VERMONT AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES
STATE LAND WIND POWER POLICY DEVELOPMENT
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Policy Development Process Regarding Wind Power on State Owned Lands

ANR Wind Energy Work Group “Working Papers”

ANR recognizes that it can be very difficult to sort through the plethora of information currently available on wind energy. Much of the information readily available may be written from an advocacy perspective. To help foster productive, informed discussion regarding wind energy development on state lands, the ANR wind energy work group has developed a series of informational or “working papers” on various aspects of wind energy. These papers address the following topics:

· ANR Lands and Wind Energy (ANR lands summary, purposes and policies, commercial uses of ANR lands, ANR lands and renewable energy)
· An Assessment of the Potential Acreage Requirement for Wind Energy Development in Vermont (includes discussion of electrical energy consumption and generation, wind energy technology, and wind energy costs)
· Wind Energy Development Requirements (footprint, size, operational requirements, associated infrastructure needs)
· Benefits of Wind Energy (environmental, fuel diversity, employment/economic, energy security benefits)
· Economics Considerations and Impacts of Wind Energy (construction/operational costs, federal subsidies, effect on electric rates, reliability/performance issues; impact on land values, leasing arrangements, property taxes)
· Land Use and Recreational Impacts of Wind Energy Projects (land use impacts, impacts on public access and recreation)
· Impacts of Wind Energy Development on Wildlife, Rare Plant Species and Natural Communities (mortality risks, impacts on wildlife habitat)
· Erosion and Water Quality Concerns for Industrial Scale Wind Turbines and Wind Test Towers (high elevation sensitivity, access to sites, stream crossings, wetlands, process and permit requirements, and related information)
· Aesthetic/Scenic Resource Impacts of Commercial Scale Wind Energy Facilities on State Land (siting and design requirements, visual sensitivity and assessment, visual impacts)
· Legislative Statements on Vermont’s Scenic Beauty (legislative findings and policy)

In developing these papers, the Agency’s intent was to assemble basic information on state lands and wind energy and to present it objectively, to help inform public input into the policy development process. The papers are presented here in the interest of fostering an open public process and to assist members of the public in their understanding of this issue.

At the same time, the working papers do not provide a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of wind energy. By design, the papers were not meant to serve as polished, final products, but instead were intended to serve as a source of information for development of public outreach materials and moving this process forward. Finally, while existing ANR policies, procedures, or regulations may be summarized or referenced in certain papers, the papers should NOT be construed as new Agency policy.

 

WORKING PAPERS
Working Papers are in .PDF format for convenient viewing and printing.

Aesthetics/Scenic Resource Impacts of Commercial Scale Wind Energy Facilities on State Land

ANR Lands and Wind Energy

Assessment of the Potential Acreage Requirement for Wind Energy Development in Vermont

Benefits of Wind Energy

Economic Considerations and Impacts of Wind Energy

Erosion and Water Quality Concerns for Industrial Scale Wind Turbines and Wind Test Towers

Impacts of Wind Energy Development to Wildlife, Rare Plant Species and Natural Communities on State Lands

Land Use and Recreational Impacts of Wind Energy Projects

Legislative statements on Vermont's Scenic Beauty

Wind Energy Development Requirements

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