i don t understand why those opposing the stamp farm turbine care about whether or not NK Green will construct a turbine. the NK Green turbine will be a great distance from them and they won t be affected by any of the impacts that they perceived would affect them from the Stamp Farm proposal. MD and the residents of NKG have reached an agreement, so that issue has been resolved. it appears that the vocal opposition, primarily NoResidentialWindNK is just anti alternative (wind) energy regardless of its location, which supports my contention that no matter what any ordinance proposed, the No Wind group would be in opposition. unfortunately, the supposed science they site along with the out of date internet information doesn t support the banning of wind energy systems. the real issue is whether the property values within an indeterminate distance will be detrimentally affected. a question which we never got to investigate due to all the ancillary noise (high frequency) created by the public. some find the WESs majestic others find them obtrusive. too bad the town is regressing into the dark ages when we had an opportunity to be on the edge of the envelope, and yes i would love it if the DelVecchio farm proposed a WES, a mere 400' from my house. DePasquale's turbine will allow a real field test of the affects of same, and i ll bet the impacts will be none to zero.

Here's the way it is per solicitor (town lawyer). When the turbine goes up, only those nearby have "standing" (or right) to complain about noise levels above legal limit. Since developer has a history of lawsuits against neighbors.......who's going to complain? No complaint, no harm, no foul. The perfect situation. Even the town's solicitor won't risk a 25 million lawsuit.....and that's really why the building permit was reinstated on an uncertified turbine. Bedford Falls soon becomes Pottersville.

The real impact is our cost. I don't want my electric bill to go up 3x's it's current amount along with the cost for maintaining them. I just returned from a trip where there was a field of old, abandoned turbines. What an eye sore and a mess! Of course the other issue is the turbines will only create 3-4 full time jobs. This economy needs permanent jobs, not temp!

I don't believe your going to see your electric bill 3x higher there Christine.

Our residents have got to ditch this not in my back yard nonesense. Windmills do work, they have been using them in California for 20+ years. The sky is not falling in North Kingstown, give these windmills a chance.

Do you people think non-renewable fossil fuels are going to be around forever? The U.S. alone uses 20 MILLION barrels of oil per day. Worldwide 80 MILLION barrels per day. We are depleating our earths oil, some experts claim "peak oil" production is right around the corner. (why dont you google "peak oil" and find out what its about, and its consequences - it's going to be a great time for us all.... cant wait!)

We need to start implementing these Green forms of energy whether they creat jobs or not, and whether they cost a little bit more or not. Anything to get away from Non-Renewable resources.

Think about your kids and grandchildren.

With due respect to the former planning chair, Mr. Pastore, the name really says it all. No RESIDENTIAL WIND in North Kingstown. What isn't clear there? It isn't about NIMBY, and it isn't about Stamp, it's about residential areas of OUR ENTIRE TOWN (state). Put turbines in Quonset, in the water, in industrial parks (understand the name: INDUSTRIAL) and few would have complained. You don't try to put a dump in a residential area, but industial turbines are somehow different? While YOU may be fine with a turbine 400 feet from you house, unfortunately it impacts MANY MANY more than just you my friend and you know that. You do not get to speak for those folks any more than the 12 or so inside a common development (NK Green) get to speak for all the other nearby residents who will be impacted by a 400 foot monster. Re: anti green, anti whatever, Dick, do you really think this is about several hundred residents who have nothing better to do than argue with town management for several months? Not our idea of fun.

Well said, Noreswindnk!! Mr. Pastore, why dont you pitch a tent on a neighbor's yard and see how you like "living" that close to a wind turbine of that size next to your "house"? Maybe a neighbor has a shed you can borrow for a week or so to get a more realistic effect....honestly....Wind turbines of that size DO NOT belong in a residential area. Period. No one is sayin NO to ANY turbines, just put them where they belong-far away from residential areas...

Too right, Noreswindnk and Momma! Being painted as obstuctionists simply because you're for rational development in our town is always their answer. Take a look at East G, who just LOWERED their tax rate due to some of the businesses they've managed to attract to town. Has anyone noticed the following pattern?..... In NK, we only seek to give advantage to the developers and businesses, rather than to the townspeople. We set up deals with our business entitites, Quonset, Crossroads, the YMCA, Reynolds Farm, this wind thing....that benefit the businesses to the DETRIMENT of the town!! The deals they cut should seek to benefit the taxpayers and the Town! NKGOP is right, until we vote in a totally different group of people to the TC, expect this to just keep happening.

I'm amazed at Mr. Pastore's interpertation of what we (the residents) of No.Kingstown have against this INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE being constructed in a residential area. This structure will be close to the size of the tallest building in Providence and will be an eyesore and distraction to drivers on route 4 , route 2 and route 102 and you think cell phones are bad!!
We have no objections to alternative energy but we do object to having a unit this size in an bedroom community. Others have stated build it at Quonsett or an area industrial area well away from any residential dwellings. This clomor over Global Warming is not realistic and the electricity generated in RI is 80% clean natural gas so what are you replacing with unreliable wind energy? This has nothing to do with saving the planet, this is a scam to milk the system and for someone to get rich and it's being done at our expense. This is why we're against the project and it should be stopped immediatley.

Hey Chris,
MOVE THE AIRPORT!!!! It disrupts planes then it can't go there, but if it disrupts people, oh, that's different. Re your oil argument, look up electricity in the state of RI and you'll see that between 85-90% is clean natural gas. While not inexaustible, it is ABUNDANT (surplus est. 15 years currently), AND CLEAN. If and when turbines can sell electricity to the grid at 6.1 cents (natural gas wholesale rate), and when they don't interfere with airplanes at Quonset go for it. BesideS Chris, what's the energy those planes you so need use? Oh, yeah, OIL!!

Chris, you don't believe you'll see electric bills go up 3 times, and Reily believes he'll lose in court nad the whole town suffers because of his "OPINION". Well let's get someone involved that can look at all the documentation objectivley and see what they say. I'm no lawyer but something really stinks concerning this application and how it was presented.
Also we don't need the oil to last forever but we need enough to last until an alternative is realistic and a wind turbine in a residential area is not realistic. Let's go offshore for oil and up into Anwar, that should hold us for a while!!

I am with Mr. Demers and Mr. Pastore on this. Those of us that support alternative energy are glad to live in a town that allows progress. Most of these arguements are red herrings. The difference between a wind turbine and a landfill ("dump") is obvious to me.

Chris, fossil fuel has been threatened to dry up and go away for years and it doesn't happen. They keep finding new areas with abundent amounts of oil and natural gas plus all the untapped resources we have here in the states. By the way perhaps there have not been any accidents at the New England Tech or the one across the street yet! I do believe the turbine at NK Green is 3 times the height of those and would obviously attract more attention. Also the New England Tech turbine is in an industrial area isn't it? Chris you think wind turbines are cool, why don't you move to the middle of a wind farm an let us know how great they are after a few months. By the way the eyesore is not the primary reason for my wanting this fiasco taken care of, try health, (sound & flicker) elevated energy costs and disruption of a residential area for the purpose of financial gain. This is not about saving the planet it's about lining your pockets. Follow the money!!

To say that I am very dismayed that a previous commentor couldn't understand why "those opposing the Stamp Farm turbine care about whether or not NK Green will construct a turbine," since they wouldn't be affected by its impacts, is an understatement! Since I am one of "those," and I believe I can speak for many, if not all, the reason is quite simple: we CARE about our neighbors, our town & its future! Also, the "supposed sciience" that we offer consists of current articles, studies & reports from independennt sources...not from proponents of wind energy without consideration for people, their property, or their very safety & health.

Noreswindnk,
I’ve read every article, letter to the editor and general comment that you have all contributed to the subject. I’ve visited your website, read your propaganda (kind of hard not to when you’re posting signs all over route 2 and stuffing letters in my mailbox) I’m no expert on this subject, I’m not even of legal drinking age, I didn’t register to vote and don’t feel that my opinion is really valid to this argument but, if I can give you any sort of credit, its that you have shown me that my opinion, no matter how uninformed and biased, deserves to be seen by my fellow NKers. I urge all of you to consider dedicating some time to researching this subject beyond googling “wind turbines on fire”, “wind turbines falling over”, “flicker”, “wind turbine bird deaths”, etc.

This issue is a lot bigger than a monster turbine in our backyards and is much bigger than a small town developer “lining his pockets”. In all honesty, I’m not too amped about a big windmill distracting me from my lovely view of beautiful Wal-Mart, picturesque Home Depot, and the melodious Amtrak rail, but I also realize that we as a global and national community need to start making some changes that aren’t necessarily going to show us any short term benefits and might inconvenience us a tad. Most of us know now that if we really want to lose 20 pounds we have to actually turn the treadmill on and cut out fatty foods, and that there is no miracle diet pill. Well, there’s no miracle energy solution either. Wind energy isn’t perfect, it has its flaws, but I don’t understand how over and over again you harp on its negative health effects and how its an “eye sore” if you have a hint of an idea of the state of our current energy crisis.

Never mind our dependence on foreign fuel, that’s an economic problem in and of itself, you need to look at the effects our current energy facilities have on the environment. In order to produce energy, their production pumps massive amounts of carbon into our atmosphere, creates countless of pounds of toxic waste (which they love to hide by either dumping it into the closest water source or just burying it underground where no one can find it, don’t believe me? Look up Superfund sites in Rhode Island and Mass), and burns up our natural resources at a rate we can’t fix. Did you know that in 2003 humanity’s footprint (meaning the rate that we use those resources that you all think are so abundant) exceeded the rate that the Earth could regenerate by 25%? Meaning that we’re not getting a do-over.

All we can do now is try to slow the rate at which we are using up our resources in the hopes that we can perfect these renewable technologies before we have to start worrying about what our property values will be on the moon. If I was depasqale and wanted to make some money in NK I’d probably just put up another dunkins. The big spenders you all need to worry about are those in the oil and gas sectors. Those geniuses make so much money they can afford to pay the tuition of a person to send them to school, then once they get their degree in biology or whatever, pay them to put together some study about eagles getting killed by turbines, then pay google enough money so that every time you enter the words “wind” and “turbine” into their search engine their article is one of the first to come up. I’m paraphrasing, but look this stuff up, (www.exxonsecrets.org). I’m not saying that birds don’t get killed by turbines, what I’m saying is you need to check your sources, maybe double check a fact or two, and have an open and critical mind when you read any piece of information. Remember that most of what you’re reading is someone’s personal interpretationTimes are changing NK, suck it up and deal.

Not to continue my rant any further but I want to applaud any of you who have spoken out for wind energy, either at the meetings or on these comment boards. It’s a lot easier when you’re in the minority to sit back and wait for someone to speak up for you to contradict the majority. I for one will keep all comments anonymous and via the internet to prevent any of you crazies from running me down in the parking lot at the next meeting. See you all there!!!

Fullofair, I hope you don't burn yourself with the bark on the tree you're hugging! You sound like Al Gore and his rants about the debunked Global Warming. None of us commenting on this subject are against renewable energy; in fact, we're all for it. The problem is, as you would know if you did your homework, the location of the supposed monster they want to build. Studies have been done by the state and federal governments indicating any wind generating devices should be constructed along the shore or at sea (where the wind is). This propoganda you're spewing sounds like it comes from The Sierra Club. We have enough fossil fuel to last for many decades and the problem is that we're not taking advantage of our own resources. We just lent Brazil 2 billion dollars to drill off their shores so we can buy oil from them. Doesn't make much sense to me when we have plenty of off shore sights and also Anwar that's been put off limits. Wind and Solar are not adequate to replace fossil yet, but we have enough fossil to keep us going until it is ready (drill baby drill). So until the money to pay for this comes from your wallet, perhaps you should do a little more homework!

fullofair...I totally agree with your characterization of your (5 consecutive) comments as rants; for someone who admits that they're no expert on the subject, you certainly appear to expect others to adopt your stance! In spite of the fact that you stated that you have read every article, letter, etc. that we have contributed on the subject, methinks that you might have missed more than a few. FYI, we have done more than "google" on the internet...we have written to independent experts in the field & have received letters & reports back from them; we have even talked to & corresponded with WES manufacturers, etc. If you want to live up to the "fair" in your pseudonym, you might want to do more reading & research yourself.

Ralph Crockford - Stop telling people to do their homework. You sir, need to stop regurgitating that nonsense you watch on fox news all day long. Only a sadly misinformed far right tea partier such as yourself would come on here and quote Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin is the most ignorant, uneducated, misinformed, inbred human on this planet. Everytime she comes on tv she makes our entire country look like degenerates.

Tea Parties are for little girls and their imaginary friends.

Ralph, I'm out. Save your energy for discussions that matter. The real topic's been lost in what someone appropriately called "red herrings". Same as turbines, they want you chasing shadows.

Chris spoken like a true died in the wool democrat, if you can't fight with facts start name calling. Sarah Palin I believe was govenor of Alaska and I guess the requirements are ignorant, uneducated,misinformed and inbred! Sounds like our present Govenor do you think their related? Also the tea party stands for Taxed Enough Already, which I tend to agree with. You can align yourself with great minds like Obama, Pastore and Gore, I'll stick with mine thank you.

HEY NOW! Everybody calm down. You people find a way to get the TC members updated with real human beings, and I'll do all the ranting and hyperbole generating. Deal?

NK, you're absolutley correct; I strayed off subject and I apologize for that. The critical point of this article is the prevention of building a monstrous wind turbine (one which does not meet numerous conditions in its permit) in the middle of a residential community. I digressed by allowing myself to be dragged into a non- relevant argument. Therefore, I will let you continue the ranting and I'll stick to facts!

SOME of the facts being:
1. Changing the make, model & size of the turbine is in violation of the requested modification applied for; the PC, (re: Stamp Farm) along with ASA, an independent consultant hired by the town, determined that the change WAS substantial, NOT less intrusive or less dangerous.
2. No attempt to prove the requirement that the sound not exceed 50 decibels at the property line of Lot 23 has been attempted.
3. No proof of certification, as required by the ZBR, has been provided.
4. The relevant documents are abound with false & inaccurate information (e.g., the rotor diameter, swept size & total cost of the turbine).

Mr Pastore, saying the turbine opponents, including noreswindnk, are against alternative (wind) energy and anti wind regardless of its location is disappointing from a man of your previous status in our Town. It has been made clear that the opposition is to badly sited turbines, (in residential locations hence noRESwindnk, get it?), so your blatant attempt to tarnish the intent and reputation of a large group of very sincere NK residents is unworthy. Opposition continues against the NK Green turbine because of its size. At 389' high 285' feet wide with a swept area of 63,800 sq ft (= the floor area of 25 houses at 2500 sq ft!), this thing is HUGE. It will visually affect all of NK unless your view is blocked. This will deter some home buyers, so down go property values. You may want a turbine on the DelVecchio farm, but other people who live even closer than you (e.g. on Spring Road) may well not agree with you. Dick, it's not about you, these things are so big it's about all of us in NK and that is something you unfortunately did not keep in perspective on the Planning Commission, so it seems replacing you was wise as your public statements have subsequently proven. Understand, a large number of NK residents have spoken out against these turbines and it is our town, not yours alone. Residents of NKG were sued for $25M for opposing the turbine. Do you really expect them to speak out again? Field test somewhere else. Oh, nowhere else is building them so close peoples' homes!

It's just all too weird when PASTore's in the room, I tell ya! Good riddence.

Now we can fix the turbine hopefully. Yes NK needs SANE people in at least THREE of the TC seats. That means new candidates starting next spring (when you have to file) who are NOT affiliated with either NKGOP or NKDEMS.

If you run as a Republican for example, the NKGOP candidate will have to face you in a primary. Work hard and you'll win.

If wind energy development, llc was so righteous in their belief to broaden green energy, why didn't they propose say, two or three windmills of smaller size? I don't worry about the flicker, or the noise. I haven't seen a rescue on the side of 95 picking up seizure patients. But what I do worry about are my family members who are in a collapse zone of a windmill that doesn't need to be that high. I live three quarters of a mile up the road, and I have a steady wind across the fields. If I had room, I would love to put up a nice 25 ft turbine to power a little bit of my house. I would never presume that my neighbors would be ok with me placing an eighty foot turbine on my property. I haven't had time to make a meeting yet with this on the agenda, but I plan to. I hope I don't see the nodding and eye winking between TC members and applicants that I have been hearing a lot about.