Holding Galloo ‘til after the holidays

Despite the time pressures involved, the Jefferson County Board of Legislators and town of Hounsfield Planning Board will make no decisions on the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm until after Jan. 1.

Developer Upstate NY Power Corp had asked the local entities to approve the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement and site plan, respectively, before Dec. 31. That deadline put them in a timeline to get investors and begin construction in 2010, which would qualify them for a stimulus program that offered a 30 percent rebate from the Treasury Department.

“Every week they delay makes the challenge a little more difficult against already tight deadlines,” Upstate NY Power attorney Robert W. Burgdorf of Nixon Peabody, Rochester, said.

The Planning Board must wait for the state Department of Environmental Conservation to release the final environmental impact statement, which is expected this week. They must also allow for a 10-day public comment period. In the notice for the public hearing for the project, the board left the written comment period open until Jan. 4.

The county legislators will wait until at least the first week of January, as well.

“I want to give every legislator as much time as needed between now and our January meeting,” Chairman Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River said.

The legislators meet Jan. 5 and may consider the PILOT as the full board.