State House approves wind regulations bill

HARTFORD — The state House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Tuesday, May 24, to require regulations for wind-turbine projects in Connecticut.HB 6249, An Act Requiring a Moratorium on the Siting of Wind Projects Until the Adoption of Regulations, passed by a vote of 132-6, suggesting state representatives are as concerned as residents about possible environmental hazards and the impact on natural resources and quality of life that the turbines might pose.The new legislation does not apply to Colebrook, where two controversial applications to build turbines are already in the works. In the meantime, the Connecticut Siting Council held a straw poll this week on one of the Colebrook applications, indicating approval by a 6-1 margin for West Hartford-based BNE Energy to build three wind turbines near Flagg Hill Road.Hundreds of residents have spoken out at hearings and in written testimony regarding the proposed Colebrook turbines, with the majority of residents opposing the project for environmental and quality-of-life issues. Towering windmills as tall as 480 feet have been proposed, which would dwarf many city buildings in an area where many 18th- and 19th-century homes still stand.State Rep. John Rigby (R-63), who lives in Colebrook, voted for this week’s legislation. He said he supports regulations for wind power before any turbines are built in the state. “During the debate it was pointed out that there are no regulations for cellphone towers,” he said. “In the case of wind turbines, we have an opportunity to carefully lay out the guidelines for installation, and the public gets to be part of the process through public hearings.”Under the approved legislation, which now moves on to the state Senate, the Department of Public Utility Control and the Department of Environmental Protection must adopt regulations that consider tower height and distance from neighboring properties, flicker, noted hazards of wind turbines and the impact on natural resources, among other issues. A public hearing will be required for each application.Opponents of the bill said the Connecticut Siting Council was organized to be an independent authority, which already has the tools to make decisions on wind turbines. Imposing regulations on the council is a departure from the group’s original mandate.Colebrook resident Joyce Hemingson, who runs Fairwind Connecticut, a group opposed to wind turbines in Colebrook, called this week’s legislation a good start, but noted that Colebrook is exempt from the legislation because two applications are already in progress — number 983 at Flagg Hill and number 984 off Rock Hall Road. “The House vote, I think, is good for the state of Connecticut,” Hemingson said. “Hopefully other towns won’t have to go through what Prospect and Colebrook have gone through for the past few months, trying to make sense of these petitions.”Two weeks ago, the Connecticut Siting Council voted 6-2 against an application to build wind turbines in Prospect, saying the turbines would have been too close to residential neighborhoods. However, this week’s straw poll regarding application 983 — the Flagg Hill proposal in Colebrook — suggests the project is nearing approval. The siting council has yet to conduct a straw poll on application 984, which is closer to local residences.“I think people are going to look very closely at the decision in Prospect if the Colebrook project is approved,” Rigby said. “The siting council has said we don’t have as many people in Colebrook as they do in Prospect, but we’re just as important. Our opinions should be weighed the same way.”Hemingson acknowledged that residents would still have the opportunity to challenge any decision in court, but said she cannot be certain that wind turbines will never be built in Colebrook. “People should be concerned,” she said. “If these turbines can be sited 150 feet away from someone’s property, everyone should be worried. No one anticipated that 500-foot-high turbines were going to be proposed for residential neighborhoods.”If approved in the Senate, the law requiring regulations for new wind projects would go into effect July 1. The regulations themselves would be drafted in the next year.