Activist group appeals wind project

SEARSBURG, Vt. (AP) An environmental group is appealing a decision by the U.S. Forest Service that would allow the construction of 15 wind turbines in the southern Vermont towns of Searsburg and Readsboro. The appeal by the group Vermonters for a Clean Environment says the Deerfield Wind project would hurt the wilderness and the quality of the water. The group's executive director Annette Smith says the federal permit violates the law on numerous grounds, including noise and aesthetics and the effect of blasting. The company Deerfield Wind is planning to build 15 turbines nearly 400-feet-high, spaced a half-mile apart on the ridgelines along Route 8 in Readsboro and Searsburg. The project is designed to produce 30 megawatts of power.