Wound Up Over Windmills

Upstate New Yorkers are up in arms about widespread plans to install wind farms. In some cases, they're fighting the green power plants with scare tactics more often associated with the anti-nuclear lobby.

The whole state of New York is experiencing such a serious power crunch that Gov. George Pataki has taken drastic measures to help combat energy-supply problems and decrease the Empire State's ecological footprint.

Part of his plan includes dotting the rural upstate lake region with windmill farms because they provide clean and practically free energy once they're installed. It sounds like an excellent solution, unless you dislike the look of hulking white shafts supporting giant propellers on your horizon.

Some residents fear their property value will take a hit if they have windmills for neighbors, and they have not been shy about letting state officials hear their complaints.

A vocal anti-turbine movement is led by the billionaire founder of Paychex. Tom Golisano, who recently registered as a Republican and is challenging Pataki for the governor office, finances a group called Save Upstate New York.

The activities of Save Upstate and like-minded groups make front-page news in local papers at least once a week. They hold anti-turbine rallies and meetings where they discuss windmills' potential dangers and drawbacks. They complain about the potential effect on their property values and the aesthetic impact on the area's scenic countryside.

Other complaints are a little further from reality. In a recent symposium held by the Concerned Citizens for Steuben County, one speaker compared the sound of the spinning blades and whirring machinery (which most people find inaudible from fairly close distances) to the noises Nazi troops tortured Jews with during the holocaust.

Group members also warned of health problems ranging from strokes caused by the sunlight as it pulsates through the spinning turbine blades to mange in cattle. Others claimed that women living near the wind farms are having as many as five menstrual cycles a month.

"So I guess my final question is: Who do I sue if I have any health problems or my property value decreases because of this project?" asked Patricia Oakes, a Hartsville, New York, resident at a recent meeting.

The hysteria seems to stem from the fact that many of these rural communities have no zoning laws, so the municipalities are free to set up wind farms where they like.

And because their cash-strapped communities stand to gain tax revenue and earning potential from the turbines, most local officials welcome them with open arms. Landowners who install wind farms will earn about $3000 per year per turbine, and the municipality will typically receive a percentage of the wind farm's profits based on wattage output.

Initial building costs are high -- $2 to $4 million per tower, with about 40 installed at a given location. But once a wind farm is set up, the proprietors of companies such as Airtricity and Enel North America claim they provide nearly free energy.

Wind turbine opponents say the financial gain to be had does not outweigh the disadvantages.

"It's like putting lipstick on a pig," said Larry Newhart, a challenger of the turbine projects. "You can dress it up however you want but it's still a pig."

The tiny rural community of Hartsville is presently ground zero for the windmill controversy. With just 392 registered voters, Hartsville is the prospective site of a wind farm of 22 to 34 turbines, which will produce as much electricity as about 1.5 million gallons of oil a year.

Town board members surveyed the population and found that only 5.5 percent of townspeople are against the wind farm, while 58 percent are for it. Opponents are suspicious of the survey because one person who conducted it is a landowner and stands to profit from the turbine project.

Nevertheless, on Dec. 14, Hartsville's board voted to proceed with final negotiations with Airtricity. Board members said they believe they’re doing the right thing for their community and their country.

"It just needs to be done," George Prior said. "If we're going to decrease our dependency on foreign oil, we need projects like this even they do inconvenience from time to time."