‘Worth nothing’: Questions concerning distance of turbines from waterfront, village are criticized

LYME — In August, the Lyme Planning Board asked residents to fill out a survey to help them write a zoning law amendment for wind turbines. Now questions on that survey are being challenged as not valid.

Two questions on the survey ask residents how far from the waterfront, village of Chaumont and hamlets turbines should be placed. Their options were: 1,500 feet, 3,000 feet, 4,500 feet and “Turbines should not be near the waterfront” or “Turbines should not be near any area of population such as a hamlet and/or village.”

Residents of the townships of Clayton and Orleans sat in bewilderment at a recent planning board meeting and watched as the public comments to the DGEIS for Horse Creek Wind Farm were turned over to PPM Energy's hired research firm for review. What a slap in the face. The comments were in a huge binder and Ms Enders of EDR, firm hired by PPM Energy, explained to the planning board how she would analyse these responses. There was NO opportunity for public comment at this meeting. I will have to say that the planning board chairman did make a copy of the comments for each member. Ms Enders told him he did not have to.

July 13, 2007, The Town of Clayton Planning Board received an official letter from the United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service denying the approval for the 62 proposed wind turbines called Horse Creek Wind Farm in the townships of Clayton and Orleans. This 16 page document reprimanded and frankly quite strict with PPM Energy in their lack of the many ommissions and incomplete information pertaining to natural resources found or expected in the project areas.