Zoning board hearing on wind farm appeals continued

The zoning board hearing of the Jericho Power wind farm appeals was continued until March 27 to allow the full board to be present.

Four members of the board were in attendance at last Wednesday's meeting but the fifth member, Henry Bouchard, was absent. The petitioner, Allen Bouthillier of Lancaster, exercised his right to have his appeals heard by the full board. Bouthillier could have opted to go forward with a majority of the board present but Bouthillier said he wanted to wait.

This January the planning board amended its original site plan approval for the project to allow Jericho Power to install three 500-foot turbines. The original site plan approval, back in 2009, was for four wind towers no higher than 400 feet.

The zoning board in January also amended its variance to allow for the three turbines. The zoning board had originally approved four turbines at up to 400 feet and a fifth turbine at 500 feet. In January, the zoning board approved three 500-foot turbines.

Bouthillier is asking the zoning board to reverse the Jan. 8 planning board decision as well as reconsider its own Jan. 9 decision. He owns 850 acres abutting the 135-acre site where Jericho Power wants to locate its wind turbines and told the board he has plans to develop his own wind farm.

Before the meeting, members of the zoning board met in non-public session with City Attorney Chris Boldt. Bouthillier was represented by Sandra Cabrera and Jonathan Frizzell of Waystack and Frizzell.

Boldt advised the zoning board it should appoint some alternate members who can serve when a regular member is absent or has a conflict of interest. An international renewable energy company is laying off 40 workers at its wind turbine plant in eastern Iowa.

Acciona announced Monday that a reduction at its West Branch facility was necessary because of a sharp decline in U.S. wind development over the past year.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen says the company laid off nearly 60 employees at the same facility about four years ago. Officials at the time called it a short-term issue.

The newspaper reports Iowa has about 6,000 jobs in the wind energy industry. But some experts say a spar last year between federal lawmakers over whether to extend a wind energy tax credit hurt the industry. The tax break was later extended.

Objectors have warned the wind farm development will damage local people's lives and the ecology and tourism of the area.

Developer RWE Npower expects the project to have the capacity to generate up to 84 megawatts, enough to power the equivalent of 39,700 homes.

The firm said the wind farm would inject up to 19m into the economy of south and south west Wales and support up to 224 jobs in the region during each year of construction.

Bethan Edwards, RWE Npower's project developer, said: "These important economic benefits continue through to the operation of the wind farm, with spending in the south and west Wales economy, the creation of jobs and local investment through the significant community benefit and economic development funds which we will develop in consultation with local people.

"Local community benefits will amount to around 560,000 per year over the life of the wind farm, depending upon the final installed capacity."

A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman said: "Onshore wind has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix.

"This development will enhance our energy security, help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create up to 150 construction jobs."

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards claimed local opinion and genuine concerns about the project had been "dismissed".