A proposed wind farm on Buck Mountain in North Union Township received a conditional approval from the Schuylkill County Planning Commission at its monthly meeting held Thursday evening at the courthouse in Pottsville.

Buck Mountain Wind Farm Land Development plans to construct 15 wind turbines plus one commercial wind test tower. The construction will be performed by Pattern Energy Group LP, an independent energy company that develops, constructs and owns and operates renewable energy and transmission assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.The 99-megawatt Buck Mountain Wind project, when it reaches commercial operation in 2015, will consist of 30 wind turbines and produce clean, renewable energy equivalent to the needs of 25,000 Pennsylvania homes each year.The project is located on about 5,000 acres of private lands approximately 12 miles west of Hazleton in Luzerne County. Annually it projects it will offset more than 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 150,000,000 gallons of water, equivalent to removing more than 40,000 cars from the roads each year and meeting the annual fresh water needs of more than 4,600 people.Other businessLands of Earth Conservancy, McAdoo, received a conditional approval and 90 days to complete its plan to create one lot from its 6,68.342 acres. No building or site development is proposed for this time.Kull Heinzenroth Funeral Home received final approval on its plan to open a funeral home in Girardville.Eagle Rock Resorts Company, Hazle Township, Luzerne County, was granted 90 days extensions to complete two subdivision plans for Hidden Forest Phase 1 and Phase 2 subdivisions in its resort in East Union Township.The commission reviewed subdivision plans submitted to local planning boards in the area to see they complied with the county land use plan.Donna and John A. Zakrewsky, Ryan Township, submitted a plan to Ryan Township Planning Commission to subdivide their land by creating a lot containing 3.527 acres for a single family home and the remaining 25.8 acres will is for residential use.The land is located along the Old Team Read (Township Route 479) Ryan Township.The county commission ruled a Uniform Parcel Identifier (UPI) for this tract must be certified on this plan by the Schuylkill County Assessment Bureau prior to recording the deed. A sewer planning module must be completed for connection to an individual on-lot sewage system and owner must comply with Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for an on-lot water supply and a driveway permit is required prior to any driveway construction.Nancy R. Kyle has submitted a subdivision plan to the Walker Township Planning Commission seeking a lot extension consisting of 10.20 acres onto existing lands of Arthur N. Brownell Jr. and Nancy R. Kyle and the residue parcel is proposed for single family residential use with an existing house located on Mountain Road (Township Route 508) in Walker Township. The county commission ruled an UPI number must be certified before a deed is recorded.West Penn projectsThe commission announced receiving notices of a projects proposed in West Penn Township.The Pines at West Penn, LCC, notified the county commission it is applying to DEP for renewal of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to allow discharge sewage effluent from minor sewage facilities.