State denies rehearing for Guilford wind turbine project
A state panel has turned down a grassroots group's effort to stall the massive wind turbine project proposed in the Town of Guilford. (Photo Source: Northland Power)
GUILFORD - The New York State Siting Board has denied a grassroots group’s plea to rethink a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility that authorizes construction of a large-scale wind turbine project in the Town of Guilford.
The certificate was awarded to High Bridge Wind despite objections of Guilford Coalition of Non-participating Residents (GCNR), an opposing group which claims the State Siting Board denied in-person hearings during the pandemic and that the panel pressed the case forward without giving adequate time to hear all opposing views.
In March, the NYS Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment granted approval of High Bridge Wind’s proposal to construct and operate a 100 megawatt wind facility in the Town of Guilford. The project includes more than 20 massive wind turbines spanned across 18 acres of land, each turbine standing 650 feet tall from base to blade tip (13 times the height of the Chenango County Courthouse).
GCNR filed a petition for a rehearing on the project in April, citing a lack of “meaningful review” of the project’s impact. That motion, however, was denied because the Siting Board says GCNR hasn’t produced evidence that the certificate was granted hastily or that a rehearing be granted.
All this means that the project continues to move forward to the discretion of state officials.
Guilford Supervisor George Seneck said while the township has been in close contact with their attorney who’s been present at state hearings, most matters - including the Siting Board’s latest decision - are out of the town’s purview and handled at the state level.
“I haven’t talked to my board about it yet,” Seneck said. “Following a pattern of what has happened elsewhere, that’s generally what happened - that the state siting board has not approved request for rehearings on those things”
“Other than us following what’s going on and weighing in on concerns to our attorney, we have not been directly involved with it,” Seneck said.
The High Bridge Wind is a subsidiary of Northland Power Inc., the company behind the proposed Bluestone Wind Farm in Broome County. The project's former owner, Calpine, has transferred this process to Northland mid-process.
The certificate was awarded to High Bridge Wind despite objections of Guilford Coalition of Non-participating Residents (GCNR), an opposing group which claims the State Siting Board denied in-person hearings during the pandemic and that the panel pressed the case forward without giving adequate time to hear all opposing views.
In March, the NYS Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment granted approval of High Bridge Wind’s proposal to construct and operate a 100 megawatt wind facility in the Town of Guilford. The project includes more than 20 massive wind turbines spanned across 18 acres of land, each turbine standing 650 feet tall from base to blade tip (13 times the height of the Chenango County Courthouse).
GCNR filed a petition for a rehearing on the project in April, citing a lack of “meaningful review” of the project’s impact. That motion, however, was denied because the Siting Board says GCNR hasn’t produced evidence that the certificate was granted hastily or that a rehearing be granted.
All this means that the project continues to move forward to the discretion of state officials.
Guilford Supervisor George Seneck said while the township has been in close contact with their attorney who’s been present at state hearings, most matters - including the Siting Board’s latest decision - are out of the town’s purview and handled at the state level.
“I haven’t talked to my board about it yet,” Seneck said. “Following a pattern of what has happened elsewhere, that’s generally what happened - that the state siting board has not approved request for rehearings on those things”
“Other than us following what’s going on and weighing in on concerns to our attorney, we have not been directly involved with it,” Seneck said.
The High Bridge Wind is a subsidiary of Northland Power Inc., the company behind the proposed Bluestone Wind Farm in Broome County. The project's former owner, Calpine, has transferred this process to Northland mid-process.
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