Four years after announcing plans to build a major wind power development near Lake Ontario, Apex Clean Energy this week unveiled its map of 47 turbine locations: 39 in Somerset and eight in adjoining Yates. Each would be 591 feet tall.

General New York

“This is a 100 percent Apex sponsored propaganda event designed to suppress any public opposition to their ill-conceived project,” said Somerset Supervisor Daniel Engert. “Apex is not going to let the community ask questions. 

General New York

Somerset Supervisor Dan Engert took issue with Apex's rule barring "signs, banners or disruptive behavior" at the forum, as well as its plans to have a moderator and panel of "credentialed experts" lead the program. "This is a 100-percent, Apex-sponsored propaganda event designed to suppress any public opposition to their ill-conceived project," Engert said. 

General New York

American Bird Conservancy has major concerns about Apex’s plan to build the Lighthouse Wind energy project in Niagara and Orleans counties. The project proposes to place dozens of industrial wind turbines along the south shore of Lake Ontario, extending 4.5 miles from the shore along a 12-mile stretch of shoreline.

Impact on Birds New York

Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello told The Post-Journal it is heartbreaking to hear the horror stories from residents experiencing the problems, especially listening stories about how children are being affected. “When you are hearing stories about 4-year-old children having issues, you know they’re not making it up. (The wind farms) are having a real impact,” he said.

Impact on People New York

The South Fork commercial fishing industry remains opposed to Deepwater Wind’s proposed offshore wind farm, and now several hundred Wainscott residents have opened another hostile front, this one specific to the Rhode Island company’s preferred cable-landing site, the ocean beach at the end of Beach Lane in their hamlet.

Offshore Wind New York

Lewis County residents should be on high alert in the years to come as the wind industry is in the process of gaining approval to build more wind farms across the county with little if any benefit to the taxpayers. The county leaders now in place are falling for it hook, line and sinker.

Impact on People Taxes & Subsidies New York

The recent fiasco surrounding the location of the Oct. 2 Apex Lighthouse Wind “forum” is another in a series of instances that demonstrate the lack of credibility surrounding Apex Lighthouse Wind operations. 

General New York

The project has met intense opposition from some local residents. Common complaints are that the towers would sully the towns’ rural character, depress property values and pose a threat to human health and migrating birds.

General New York

“Everyone is concerned about 600-foot turbines on Galloo Island ... It’s the destruction of this pristine island with over 400 deer, pheasants, turkeys and eagles,” she said. “I do believe in alternative energy, but not those wind monsters because educated people understand that wind energy is not the answer.”

General New York

All of this is why the siting board should reject the Apex application and ensure no subsequent applicants with any connection to Apex be allowed to reapply. ...if the lie over Galloo is allowed to stand, it will be a sign to every wind developer, and especially Apex, that the siting process under Article 10 of Public Service Law is a mere formality on the way to a rubber-stamp approval.

General New York

SINCLAIRVILLE– In January 2018, the New York Board on Generation Siting and the Environment, granted Cassadaga Wind, LLC, an approval to construct and operate a 126MW wind-powered facility in the towns of Arkwright, Charlotte, Cherry Creek and Stockton in Chautauqua County.

General New York

On Sept. 10, Paul Williamson of Apex appeared before the town board in Yates, proud to announce that finally, after more than four years, a preliminary project layout for the Lighthouse Wind project would be presented on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. Unbelievably, it was also announced that this great public unveiling would not be in Yates or Somerset but at the Ridgeway fire hall on Route 104 in Medina. A subsequent letter was presented to the Yates and Somerset town boards which confirmed those details.

Impact on People New York

The reassessment of the windmills to $11 million from $25 million will reduce the town of Fenner’s total taxable assessed value by $13 million. This will definitely have an impact on the 2019 town budget and the town tax rate, although it is too early in the budget process to say exactly what that impact will be,  Jones said.

Taxes & Subsidies New York

This claim will go before a judge to determine the merits of the argument. A ruling in favor of the plaintiff would be a devastating blow to every municipality that hosts commercial wind facilities. And it would drastically reduce the already scant economic benefits that these projects yield once the construction phase is complete.

Taxes & Subsidies New York

A group of independent parties to the Galloo Island Wind application before the state Board on Electric Generating Siting and the Environment have requested that Apex Clean Energy’s project be denied outright and the application process ceased because, they claim, Apex lied on multiple documents and applications relating to the project. ...To allow Apex to simply edit-out the lies and cleanse their documents sends a terrible message to the public — you can lie, cheat, and get caught in the Article 10 process with little inconvenience or penalty." 

General New York

The board approved a resolution supporting the county in their effort to block Invenergy from being able to participate in PILOT programs. The ultimate decision is up the the county’s IDA. Schroder believes that if Invenergy is forced to pay full taxes, they may look elsewhere for their project.

General New York

“I am so upset, EDP was asked not to put turbines within viewshot by the county planning board. It is a nightmare, a sonic nightmare, a visual nightmare. It sounded like sneakers in a laundromat. The campground is surrounded, it’s a toxic environment. Who’s going to want to camp here?”

Impact on People Noise New York

In the coming years, ratepayers across the state will see their electric bills increase by at least 76 cents a month to finance $2.1 billion of offshore wind development in New York. And that's on top of the roughly $2 per month increase in electric bills needed to finance a multi-billion dollar bailout of three upstate nuclear power plants -- two in Oswego County on the shores of Lake Ontario and another near Rochester.

Offshore Wind New York

Deepwater spokesperson Meaghan Whims cited the recent unanimous support of the Trustees for hiring a municipal contract attorney to represent the board in the negotiations of the lease, and said the company has taken it as a sign that the Trustees ultimately expect to hammer out an agreement with Deepwater—though she acknowledged that the application with the state also will account for the possibility that one or both of the town entities will balk when it comes to signing actual contracts. 

Offshore Wind New York