State vs. town

NORTH CANAAN — A draft of regulations governing wind turbines got another review at the March 14 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The commission members also approved a letter to be sent to the state, asking about how involved the Siting Council or other agencies will be in deciding where wind turbines can be built. A wind turbine proposed by BNE Energy Inc. for a ridgeline location at Lone Oak Camp Sites was denied by Planning and Zoning last fall. The commission wanted to wait until the town had regulations governing the green energy source. The commissioners voted in January to ask the Board of Selectmen to ask legislators how the state might proceed with its own wind turbine regulations. That request was prompted by a November 2010 letter from then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to the Legislature urging that the state develop regulations for siting wind turbines. The Planning and Zoning commissioners said at the time they did not want to to create their own regulations if they would be trumped by the state. They were under the impression that the state might give power to the state Siting Council to decide where the turbines can be built. The Siting Council has jurisdiction over the placement of all cellular communications towers in Connecticut.Meanwhile, a draft of local regulations has been put together, under the leadership of Planning and Zoning alternate member Tim Abbott. The document is currently nine pages long, and addresses issues that include tower height, fall zone, throw zone (of ice accumulated on blades), flicker zone, noise, setbacks, access roads, impact on views and abandonment.A preliminary analysis of sites that could meet acreage and other requirements under the draft regulations shows very little opportunity for putting a turbine in North Canaan. Abbott said there are no more than 10 properties in the town’s large agricultural/residential zones that could accommodate even a small scale (under 1 megawatt) wind-to-energy generating system.The proposed East Canaan turbine, a small-scale system, would not meet setback requirements from the Falls Village town line, Abbott said.The Connecticut Siting Council is currently considering petitions from BNE for two sites in Colebrook and another in Prospect. BNE is requesting a ruling that a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need is not necessary for any of the sites. The wind turbines proposed are commercial size, much larger than the one proposed in North Canaan.

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