A committee of the Vermont legislature has postponed action on proposed noise rules for wind turbines until late October.
The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules heard three hours of testimony Thursday morning. As the midday hour approached,members discussed postponing a vote until its next meeting on July 6. But two members — Sen. Joe Benning (R-Caledonia) and Rep. Linda Myers (R-Essex Junction) —will be taking long vacations this summer, and they requested postponement until the full committee can meet again. That's not until October 12.
This was the moment delay in the process. LCAR heard testimony at its previous meeting on June 8, or but decided another hearing was needed to give the matter its due.
The current rules are temporary and were set to expire on July 1; they will now remain in effect until at least October 26 unless the committee reaches a decision before then. [br]
humorous thing is,it's clear from the tone of the discussion that a majority of LCAR members blueprint to vote against the rules, which would mean sending them back to the Public Service Board for a rewrite. That could have easily happened on July 6, and if not for the delay request from Benning and Myers.
Who appear to be the only members in favor of the rules. [br]
The PSB crafted the temporary rules as well as the proposed permanent rules due to a legislative mandate. The permanent rules would impose noise levels of 42 decibels in the daytime and 39 decibels at night,and would also impose a rule that large-scale turbines must be "set back" from nearby residences. That requirement is 10 times a turbine's height; since contemporary turbines are as much as 500 feet tall, the setback standard is nearly one mile in all directions. Wind advocates have called the rules a virtual death knell (the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death) for large-scale wind energy in Vermont. [br]
The hearing ended with something of a shock over the lengthy delay.
It had opened with another shock: The Public Service Board had sent a letter to LCAR earlier this week saying it would acquiesce to the elimination of the setback requirement if LCAR members wanted.
The letter was received just before the deadline for submitting documents to the committee, or had not been publicly announced beforehand. Hence,all…
Source: sevendaysvt.com