Airtricity was recently acquired by German utility and wind developer E.On Netz which revived a 36-turbine wind farm proposal in Hartsville (31 turbines) and Hornellsville (5 turbines). Former town board Supervisor George Prior approved Steuben County IDA as "lead agency" on the project, and on February 26, 2009 a Draft EIS has been accepted but not not yet approved by SCIDA. E.On was planning for a larger 76-turbine project. See also Wikipedia article.
In 2007 a new town board adopted a local permitting law after finding that "[r]egulation of the siting and installation of wind turbines is necessary for the purpose of protecting the health, safety, and welfare of neighboring property owners and the general public." Under Hartsville Local Law No. 1 of 2007 wind turbines are limited to 450 feet high and may not increase local sound levels by more than 6 decibels.
In 2008 Town Supervisor Steve Dombert led a divided town board to adopt a moratorium on wind farms until local siting regulations can be further studied, and in November 2009 the board plans to introduce a new local wind law adding setbacks from turbines of 2,640 feet unless the project developer obtains neighbors' consent to closer turbines.
Current town board member Michelle Herr Necker is disqualified from voting because she has a contract with E.On to allow turbines on her land. Ms. Herr Neckar brought a lawsuit against Dombert in 2008 that was dismissed in its entirety in 2009, but the town's defense was costly.
In the November 2009 elections a number of pro-wind candidates ran but none were elected.
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