Two area residents present their views, CON and PRO, for the Jordanville wind energy project.

With all things missing in the DEIS, there is no way to consider impacts. ...Many valid concerns (no threats) were raised regarding sound, health, flicker effect, visual intrusion, waste water pollution, disruption of underground water sources, construction dust, torn up roads, inadequate bird and bat studies in such a sensitive area (Atlantic Flyway), no protection for threatened or endangered species, cumulative impacts of multiple projects, hostility amongst residents, lack of proper zoning and more.

I have reviewed the environmental impact statements of several local communities that are considering approval of large wind farms in their localities. The only acoustical measurement that I see in their analyses deals with measuring an averaged noise level over the affected area. These draft environmental impact statements do not evaluate the annoying noises that rapidly change in noise level, such as the cyclic whooshing noises produced when the turbine blades pass by the support pedestal or the transient noises produced at turbine cut-in or cut-out or those periodic noises produced by the turbine gearboxes. Nor do they document the presence or absence of significant annoyance potential of low-frequency noises or vibrations which are known to be a very significant problem if the noise levels are high enough.

The development of wind power locally raises many questions and issues that are being addressed and others that are becoming more evident. Yet as the projects are discussed, debated and considered, it becomes apparent that each one does not affect just one town or village alone. The considerations are broader in every case and call for substantially broader oversight and planning. Plans for 77 wind turbines on Galloo Island, for instance involve more than the specific site of the towers. ...In Clayton, the wind developer has offered the town $300,000 before any final determination has been made. These cash promises to agents of government who are then expected to independently determine the appropriateness of a project can be construed as a public form of bribery.

A recent letter about the Jordanville Wind Project oversimplifies the opposition of the Holy Trinity Monastery and others to the location of the proposed wind farm. The monks are not selfishly choosing serenity over clean energy. Rather, their concerns speak to a larger issue: the impact of industrial-scale wind turbine projects on New York's historic, scenic and cultural resources. In fact, the Preservation League of New York State named the Holy Trinity Monastery to our Seven to Save list of endangered places this month in part to call attention to the need for statewide siting standards for wind energy projects.

Before everyone becomes too hyped up about the wind turbines, we need to take a serious look on how they will affect local wildlife. It is no secret that the spinning turbine blades have been responsible for killing birds and bats worldwide. Bats have been especially prone to colliding with the blades - thousands are believed to be killed annually in the U.S., with the majority being threatened species. It is believed by some experts that the wind turbines emit an ultrasonic frequency that confuses bats and predatory birds, possibly even attracting them to the turbines. More recently, bat biologists have reported that the turbines have been placed in migratory paths, further increasing bat kills. Studies have revealed that the deaths in question occurred only when the turbines were in operation.

I have been a resident in the town of Arkwright for almost 10 years. In my opinion, the town board meeting was not an indication of "the community coming together." A community is not together because the town supervisor declares that to the local media to sway public opinion. A community does not come together when proposing ideas and addressing important concerns to the leaders of our town is looked at as "confrontational questions" and "obvious objections." This is not about who agrees with wind power and who disagrees with wind power. The community is divided because Horizon is a huge company, no longer an American company, that has come into a small town with landowners desperate for money, in a society that no longer supports local farming, and a town board basing decisions on financial gains and nothing more. The result: 47 gigantic wind towers up to 330 feet and a turbine size of up to 300 feet, in an area that was considered residential/agricultural a year ago and has since been switched over to industrial zoning.

The town and planning boards of Lyme deserve accolades for their effort in developing zoning laws with regard to wind turbines. They have actually put the horse before the cart with every action they have taken on this issue. ...The town of Lyme draft zoning law embraces compromise; it allows for the placement of turbines within the town, including Three Mile Bay, while protecting those who will not be signing a lease with BP. BP states that they may not build in the area if the wind energy facilities law in Lyme is adopted. This may not be a bad thing. Everyone knows that wind turbines are the new sexy alternative energy solution right now. But technologies are changing and the wind is not going anywhere. If one wind developer leaves, another will fill its place – possibly with a smaller, more energy efficient product.

The Town Council and Planning Board were castigated by a number of speakers for providing too much protection as in the required setbacks bring greater than those of other towns and noise-level restrictions being more restrictive than those of other towns. One farmer spoke out forcefully stating that the wind development company had told him that he could have many wind turbines on his land and now under the proposed law will have fewer. The wind developers have acted in an unethical fashion by approaching farmers and other landowners, in some cases years prior to announcing their intentions to the entire community. ...These developers know that small towns, such as Lyme, have no zoning or land-use regulations in place that are appropriate to industrial-scale wind turbine developments. If they had acted responsibly and ethically, they would have first approached town officials with their plans and then waited while the town's planning board and council developer appropriate land-use regulations.

Wind energy still accounts for much less than 1% of electricity generation - and a miniscule share of total energy production - in America. Proponents of wind energy claim that it can be a competitive source of electricity without government subsidies and regulation. But current wind generation and future forecasts rely heavily on government subsidies. Even the Department of Energy forecast of 7% annual wind generation growth does not begin to match projected growth in national electricity demand. ...Wind farms are usually in sparsely populated areas, like the large wind farm complex in Lewis County in the Adirondacks, for many reasons. Vast amounts of land, costly in urban areas, are required to generate relatively small amounts of electricity. ...Even in rural areas, the noise of windmill rotors, which tower hundreds of feet above ground, and their disruption of local landscapes limit their appeal to many residents.

In Enfield, developer John Rancich has proposed building 10-12 wind mills on Connecticut Hill. The wind farm proposal is controversial, to say the least. About 50 people packed a public hearing recently about a town proposal to limit where wind farms can be placed in relation to the nearest road. The hearing came amid allegations of previously secret meetings that violated the state's open meetings law. Rancich contends the "setback proposal," as it is known in Enfield, will wipe out his plans for a wind farm. All of this tension makes you wonder if a wind farm is worth it. We have neighbor fighting neighbor and governments under stress to regulate something they are not familiar with. The end result is the building of large structures that could, if placed in the wrong spot, disrupt our county's landscape. That said, we aren't opposed to wind farms. We just want them placed in the right locations.

The recent court ruling annulling action by two Herkimer County towns in support of a wind-turbine farm is a huge victory for the principles of open government. It should serve as a lesson for all governmental boards that state Open Meetings Law is as important a law to follow as any other law on the books. And it should embolden residents to hold their leaders accountable when boards are shutting out the public improperly. ...The law is quite clear that boards do the public's business, and that in all but a handful of situations, that business must be conducted in front of residents. Let Warren and Stark be a reminder to all local public officials that they must do the right thing, and that they just might pay a price if they don't.

Does the Town of Enfield have the right to construct an industrial site that will harm a neighboring municipality? Who will defend the rights of Hector and Catharine residents to clean water and an unpolluted lake? These are issues that must be confronted now, before the pollution occurs. Enfield, Catharine and Hector must address these issues immediately and put in place wind farm statutes and regulations that respect each other's lives, borders and rights as neighbors. We all can appreciate the need for cleaner energy. However, we do not have the right to expose our neighboring municipalities to the drainage, runoff pollution and threat to water tables (not to mention the health effects of the noise and shadow-flicker) that will accompany Enfield's industrial wind farm.

Some Franklin County legislators were angry when the final tax-break agreement was reached for the Noble Chateaugay Windpark and Noble Bellmont Windpark. During talks to determine how much Noble would pay taxing jurisdictions in lieu of full tax value, the Franklin County Industrial Development Agency, each township and the Chateaugay Central School District had representatives there, but no one apparently represented the county. ...We would seem to be in the middle of a jurisdictional collision. Individual taxpayers may compute or consult their tax bills to see where their allegiance lies, but, when the negotiations are eventually concluded, all parties should realize that the interests of those taxpayers are more important than it is for any of the boards to look good to their constituents by having forged the best deal. This very much needs to be a cooperative arrangement.

Invenergy LLC recently submitted a flawed application to the Roxbury Planning Board for a wind plant that would straddle the towns of Roxbury and Stamford. A total of 22 of the proposed 33 industrial wind turbines aren't valid, due to landowner refusal. David Groberg of Invenergy claims that they will simply build a smaller project _ an unlikely scenario without the connecting property owner's consent.

As we drove into that incredibly beautiful valley, we were stunned by the sudden stark appearance of a huge white cross, sticking high out of the forested hillside, just beginning to show its autumn splendor. We had just been exposed to our first wind turbine. We soon saw that the wind turbine dominated the scene, no matter where we were in the valley, and we were told that it was the first of 11 that were to be installed to provide power for a nearby ski resort. I can't even imagine what 11 of them will do to that valley. ...Wind turbines are often compared with windmills. ...They hardly compare with wind turbines.

Due to its relatively easy access to transmission lines, Upstate New York state may end up with some 20,000 wind towers (e.g. www.windaction.org/documents/3575). If this concerns you, keep reading. Although no wind farm is proposed for my immediate area, I believe that all Upstate New Yorkers are part of one community. See this Web page for a map, plus a list of New York towns where wind farms are being targeted -- www.savewesternny.org/proposed.html.

Each time I've visited the Maple Ridge Wind Farm I've become more depressed about wind energy development. I could never seem to reconcile the professed benefits of these projects with their obvious adverse impacts. But today I learned the most valuable reason to oppose this industry. The Maple Ridge project site is 12 miles long by 3 miles wide. Up and down the roads we went today and I viewed this industrial power facility once again. In viewing the entire expanse of impacted area I couldn't help but notice that there was no sense of a living community - no routine life. No people walking their dogs, no hikers, no bicyclers, no children laughing and playing (school was out), no clothes hanging out to dry, no school buses, no dogs barking, and very few birds, no one on their four wheelers on their own lands enjoying the open air. There were no roadside stands selling pumpkins. The serenity of rural community life that we all know and love here in northern Jefferson County was strangely absent. In its stead, we saw massive machines everywhere we looked, on both sides of the road. This was Bill Moore's world and PPM literally owned it all.

Upstate New York State may end up with some 20,000 wind towers. If this concerns you, keep reading. ... Although no wind farm is proposed for my immediate area, I believe that all upstate New Yorkers are part of one community. On this Web page is a map, plus a list of New York towns where wind farms are being targeted ww.savewesternny.org/proposed.html).