NEWFIELD, NY – One of the wind turbines from the Black Oak Wind Farm project in Enfield may end up sited in neighboring Newfield, and some residents have expressed concern.
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Newfield will be holding a public hearing on Mar. 24 to get feedback on a proposed law that would create a 90-day moratorium on the permitting, construction and operation of Wind Energy Facilities in the town.
According to Town Supervisor Jeff Hart, one of the alternative plans for the Black Oak Wind Farm calls for one of its turbines to be sited within Newfield town borders.
Black Oak has been the subject of much controversy in the town of Enfield and has had to undergo multiple plan changes over the course of its development
Black Oak has not approached the town of Newfield to seek permits at this time, Hart said.
Hart said that some residents expressed concern over setbacks (the required distance between a wind turbine and the nearest structure), so the town wants to create a moratorium to ensure that the board can reexamine the town’s existing Wind Energy Facilities Law, established in 2009. He added that board members have already individually been examining how other municipalities have crafted their wind laws in this regard.
Current setbacks per the Newfield wind law are 1.5 times the height of the wind turbine. By comparison, current setbacks per Enfield’s wind law are 1.1 times the height.
(Featured photo courtesy of Michael Swan on Flickr.)
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