Superior Court judge OKs Conn. wind power farm

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) — A New Britain Superior Court judge has backed Connecticut's first proposed wind farm.

Judge Henry Cohn rejected opponents' claims that the six turbines proposed for Colebrook would unduly hurt the environment or harm neighbors.

Developer BNE Energy Inc. is now a step closer to building its proposed 9.6-megawatt project. It still requires a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and it's not yet known if Colebrook may require a zone change.

The Connecticut Siting Council approved the project in June 2011.

Opponents say they will appeal. They argued that the Connecticut Siting Council failed to account for noise, threats to birds and bats, wetlands issues and giant towers' impact on property values.

Greg Zupkus, a partner in BNE, said the project will ultimately prevail despite objections by critics.