I'm excited about the vote, regardless of it's basis. A lot can happen in two years, who knows, if the tax subsidies end, these companies may be out of the picture. Here's the article in today's Mirror:
Tyrone tie vote kills wind farm
By Greg Bock,
gbock@altoonamirror.com
POSTED: January 13, 2009 Save | Print | Email | Read comments | Post a comment
TYRONE - A tie vote by Tyrone Borough Council means wind turbines won't be going up on Ice Mountain - at least for now.
"Half the town's going to be pleased," said Mayor Jim Kilmartin, one of three who voted against leasing borough watershed land to wind energy developer Gamesa USA. "Half the town will be unpleased."
Councilmen Mark Kosoglow and Steve Hanzir also voted against moving ahead with the project that would put 15 to 20 wind turbines on the mountain as part of Gamesa's Sandy Ridge Wind Farm.
Kosoglow said prior to the vote that he wasn't against wind power development on the 3,800-acre watershed.
"I'm voting no to this particular deal,'' Kosoglow said, adding that he was aware of 14 other wind developers in the state and the borough's interests would best be served by waiting.
Because the borough signed a five-year option with Gamesa, the earliest the borough could begin soliciting other proposals is 2011.
Gamesa's latest offer to the borough would pay at least $7,000 per wind turbine plus possible royalties.
Kosoglow believes the borough can find a better deal than the one that would pay $3 million to $5 million over a 30- year span.
Kosoglow said the borough should ride out the last two years of that agreement and then ''shop it.''
Councilwoman Jen Bryan, who along with Councilwoman Virgie Werner and Councilman Jim Grazier voted in favor of Gamesa's proposal, said the issue isn't dead.
''It can be revisited,'' Bryan said.
Because Councilman Bill Latchford said a year ago that he would abstain from any vote on Gamesa because of its business ties with his employer, Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory, it was assumed that the eight-member council wouldn't have a motion die because of a tie.
Last week, Councilwoman Pat Stoner was hospitalized and unable to attend Monday's planned vote. While no one was willing to speculate Monday on how Stoner would have voted, it's expected that the agreement will come up for a vote again soon.
"I think we'll be looking to see what council wants to do next month,'' said Josh Framel, Gamesa's project manager for the Sandy Ridge Wind Farm.
Kilmartin said he also was interested in seeing what other offers await the borough but admitted Gamesa's proposal probably would come up for a vote again.
''It may,'' he said. ''We'll see.''
Resident Dave Panasetti said he agreed that the borough probably could make out better should other firms be allowed to compete for the rights to build the turbines.
With a change of an administration in Washington and a likely increased push for ''green energy,'' Panasetti said he believes Tyrone's opportunities in finding a wind developer willing to pay more are going to increase with time.
"At least everybody is thinking,'' Panasetti said, adding that he was impressed with the way council has taken on the issue.
Mirror Staff Writer Greg Bock is at 946-7446.