NY
Attorney General Establishes
Code of Conduct for Wind
Energy Companies
The NY
Attorney General has announced a new code of ethics for the
wind industry along with the establishment of an oversight
task force. Although the Code does not appear to be
available on-line yet, according to the Attorney
General's
press release the
Wind Industry Ethics Code prohibits conflicts of
interest between municipal officials and wind companies
and establishes certain public disclosure requirements.
According to the press release, the
Code:
Bans
wind companies from hiring municipal employees or their
relatives, giving gifts of more than $10 during a one-year
period, or providing any other form of compensation that is
contingent on any action before a municipal
agency
Prevents
wind companies from soliciting, using, or knowingly
receiving confidential information acquired by a municipal
officer in the course of his
or her
officials duties
Requires
wind companies to establish and maintain a public Web site
to disclose the names of all municipal officers or their
relatives who have a financial stake in wind farm
development
Requires
wind companies to submit in writing to the municipal clerk
for public inspection and to publish in the local newspaper
the nature and scope of the municipal officer's financial
interest
Mandates
that all wind easements and leases be in writing and filed
with the County Clerk
Dictates
that within thirty days of signing the Wind Industry Ethics
Code,
companies
must conduct a seminar for employees about identifying and
preventing conflicts of interest when working with
municipal employees