Planned wind farm in Cape is smaller

By NANCY MADSEN

TIMES STAFF WRITER

THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2010

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CAPE VINCENT — The proposed St. Lawrence Wind Farm may be two turbines smaller.

In an updated environmental impact statement delivered to the town Planning Board on Wednesday night, developer Acciona Wind Energy USA dropped the number of planned turbines to 51.

The Planning Board could choose to accept it as the final environmental impact statement three weeks from now.

One of the turbines was removed because of expected sound levels and the other because it was in habitat for a state-listed endangered species, Acciona representative Blayne Gunderman said during the meeting.

"There are some moves in other turbines," she said.

The reduced number of turbines means it would be a 76.5-megawatt project.

Three board members were present at the meeting to receive the statement.

"It's not going to be accepted — there's no vote or action tonight," Chairman Richard J. Edsall said.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Cape Vincent Recreation Park, 602 S. James St., to decide whether to accept the statement and deem it complete. If it is, the statement will be sent to other involved agencies and posted on Acciona's website.

Regardless, the two binders of documents will be available at the Cape Vincent Public Library, 157 N. Real St.; Lyme Free Library, 12165 Main St., Chaumont, and Cape Vincent town clerk's office, 1964 Route 12E, likely on Friday.

If the board deems the statement complete, it can complete its findings and end the environmental review after 10 days. The board has indicated that could happen on Sept. 15.

Acciona began the environmental review at the end of 2006 and submitted its draft environmental impact statement Jan. 10, 2007. That was followed with a supplemental statement on March 25, 2009.

The final statement includes updated studies, responses to comments on the earlier statements and mitigation plans.