Published on June 8, 2005

ISLAND POND — At the hearing here Wednesday night, June 1, there were at least two questions that looked beyond the pending issue of if more wind towers for Essex County ridge lines are desirable.

The first asked whether big wind is an attractive option for private landowners of large tracts of mountainous forests who want to pursue diversification on their land.

The second asked whether the state, which has banned wind farms on public lands, should put a hold on wind development until a study has been done on what it wants from renewable energy, and how it will affect the environment.

The first question was raised by the Colebrook, New Hampshire, landowner Danny Ouimette who owns the ridge lines in Ferdinand and Brighton where wind developers want to erect two test towers. A logger who owns roughly 8,500 acres of timberland in Essex County, Mr. Ouimette said he wants another money-making use from the land that will complement his logging operation.

To some extent, he is following the lead of the largest landowner in the county, Will Merck, who as the head of Essex Timber has thrown his support behind the plan to place wind towers on East Mountain in East Haven, which is surrounded by timberland owned by the company.

The second question came from Nancy Bell, who got a full introduction into the area several years ago when she helped broker the Champion lands deal on behalf of The Conservation Fund. On Wednesday night, however she told the 70 or so people in the town hall that she was speaking for herself, “as a Vermont citizen.”

Both questions surfaced at a hearing called by the Public Service Board (PSB) to take public comment on the latest proposal from the same developers whose petition to erect four towering wind turbines on East Mountain is still before the board.

If approved by the PSB in this latest round, the test towers would be airlifted in by helicopter, and once erected stand roughly 200 feet, according to David Rapaport, vice president of the Montpelier-based wind company, EMCD.

The towers will be made of solid steel and painted gray. They will not be lit, but will measure elements like wind speed and direction and take temperature readings. A third test tower is also being proposed for East Haven Mountain.

The company’s petition before PSB calls for the towers, temporary structures, to be in place for five years. Questions as to the full scope of the plan if tests prove favorable were characterized as premature by Mr. Rapaport.

“What may come next, we simply don’t know,” he said, noting that it will be years before the company is in a position to propose a project.

The company’s prospects appeared bright enough, though, to attract the attention of Mr. Ouimette. As one of the 23 or so citizens who spoke at the hearing, he said he contacted EMDC’s president, Mathew Rubin, to see if a wind farm might be feasible on his land.

Since 1987, timber sales have constituted Mr. Ouimette’s principal source of income. But recent changes in the industry, he said, has caused him to examine other land uses to generate income. At some point he traveled west to observe how one landowner had created a self-contained village out his woodland that functioned like a condominium.

After buying into the village, a buyer could use the land to recreate in common with his fellow neighbors.

Such a development could happen in Essex County, but Mr. Ouimette said he did not want to subdivide his land.

A wind farm, on the other hand, would enable him to keep the land intact, and could co-exist with his logging operation. And in what he perceives as a win-win situation for everyone, big wind would bring economic benefits to the area while keeping the land open at the same time.

The other side of the benign picture painted by Mr. Ouimette could be devastating, suggests Ms. Bell. Through her experience with the Champion lands, she said she learned that this area “is a very special place” inhabited by a breed of people unlike any others in the state. Big wind, she said, would uproot that uniqueness.

“What are we selling out for,” she asked at one point. “Selling out the Northeast Kingdom for energy demands in Burlington is not a fair shake.”

Ms. Bell characterized herself as being pro-wind, like many environmentalists. But while wind power may be the right thing, she cautioned it would be “in the wrong place up here.”

Wind farms should not go forward, she added, until a review has been undertaken of their impact on the state’s economy and environment.

In closing, she offered to show Mr. Ouimette other ways “to make money on your land.”

The hearing drew people from around the area and ran a little beyond the two hours allotted. The diverse crowd caused some to wonder if the choice of supporting the project was being taken out of local hands.

Both Brighton residents Tom Donnellan and Craig Goulet wanted to know what the project means to the townspeople — the people they described who are around on a Tuesday morning in February when it is 20 below zero and nothing will start.

Wind farms would not be the first development that has been proposed for an area that is sparsely populated and thickly wooded. And there are those who swear that sweetheart deals in years past that greased the skids for powerlines and landfills won’t be repeated this time around.

Brighton’s head selectmen, Bob Merchant, said the town has not taken a position on the project, and is willing to wait until more information becomes available. He advised moving the debate along, adding that the big issue will be the turbines.

Officials from East Haven, warmly endorsed the proposal as a group, and brushed aside objections as frivolous. Marvin Olson, a town lister, argued that ski areas like Burke constitute a bigger eyesore than wind towers.

But opinion, too, in that small town appears to be deeply divided.

“Why the Northeast Kingdom?” asked Helen Deth of East Haven, who characterized as bogus a company survey that shows a majority of residents approve the East Mountain project.

“I haven’t heard a good answer yet.... This will change the whole face of Vermont. I’m really scared for our ridge lines. It just makes me sick to my stomach.”

In a press release Tuesday, Mr. Rapaport continued to tout the project as one that will make a good fit with Essex County.

“Wind energy is consistent with the Vermont values of independence, resourcefulness, environmental stewardship and moral leadership that attract visitors and newcomers to our state,” he said.

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