Residents Show More Resistance to Wind Farms

Jul 13 - Buffalo News

Nobody can stop the wind from blowing, but some groups across Western New York are finding they can delay wind prospectors from making money from it.

That's what has happened in Sardinia, where a $50 million wind project has gone to the back of the developer's portfolio, and the town supervisor is glad.

"I think that perhaps they are pursuing their projects elsewhere," said Sardinia Supervisor Bill Hare.

"As it stands right now, we still have our poor man's moratorium in place. There's nothing in the zoning to deal with them, period. I don't have a problem leaving it like that."

P.J. Saliterman of Zilkha Renewable Energy confirmed that the company has moved the Sardinia project back in its priorities behind several others in Western New York.

"We have found other areas that have greater economies of scale," Saliterman said.

What he was referring to are projects such as Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County. Formerly called the Flat Rock project, it is four times as big as the proposed Sardinia project.

Maple Ridge, which Zilkha is currently building in partnership with PPM Energy, will include 120 of the nearly 300-foot-high towers. Sardinia called for 34 towers.

Zilkha also has proposed projects in Perry, Oakfield/Alabama, Machias/Yorkshire, Ashford, North Collins and Clinton County.

The Perry project would be one of the biggest in Western New York, with more than 60 towers on the plateau between the Genesee River and Oatka Creek valleys.

"The point is that a project that is two to four times bigger is going to be more economical and easier to sell," Saliterman said. "At the end of the day, every one of our projects has to make a profit."

But wind projects have been running into increasing resistance. A project proposed for the Westfield and Ripley areas has run into opposition based on concerns over what the turbine blades -- which can move at 200 mph or more at the tip -- could do to raptors and other avians in mass migrations over the ridges near the Lake Erie shore.

Billionaire B. Thomas Golisano, owner of the Buffalo Sabres, has started a group called "Save Upstate New York," which is dedicated to stopping the influx of wind turbines.

In Wyoming County, Mark Moore is starting a group that opposes Invenergy Wind's proposal to put up 96 turbines in Sheldon.

"One of the problems with a windfarm is that the turbines are classified as industrial devices," Moore said. "Those are industrial structures by nature. Ninety-six turbines in the Town of Sheldon seems to go against the desire of the people to maintain its rural character."

Invenergy hasn't filed an application with Sheldon yet, but it has filed with the New York State Independent System Operators to connect to the state's power grid.

Still, that project may be one of the more likely ones to receive approval in Western New York because the town has legislation in place to allow wind farms. The project must still go through a full environmental review, though.

"They have to do a long-form SEQR (state environmental quality review)," said Sheldon Supervisor John Knab. "It's going to take considerable time."

e-mail: eploetz@buffnews.com

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