Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Turbine foes host forum on wind power downside

Local resident Elaine Pacheco was among the crowd of more than 100 on Saturday who listened in rapt attention as Executive Director Lisa Linowes of Industrial Wind Action detailed the costs, both environmental and financial, of wind turbines.

The crowd was drawn by a grassroots group, FairWindCT, that has formed in opposition to the proposal by BNE Energy, Inc. to build six wind turbines in town, each standing up to 492 feet tall when the blade is at its vertical limit.

Linowes said the power generated by wind creates no polluting emissions, but offered few other positives. "What I am trying to do today is balance out what is in the (BNE Energy) application," Linowes said.

She detailed many limitations faced by the large-scale development of wind power around the region, including a lack of existing power transmission capacity from the remote areas most conducive to wind power. Linowes challenged many of the contentions and assumptions detailed in the application, including the potential $400,000 tax windfall for the town and the applicant's contention that property values will hold up once the turbines rise.

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