Wind turbine OK brings hope in Vt. - Boston Globe

Source: Boston Globe

Wind turbine OK brings hope in Vt.
Advocates say more are possible

By Associated Press | August 20, 2007

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- State regulators' approval of 16 wind
turbines in Sheffield has dispelled some developers' worries
that no big wind turbines would be approved on the state's
mountaintops and offered a guide through the state's
review process.

"They very carefully and transparently sketched out a map
as to what standards would have to be met to get a permit,"
Stephen Terry, a consultant to Green Mountain Power Corp.,
said of members of the Public Service Board. "In the end
the board sent a strong message that, if it's done right,
wind energy is a public good for Vermont."

Terry and other specialists said that the lesson for
developers is to gain local support, sell electricity to
Vermont utilities at a stable price, and thoroughly review
the environmental impacts of the wind towers.

"The order sets a really high bar for developers to meet,
but it lays out all the hoops you need to jump through,"
said James Moore, a renewable energy advocate for the
Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

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Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2007/08/20/wind_turbine_ok_brings_hope_in_vt

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