Archive for January 21, 2009
EBRA Annual Meeting Scheduled
by John Weckerle
The Estancia Basin Resource Association (EBRA) will hold its annual membership meeting on Saturday, January 24 beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Moriarty Civic Center. Speakers will include:
- Ryan Schwebach, Chairman, Estancia Basin Water Planning Committee – Estancia Basin Regional Water Plan Update
- Chuck DuMars, EBRA attorney – Current issues in New Mexico water law
- Donzil Worthington, Wilson and Company – Status report on the proposed EMW regional water supply project.
Other events include the annual election for open Board of Directors seats, reports on issues and activities from the previous year, and door prizes. For additional information, contact Art Swenka, EBRA President, at 384-0176.
Edgewood Considering Windmills Without Requiring Permits
 by John Weckerle
Tonight, with very little fanfare before the fact, the Town of Edgewood will hold public hearings on a proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance to allow windmills as a permitted use in all residential areas. Towers may be up to 80 feet tall on small lots (1/2 to 1 acre) and with no limit on height on larger lots. The ordinance can be found here.
The proposed revision appears overly simplistic and indicates that inadequate consideration was given to the complex issues associated with wind turbine use in residential settings. For example, the noise requirement states that a level of 60 decibels may not be exceeded at the “closest neighboring inhabited dwelling.” In some situations, there may be many undeveloped lots between the windmill and the next inhabited dwelling, potentially rendering those lots uninhabitable and depriving the owners of the ability to build homes on them. Taken in that context, some may suspect that the windmill ordinance has a certain “anti-development” goal. Allowing wind turbines – and their associated towers, to be permitted rather than conditional uses seems to ignore the complex and varied residential configurations found within Edgewood’s rather extensive land area. »» Edgewood Considering Windmills Without Requiring Permits