Galloo Island developer hurrying to take advantage of tax credits

At a Hounsfield Planning Board work session Monday, town attorney Dennis G. Whelpley reiterated the compressed timeline the town has to work with to approve the site plan for the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm.

Developer Upstate NY Power Corp. needs to have turbines in the ground by the end of 2010 and electricity on the grid by the end of 2013 to tap a Treasury Department program for 30 percent of the cost of the project.

The developer has told the town and others, it can't afford the project without the rebate.

“They must have the zoning approval and DEC permits in hand by the end of this year to start in 2010,” Mr. Whelpley said. “I think it's gotta be done by Dec. 31 or it's dead.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation must accept the developer's final environmental impact statement before it issues permits. If the DEC accepts the final statement in the first week of December, other agencies and the public have 10 days to make comments. The town Planning Board could approve the site plan after that time.

Representatives from the town will meet with county Planning Department staff on Thursday as part of the county's review of the project. The town Planning Board members chose areas to focus on, which they will begin discussing at its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.