North Carolina state lawmakers passed a two-year-long moratorium on the construction of new wind turbines early Friday morning.
If enacted, the measure will be the longest statewide halt on wind energy development ever passed in any state. Tennessee passed a year-long moratorium on new wind turbines in May.
Lawmakers say they want to avoid higher energy costs from additional wind turbines, and other critics say that wind power could interfere with military radar and flights. More than 575,000 North Carolinians are supported by Department of Defense programs, making it critical to the state’s economy.
“People don’t realize – the generals will tell me off record – how important this is,” Republican State Sen. Harry Brown told UtilityDive. “It’s the biggest threat to their bases of anything out there at this point.”
Thirteen Democrats joined the Republican majority to pass the bill, meaning that a veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper could be overridden.
Environmentalists reacted strongly to the bill, claiming that it would set back the state’s plans to promote green energy.
Read more at:
http://dailycaller.com/2017/06/30/north-carolina-lawmakers-pass-two-year-ban-on-wind-turbines/
