Clayton eyes new law on non-commercial renewable energy

CLAYTON — The town will create an ad hoc committee to gather community input for a new law on non-commercial renewable energy development.

Town Supervisor Justin A. Taylor said the new law would separate "big wind," or commercial wind development, from residential alternative energy projects including non-commercial wind, solar, hydro and geothermal power.

"The committee's goal is to come up with, over the next couple of months, a law that would annex out renewable energy and small wind from the big wind law," Mr. Taylor said.

The ad hoc committee will be led by Augusta L Withington, owner of Fourth Coast Inc., a renewable energy consulting firm based in Clayton, and will meet at 7 p.m. Mondays at the town offices on Riverside Drive.

Roland A. "Bud" Baril, the chairman of the town Planning Board, said all committee meetings will be open to the public.

Mr. Taylor said there is no fixed number of members. Town residents who wish to be on the committee should contact Mr. Taylor at the town offices at 686-3512.

"We'd like to make sure that we have a good cross-section of folks on the committee so that there is an objective analysis on small wind and renewable energy," he said.

Ms. Withington said the committee will first focus on residential wind development and submit its recommendations to the town before discussing other topics, such as solar power.

"Our goal is to find reasonable guidelines for the use of renewable energy within the township," she said.