Advocates for the exploration of alternative energies and traditional conservationists are divided over a new bill currently being debated in the General Assembly that would allow wind energy facilities on area mountaintops.

Senate Bill 1068 is a proposed act to establish a system of permits and sitting and operation of wind energy facilities. A wind energy facility means the turbines, accessory buildings, transmission facilities, and any other equipment necessary for the operation of a wind facility, the bill reads. It also states that no person would be allowed to operate a wind turbine without first obtaining a permit.

A permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would be necessary for a person applying for the development of a wind energy facility anywhere outside the coastal area of the state, the bill stipulates.

The original version of Bill 1068 works within the perimeters of the Mountain Ridge Protection Act of 1983 and puts in place a permitting process for the installation of wind technologies on local ridgelines. The MRPA was enacted by the General Assembly as a response to the Sugar Top project, a multistory condominium atop Sugar Mountain, and was aimed at the prevention of the construction of excessively tall buildings on local ridgelines over 3,000 feet.

N.C. Sen. Steve Goss, a co-sponsor of the 1068 bill, explained that the bill could allow for the exploration of new technologies to assist in the implementation of alternative energies. He went on to explain that this would be done while protecting local ridges and mountain tops.

“We got to protect the mountains while at the same time pursuing any new technology,” he said. Goss also stated that wind turbine technology shows “a lot of promise.”

Goss also said that wind technology could aid in the search for alternative energies.

“With the overall energy shortage, it is important to look at alternative sustainable energies to supply our energy needs,” Goss said. “Wind is not the whole answer but one piece of the puzzle.

“We just can’t make the same mistakes we did in the 1970s,” Goss said in reference to the national gas shortage as a result of OPEC restrictions and the country’s reliance on foreign fuels.

A version of the bill in its entirety acknowledges a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard to diversify the resources used to reliably meet the energy needs of the consumers in the state. It also states that wind energy generation is a critical component for the state to meet the requirements established by the REPS.

In essence, the bill states that North Carolina has abundant wind resources in the coastal and mountain regions and that it is the policy of the state to promote the development of wind energy in a manner that is compatible with environment protection, sustainable development, and the efficient use of resources.

Goss believes that it is ultimately up to county governments and citizens to make the decision whether wind technology is the right decision.

“It is important to allow local governments the choice of deciding what their communities want,” Goss said.

Goss also acknowledge the concern of some citizens over the size of wind turbines if they are constructed.

“None of us see the potential of 400 foot wind turbines in our community,” he said.

“Ashe and Watauga counties have been very visionary in setting forth ordinances for the height of wind turbines.”

Goss explained that neither county has implemented ordinances that would allow commercial wind turbines over 200 feet tall. He believes that the permitting process proposed under Bill 1068 would be “very strict.”

“We would have to monitor very closely that they fit in with the aesthetics of our mountains,” he said.

The bill has been met with some local opposition as well as support. West Jefferson resident Cynthia Wadsworth, daughter of the late ASU professor Dr. Erwing Winningham Wadsworth who supported the MRPA, believes that Bill 1068 will only weaken the original 1983 act and allow the construction of wind turbines that she believes will take away from the natural scenery of local mountains.

“I think it (MRPA) has to be kept very strong and intact,” Wadsworth said.

Senators Goss, primary bill sponsor Charles Albertson, Joe Sam Queen D-47, John Snow D-50, and Martin Nesbitt, Jr. D-49, are currently debating the proposed bill during a work session which follows a senate session this week. Sen. Albertson is now in favor of the bill after persuasion from Goss.

To read the bill in its entirety, please visit www.ncga.state.nc.us and use the “Bill Look Up” search engine.