Jefferson County (NY) town bans wind power

[The Straight Story]

Jefferson County town bans wind power

Towns across the North Country have been consumed by commercial wind farm projects. Wind power has divided neighbors, even families. It’s turned the results of elections in places like Hammond and Cape Vincent. A recent planning board meeting in Cape Vincent dealing with wind power devolved into a physical altercation.

The town of Henderson, on the shore of eastern Lake Ontario in Jefferson County, has side-stepped future wind clashes. It’s become the first North Country town to ban all wind turbines - industrial ones, private ones, even wind test towers.

Henderson town supervisor Ray Walker voted with the 4 to 1 majority passing the law Wednesday night. He told David Sommerstein a mostly anti-wind citizens’ group came up with a set of zoning regulations after a year of research.

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/16656/jefferson-county-town-bans-wind-power

[ejpoeta]

1. that's ridiculous. my aunt lives up at henderson harbor.

to ban ALL even private citizens having them. friggin ridiculous.

[hedgehog]

2. We've had some strange stories coming out around here.

The Oswego County legislature came out against off-shore wind turbines, apparently because they wouldn't be taxable. If the county doesn't own the lake bed and there fore can't tax it, how can the county bad the turbines? I'm not certain, but I get a glimmer that some of the opposition comes from a notion that wind power will be sent down state to NYC.

(Jefferson and Oswego Counties are adjacent, Jefferson directly east of Lake Ontario, Oswego on the southern shore.)