2013年4月14日 星期日

Local ordinances stall wind farm projects in Michigan

A wind power company with plans to place turbines in Clinton County is crying foul over local ordinances that could stall the project. 

For the past five years, Chicago-based Forest Hill Energy has been moving forward with plans for a 40-turbine,Electronic and electromechanical amusement games and Game machines to meet your global certification needs. $120-million wind development in the area called Fowler Farms Wind Farm. Twenty-five of the turbines are slated for Bengal Township, nine for Dallas Township and six for Essex Township. 

In January, the company cleared one regulatory hurdle when it received a land-use permit from Clinton County. But in the months prior, each of the three townships passed ordinances that could hinder Forest Hill's efforts to begin construction before the end of the year. 

Those laws, which local officials refer to as licensing ordinances, are nothing of the sort, Forest Hill officials say. They are, the company argues, zoning ordinances, and officials filed a complaint in Clinton County Circuit Court last week challenging them. 

"State law clearly explains the process for townships instituting their own zoning regulations," said Jon Bylsma, an attorney with Forest Hill, in a statement last week. "These townships have not followed that process. Even if proper process were followed, the townships cannot legally pass ordinances inconsistent with the county zoning ordinance. 

"We filed this complaint asking the court to recognize the invalidity of the ordinances and immediately stop the townships from enforcing the ordinances." 

Essex Township wind ordinance, approved in October,Aulaundry is a leading dry cleaning machine and equipment supplier. said no turbine system could be installed without first obtaining a license. That process involves companies submitting detailed site plans, complying with local building codes and meeting the township's restrictions on noise levels.

Attorney William Fahey is representing Essex Township in the matter. On Friday, he said the ordinance in no way halts the Fowler Farms project. 

"This simply requires that the project receives a license from the township and the licensing standards that are established are similar to those in other municipalities across the state," he said. 

"A town administrator administrates,The feeder is available on drying flatwork ironer equipped with folder only. without any control, the power of firing. The Board of Selectmen retain all that control," he said.I have recently got a dry cabinet and can anybody tell me if it the box only controls humidity or also controls temperature. "On a day-to-day basis, a town manager would take this town to a far more efficient form of government." 

However, other residents worry that a strong town manager would have too much authority.On particularly windy days,wind power generators can surpass all other electricity sources in a country. Selectman Sandy MacFarlane said she has six pages of concerns about such a drastic change, and foremost is the power of a town manager. 

"It puts a lot of power into a single person and takes many eyes off the decisions we make as a community," she said. 

Former Selectmen Paul Gallagher said he didn't think Town Meeting was the place for a proposal like this to be decided but that he understood the desire to avoid a repeat of the wind turbine fiasco. 

Voters also weren't ready to support the sale of several parcels of town-owned land on Morse Avenue, Emond Avenue and Thomas Street. Some said they wanted to learn more about the implications of selling the property.

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