Members of the Orleans wind economics committee voiced a range of views on what the effects of a wind farm would be on property values in the town. Members of the committee, which met Wednesday night, are working on a report that will outline the economic effects for the school districts, participants and town and the effect of turbines in the viewshed on property values.

Contrary to assertions by St. Lawrence Wind Farm's developer, Acciona Wind Energy USA, in the final environmental impact statement, the report said, "Indications are there will be an overall decrease in property values with the potential for significant negative impact on assessments and related factors such as tax rates and the ability to market property at a fair price." ...The report also finds that tourism likely would be hurt by wind turbines.

The St. Lawrence River is too precious to be marred by poorly-conceived wind power projects, Governor David Paterson said Sunday. The Governor fielded questions from a packed house at the Northside Improvement League as part of his budget tour of the state. Asked by a Hammond resident about his views on wind power development, Paterson indicated he thinks the industry is moving too quickly.

For those who live among the towers, the consequences of the development are palpable. The construction required building new roads and widening existing ones to make room for oversize vehicles. Hundreds of workers moved into town or stayed in trailers on the job site during the summer rush. The rural landscape was transformed into an industrial setting. Where stands of poplars and fields of corn and hay covered the plateau, the smooth lines of the light gray towers and steady rotation of the rotors now define the view. And the noises changed. The unobstructed wind has always been the dominant sound on the plateau. Now, the whoosh of the wind is mixed with the hum of the machines and a mechanical whomp of the blades turning.

Wind turbines will disturb your peace and quiet, neighboring town residents warned the Prattsburgh town board last week. "It's like a jet engine landing right behind you," Hal Graham, of Cohocton, said. "It's constant noise." Graham leased land to First Wind for its 50-turbine wind farm in the town of Cohocton. Tuesday, he spoke during the Prattsburgh board's public hearing on a wind energy facilities permit there. The permit will stipulate certain terms and charge a building permit fee for any wind facilities in the town.

The ex-Kingstonians planning to erect 60 to 90 wind turbines west of Wolfe Island in the waters of Lake Ontario have pegged the price of the project at $1.5 billion. ...If approvals from various provincial and federal departments go according to schedule, the company will order the turbines two years from now and install the foundations a year later.

Tourists have long treked to the region to see the Niagara River plunge as far as 188 feet over the Horseshoe and American falls. But what if windmills taller than the falls is deep soared above the city's skyline? A company founded by Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano has approached city leaders about building wind turbines on old industrial sites in the city. While the company sees economic opportunity, the prospect exists for millions of tourists to see windmills on the horizon of Niagara Falls. "The issue for us is one more of aesthetics than anything else," said Thomas J. DeSantis, senior planner for the city. "Is it OK to put a 600-foot wind generating station at Falls and First streets? Probably not. "I think because we're Niagara Falls, and because we have certain scenic and national resources that are important to us, that we'll want to try to protect them in some small way, we'll want to look at those issues."

Major players in the Jordanville Wind Farm controversy were left confused and disappointed following last week's decision by the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to approve the proposal with stipulations. Landowners, taxpayers and members of the Friends of Renewable Energy (FORE) were outraged with the decision to cut 19 turbines from the proposal, and also voiced concerns with the wording of the decision.

Arthur Giacalone, an attorney from East Aurora ...said there was inadequate time to review the project's draft environmental impact statement, and he urged residents to approach the DEIS with "healthy skepticism" as it contained what he called slanted information. "If you take the time to closely examine it, there is example after example of where this is happening," Giacalone said.