Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
View impacts
The other main worry that neighbors raised in connection with Cannon's
project at Windy Point/Windy Flats was that the project's towering turbines
might tarnish territorial views in and around the Columbia Gorge. Maryhill
initially expressed concern about impacts on views from its property, and
other landowners in the area had similar reservations.
Cannon's primary strategy for allaying these fears was to prepare highly
accurate view simulation photos and share them with landowners in the area.
These computer-generated images, which showed precisely how the turbines
would appear once installed, did manage to put many landowners at ease. In
the few situations where discontent persisted even after showing simulation
photos, Cannon rearranged turbine sites to ameliorate the problem.
Unfortunately for Cannon, even these simulations and minor adjustments
to turbine sites were not enough to satisfy one advocacy group residing in
the area. The greatest opposition that Cannon faced with respect to the
viewshed impacts of its project came from Friends of the Columbia Gorge
(FCG). FCG is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1980 and is
based in nearby Portland, Oregon. The group's stated mission is to “vigor-
ously protect the scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the
Columbia River Gorge.” 6 The Gorge serves as a popular recreation area
for residents of the region, providing unique opportunities for windsurfing,
kiteboarding, fishing, river sailing, and other activities.
When Cannon received a permit for one of the latter phases of its wind
farm project that included several turbine sites near the Gorge's north rim,
FCG swiftly filed an administrative appeal. The group's primary argument
was that some of the turbines authorized under the permit would degrade
and tarnish views from within the Gorge. Hoping to prevent this appeal
from further delaying project construction, Cannon prepared a very large
number of additional simulation images showing how the turbines would
appear from various Gorge locations. These simulations did not placate
FCG, and the group continued to argue against some of Cannon's proposed
turbine locations.
Cannon ultimately reached a settlement with FCG that required Cannon
to eliminate of some of the phase's more visible turbine sites and to move
other sites further away from the rim's edge. Because of their elevation
and proximity to the Gorge, some of Cannon's forfeited sites had very
favorable wind resources. Although the terms of the settlement were costly
for Cannon, the agreement enabled development to move forward without
further delays—a critical benefit at that stage of the project.
Competing with other developers
Not surprisingly, neighbors and special interest groups were not the
only potential opponents of the company's proposed wind farm. Several
 
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