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NORFOLK, Va. -- A New York company that has filed applications to build power-generating windmills off the coasts of five states has scaled back its plans for a project off Virginia's Eastern Shore and wants to move it closer to land.
Winergy LLC, based in Shirley, N.Y., filed a revised application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cutting the number of windmills it wants to build to 150 from the 271 it proposed in its initial filing in November.
The project, originally proposed for waters up to 12 miles off Accomack County, would be shifted south to Northampton County in response to concerns raised by the military.
Each windmill would stand 400 feet above the mean water level in a 25-square-mile area running from one to three nautical miles off Smith's Island near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The project as a whole would generate 560 megawatts of electricity during peak production times.
The Corps said it is seeking public comment on the proposal through Sept. 5 and has scheduled a public hearing Aug. 19 at Northampton High School in Eastville.
Winergy has filed applications for similar projects off Maryland, Delaware, New York and Massachusetts that would erect more than 1,000 windmills.
Environmental groups, which might be expected to support wind energy as a non-polluting alternative, have opposed Winergy's filings, arguing that the projects represent an offshore land grab of public property for private use.
They also contend the windmill farms will mar the natural beauty of the coastline, interfere with fishing, diminish property values, hurt recreation and tourism, and may prove harmful to migratory birds.
Winergy's president, former restaurant owner Dennis Quaranta, has said the critics are suffering from a case of NIMBY -- "not in my back yard."
After the company filed its initial application in November, Quaranta told The Associated Press, "Everyone is a great environmentalist, until it's in their area. Then it's 'Not in my back yard, not in my beach view, not in the ocean, not anywhere.' "
Originally published Friday, July 11, 2003
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