Even worse, this bill appears ready for a committee vote this coming Tuesday, evidently taking advantage of this holiday weekend to slip it under the proverbial radar.
1.) PLEASE contact the committee members with the message.."Restore the Wind Permitting Bill, Don't BAN Wind Power!" austin.allrand@ncleg.net ; bob.atwater@ncleg.net ; ellie.kinard@ncleg.net ; don.davis@ncleg.net ; david.weinstein@ncleg.net ; joesam.queen@ncleg.net ; charlie.albertson@ncleg.net ; ab.swindell@ncleg.net ; John.Snow@ncleg.net
2.) CALL as many of these members as you possibly can. If we can flood their in-boxes and answering machines with support for the original language by Monday and Tuesday, this irrational, covert effort to ban wind power can be prevented.
3.) FORWARD this email to anyone who you think cares about clean energy, good jobs, environmental protection and will contact these committee members immediately!!!!
Phone Numbers:
Austin Allrand 919 733 5876
Bob Atwater (committee Chair) 919 715 3036
Ellie Kinard 919 733 5804
Don Davis 919 733 5621
David Weinstein 919 733 5651
Joe Sam Queen 919 733 5705
John Snow 919 733 5875
A. B. Swindell 919 715 3030
Thanks for your Community Action!!
Ned Ryan Doyle
The information below is from Dr. Dennis Scanlon, Professor at ASU Boone, who has been actively involved with the Wind Working Group, who developed the original language:
The NC Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources is set to vote on revised version of Senate Bill 1068, Permitting Wind Energy Facilities in NC, on Tuesday July 7th that will ban all wind energy projects in the NC mountains, driving away jobs, economic benefits, and clean electricity from the region.
The original text of this bill was to clarify that wind turbines 100 kW or below were excluded in the North Carolina Mountain Ridge Protection Act. Wind turbines above 100 kW were excluded from the North Carolina Mountain Ridge Protection Act to the extent allowed by a local county or government. This allowed local governments to decide how to use local resources.
However, the new revised text of this bill states that " "Tall buildings or structures" include wind turbines for the generation of electricity and wind energy facilities as defined in G.S. 113A-103. "Tall buildings or structures" do not include:
a. Water, radio, telephone or television towers or any equipment for the transmission of electricity or communications or both.b. Structures of a relatively slender nature and minor vertical projections of a parent building, including chimneys, flagpoles, flues, spires, steeples, belfries, cupolas, antennas, poles, wires, or windmills.windmills when the windmill is a solitary structure and is not used to generate electricity for the public for compensation."
This will essentially eliminate all wind energy projects in the NC Mountains. Keeping hundreds of new jobs, millions of local economic development dollars, and renewable electricity out of our state.
It is unclear to me how the NC senate can expect our utilities to meet their REPS requirements if they are banning the most cost effective resource?
And its not as if the bill doesn't protect the environment, viewshed, and ecological habitats that are sensitive in the NC mountains. In fact, in the original bill a permit would not be issued by the state for wind energy projects that "significantly impacted" viewsheds, avian species, and ecological habitats from the following areas, Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail, State Parks, National Parks, Spruce Fir Habitats, Important Bird Areas, and Natural Heritage Areas.
The original bill protected high recreational areas from wind energy projects by providing state oversight (a permit would be required from the state before any facility could be constructed), while allowing local government to decide how they wanted to utilize local wind resources. In fact, counties such as Ashe and Watagua had already established local guidelines to wind turbines that included requirements for different sizes, and in Ashe County, a height restriction. Other mountain counties are moving forward with wind projects, but I don't suppose our legislators have bothered to pay attention to what is happening in their own districts.
Come Monday morning, I will personally be contacting committee members, as I am shocked as to how Raleigh has no idea about the feasibility of wind energy in the mountains, and the economic benefits to the communities, residents, and governments that wind energy brings to the places that need it most.
While I strongly supported the original S1068 bill, I stand strongly opposed to the revised version.
