HATTERAS ISLAND WIND TURBINE PROJECT UPDATE
This post is an update of information concerning the proposed wind turbine pilot project in Pamlico Sound and the significantly larger potential wind turbine farm that could ultimately be built. These projects are important to Hatteras Island residents and visitors for several reasons, some financial and others that relate to the quality of life on the island.
As a vehicle for simplifying a wide array of issues related to the project, we have prepared the following outline for your consideration:
• Tourism is the lifeblood of Hatteras Island’s economy.
• The primary natural resources of Hatteras Island that are the basis for its attractiveness as a tourist destination are its pristine beaches and the panoramic, unspoiled views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound that visitors and residents enjoy.
• While there can be factual and honest disagreements about the various impacts that the Pamlico Sound wind turbine project may have on the island and the environment, it is indisputable and unanimously agreed by everyone, including the developer, that the wind turbines will be visible from the soundside shorelines of Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras Village. The turbines will be visible both during the day and at night when they can be expected to be illuminated with hazard warning lights.
• Because the presence of the wind turbines in the Pamlico sound could affect the purchasing decisions of buyers, the North Carolina Real Estate Commission’s legal department has expressed the opinion that both the pilot project and the potential ultimate project are material facts that must be disclosed to all prospective buyers of soundfront and soundview properties in the villages of Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras Village that could be impacted by the projects.
• From the standpoint of soundfront and soundview property owners, as well as the island’s real estate industry, it can be anticipated that the real and potential visual impact of the wind turbines in the Sound will make properties with a probable view of the turbines more difficult to sell to some prospective buyers. Any difficulty in selling these properties can be expected to be reflected in lower listing prices, lower selling prices, and ultimately, lower property values.
• The impact of the initial pilot project of 1 to 3 wind turbines covering an area of approximately 3 square miles of the Sound can be expected to be minimal. However, the impact of the built-out project of up to 138 wind turbines, each 429 to 498 feet high, spread over a 25 square mile area of the Sound will be massive. It is our personal opinion that the pilot project is a red herring designed to shift the focus of attention away from the more controversial large scale ultimate project.
• The de facto creation of an industrial zone in the waters of the Pamlico Sound adjacent to Hatteras Island by Duke Energy with the backing of state officials is unprecedented. As the approval process progresses, there will be public hearings on the project(s). As affected stakeholders, it seems reasonable to conclude that each of us needs to be informed about the project(s), determine what our position will be, and participate in the decision-making process.
• Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) held a “scoping” meeting at the Dare County Justice Center in Manteo. The purpose of the meeting was to gather input on issues and concerns that the public and various stakeholders thought should be addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that the Corps is requiring Duke Energy to complete as part of the permitting process for the Pamlico Sound wind turbine pilot project. A list of almost 100 issues concerning the project that were raised at the meeting can be viewed on the Corps of Engineers link listed in the next bullet point.
• Detailed information about the Pamlico Sound wind turbine project may be found online at – http://www.climate.unc.edu/coastal-wind and at the Corps of Engineers web site.
The question that everyone wants answered is what will the turbines look like from shore? The environmental consulting firm working with Duke Energy and the Corps of Engineers has developed artists’ renderings of what the pilot project might look like from Avon Harbor, Buxton near the Sandbar restaurant, and Frisco across from the pier. We have not been able to get jpeg photos of these renderings, but we will display them as soon as we can track them down.
We are certainly not experts on any of this. We have simply been following the project closely, reading as much as we can, and attending the meetings. Our purpose in bringing this information to your attention is our concern that there were very few Hatteras Island residents at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers meeting last month in Manteo. We believe that each of us, residents and visitors alike, has a vested interest in the outcome of this project from the standpoint of the potential impact on our island economy as well as the potential impact on the island’s natural resources (the unspoiled views across Pamlico Sound) that we all enjoy.
The core question is who is looking out for the interests of Hatteras Island as this project moves forward?