Ensure Properly Built Turbines

From Utica od .com
Our view: Ensure turbines built properly

Observer-Dispatch
Posted Jan 02, 2010 @ 09:00 PM
Two wind turbines have collapsed in New York state in the past year.

One fell on Dec. 27, in the Madison County town of Fenner, the other last winter near Plattsburgh.

Fortunately, no one was injured in either instance, but it is disquieting to imagine nearly 190 tons of metal, plastic and other materials tumbling down onto farm fields and hillsides.

It turns out that the state Public Service Commission oversees only larger wind farms, not those as small as in Fenner.

That’s troubling.

Wind turbines are among the largest structures on the Upstate New York landscape. They need to be subject to stringent building standards and to occasional inspections. These are tasks far beyond the capabilities of the typical rural town.

State legislators including Assemblyman William Magee, who represents Madison County, need to step up in the next legislative session and make wind turbine safety a state responsibility.