More thought needed on wind power plan

We are writing this letter in support of a moratorium regarding wind farm development in Hammond. We believe proponents of this project have not adequately thought through all possible consequences to either themselves or to the community.

We applaud use of renewable energy, and we agree that our town needs economic revitalization. But what seems to be happening here is that power developers moved covertly into our neighborhoods to solicit some landowners, with the result of bitterly dividing the community. If we are to move forward with a plan that aims to harness the wind and pump life into our economy, then we should do it in a way that makes us a strong community. You can be assured that the power companies have a business plan. So should the town of Hammond.

We read the Hammond Wind Energy Laws and agree our town should have oversight into this project. However, much of Law One is vaguely worded, allowing for a variety of interpretations, mostly in favor of the power company.

Some of our other concerns:

■ Five hundred feet setbacks are too small. Wolfe Island setbacks are 1,968 feet from a residence. Even this is much too close.

■ Why is Law Two excluding developers from the Site Plan and Subdivision Review? All other businesses that encumber fewer risks are held to these requirements.

■ The use of PILOTS needs to be studied. Why are property owners and businesses asked to pay taxes while developers allowed complicated considerations that relieve them of equitable tax burdens?

■ The town and the county need to be protected from liability. The members of the community need to have a clear and expedient route to complaint resolution.

Finally, we are all living with the consequences of this while we ship our power to the grid. We are hearing much about communities where neither taxes nor energy costs have changed much at all. How can this law guarantee community-wide benefits?

In sum, we strongly feel that this issue needs study and that our community should not use the short-term financial gain of a few to dictate policy that will impact all of our lives for decades to come. We vigorously oppose the Hammond Wind Farm Law in its current form.

Robert Pandina and Valerie Johnson

Chippewa Bay