Upstate
New York has been boasting about wind-power development the last few years.
Wind farms — clusters of high-tech windmills 200 feet or more tall — have
become tourist and business-booster attractions in Wyoming County and Madison
County.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The Wyoming County wind farm, on one
otherwise vacant hilltop in the town of Wethersfield, sports 10 towers armed
with European-designed Vestas generators. From miles away you can see the
brilliantly white towers, made even more eye-catching by briskly revolving
propeller blades.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Wind power has dazzled many “stakeholders”
— entrepreneurs who make money from developing the installations; farmers and
other rural landowners who make $2,000 or more per tower in land-leasing fees;
planners and environmentalists who know that clean, renewable energy’s time has
come.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But sometimes people feel wind power
is like a stake held over their heart.
This is the
case today 50 or 60 miles south of Rochester, where the Bristol Hills subtly merge
into the Southern Tier.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Spurred by New York State’s new
emphasis on wind power and other renewables like solar power and fuel-cells,
two companies have targeted a pair of towns — Italy, Yates County; and
Prattsburgh, Steuben County — for wind-power development. The proposals could
add up to a concentration of windmills not seen before in Western and Central
New York: as many as 103 towers sprouting from selected ridges and hilltops
within a 6,000-acre development zone. (That’s equivalent to around one-fourth
the city of Rochester’s land area.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The plans are rooted in state and
local financial benefits, as well. In mid-2002, Governor George Pataki and the
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced
that $17 million in public funds and other incentives would be available for
the private development of five wind farms in Lewis, Chautauqua, Otsego, and
Erie counties, as well as Steuben and Yates.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Altogether, the funds were to
subsidize as many as 213 new windmills, each using a 1.5 megawatt turbine. That
would mean an addition of more than 300 megawatts in generating capacity to the
grid. (Compare Rochester Gas and Electric’s Ginna nuclear plant at around 500
megawatts.) NYSERDA figures the state theoretically could produce 5,000
megawatts from wind.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Tom Hagner is a manager with Ecogen,
one the companies looking to build in the Yates-Steuben county area. Ecogen
plans to put up 53 windmills, he says, each of them “just short of 400
feet tall.” Each supporting tower would stand 260 feet high, he says; the
blades account for the remaining height.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The Ecogen windmills would thus be
considerably taller than those in Wethersfield. Each Ecogen machine, using a
General Electric turbine, will produce twice as much energy as a Wethersfield
unit, according to Hagner.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Each windmill will require around
two acres of land, Hagner says. That’s not counting other infrastructure:
access roads, transmission corridors, and so forth. “They need to be
networked together, plugged into a substation,” he says. Topography
imposes limits, of course. “You’re on the ridge tops,” Hagner says. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The company, Hagner says, chose the
Italy-Prattsburgh area for its proximity to a major electric-transmission line.
It’s necessary, he says, to keep the interconnecting power lines as short as
possible, and to use each substation efficiently.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย What about the visuals? Windmills
are very noticeable. Fifty-three towers (or 103) could dominate a rural
landscape — and for tourist and weekender-oriented towns like Italy and
Prattsburgh, a “viewshed” is like money in the bank.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “That definitely is one of the
environmental impacts of wind energy,” Hagner concedes. But the impact, he
says, must be “balanced” against the negatives of fossil
fuel-generated electricity: air emissions, thermal pollution, damage from fuel
extraction, the risks of nuclear power, and so forth.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Erich Bachmeyer is a representative
of Global Wind Harvest, the other company involved in Italy and Prattsburgh. He
says his company wants to put up 50 windmills at most.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Bachmeyer, too, is confronting a
range of objections. Is there room for compromise? “We feel there’s a
middle ground,” he says. But he charges that “some opponents don’t
feel there’s a middle ground.”
Advocates for
Prattsburgh,
a group formed to fight the windmill plans, remains firmly opposed.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Member John Servo, a Chili resident
who with his family owns nearly 150 acres straddling the Italy-Prattsburgh
line, is looking at a possible installation next-door to where he plans to live
full-time. He fears that windmills could force “a drop of property values
of 20 to 40 percent.” Noise from the whirling blades can be a problem,
too, he says. Moreover, he fears the particular type of noise could induce
headaches and other health effects in people living close to the units.
“This is not safe,” he says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Wind power “makes sense in the
desert West” but not around here, says Servo, who works as a consultant to
high-tech and energy companies. “I’m a proponent of wind technology in
appropriate locations.” Nonetheless, he casts doubt on the concept:
Windmills, he says, pump out power only when the wind is blowing. Because of
this, he says, they don’t obviate the need for fossil-fuel or other
“back-up” generating capacity.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Ruth Matilsky, an Advocates member
who lives in Prattsburgh most of the year, says a proposed windmill site lies
1,000 feet from her house and 500 feet from her property line. She says she and
her family initially had a more positive attitude. Indeed, she says, they
“came really close” to signing a lease agreement for their land. Now
she feels the project would be out-of-scale for the town. And she cites
negatives like noise, intrusive warning lights, and damage to the viewshed.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Matilsky does admit to a bit of
“liberal angst” about joining the opposition. “The way we live
is destroying the planet,” she says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Like many towns in rural New York,
Prattsburgh has many absentee landowners and part-time residents. One of the
latter is Alice Sokolow, an optometrist and researcher who lives in the
Rochester suburbs. Sokolow says some of the proposed wind turbines would be within
a mile of her place. She’s generally dubious about the project. “Our
mountains are not that high,” she says. “We’re not going to get any
benefit… I don’t see any positive impact.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Sokolow feels the companies targeted
Prattsburgh because the town has no land controls with teeth. “There are a
handful [of towns in the area] that have not gone to comprehensive
planning.” (Company spokespeople deny they single out towns without
planning. They say their decisions are based on technical criteria like wind
ratings. A state sanctioned wind-resource map shows some hilltops in the
designated zone have high ratings — but not the highest.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “Our town board has totally
stonewalled the people who aren’t in favor of windmills,” says Al
Wordingham, a Prattsburgh resident who moved there from Victor several years
ago. “None of the out-of-town [landowners] had any idea this project was
moving forward,” he charges.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Prattsburgh Supervisor J. Harold
McConnell did not return a call for comment. We did reach David Stachnik, a
Hammondsport resident who represents Prattsburgh as Steuben county legislator.
“This project will generate some dollars” for the area, he says.
“If studies can prove that it can actually provide dollars and some jobs…
that’s good.” He adds that people’s wishes must be respected, too.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The Steuben County Industrial
Development Agency is “lead agent” for the Prattsburgh project, says
IDA executive director Jim Sherron. “We’re a reluctant lead agent,”
he explains. The task fell to the IDA, he says, in part because the town of
Prattsburgh has no zoning and thus little authority over such projects. There
will need to be public hearings on a “draft scoping” document, he
says. The IDA, he says, will hear a presentation by Ecogen officials late this
week.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The IDA can offer a mix of tax
incentives, including help with any mortgage tax, Servo says. The IDA, he says,
is working only with Ecogen, which has not received state money for the
Prattsburgh plan. (Global Winds did receive state funds for its Steuben-Yates
project, says a NYSERDA news release from 2002.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In any case, Sherron acknowledges
some matters that will inevitably be on the table. “There certainly are
some environmental issues out there,” he says.
Over in Yates
County,
as well, things are moving along tentatively.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “At this point, we have not had
any formal application,” says Steve Isaacs, head of the county IDA.
“There is a lot of controversy. I can’t speak for the [IDA] board of
directors.” But he says much will depend on what Italy’s town government
decides.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Italy Supervisor Margaret Dunn says
her town is poised to take decisive action. On April 24, she says, residents
will vote on a proposed six-month moratorium on windmill development. Town
government, she says, has “made the decision to move in the direction of a
moratorium.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย If such a moratorium is adopted —
as seems likely, considering the public response Dunn has noted — will it
withstand legal challenges by developers?
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I think that we’re pretty
protected, [because] we’ve been working on a comprehensive plan for over a
year,” Dunn says. Right now the town lacks a zoning law. The concept has
been discussed for many years, and a law was proposed six years ago, she says,
but it was shot down at the polls. Some residents now regret that, she says.
“If we don’t get some kind of control, it could just devastate the
valley,” she says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I’m not totally against
windmills,” Dunn says. She recalls a recent visit to the Fenner (Madison
County) site. “That was pretty much cleared farmland” before construction,
she says. But most of the proposed sites in Italy, a heavily forested town,
would require significant cutting of trees, she says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Some pro-wind-power environmental
groups are watching what’s happening in towns like Italy and Prattsburgh.
They’ve followed and supported wind-power success stories in Wethersfield and
Fenner, as well as wind-centered controversies in Cherry Valley and South
Bristol.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “Wind power is proven — not
just in the United States but in Europe particularly, over a number of years
— to be an effective, reliable source of electric generation,” says John
Stouffer, Albany-based legislative director of the Sierra Club Atlantic
Chapter. The national Sierra Club, he says, is “100 percent” behind
the concept. “It generates no emissions,” he says. He addresses a
central criticism — that wind power doesn’t work because the wind is
intermittent. Simply put, he says, that has not been a problem in real-world
conditions.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Environmental groups also have
countered objections that windmills can kill large numbers of birds and produce
dangerous “ice-throws.” The former problem, say some advocates, can
be minimized by siting wind farms away from flyways and using towers that
discourage perching. The ice problem is real, but there are solutions. For
example, the Rutland Herald, in a comprehensive review of a Vermont proposal,
cited a state official who acknowledged the problem. He advised that windmills
must be kept a safe distance from human activity.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Stouffer speaks to location, as
well. “It’s possible,” he says, “to site wind turbines
inappropriately so they’re nuisances, create noise, or damage other
environmental features.”
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2004.
