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<br />Vermont's <br />Net-Metering <br />Permitting Process <br />Vermont's permitting <br />process for net metered <br />(thus, grid-tied) small <br />wind turbines is <br />straightforward and <br />simple: A customer <br />applies for a Certificate <br />of Public Good (CPG), <br />at no cost, from the <br />Vermont Public Service <br />Board (PSB) and <br />distributes the. <br />application to adjacent. <br />landowners, the town <br />planning committee, <br />and select board, local <br />utility, and several <br />state agencies. Barring <br />any objections within <br />30 days, the CPG <br />application is generally <br />approved and is exempt <br />from additional state or <br />local zoning regulations.. <br />. Should there be any <br />public objectrons, <br />witnesses for each <br />party testify at a public <br />hearing where the PSB <br />makes a final decision. <br /> <br /> <br />Windward Engineering <br />Endurance 4.25k,w turbine <br />in Arkport, NY . <br /> <br />PERMITTING PROCESS: TIME & COST <br /> <br />Even the best zoning ordinances are often thwarted by overly expensive and <br />lengthy requirements for obtaining a permit. We recommend the following: <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The permit should <br />be granted upon <br />timely review of <br />the application, not <br />exceeding 3D d~ys. <br /> <br />Hearings are usually required to determine <br />whetherthe installation meets the "conditions" <br />upon which permission is contingent. Any hearings <br />should be held within 3D days of the application <br />date. Promptly thereafter the zoning board should <br />notify the applicant whether or not the permit has <br />been granted and what conditions are necessary <br />to satisfy the permit. <br /> <br />If an application must be approved by a town or county board after being passed <br />through a planning committee, a reasonable timeframe is 60 days or less. <br /> <br />Total permitting costs should be commensurate with any other non- <br />commercial end-use objects or structures, and should reflect the cost <br />of administering the permit and any associated reviews or inspections. <br /> <br />Most localities levy fees at a flat rate, but some occasionally use a <br />"valuation method" that calculates the fee as a percentage of the system's <br />cost. However, there is little, if any, correlation between the size of a <br />turbine and the costs and time required for its inspection and review <br />process. Flat fees are therefore more practical and desirable. <br /> <br />Furthermore, the valuation method inadvertently discourages larger <br />systems and their associated pUblic benefits. ParadoxicallYr under this <br />fee structure, the more a turbine owner wants to contribute to the <br />community, the more difficult it becomes to do so. <br /> <br />Some localities have implemented a tiered fee structure to distinguish. <br />between residential and commercial uses. Still others have waived <br />penilitting fees entirely for on-site renewable generatorsr sending a <br />powerful message of local government support for clean energy and <br />their associated community benefits. Some communities that have _ <br />waived permitting fees for on-site renewables include Tucson (AZ), <br />San Diego (CA), Fairfax (CA), and the entire state of Vermont.28 <br /> <br /> <br />28 http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/globaU'Varming/ pv_permicstudy.htm Damian Pitt, "Taking the Red Tape out <br />of Green Power." Network for New Energy Choices, September 2008. In Vermont, permitting is free for all grid-tied <br />renewables statewide under the Certificate of Public Good. applicatiDn prDcess. <br />