Wind Energy Project
Wind development is occurring all over upstate New York. The municipalities with local wind projects face difficulties such as assessing and siting large construction projects, dealing with a new technology, understanding the process of siting a wind installation and other procedural and developmental issues. These are often unfamiliar issues for small municipalities in upstate, central and western New York. While information is available to assist localities with wind development, very often the planning and town boards responsible for making the decisions on whether or not to allow wind development are composed of part-time volunteers without the time or staff to adequately educate themselves and carry out necessary tasks.
The purpose of this project is to enable the state's regional planning councils to better provide wind energy assistance services to municipal boards, municipal planning/zoning boards, county elected officials, county planning boards, industrial development agencies, code enforcement officers, and county and municipal staff.
The services will take two forms - community education and outreach and community technical assistance, both through proactive outreach and in response to requests for assistance.
Topics to be included/assistance to be provided: understanding siting and development issues, rating of issues in case-by-case situations, understanding SEQRA and EIS issues, understanding the development process and critical path, utility interconnection process through NYISO interconnection queue and understanding of agriculture-related issues. For technical assistance in site planning, NYSARC members will work with municipalities to consider siting and development issues as part of the process; development process and critical path; siting on agricultural land, and, considering the benefits of complementary use to preserve agriculture. NYSARC also will work with local elected leaders in developing, updating, or revising local regulations, ordinances and local laws based upon best practices.
There are nine regional councils in New York State within the New York State Association of Regional Councils (NYSARC). They represent 45 of the 62 counties. For state and federal agencies that require statewide coverage, NYSARC has affiliates that cover most of the 12 remaining counties not including New York City. Where there are no affiliates NYSARC members have traditionally covered adjoining counties.
The nine NYSARC members and their member counties include the following:
- Capital District Regional Planning Commission (Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady Counties)
- Central New York Regional Planning & Development Board (Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties)
- Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council (Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates Counties)
- Herkimer-Oneida Counties Comprehensive Planning Program (Herkimer and Oneida Counties)
- Hudson Valley Regional Council (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester Counties)
- Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning & Development Board (Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Warren, and Washington Counties)
- Southern Tier Central Regional Planning & Development Board (Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben Counties)
- Southern Tier East Regional Planning & Development Board (Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties)
- Southern Tier West Regional Planning & Development Board (Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties
2007 Presentations to STW Board
Project Management & Reporting
Project Kickoff & Marketing
Regional Wind Conference
Technical Assistance in Site Plan
Town of Arkwright Ordinance
Wind Energy Poster
Other Wind Laws
www.gflrpc.org/programareas/
wind/resources.htm
