to regulate windmills would kill plans for BP Alternative Energy to put up as many as 60 turbines there.

Under the measure, turbines would have to be 4,500 feet away from the lake, the river and the villages of Chaumont and Three Mile Bay.

Within those areas there are limits as well.

“If it stays an ordinance as it’s currently written, BP could not build a wind farm in the town of Lyme,” said Jim Madden of BP Alternative Energy.

The town planning board said the proposed law is based on the results of a survey sent out to local residents.

“Those are the setbacks that we came up with. That’s what the people wanted and that’s what we put down,” said Judy Tyndell of the town planning board.

BP officials said they wouldn’t be surprised if the 4,500 foot setback plan is the most restrictive in New York state.

7 News took a look at several local laws across the state; no other town we found has setbacks as far as the town of Lyme’s proposal.

In addition, Lyme’s noise restrictions are a lot tougher.

The final public hearing on the issue of wind power will be held in Chaumont Saturday.

The proposal will either head toward town board approval or back to the drawing board.

WWNY TV 7

11 January 2008

Chaumont ~ Public Debates Wind Energy

Link not available
1/07/08 ~ ?

By KELLY L. REYNOLDS
TlMES STAFF WRITER
Watertown Daily Times

CHAUMONT — More than 100 people both for and against wind power development crammed into the fire hall Saturday for the first of two public hearings on the town of Lyme’s proposed zoning ordinance for wind turbines.

Several comments at the three-hour meeting were followed by applause and some by boos, but Town Supervisor Scott G. Aubertine said after the hearing that he was pleased by the turnout and the willingness of the crowd to listen to differing opinions.

 Continue reading via the [WDT archives]

 Watertown Daily Times (NY)

January 6, 2008

PUBLIC DEBATES WIND ENERGY 
LYME HEARING: CROWD FOR, AGAINST DEVELOPMENT VOICES OPINIONS ON ZONING

Author: KELLY L. REYNOLDS
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Edition: Both
Section: Jefferson

Page: B1
Dateline: CHAUMONT

Estimated printed pages: 4

Article Text:

More than 100 people both for and against wind power development crammed into the fire hall Saturday for the first of two public hearings on the town of Lyme's proposed zoning ordinance for wind turbines.

Several comments at the three-hour meeting were followed by applause and some by boos, but Town Supervisor Scott G. Aubertine said after the hearing that he was pleased by the turnout and the willingness of the crowd to listen to differing opinions.

"This turnout shows a lot of care and concerns of the people," he said. "They have a lot of very valid questions and concerns, so after the meetings the board will digest all of it and make a decision."

BP Alternative Energy is proposing the Cape Vincent Wind Farm in the towns of Cape Vincent and Lyme, with 90 to 140 wind turbines. The Town Council extended the moratorium on wind farm development in November until the end of January. The original six-month moratorium was developed in April and later extended through November.

Dawn M. Munk, Three Mile Bay, is a member of the group Voters for Wind and spoke on why she thinks the setbacks in the ordinance are too restrictive. The ordinance says that a turbine may not be placed within 4,500 feet from Lake Ontario, the Chaumont River, the village of Chaumont boundary line and the hamlet of Three Mile Bay boundary line.

"If this goes through the way it is, it would be three times the setback in any other wind farm in the state," Mrs. Munk said. "It would be two times the noise regulations of any other in the state. I am disappointed in the way the town board and Planning Board have handled this. We have such an abundance of wind here, and it's not something we have to drill or mine. We just have to harness it. We do not need another moratorium; we need action."

Scott C. Discount and Seann A. Coffee recently bought a parcel of land in the town and are building a year-round residence. Mr. Discount said if he had known about the wind power proposal, he would not have moved to the area.

"We came up here for the absolute beauty of the area," he said. "That goes away with wind farms. I think the setbacks should be increased and you should have a longer moratorium. I came here to invest in my future, and now I want to protect that investment."

James A. Oxenford, Three Mile Bay, also is worried about how the placement of turbines would affect the town's character.

"Why place a noisemaker in the quiet country?" he said. "Why put tall towers in a low area? I think we're looking cheap and easy. We wouldn't be getting much compensation for what we would get taken away from us."

Daniel J. Villa, Three Mile Bay, said he is in favor of wind farms but also thinks the regulations are fine as submitted.

"We have to look at this whole piece and see the impact this will have on our town," he said. "I'm in favor of development in the town of Lyme, and I support the regulations as they are."

William A. Brown, also a member of Voters for Wind, is opposed to such restrictive setbacks and showed a map of his property at the meeting. One parcel is 844 acres. Without the setback regulations, he said, he could have 21 wind towers on that property. With all the setbacks, he said, the Planning Board told him he could have two.

His second parcel is 298 acres and would be able to accommodate seven towers without setbacks. With them, he said, none would be allowed.

James H. Madden, BP Alternative Energy's project manager for the project, said his job is to work with the town to address questions and concerns.

"I've been talking to residents, and I've seen the survey, and I do not think this is what the residents want," he said, referring to the wind power survey circulated by the town this past summer. The survey results show 52 percent of property owners in Lyme support wind turbine development, 27 percent were not in favor and 20 percent needed more information. About 37 percent said they would support the development but didn't want turbines in their neighborhoods.

"A wind farm would not be possible under this ordinance and I cannot imagine any wind developer would be able to support a development with this ordinance," Mr. Madden said.

The second and final public meeting on the proposed zoning ordinance will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Chaumont Fire Hall.

Caption:
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Memo:
PROPOSED REGULATIONS

The Lyme Town Council recently drafted a zoning ordinance for the proposed Cape Vincent Wind Farm Project that would place 90 to 140 turbines in Cape Vincent and the Town of Lyme. Highlights include:

* Any wind energy conversion system, or turbine, must be set back a minimum of 4,500 feet from the high water mark of Lake Ontario, the Chaumont River, the village of Chaumont boundary line and the hamlet of Three Mile Bay boundary line

* No turbine can be more than 500 feet tall.

* The minumum distance from any public road, the nearest edge of the Wind Overlay District (the area within the project where no turbines are permitted) or any residence or non-turbine structure that a turbine can be erected is 2.5 times the total height of the turbine. If a turbine is 500 feet tall, that would mean it would be at least 1,250 feet away from any of the above.

* A turbine must be placed at least the tower height plus 10 percent from any non-turbine above-ground utilities within the project boundary.

* A turbine must be at least 500 feet from state-identified wetlands or state-identified bodies of water.

* The noise generated by a turbine cannot exceed background noise plus 5 decibels when measured at the nearest property line, school, hospital, church or public building.

* All power cables and lines from the tower to any building or other structure must be underground.

WIND FARM ADVOCATES PREPARE FOR LYME HEARING

 Watertown Daily Times (NY)

January 5, 2008

WIND FARM ADVOCATES PREPARE FOR LYME HEARING

Author: KELLY L. REYNOLDS

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Edition: Both
Section: Jefferson
Page: B3
Dateline: THREE MILE BAY


Article Text:

About 30 members of Voters for Wind gathered at the fire hall Friday night to organize the opinions they will share at the town public hearing today and to gather more information on the wind turbine zoning regulations recently drafted by the Lyme Town Council.

Public hearings on the regulations are scheduled for 1 p.m. today and Jan. 12 at the Chaumont Fire Hall, but many residents are still unsure of exactly what the ordinance entails, said Marion Trieste, of Green Energy Outreach Services, based in Saratoga Springs, and a contractor for BP Alternative Energy.
[Continue reading Via WDT archives]

January 5, 2008

WIND FARM ADVOCATES PREPARE FOR LYME HEARING 

Author: KELLY L. REYNOLDS

TIMES STAFF WRITER
Edition: Both
Section: Jefferson

Page: B3
Dateline: THREE MILE BAY

Estimated printed pages: 2


Article Text:

About 30 members of Voters for Wind gathered at the fire hall Friday night to organize the opinions they will share at the town public hearing today and to gather more information on the wind turbine zoning regulations recently drafted by the Lyme Town Council.

Public hearings on the regulations are scheduled for 1 p.m. today and Jan. 12 at the Chaumont Fire Hall, but many residents are still unsure of exactly what the ordinance entails, said Marion Trieste, of Green Energy Outreach Services, based in Saratoga Springs, and a contractor for BP Alternative Energy.

BP Alternative Energy is proposing the Cape Vincent Wind Farm in Cape Vincent and Lyme, with 90 to 140 wind turbines. Lyme's moratorium on wind farm development will be lifted at the end of the month.

"I see people out here on a cold Friday night to hear their questions answered, and I think that's what makes a local government work," Ms. Trieste said. "Tomorrow, they're going to go to the public hearing and be able to talk about things they understand."

Voters for Wind is a citizens group that meets monthly and promotes the wind farm. Much of the discussion at Friday's meeting revolved around the distance turbines would be required to be set back from Lake Ontario and from neighboring property lines, and regulations on the noise level of turbines.

Ms. Trieste said the ordinance calls for turbines to be set back 4,500 feet, or more than five-sixths of a mile, from the lake, which, combined with other setbacks, would leave virtually no space in Lyme for turbines.

"This is the most restrictive ordinance that I've ever seen in the state," she said.

Some people at the meeting wondered why the town would create such restrictive regulations when many residents expressed interest in ample turbine development in a wind power survey circulated in Lyme in the summer.

"The survey shows that a majority is in favor of wind farms," Ms. Trieste said. "If you have that majority, you would expect your Town Council to submit a plan that's far less restrictive than this is."

Guy E. Gosier, a Voters for Wind member, also brought up the positive aspects of placing wind turbines in the town.

"You could bring the town $300,000 and that would cut taxes and it would create 65 jobs," he said.

Ms. Trieste said her goal for the public meetings in the next week is to bring out all residents to voice their opinions.

"It's a great project, and wind is such a great resource," she said. "There are so many misconceptions about wind power that are based on fear and not facts."

Lyme residents, BP Energy speak on proposed windmill setbacks

link not available~

report:
WWNYTV
5 January 2008

More than one hundred people showed up Saturday to a public hearing on a proposed change to local law that regulates windmills in the Town of Lyme.

The proposal before the town board includes setbacks of 4500 feet from Lake Ontario and the Chaumont River.

People at Saturday’s public hearing were on both sides of the wind debate.

Also at the public hearing was a representative from BP Energy which wants to build wind turbines in the town.

BP Energy’s representative told the town board the 4500 foot setbacks is too restrictive and if passed BP would no longer want to put wind turbines in the the Town of Lyme.

Those in favor of the proposed setbacks say its far enough to cut down on the noise each windmill makes.

5 January 2008