Abstract
- The purpose of these guidelines is to establish an Agency process for reviewing proposals and applications for Certificates of Public Good (CPGs), pursuant to 30 V.S.A. §248, and for providing testimony before the Public Service Board related to the development of utility-scale wind energy facilities.
- The Agency is a statutory party under Section 248, which requires that the project will not have an undue adverse impact on aesthetics, historic sites, air and water purity, the natural environment and the public health and safety, and give due consideration to the criteria in 10 V.S.A. §1424a(d) and §6086(a)(l) through (8) and (9)(K) before issuing a CPG.
- The Agency needs specific data to develop testimony and provide recommendations to the Public Service Board, as well as to review permit applications for aspects of proposed projects subject to separate Agency permitting authority. To accomplish this, the Agency provides herein a detailed outline of expectations for pre- and post-construction data collection as well as general guidelines for construction, operation, and maintenance of utility-scale wind facilities. Applicants should contact the Agency in advance of collecting any data or commencing any studies related to a proposed wind project in order to ensure that such activities are designed and conducted in such a manner as to be useful to the Agency in evaluating the project.
- Although these guidelines, and the process derived from them, are non-binding, they reflect the current thinking of the Agency. These guidelines will be revised and adjusted based on available science and information that is pertinent and applicable to the state and the region.