ALBANY - Seventeen companies comprising more than 90 percent of New York's wind-energy industry have signed an ethics code designed to prevent conflicts of interest between companies and municipal officials, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
Wind energy is a burgeoning sector in New York, Cuomo said, and New York wants to encourage it for environmental and economic-development reasons. But there have been "significant issues about conflict of interest, etc." in the siting of turbines, and a lack of clarity with government officials on what the rules are, he said.
"In many ways, it was a modern-day gold rush," Cuomo said. "This code of conduct that was signed today basically lays out the rules of the road."
One company doing business in the state - Reunion Power of Manchester Center, Vt. - originally refused to sign the code of ethics but changed its mind Wednesday afternoon.
"This is a great step forward for the industry and State of New York, setting a new level of integrity in government and a green light for the exciting new wind industry," Cuomo said in a statement.
Before Reunion Power signed the ethics code, Cuomo's office issued a subpoena to the company as part of his ongoing investigation of allegations of improper dealings. Reunion Power has potential wind-farm development in Otsego, Schoharie and Warren counties.
Wind power has the potential to provide 20 percent of the state's electricity demand, according to the state Energy Research Development Authority. A report from the state comptroller in 2005 predicted the industry could add 43,000 jobs in New York by 2013.
Cuomo unveiled the code of conduct in late October, when he announced that two wind-energy companies had signed it - Noble Environmental Power of Essex, Conn., and First Wind of Newton, Mass. Fifteen more have signed on since then.
The ethics code grew out of Cuomo's ongoing investigation on whether wind-farm developers improperly sought land-use agreements with residents and public officials, tried to influence public officials' actions by providing them with certain benefits, and other areas.
The code:
* Bans wind companies from hiring municipal employees or their relatives, giving gifts of more than $10 during a one-year period, or providing any other compensation that is contingent on any action before a municipal agency.
* Prevents wind companies from soliciting, using or knowingly receiving confidential information acquired by municipal officers in the course of their duties.
* Requires wind companies to set up public Web sites to disclose the names of all municipal officers or their relatives who have a financial stake in wind-farm development.
* Requires that wind companies submit to municipal clerks for public viewing and publish in a local newspaper the nature of a municipal officer's financial interest.
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