Wind bill hearings set for Cape, Western Mass.

The Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy is scheduled to hold hearings on a wind energy facilities siting bill this fall in western Massachusetts and on Cape Cod.

Sen. Ben Downing and Rep. John Keenan told the MMA’s Policy Committee on Energy and the Environment on July 13 that legislators want to hear the concerns of municipal officials and residents who could be most affected by the legislation.

“Given the fact those two areas are the farthest from the State House, and residents don’t feel like they get the chance to be heard as much, it made sense to be a little bit proactive and reach out to address their concerns,” Downing said.

The first hearing will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. in JJ’s Lodge at the Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, 37 Corey Road in Hancock.

A second hearing will be held on the Cape. (Details are not yet available.)

The bills are H. 1775, H. 1759 and S. 1666, all titled An Act Relative to Comprehensive Siting Reform for Land-based Wind Projects.

Last year, the formal legislative session ended without action on a bill intended to expedite the permitting of wind energy facilities. Last year’s bill would have allowed developers to file incomplete applications at the local level, and it would have limited municipal representation on the Energy Facilities Siting Board to wind-related projects only. The MMA and local officials objected to both of these provisions.