Saint Albans Messenger; August 12, 2016

Swanton Wind stated at their press conference on Thursday, September 8th that they were filing their petition for a Certificate of Public Good for their Industrial Wind Project. They also announced that they are offering to buy out 20 homes within 3000 feet of the turbines. This is tacit admission that it will be impossible to live that close to the wind project. In the wind industry, this is referred to as a Property Value Guarantee. People living near a proposed wind project are concerned about their property values – for most people, their house is their biggest investment. For properly sited wind projects, a Property Value Guarantee is a way for the project to show that it is going to be a good neighbor.

There are a few things wrong with what we have heard so far about the Swanton Wind buyout. The…