Model Universal Wind Law

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The first line of defense against industrial wind energy, is a strong local wind ordinance. As such, we at AWED are frequently asked for assistance in writing an effective measure. In doing this, the two most frequent problems we see are:

1-Some representatives are not clear as to where their allegiance is, when crafting such legislation, and

2-This is a highly technical area that local representatives rarely have expertise with.

Regarding #1, our view is that legislators’ primary obligation is to protect the health, safety and economic interests of the citizens in their jurisdiction. The material presented here (and on WiseEnergy.org) is from that perspective.

Regarding #2, when one researches this matter, some forty (40) different areas of concern have been identified! The reports in WiseEnergy.org are to get citizens and their representatives better educated on these issues.
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Now we are going one major step further. For the first time ever, AWED is suggesting actual words that can be used as the basis for writing effective laws, worldwide.
It’s explained here: Writing an Effective Wind Ordinance.

We advocate the KISS philosophy, so the first step to success is to focus your efforts on the most important of those 40± issues. In our view, there are five KEY issues that need to be carefully addressed properly. These are:

1) Property Value Guarantee
2) Turbine Setbacks (see #2 here)
3) Acoustical Terms & Conditions
4) Environmental Protections
5) Decommissioning

An additional provision that we strongly encourage to be added, is an Escrow Account. This developer funded account would provide the money for all town incurred expenses from application through decommissioning. This is critical.

I’ve passed these by ten experienced people in different parts of the country. Their responses have been very positive, and I’ve incorporated numerous improvements they’ve suggested.

Let me know any questions, or areas where these documents can be improved. If you’d like to help in maintaining a particular section, that would be appreciated.

We will keep the online versions updated with the latest good ideas.

Thank you for your support,

John Droz, Jr., physicist & environmental advocate