 Wind
Energy Siting Bill Alert
GOAL has been
made aware that H.4687, the Wind Energy Siting bill, may be coming up for a
vote in the House this week. While we are engaged in other fights against
anti-civil rights bills like H.4102, we cannot forget other legislation that
will adversely impact us in other ways.
This bill, H.4687,
represents an enormous change in conservation and environmental permitting
policy in Massachusetts for a narrowly defined politically favored industry.
These newly proposed changes pose a very real threat to conservation lands and
open space all across the commonwealth. The very same open space lands that
sportsmen and women have worked decades to protect.
The senate version of the bill, S.2260 "An Act Relative to Comprehensive Siting
Reform for Land Based Wind Projects" was passed in early February. The senate
actually passed the bill on a "voice" vote rather than a roll call. This was
done so that no senator could be held responsible for supporting the
legislation.
Now the House is scheduled to take it up this week. For over a year now, GOAL
and other organizations have been asking very pertinent questions that have
never been answered:
- Why does
this particular industry need a fast track permitting system?
- If
Massachusetts provides a means for this particular industry to bypass the
normal environmental permitting system, will this lead to legal and
legislative challenges from other industries demanding the same ability?
- If
so-called "green energy" can't pass the muster of the current
environmental laws, then how can it be called environmentally friendly?
- Should not the challenge for "green" industry be that it
should be able to set an example for all other industries by easily
passing any environmental challenge set before it?
GOAL
members should contact their state representatives and urge them to OPPOSE
H.4687 "The Wind Energy Siting Bill" because of its blatant threat to
conservation lands, standardized environmental permitting policies and massive
authority placed in the hand of an unknown unelected state agency.
Please see our web page for more information about this bill
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