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Wind Power a Vexing Question for Vermont
"Between the governor's position and the Public Service Board's reluctance to approve wind, it just doesn't seem to be a favorable state in which to dedicate any resources," said Robert Charlebois, managing director for Catamount Energy, in Rutland, which has withdrawn plans to build a 19-turbine project atop Glebe Mountain, in Londonderry and Windham.
"I think that wind energy has no future in Vermont at the present time," said Matthew Rubin, a developer who proposed to build four turbines atop a remote mountain in East Haven on the site of an old military radar base. State regulators rejected the project because of a lack of information about birds and bats.
  Greg Bryant stands in the center of Sheffield, Vt., Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006. When Bryant, an organic vegetable farmer, first heard about plans for windmills along a swath of mountain ridges in this tiny northeastern hamlet, he was all for it. The prospects of tapping a plentiful natural resource to make clean energy were appealing. But now he's dead set against it. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot) (Toby Talbot - AP) 
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But supporters in Sheffield, which voted 120-93 in December in favor of the project, still hold out hope.
Jack Simons, the town's planning commission secretary, says the state has a responsibility to find ways to decrease the country's dependence on oil. Landowners _ and the town _ would benefit from what the developer is willing to pay in rent and taxes, he said.
"It's a win-win situation," he said.
Residents in neighboring Sutton, where six of the 26 towers would be placed, disagree. They rejected the proposal in a vote.
In July, the Vermont Department of Public Service said the project did not comply with the regional plan for the area and could harm business at a private boarding school and at a lakeside state park.
Newton, Mass.-based UPC Wind is trying to address the state's concerns, said Matt Kearns, the company's director of New England projects.
Bryant, who grows corn, tomatoes and greens on his farm, says opposition is growing. He and other opponents formed a group to fight the project. He even sold his 15 cows to raise money to support the anti-wind cause.
If built, the UPC project could power 15,000 to 20,000 homes. Bryant said that's not enough of a benefit to warrant the unsightly presence of 26 towers dotting the surrounding mountaintops.
"It's not a good tradeoff," he said. "It's not worth what you're trading off to trade four montaintops (for) this little amount of power."
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On the Net:
UPC Wind Management, LLC: http:/
Ridge Protectors: http:/
Renewable Energy Vermont: http:/