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Siting Criteria
State
Mass Audubon has participated in recent efforts led by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to draft legislation reforming the wind permitting process for land based facilities producing two megawatts or greater. We support this legislation because protective statewide guidelines would be developed in regulation, including standards for minimizing and avoiding impacts to birds and bats and to large forested regions that are sensitive to habitat fragmentation from development. These guidelines do not currently exist.
The Patrick Administration also conducted an analysis of the wind permitting process. The report compiles histories and chronologies of Massachusetts wind projects and details on permitting processes in surrounding states, but the report is very limited in its conclusions as only developers were interviewed. Information from permitting agencies and appellants is needed to provide a more complete picture.
MassGIS hosts a wind viewer. Zoom in to see specific sites, wind maps, rare species habitat, important bird areas, wetlands, and other datalayers across the state.
The Administration commissioned a report analyzing renewable energy potential in Massachusetts. Technical potential for wind is 7,800 MW including offshore, biomass 240 MW, river 30 MW, ocean 180 MW, and solar
between 8,700-12,900 MW.
Federal
The Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee was chartered by the Secretary of the Interior to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of on developing effective measures to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife and their habitats related to the development of land-based wind energy facilities. Mass Audubon is a member of this Advisory Committee, which is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Read more about the Federal Wind Turbine Advisory Committee.
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