Assholes-R-Us! NC State Legislator May Push For Permanent Ban On Wind Farms In State
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North Carolina’s best prospects for wind energy are in its eastern coastal plain, where farmers are eager for the extra income that comes from leasing their land for turbines, and cash-strapped county governments are keen on growing their tax bases.
“We’re the poorest of the poorest in North Carolina,” says Win Dale, executive director of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of commerce, in one video produced by the Southeastern Wind Coalition. “So, any kind of industry that we can attract to come here brings huge benefits to us.”
But military operations are also a powerful economic engine in eastern North Carolina. Brown’s Onslow County district hosts one of the nation’s largest Marine bases, and six other military installations in the region generate tens of billions of dollars in activity each year. A 2013 state law prevents any wind farm that would “result in a detriment to continued military presence in the state.” The Federal Aviation Administration won’t allow any project 200 feet or taller without sign-off from the Department of Defense.
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Two years ago, Brown sought to use a version of these maps to outlaw wind energy virtually everywhere in the state, but the effort failed due House opposition. Last year, Brown took a new tack, advocating a moratorium on wind energy until a study of its suitability for the state — including a new set of maps — could be completed. The GOP-led House didn’t support this idea, either, but Brown wouldn’t pass its bipartisan measure on solar energy through the Senate, also controlled by Republicans, without the wind moratorium. The House relented, and the 18-month moratorium became law.
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https://energynews.us/2018/11/27/southeast/will-north-carolina-cement-wind-energy-ban-in-its-lame-duck-session/