FAA says part of Somerset wind farm plane hazard

SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration says 15 of 30 wind turbines at a planned wind farm in southwestern Pennsylvania would pose an aviation hazard.

The FAA says 15 of the 404-foot-tall turbines planned for Shaffer Mountain in Somerset County are too high to be safe or could create electromagnetic interference in nearby air space.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown says the finding is the first step in a give-and-take process that could result in Gamesa Energy USA putting the turbines in a different spot or changing their size.

Gamesa officials say they don’t expect the findings to derail the project to produce enough electricity for 30,000 homes.

Environmental groups have been fighting the project because of its alleged impact in streams and the Indiana bat.