JORDANVILLE – For the first time this year, the town of Warren has
found reason to create and approve a local law. Following the Oct. 5
hearing last week, members of the Town Board approved the first local
law of the year presented by board member Keith Sheldon and seconded by
Supervisor Richard Jack.
The local law, entitled Town of Warren Wind Energy Facilities Law As
Amended, lays the legal foundation required for any wind turbine
projects to be located within the town of Warren.
Talks between local municipalities and Community Energy, of Saratoga
Springs, are currently underway regarding the location and construction
of as many as 75 wind turbines in the area.
The law states “a local law must be enacted to regulate their
development and set forth the requirements relative to wind power
facilities.”
With the passage of this local law, the Town Board is now authorized
to “approve, approve with conditions or disapprove wind energy facility
applications,” presented for consideration by the board.
Requirements set forth by the local law state each project must
provide a completed application to be submitted to the board 10 days
prior to the regular town board meeting and that any application must
be in writing and signed by the applicant.
The application must include the name of the project, a map showing
the boundaries of the affected lots, the consent of all participating
property owners of the affected parcels within the area to be
developed.
It also must include (when identifying the parcels to be affected)
map numbers, acreage, names and addresses of the owners who will be
affected by the proposed development and addresses of all owners of
abutting parcels.
Other requirements include the distance to the nearest residential
structures, an Environmental Assessment Form, and a map showing all
existing lot lines, easements, right of ways and a sketch plan showing
all proposed road access including provisions for paving, proposed
transmission lines and accessory facilities and location of all
existing proposed utility systems to the facility.
It also provides guidelines for setbacks, public hearing guidelines
and landscaping requirements. It prohibits advertising and sets a sound
level limit at 50 decibels.
To better understand what 50 decibels sounds like, the Department of
Energy has an educational website that explains decibels and provides
basic comparisons. The information provided said that decibel levels
vary under different conditions, including distance to the object
generating the sound.
In comparison, the 50 decibel level of noise granted to the wind
turbines will be no louder than normal conversation, according to the
DOE. A whisper is 30 decibels and a vacuum cleaner is 70
decibels. A rock concert is 120 decibels.
The law also stated that if sound levels are exceeded a waiver may be granted.
The local law also provided safeguards to protect the community if
after a 10 year period of operation the wind energy facility is no
longer operated. The applicant will be required to remove the turbines
and all related systems facilities at their expense.
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