Vermont Public is independent, community-supported media, serving Vermont with trusted, relevant and essential information. We share stories that bring people together, from every corner of our region. New to Vermont Public? Start here.

© 2024 Vermont Public | 365 Troy Ave. Colchester, VT 05446

Public Files:
WVTI · WOXM · WVBA · WVNK · WVTQ · WVTX
WVPR · WRVT · WOXR · WNCH · WVPA
WVPS · WVXR · WETK · WVTB · WVER
WVER-FM · WVLR-FM · WBTN-FM

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact hello@vermontpublic.org or call 802-655-9451.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Explore our coverage of government and politics.

Public Utility Commission Sets New Winter Standards For Georgia Mountain Wind

Georgia Mountain Wind
The Georgia Mountain Wind Project includes four turbines that straddle the towns of Milton, in Chittenden County, and Georgia, in Franklin County. The project is owned by Jim Harrison, who owns the land, and David Blittersdorf.

The Public Utility Commission is imposing new restrictions on the Georgia Mountain Community Wind project.Scott and Melodie McLane live near the turbines, and they filed a complaint with state regulators on Jan. 9, 2017.

The McLanes said the wind towers operated with ice on its blades, in violation of the project's state permit.

The commission opened an investigation in March.

State regulators sided with the McLanes, generally, and operators will now have to use meteorological data to stop the blades before ice forms.

The project's original state permit said the turbines would have to be paused only after ice is detected.

The commission says operators will now have to use data for humidity, wind speed and wind direction to determine if ice is likely to form on the blades

The ruling also requires Georgia Mountain Community Wind to file a report each year, over the next five years, identifying all icing events.

The McLanes also wanted video equipment installed, to make sure the imposed restrictions take care of the icing issue, but the Public Utility Commission says that step isn't needed right now.

The commission did write that, "should the amended protocol fail to achieve its goal and the turbines do again operate under icing conditions, we will promptly impose the requirement to install the video-monitoring equipment."

Correction 12:14 p.m. 08/25/2017 Scott and Melodie McLane filed the complaint with the PUC. Melodie's name was incorrect in original post.
 

Howard Weiss-Tisman is Vermont Public’s southern Vermont reporter, but sometimes the story takes him to other parts of the state.
Latest Stories