At a special meeting of the Prattsburgh, NY town board, the Board members voted 3-2 to authorize the commencement of eminent domain proceedings against landowners unwilling to sign easement agreements with UPC Wind (First Wind), a private wind energy developer seeking to erect 36 turbines across forty-eight properties town. The draft minutes of that meeting along with the resolution can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

A Franklin County Grand Jury is investigating town officials' financial ties with wind farms. A town councilman in Burke, in northern Franklin County, has sued to quash a subpoena issued by the district attorney as part of the grand jury process. Jacob Resneck reports.

Over the past three months the Franklin County District Attorney's Office has been examining allegations of certain improprieties including self-dealing, conflicts of interest and violations of statutes on the part of various local elected officials in Franklin County. The recently disclosed unethical conduct by our state's highest elected official has heightened the need for a closer review of all available ethical safeguards in order to reestablish and maintain the Public's confidence in our elected officials. ...Our investigation has revealed several contracts, easements, lease option agreements, cooperation memoranda and other types of documents which disclose relationships existing between elected officials and certain third parties in Franklin County (as well as other elected officials in other Counties) which, when allegedly coupled with certain decision making and board action, may be in violation of General Municipal Law (GML) 805-a(1)(c) and (1)(d).

Mr. DeWayne Wilkie of Jefferson County, NY was seen by a cardiologist in March 2008. Dr. Carroll Moody assessed Mr. Wilkie's health and from a cardiovascular standpoint, declared Mr. Wilkie 'stable'. Dr. Moody also includes information in the report on how wind turbine noise might affect the pace maker inserted in Mr. Wilkie's chest.

This new report published by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, a project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, discusses the rising costs of electricity in the State. A number of recommendations are offered, including an overhaul of the Renewable Portfolio Standard, a state policy that supports clean-energy generation such as wind farms. The Executive Summary is provided below. The full report can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

The town of Meredith, NY has introduced a new wind ordinance which bans industrial wind. By unanimously vote, the law was scheduled for a public hearing on March 4th. This new ordinance will void the ordinance permitting industrial turbines that was passed last summer (2007). The full law can be downloaded by clicking on the link below. Section 105 listed below provides some insight into the issues considered in developing this regulation.

The attached document contains the Brandon NY wind energy facility law. The law, which bans industrial-scale wind turbines, was passed in February, 2008.

The Town of Clayton, in Jefferson County New York, has released comments issued by Cavanaugh Tocci Associates in regard to the preconstruction sound level study conducted by PPM Energy for the Clayton Wind Farm. CTA's comments can be accessed by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. The first two pages of the file provide an executive summary of the comments delivered to the Town at the request of the Town Board.

From Lake Ontario to Lake Champlain, wind projects are dividing small towns struggling to balance the interests of town residents with the ambitious proposals brought by wind companies. Now, allegations of conflicts-of-interest in at least one Franklin County town have attracted the scrutiny of the district attorney and state investigators. Jacob Resneck reports.