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No windtower moratorium in Hopkinton

Posted 4/14/17

By MATT LINDSEY HOPKINTON -- There will be no moratorium on construction of wind towers in Hopkinton. A moratorium originally believed to have passed March 20 by the Town of Hopkinton was not carried …

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No windtower moratorium in Hopkinton

Posted

By MATT LINDSEY

HOPKINTON -- There will be no moratorium on construction of wind towers in Hopkinton.

A moratorium originally believed to have passed March 20 by the Town of Hopkinton was not carried because it did not have the required number of votes because two council members abstained due to a conflict of interest.

The moratorium originally was “passed” with a 2-1 vote, but according to Town Supervisor Sue Wood, the board needed three votes to pass the moratorium.

Town council members Susan Lyon and Susan Wood voted in favor while Steve Parker Jr. voted against the moratorium.

Town council members Gilbert Sochia and Greg Crump abstained from voting because their family members are leaseholders with Avangrid, the company proposing to erect 40 wind towers that are about 500 feet high on land in Hopkinton and Parishville.

Wood said there are no plans for a revote. “We don't know how they would have voted and now it doesn't matter,” she said.

The Town of Parishville voted down a moratorium March 10 despite concerns from locals. The unanimous vote came after community members spoke out against the proposed which have divided the community.

The moratorium could have given more time for studies to be completed and information to be collected about wind towers.

Parker disagreed, saying that “with the Article 10 process moving forward a moratorium would do no good.”

Article 10 provides a review and approval process for major electric generating facilities in New York State by addressing state and local permitting requirements in a single process. It includes environmental justice and environmental and health requirements and ensures broad public involvement opportunities throughout the process.

Article 10 makes funds available to local municipalities through an Intervenor Fund so the community affected by the proposed plant can hire experts and lawyers and requires the creation of a Public Involvement Plan, summarizing project efforts to educate, inform, and involve the public in the permitting process.

The five stages of the Article 10 process are pre-application, application, administrative hearings, siting board decision and compliance.

Avangrid spokesperson Paul N. Copleman said benefits of wind towers include creating jobs and providing revenue for landowners and the rest of the community.

Based on projects in the past, Copleman believes the wind towers would lead to six permanent jobs and about 125 construction jobs likely lasting 12 to 18 months.

Copleman says revenue for landowners and farmers could be $500,000 and around $750,000 for the community.