Outside the meeting room, Schroder said the planning board’s action was “a signal to the (Farmersville) town board. They need to take a hard look at the local law and make changes in the interests of residents, not Invenergy.” Schroder added, “I hope they will look at protection for residents we’ve been asking for: A 3,000-foot setback from the property line, 40 dBA sound level and a 450-foot height.”

General New York

"[This] is the classic 'bait and switch.' What we were originally told about the project and its goals are no longer true. A project originally proposed by an American company to address the growing energy needs of eastern Long Island, now is to be part of the portfolio of an international energy giant, whose first decision was a 44-percent increase in the size of the project. We are left to imagine what other changes might be made or what other projects might show up on our doorstep in the future. . . . Because of the 'bait and switch' tactics of Deepwater/Orsted, I cannot trust them with my community's future."

Offshore Wind New York

Soon after, the board opened up the floor for public comments, and many voiced their concerns over the recent testing. Local resident Joni Riggle suggested “shadow flicker detection systems,” but quickly became unruly. “People should experience what 20 minutes of shadow flicker is like. In fact, I’d like to show you.”

Impact on People New York

Harris explained that the major reason the projects were based in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island area was that the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, had not completed a lease auction for the other areas in the waters off New York, and may not until this year’s end or next year. The current New York bid solicitation required that developers currently hold lease rights to their proposed projects.  

Offshore Wind New York

“As we continued to learn more about the proposed project and what was going on, there were just red flags that just kept coming up, and we just kind of kept looking further and seeing what was going on,” she said. ...Clear Skies Above Barre feels like Heritage Wind has not been acting in an ethnical manner, but Richardson said they need information they don’t have access to — all their leases are confidential.

General New York

Members of Farmersville United, the group opposed to the proposed Alle-Catt Wind Farm and others are wondering what happened to the Farmersville Town Board’s survey on proposed wind law changes. According to one town board member, the board has been briefed on the survey, which was mailed to town property owners in mid-December. They had to be returned or postmarked by Dec. 27.

General New York

The turbines were installed in 2013-2014 as part of a renewable energy program designed to generate enough power to save the authority as much as $420,000 a year on energy bills. The authority spent $500,000 on design and up to $4.8 million on installation. But the machines went offline between October 2017 and January 2018 because of mechanical issues. The suit alleges negligence, professional malpractice, breach of warranty and breach of contract.

General New York

What appeared to be a done deal is now the subject of a lawsuit.

General New York

“The Freedom Town Board changed the allowable height of commercial wind turbines from 450 feet to 600 feet but without any consideration of the potential adverse impacts on the environmental or the community. This violates at least two laws, the State Environmental Quality Review Law, and General Municipal Law which requires such a review. ..."Actions like these by cash-strapped towns seeking to cultivate intrusive industrial wind farms without any concern for the impact of what they’re doing are understandable, but illegal."

Legal New York

“The agency can and should improve the draft provided,” the council’s letter read. “Projects that are consistent with current laws and regulations, are guided by science, that protect intact forests, that promote sustainable and resilient communities, and that expand carbon sequestration and the resiliency of natural and human communities will be key to making New York and the Adirondacks a world leader in the fight against climate change.”

Impact on Landscape New York

Hounsfield Supervisor Timothy W. Scee, however, said during a Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency meeting Thursday that he scheduled a public hearing to rescind the law in January. He also said his town board plans to create a separate wind law with guidance from the county planning office. “That mishap was totally my responsibility,” Mr. Scee said.

Zoning/Planning New York

The Richland Town Board in November approved the measure, which places restrictions on wind turbine farms in the town based on factors including setback from properties, noise production, property value guarantees, environmental tests and decommissioning terms.

Zoning/Planning New York

“They tried to sneak a change into their zoning law without anyone noticing what was going on, because their zoning law doesn’t permit windmills,” Henderson Supervisor John J. Culkin said. ...According to the lawsuit, Hounsfield was required under state Town Law to notify Henderson’s town clerk in writing at least 10 days in advance about a Nov. 7 public hearing, but failed to do so.

Legal New York

Supervisor Robert Karcher said Friday ... the town plans to complete and resubmit an environmental assessment form for the proposed town wind turbine law to the Cattaraugus County Planning Board for its review when considering whether to address the wind law.

Impact on People New York

"The purpose of the policy is to provide guidance for the review and approval of renewable energy projects inside the Adirondack Park with regards to the Adirondack Park Agency Act, the Freshwater Wetlands Act and the Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act," a press release says. "The policy is envisioned to advance renewable energy sources."

Impact on Landscape New York

Funds to offset the cost of studying the supposed impacts of the proposed Canisteo Wind Farm, a project of Canisteo Wind Energy LLC (CWE), are now available to municipalities and other local interests.

General New York

It is past time that Apex cease all activity related to Lighthouse Wind. The power is not needed, the power is not clean, and the project as proposed violates local law. ...We do not want to leave an unhealthy, polluted, distorted, noisy, bird carcass-littered landscape to future generations.

Impact on People New York

The law requires large wind energy facilities that generate 100 kilowatts or more to stay one mile away from facility property lines and their turbines to be no taller than 500 feet, and prohibits the noise from them from exceeding 35 A-weighted decibels for more than 5 minutes to “protect nearby citizens from harmful infrasound.”

Zoning/Planning New York

Invenergy, developer of the 380-megawatt Alle-Catt Wind Farm, has revised its list of municipal officials with interests in the project. ...In its revised report to the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Invenergy lists 10 officials from four towns in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties on a list titled Financial Interests of Municipal Officials and Relatives Known to be in Office October 2018.

General New York

The company failed to disclose relevant information, and its application should be tossed out. Apex previously claimed that no evidence of an eagle nest existed but acknowledged under oath that the island caretaker made the firm aware of the nest in the spring of 2017. ...even after being made aware of the presence of the nest, Apex saw no “material reason” to update its application ...so it allowed its inaccurate statement to stand. This is the very definition of deception. 

Legal New York