Wind turbine benefits sway many in town

 

Aug 5 - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - M.B. Pell Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.

The majority of people who attended a public hearing Thursday evening on the possible construction of wind turbines in the town of Cape Vincent said the economic benefits stemming from such development far outweigh the concerns of bird lovers and seasonal property owners.

"It's the only way people can survive and stay here," said town resident Tami M. Mason. "This town has not been able to grow at all business-wise because of people who live here five months out of the year."

Todd R. Hopper, project manager for New York Wind and Power, Rochester, said the power company is considering installing 1.5-megawatt wind turbines in the town near the shore, but would not provide any additional details.

Rumors concerning such a project, or projects, prompted the Town Council to begin drafting zoning laws that would regulate where and how wind farms could be constructed.

Some in the audience backed construction of wind turbines to prevent environmental damage caused by fossil fuel-burning power plants and to reduce the national dependence on foreign oil, but most people supported the project because it might provide property owners with new sources of income.

"It would allow these farmers to stay in business," said Richard J. Edsall, a town resident. "If they get two or three windmills on the land, they can pay the taxes on the land. I didn't say it's the best idea, but it makes sense."

Mr. Edsall said a company, not New York State Wind and Power, has approached him about leasing his land off of Burnt Rock Road, at least two miles from Lake Ontario.

He and many others who attended the hearing said they have visited wind farms and the noise produced by the spinning blades that power turbines is negligible and the towers are not unsightly.

But it is not a decrease in property values or loud turbines that concerns ornithologists like Gerald A. Smith.

"I guess my message would be that there's lots of environmental reasons to go very, very slowly on projects like this," Mr. Smith said. "I'm not opposed to wind power, but it's where you put it."

William R. Evans, executive director of Old Bird, an Ithaca-based nonprofit group that studies night migration of birds, who did not attend the meeting, said Thursday afternoon that power companies should avoid building on the shoreline of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River because migratory birds follow the edge of large bodies of water and could find themselves flying straight into the wind turbines. He suggested that power companies undertake a three-year study of bird migration patterns before building any turbines along the shore, where Mr. Hopper said a wind farm would have to sit.

"If you go farther inland, the wind falls off, so keep that in mind when you talk about restricting it," Mr. Hopper said.

He said the state Department of Environmental Conservation will require at least a one-year study of bird patterns before allowing the company to construct a wind farm.

Town Councilman Michael J. Docteur said the council will develop zoning regulations regarding wind turbines after members have spoken with Lewis County officials who helped develop the Flat Rock Wind Power project, a joint venture of Zilkha and PPM Energy of Portland, Ore., then continue the public hearing, which was adjourned Thursday night. He said the council has to consider how much revenue the project will provide for the town and the Thousand Islands Central School District along with environmental concerns and whether the towers would impact property values.

"We want the windmill project to be a positive influence for the town," the councilman said. "We don't want to get steamrolled by a bunch of slick business people from out of town."