Lyme wind law petition wasn't deceptive ~ Letter

Lyme wind law petition wasn't deceptive

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009

In a Feb. 25 letter, Julia Gosier of Three Mile Bay, expresses concern that residents may have been deceived. She states her belief that the wind law developed by the Lyme Planning Board is "very restrictive."

While Lyme's wind law may appear "restrictive" compared to those in other nearby towns, I prefer to think it is more protective of Lyme's residents. Lyme's Planning Board chose not to simply accept, as many towns have, the wind developer's suggestions as to what a wind zoning law should be.

Instead, we developed a comprehensive questionnaire, which was answered by more than 900 residents of the town. The principal components of the law developed by the Planning Board, such as the setbacks and noise criteria for the location of wind turbines, were supported by a clear majority of those answering the wind survey and speaking or submitting written comments at the public hearings.

It is the job of the Planning Board to guide future development within the town in accordance with the wishes of its residents and not to simply accommodate the wishes of developers.
The petition we passed around in September of 2008 contained the signatures of more than 400 residents who favored reinstatement of Lyme's wind law. There was no attempt to deceive anyone. The purpose of the petition was clearly stated on the top of the document people signed. It is hardly "shocking and unacceptable" that some of us on the Planning Board continue to advocate the implementation of a law that represents the will of our residents.

The "controversy" Mrs. Gosier alludes to is that a small group of residents, most of whom expect to profit from wind turbine development, have refused to accept that the majority of the people in Lyme are pleased with the law developed by the joint efforts of the Planning Board, members of the town board and a number of interested citizens.

This small, but vocal, group of potential wind turbine hosts continues to try to assist the wind developer by setting aside Lyme's wind zoning law. The law in question does not prohibit the location of wind turbines in the town of Lyme. It simply requires those turbines to be far enough from nonparticipating landowners, population centers and the lakeshore to limit their effect on our property values and on the peace and quiet many of us associate with life in small communities in Northern New York.

Albert H. Bowers III

Chaumont