“Opposition ranges from concerns about the effects of turbine noise on neighbors, degradation of the quality of life in the area where turbines will be sited, conflicts of interest on the part of elected town officials regarding the project, destruction of forest areas by construction and harm to bats and birds because of the blades.” (“Public Hearings Tuesday on Alle-Catt Wind Farm,” Olean Times Herald, June 7, 2019)

A article this week in the Ocean Times Herald is an interesting look at what is going on with industrial wind at the grassroots. Jim Eckstrom reports from western New York where Chicago-based Invenergy proposes to erect up to one hundred 600-foot tall turbines in three western New York counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Wyoming.

After announcing the meeting specifics, Eckstrom lays out the issues in a way that indicates, clearly, that this is a debate that is joined.

The one-year public comment
period on the project got underway in May when the state’s board siting
accepted the project developer’s application as complete. The proposed project
includes more than 100 wind turbines — 600 feet in height — scattered across
20,000 acres in four towns in northern Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. The
project would stretch into Arcade in Wyoming County.

The controversial Alle-Catt Wind
Farm is being developed by Invenergy, a large international alternative energy
company with several other wind turbine projects in New York state.

Two grassroots citizens groups,
Farmersville United and Freedom United, formed to at the minimum seek greater setbacks
for the wind turbines as the town governments scrambled to raise the height
limit to 600 feet from blade tip to the ground.

The Freedom Town Board approved a
new wind law, 3-2, but the vote is being challenged in state Supreme Court.
Farmersville’s Town Board hit a roadblock when the Cattaraugus County Planning
Board denied its local law largely due to the height of the wind turbines.

The towns of Rushford and
Centerville in Allegany County and Arcade in Wyoming County approved new laws
requested by Invenergy.

The company has touted the $7
million in annual payments to local governments and school districts as well as
landowners leasing property for wind turbines or other infrastructure.
Invenergy also points to up to 200 construction jobs and up to 13 jobs to
maintain the wind farm.

Alle-Catt Wind Farm said last
month it would conduct a months-long community outreach effort to continue to
raise awareness of the economic benefits of New York-made renewable energy.

“The Alle-Catt Wind Farm will
serve as a major economic driver for Western New York communities while
delivering clean, locally-made energy to power the state’s future,” Valessa
Souter-Kline, project development manager for Invenergy, said after the state
accepted the firm’s complete application in May.

Invenergy says the 340-megawatt
project will generate enough energy to power 134,000 homes annually and help
meet New York’s growing electricity demands.

The Article 10 application is
available on the project website at www.alle-catt.com and hard copies are
available at the Arcade Town Hall, Arcade Free Library, Centerville Town Hall,
Farmersville Town Hall, Freedom Town Hall, Rushford Town Hall, Rushford Free
Library and Machias Town Hall.

Attorney Ginger Schroder of
Farmersville, a lead opponent of the project, said last month that the siting
board simply decided that Invenergy’s application “has complied with the
minimum information requirements for applications. However, the substance of the
application and its conclusions have not been reviewed.”

She said opponents of the plan,
led by members of Farmersville United and Freedom United, have consulted
experts and they plan to explore deficiencies in Invenergy’s application.

Opposition ranges from concerns
about the effects of turbine noise on neighbors, degradation of the quality of
life in the area where turbines will be sited, conflicts of interest on the
part of elected town officials regarding the project, destruction of forest
areas by construction and harm to bats and birds because of the blades.

Schroder argues that the
project’s power contribution to the state’s energy needs would be minimal — and
the financial justification nonexistent without government subsidies that prop
up renewable energy development.

Another attorney representing
residents, Gary Abraham said last month, “The project is being modeled to
achieve a 50-decibel sound limit at people’s homes. That is something the
(state Department of Environmental Conservation) would classify as intolerable
given the quiet background noise level in this area.”