Caledonian-Record: State Consumer Advocates Now Back Wind Project

The article below is reposted here from the Caledonian-Record.

1/19/2011

State ConsumerAdvocates NowBack Wind Project

Robin Smith

Staff Writer

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is another story in an occasional series leading to the upcoming state hearings in February on the proposed commercial wind project on Lowell’s ridge lines.

A state electricity consumer advocate now says the Lowell wind project should go ahead.

A Vermont Department of Public Service official said in initial testimony that Green Mountain Power’s Kingdom Community Wind project on Lowell Mountain “will not promote the general good of the state.”

However, David Lamont, director for regulated utility planning with the department, said he has changed his mind.

“In considering the various costs and benefits associated with this project, the department has concluded that the benefits outweigh the costs and the project should proceed,” Lamont said in testimony posted this week online.

Lamont is among many experts offering testimony to state regulators in advance of hearings in February on the proposed wind project.

GMP, with partners Vermont Electric Cooperative and transmission company VELCO, has applied to the Vermont Public Service Board for a certificate of public good to erect 21 large turbines on Lowell’s ridge line.

The turbines, depending on the type of turbine chosen by GMP, could be either 459.3 feet tall from base to blade tip or 403.5 feet tall, according to a state expert’s testimony.

The turbines will be seen in towns on either side of the ridge line. GMP is considering a radar system for the tall turbines to alleviate the impact of red flashing aviation lights on the Long Trail.

The hearings begin Feb. 2 and will run for more than two weeks at the Public Service Board building in Montpelier.

Other testimony in advance of the hearings by GMP and its partners and opponents, or state statutory parties such as the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, is posted online at www.kingdomcommunitywind.com. That testimony covers topics from aesthetics, economic impact and noise to environmental studies and property values.

The board is holding a scheduling hearing today at 2 p.m. to nail down the witness list.

In October, Lamont looked at concerns of those who say they will be affected by the Lowell wind project and also looked at expert testimony from those representing his own department. He came down in opposition to the Lowell project unless GMP reduced the number of turbines and moved them down slope off the ridge line.

On Jan. 10, Lamont gave new testimony to the Public Service Board, saying the department now supports the project.

“The department’s aesthetics consultant has determined that the project will be shocking and offensive to a limited, but significant number of residents as well as recreational and other users of the area,” Lamont said.

“The project proponents have demonstrated, and in some cases quantified, the benefits associated with the project. These benefits are significant as well.

“As discussed by the petitioners, the Legislature has set various goals for the state to develop renewable energy supply,” Lamont said.

The department has reinforced those goals, he said.

Lamont also said that the Public Service Board has set a precedent that recognizes that there are competing goals of renewable energy development and aesthetic impacts.

He said that the benefits outweigh the costs.

He pointed to testimony by GMP’s aesthetics expert David Raphael, who said there are some who have a direct and negative view of the turbines. But many others have homes that are shielded by trees and other vegetation from the view, he said.

“I can conclude that the aesthetic impacts are limited in their nature, though significant to the individuals involved,” Lamont said.

The benefits are carbon-free renewable electricity for GMP customers, including VEC, plus additional jobs and tax revenues, he said.

He cited state statutes set by the Legislature for Vermont’s utilities to develop renewable energy sources at home and contribute to reductions in global climate change.

“It seems obvious from these legislative actions that the Legislature has a strong desire to see Vermont employ more renewable energy systems,” Lamont said. “The near-term technologies able to do so in utility-scale qualities are wind and biomass. The least cost option is wind.

“Wind, by its nature, must be sited in visually prominent areas, and while projects should be designed to minimize such impacts, they cannot be eliminated entirely. In setting their goals, policy makers have made at least some judgments regarding the impacts of renewable technologies, and found them acceptable given the perceived benefits …”

The department has supported the legislative goals by supporting renewable energy projects, he said. “The department’s outreach efforts showed a strong preference among the general public for renewable energy sources.”

He cited Public Service Board precedent to balance the benefits of commercial-grade wind projects versus impacts. The board, he said, noted in the past that turbines would not have an unacceptable impact if only a small number of individuals would experience an undue adverse aesthetic impact.

An undue adverse aesthetic impact is described elsewhere as a visual impact that would be considered shocking to the eye of the average person.

“As much as I was moved by the testimony of those who are most directly affected by this project, my conclusion based on the board precedent, is that this project taken as a whole satisfies that precedent,” Lamont said.

The hearings are Feb. 2-4, Feb. 7-11 and Feb. 22-25 at 112 State St., Montpelier in the Public Service Board hearing room on the third floor.

GMP hopes to have a certificate this spring to begin construction this year. The goal, GMP officials have said, is to complete construction in time to earn federal tax credits before they expire at the end of 2012.