tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-335876232010-03-14T11:00:59.603-04:00UpdatesBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.comBlogger323125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-85962270070864028702010-03-14T11:00:00.001-04:002010-03-14T11:00:59.685-04:00This blog has moved<br /> This blog is now located at http://cohoctonfree.blogspot.com/.<br /> You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click <a href='http://cohoctonfree.blogspot.com/'>here</a>.<br /><br /> For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to<br /> http://cohoctonfree.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.<br /> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-8596227007086402870?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-13009854524223945442010-02-06T18:42:00.004-05:002010-02-07T07:17:13.822-05:00Area Opinions Changing<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Opinions shift on Rochester-area wind farms</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20102060330" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 471px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/WindfarmMap-759544.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Wind-energy developers, who have flocked to the breezy hills south of Rochester, now are finding parts of the region a less-than-hospitable one.<br /><br />A cross-border project has been blocked by local officials in Steuben and Yates counties, prompting aggressive lawsuits by the developer involved. Another wind-energy company just walked away from a planned project in Steuben County. And most recently, a Wyoming County citizens group has challenged a town board action that paved the way for a new wind project there.<br /><br />Some say the shine has worn off an industry that in many communities had been welcomed both for its green image and its ability to pump money into the local economy. “I’m detecting a shift in the climate of opinion,” said Gary Abraham, a Cattaraugus County lawyer who has represented citizen groups in litigation related to wind projects.<br /><br />The head of a statewide green-energy advocacy group said the public overwhelmingly supports wind energy, but despite that, discord and litigation in host communities has become an unfortunate fact of life. “Certainly it sends the message that it’s not going to be easy to get something done in New York. That being said, there are still a number of projects going forward,” said Carol Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York.<br /><br />Indeed, the region remains a center of wind-energy development. Wyoming County has four wind farms with 236 turbines, more than any other county in the state. There is a working wind farm in Cohocton, Steuben County, as well. Those five projects have the capacity to generate up to 470 megawatts, which represents the electricity demand of about 200,000 households. Those 470 megawatts are a little more than a third of all the wind-generation capacity in the state. Nearly two dozen other wind-farm proposals in the Finger Lakes and western New York regions remain on the books of the agency that oversees New York’s electric grid, though developers have yet to make formal applications to town boards for many of them.<br /><br />Of late, though, there has been a spate of controversy over the farms.<br /><br />A citizens group in Orangeville, Wyoming County, filed suit last month against the Town Board there, asserting it had adopted an inadequate local wind-turbine siting law to make way for a 59-turbine wind project. That case has been assigned to a Supreme Court justice in Buffalo.<br /><br />After supporting Ecogen Wind LLC’s 17-turbine proposal for years, the Town Board in Italy, Yates County, acknowledged growing citizen opposition by voting in October to kill the development. Observers said Italy’s board may have been the first in New York state to vote down a wind project. A suit by Ecogen asking a judge to override the Town Board and allow the project to proceed is pending before a state Supreme Court justice in Rochester.<br /><br />Ecogen similarly sued the board in neighboring Prattsburgh, Steuben County, where the company has hoped to erect 16 more turbines. Pro-wind board members briefly settled the case in Ecogen’s favor before leaving office in December, but after a series of courtroom skirmishes, the newly seated Town Board canceled the settlement and declared a moratorium on wind-energy development in the town. Ecogen’s suit still is pending.<br /><br />Another wind project proposed for Prattsburgh that had been in planning stages for years was formally canceled at the end of 2009. John Lamontagne, spokesman for developer First Wind, said the project was deemed expendable in light of the shaky economy. The Massachusetts company, which was given $75 million in federal stimulus aid in partial compensation for the 50-turbine farm it built in Cohocton, will pursue other projects in Erie County, New England, Utah and Hawaii, Lamontagne said.<br /><br />Abraham, who represents the citizens group suing the Orangeville board, said he believes public opposition to wind developments is growing. Residents most often cite concerns about noise and the setback provisions that dictate how close turbines can be to homes and adjoining properties. He said, though, that he thinks elected officials often pay less attention to those concerns than they do to a project’s financial benefit to friends and family members. “They’re decided based on the importance the town (board) assigns to the money issue. That’s really the deciding factor. It’s not the environment,” Abraham said.<br /><br />Murphy disputed the idea that people in host communities are turning against wind farms. “It’s the old adage about the silent majority. It doesn’t take more than a few people to stand up at a town board meeting and make a lot of noise and give people the impression there’s no support for it,” she said. Murphy cited a 2008 public opinion poll in Lewis County — home to Maple Ridge, which at a 322-megawatt capacity is the largest wind farm east of the Mississippi River — that found 71 percent of residents thought the wind farm had had a positive impact. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they would support more turbines. “There’s always a lot of apprehension when there’s something new and something people aren’t used to seeing, but once they (turbines) are there we’ve found the level of support continues to grow over the years,” she said.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Steve Orr, Staff Writer, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-1300985452422394544?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-14110673984998933942010-01-27T20:28:00.006-05:002010-01-30T17:49:46.727-05:00CPA to Host Meeting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mpnnow.com/news/x1090822336/Meeting-on-wind-turbines-in-the-works" target ="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 63px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/mpnnow-logo-732511.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Meeting on wind turbines in the works</span><br /><br />South Bristol, NY — A coalition of groups concerned with industrial wind turbine development in the Finger Lakes region will bring together state and federal elected officials at a conference next month at Bristol Harbour Resort. Hosting the event will be Naples Town Supervisor Frank Duserick, with U.S. Rep. Eric Massa, D-Corning, as keynote speaker.<br /><br />“We want a sane, rational energy policy,” said James Hall, a Cohocton resident with the event’s sponsor, Citizen Power Alliance. The alliance works to hold public officials and regulators accountable, while seeking to protect the public interest.<br /><br />The goal of the invitation-only event is to get all the elected officials representing the region in the same room, he said, to discuss the effects of wind turbines, share insights regarding current regulations and offer recommendations for federal and state policies.<br /><br />“These alternative-energy projects would not exist without federal and state government,” said Hall, referring to government subsidies. For example, he said, the company that put up wind turbines in Cohocton, south of Naples, received a cash grant of nearly $75 million in federal stimulus funds. Fifty turbines in Cohocton became operational last year.<br /><br />Two other neighboring towns, Prattsburgh and Italy, are in disputes with wind turbine companies. In Prattsburgh, wind farm issues are back to square one. The Town Board earlier this month rescinded a legal settlement with wind farm developer Ecogen Wind LLC and took the first step toward enacting a moratorium on any wind farm-related development for six months.<br /><br />In Italy, the Town Board late last year rejected an application by Ecogen to erect 17 turbines. Ecogen responded by filing an Article 78 action in state Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the board’s decision to stop the project by denying approvals and placing a moratorium on its development.<br /><br />Hall said an attorney will also speak at the Feb. 16 conference, addressing legal issues with turbines. “There is an attempt to iron out realistic, protective laws that make sense,” said Hall.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Julie Sherwood, staff writer, Messenger Post </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-1411067398499893394?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-2538385081960368382010-01-24T17:20:00.001-05:002010-01-30T17:26:17.451-05:00First Wind Quits Prattsburgh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steubencourier.com/homepage/x1920337103/First-Wind-calls-it-quits-in-Prattsburgh" target ="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 101px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/courierlogo-736339.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Wind Developer calls it quits in Prattsburgh</span><br /><br />Prattsburgh, NY - One of two potential wind farm developers in the town of Prattsburgh announced Friday it is abandoning plans to put up nearly 50 turbines in the town.<br />First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne said lease holders for potential turbine sites have been notified of the firm’s decision, made at the end of December.<br /><br />Lamontagne said First Wind’s decision to pull out was made after a careful, internal review of pending, “viable” projects. “We appreciate the support – and there was a lot of support – from the people in Prattsburgh,” Lamontagne said.<br /><br />First Wind also drew a fair share of critics, particularly after it launched eminent domain procedures via a divided town board. Plagued by the economic downturn during the summer and fall of 2008, the developer announced a yearlong hiatus in 2009, in order to reassess its projects.<br /><br />First Wind intends to pursue projects this year in Maine, Vermont, Utah and Hawaii, but remains committed to its projects in the town of Cohocton and Lackawanna, Lamontagne said.<br />He did not rule out the possibility of future development in Prattsburgh, “but we’d be back starting at ground zero, so it would be pretty difficult.”<br /><br />Lamontagne said the decision to leave was not influenced by the disputes that erupted last year between second developer Ecogen, town residents, and some town board members. The disputes -- which were driven in part over concerns about excessive noise at First Wind’s operating wind farm in Cohocton -- led to angry charges from both sides, unseated two pro-wind board members in November and resulted in a flurry of lawsuits.<br /><br />The new town board is now considering a six-month moratorium in order to review its comprehensive plan and possibly set up a zoning board.<br /><br />Town Councilman Steve Kula wondered if the move would benefit the Ecogen project. “Does this open up more land, to identify possibly new sites for Ecogen?” he asked.<br /><br />Kula has advocated for greater setbacks than those currently in place to ensure residents’ health and safety. “Before, you had two projects squeezed into one small town. First Wind had 50 (turbines),” Kula said. “Now you’ll have one project and more land. I don’t know. But maybe.”<br /><br />Supervisor Al Wordingham said a First Wind representative left a message, but so far he has not spoken with the developer’s agent. “All I can say is, after the experience they had in Cohocton, which is less densely populated than Prattsburgh, maybe they just decided this is not a suitable place for any wind farm,” Wordingham said.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-253838508196036838?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-75406961854686112662010-01-07T21:13:00.003-05:002010-01-07T21:20:47.102-05:00Legal Duel in Prattsburg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/items/DandC1-7-10.pdf" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 85px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/dandclogo-788284.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Judge won't OK Steuben wind-energy project, but it goes ahead anyway</span><br /><br />A mid-December vote by a Steuben County Town Board that allows a controversial wind-energy project to go forward will stand, for now, without a judicial stamp of approval.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/items/Lindley1-7-10.pdf" target="_blank">In a ruling released this morning</a>, state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Lindley declined to give his legal imprimatur to a 3-to-2 vote by the Prattsburgh Town Board in favor of a legal settlement with Ecogen Wind LLC.<br /><br />Buffalo-area Ecogen had sued the board in November to force approval of a 16-turbine wind farm in the hilly Steuben County town. The company has said it spent $13 million on studies, legal fees and other expenses related to the project, which also would feature 17 more 415-foot-high turbines in the neighboring town of Italy, Yates County.<br /><br />Ecogen brought suit against Prattsburgh shortly after the Nov. 3 townwide election, in which voters chose a new supervisor and a new board member, both of whom are openly skeptical about the Ecogen project.<br /><br />The company apparently feared that the new board, once seated this month, would kill the project, and it sued preemptively so that pro-wind town lawmakers would have an opportunity to approve a settlement before two of them left office. The terms of the settlement allowed the project to go forward unfettered.<br /><br />Two wind skeptics already on the board unsuccessfully sought to persuade Lindley not block the lame-duck board from settling the lawsuit. At the same time, Ecogen’s lawyers asked Lindley to give his approval to the settlement, presumably so that it would be more difficult for the new board to overturn.<br /><br />Lindley said in his ruling, however, that it was “unnecessary and superfluous” for him to approve the settlement. He also said in his ruling that he was not disapproving it, either, and said the question of whether the mid-December vote was proper had not been put before him.<br /><br />The Prattsburgh board, which now splits 4-to-1 against the Ecogen project, is scheduled to meet this evening.<br /><br />“I guess that’s a good thing,” said Steve Kula, a wind-skeptic board member, referring to Lindley’s refusal to approve the settlement. “But it sounds like there’s a lot that’s open-ended at this point.”<br /><br />Kula said he expected the board would begin working on a wind-turbine moratorium in the town and “trying to unwind the position of the previous board.”<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-7540696185468611266?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-64813416383080080812009-12-23T15:09:00.001-05:002009-12-26T19:12:54.061-05:00Merry Christmas!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:180%;" >Greetings from the Morehouses!</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.hisbranches.org/grapes/uploaded_images/nativity-748223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://www.hisbranches.org/grapes/uploaded_images/nativity-748222.jpg" width="400" border="0" height="283" /></a></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We deeply appreciate all your support and look forward<br />to serving together with you in the coming year.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nadegave.com/2009" target="_blank">Click here to read our holiday letter.</a></span></span><br /><a href="http://www.hisbranches.org/grapevine/Grapes12-09.pdf" target="_blank">Click here to read the December edition of the His Branches<i> Grapevine</i>. </a><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-6481341638308008081?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-83553483489039383472009-12-04T07:42:00.000-05:002009-12-07T07:48:53.479-05:00Cohocton Project Hits News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/articles/2009/12/ENERGY-Huffing-and-puffing-over-wind-power/" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 101px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/city-logo-738977.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Huffing and puffing over wind power</span><br /><br />Did the federal government, as some have said, give millions of dollars in stimulus funds to a non-producing wind farm in the Southern Tier town of Cohocton? Not exactly.<br /><br />Cohocton Wind is a 50-turbine project with a total 125-megawatt generation capacity - the potential to power 50,000 homes, say officials with First Wind, Cohocton Wind's parent company. In September, the project was awarded $74.6 million in federal stimulus funds from the US Departments of Energy and Treasury - part of a large block of funding meant to encourage renewable energy development nationwide.<br /><br />That grant's come under protest, however, by Congress member Eric Massa, who wrote the president to ask that the funding be revoked.<br /><br />"We should not be rewarding anything, let alone cash grants, to companies like this that have abused the public trust and created such a toxic atmosphere in our region on the topic of wind power," Massa wrote.<br /><br />The project's been plagued by controversy, including lawsuits and an attorney general's office investigation into First Wind and other wind power development companies. Since the project came online in January, it's been dogged by questions about what it's actually producing electricity-wise - lately that's been one of the most persistent issues. Massa made the claim in his letter, which he sent in September, that the project wasn't producing any power, information he said he received from the organization that operates New York's power grid.<br /><br />"Nobody knows what they produce or what they don't produce," Massa said in an interview last week. "They demand the privacy of a private corporation and the subsidies of a public utility."<br /><br />But John Lamontagne, a First Wind spokesperson, says the turbines produced 133,370 megawatt hours of electricity from when they came online in January, to the end of September. That's enough energy to power 1,200 homes with average monthly electricity consumption...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/items/CityWind12-02-09.pdf" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read the entire <span style="font-style: italic;">City Newspaper</span> article by Jeremy Moule.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-8355348348903938347?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-91492098153667174552009-11-29T11:20:00.000-05:002009-11-29T11:22:32.764-05:00Abandoned propertyThe company that was going to rejuvenate the economy of New London, Conn.—the site of the Kelo v. City of New London case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that it was legal for a government to use eminent domain to seize property for private economic development—is pulling out of New London and moving on.<br /><br />Pfizer, Inc. has merged with Wyeth and just announced that it is moving most of its 1,400 employees to nearby Groton. Opponents of eminent domain are pointing to the move as proof that the development project was ill-conceived from the beginning. Scott Bullock, co-counsel for the case with the Institute for Justice, called Pfizer the "very lynchpin of the project" and said, "All of this really just demonstrates the folly of government abusing eminent domain and granting massive corporate welfare to corporations and to developers." Project supporters argue that the economy is to blame for the development halt.<br /><br />As reported in "The Buzz" in WORLD Magazine's December 5, 2009 issue.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-9149209815366717455?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-84140193745880732772009-11-28T20:47:00.001-05:002009-11-29T11:54:22.632-05:00Wind Turbine Syndrome<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/WTSbook-752651.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/WTSbook-752641.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Clinical study of health effects of large wind turbines published</span><br /><br />Rowe, Mass., Nov. 28, 2009 -- Dr. Nina Pierpont, a pediatrician and population biologist in Malone, New York, has announced the publication of her book-length study: <a href="http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com">Wind Turbine Syndrome: A Report on a Natural Experiment</a>.<br /><br />In interviews with 10 families living 1,000-4,900 feet away from recently built industrial-size wind turbines, a "cluster" of symptoms was revealed: from sleep disturbance, which affected almost everyone, to headache to tinnitus, vertigo, nausea, irritability, memory and concentration problems, and panic episodes. Industrial wind turbines have a total height of 300-400 feet or more, with blades of 125-150 feet that sweep 1.5-2 acres of vertical airspace.<br /><br />The book includes supportive reviews and notices by several noted physicians in related disciplines. Although primarily directed towards medical professionals, it includes an informative and often poetic version for the lay audience.<br /><br />The individuals affected by Wind Turbine Syndrome noticed that they developed symptoms after the turbines near their homes started turning. Symptoms were relieved when they left the area and resumed on their return. Eight of the ten families eventually moved away from their homes because of the severity of the symptoms.<br /><br />Although not everyone living near turbines is subject to these symptoms, the data Pierpont presents are a concern, considering the current political drive to construct more and ever larger industrial wind turbines close to people's homes, as well as in the habitats of other equally or more sensitive animals.<br /><br />Pierpont's sample size was large enough to show that individuals with pre-existing migraines, motion sensitivity, or inner ear damage are particularly vulnerable. People with anxiety or other mental health problems are not particularly susceptible, she says, contradicting the common claim of industry developers that "it's all in their head".<br /><br />"This report is a public health wake-up call that our elected officials and administrators need to take very seriously", said Eric Rosenbloom, president of National Wind Watch, a clearinghouse for information about the adverse effects of industrial wind energy development.<br /><br />Pierpont and other health and noise experts agree that at a minimum, <a href="http://www.wind-watch.org/ww-noise-health.php">large wind turbines should be 2 kilometers</a> (1-1/4 miles) from any residence.<br /><br />According to Pierpont, low-frequency noise or vibration from the wind turbines acts on the balance organs of the inner ear to make the body think it is moving. And this misperception of motion affects other brain functions, including physical reflexes, spatial processing and memory, and physiological fear responses (such as pounding heart and nausea).<a href="http://www.wind-watch.org/ww-noise-health.php"><br /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-8414019374588073277?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-88264799225054911042009-11-19T06:28:00.001-05:002009-11-19T06:29:46.321-05:00We Have the RightEcogen Wind LLC's lawsuit claims the town of Italy, Yates County, delayed a decision on its industrial wind development proposal since 2002 and now can't deny its application (Nov. 5 story). In reality, Ecogen caused this long, drawn-out, expensive process by refusing to accept the town's original decision to remain non-industrial. A 2006 zoning law prohibiting industrial turbines, two town-wide surveys and several public hearings on this issue demonstrated that Italy wants to preserve its major strengths — natural beauty and a peaceful rural character. It was Ecogen's lawsuit threats and unrelenting pressure on the Town Board that led to a reluctantly made zoning law revision, application review and final denial.<br /><br />Evidence submitted by citizens overwhelmingly showed that the short setbacks and high noise levels required to fit Ecogen's massive facility among our homes could damage Italy residents' welfare, property values, health and safety. Cohocton's experience with industrial wind turbines has been a nightmare and a learning experience. Recent elections in Italy and Prattsburgh clearly showed the people's choice to remain turbine-free.<br /><br />We should have the right to say "no."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">—Joan Simmons, Italy, Yates County</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-8826479922505491104?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-60517049308012220762009-11-18T19:14:00.000-05:002009-11-20T12:21:59.914-05:00Wind Opponents Win Hartsville<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.canisteovalleynews.com/index.php/Local/local-news/10895-ZENA-ANDRUS-WINS-HARTSVILLE.html" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 51px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/cvnlogo-777299.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The results of the Hartsville race are in, and Zena Andrus has been elected Hartsville's new town supervisor. An independent candidate, Mrs. Andrus won with 112 votes over Republican Alice Bosch's 104. "I would like to thank all of the residents that took time out of their busy lives to come to the town hall and vote for me," said Mrs. Andrus. "It was a long wait from the time we voted until the results were finally tabulated but the new machines will make voting more accurate in the future. Alice Bosch was a worthy opponent and ran a clean campaign."<br /><br />One factor that added to the Andrus victory was the fact that just before the election, the three way supervisor race became a two way race, between Zena Andrus and Alice Bosch. That was due to Mike Muhleisan dropping out of the supervisor's contest, and lent his support to the Zena Andrus campaign. "He was a great adversary and I appreciate his stepping down to support me in my quest for the role of Supervisor," Mrs. Andrus said after the election was finally finished.<br /><br />Other Hartsville Town Board winners include Jim Perry (120 votes), Tom Dobell (115 votes). Perry and Dobell defeated Nick Petito and Ron Amidon, both Petito and Amidon recieved 103 votes.<br /><br />The biggest issue in the Hartsville race is wind energy. Because of the defeat of the pro-wind candidates, it is now uncertain whether or not there will in fact be a wind project for the Town of Hartsville. If there is no wind project in Hartsville, there will be no wind project in Hornellsville.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-6051704930801222076?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-39211449127110855822009-11-18T17:25:00.000-05:002009-11-20T12:37:30.478-05:00Post-Election Lawsuits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/turbine-1-778309.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/turbine-1-778308.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Which way did windmill voting tilt?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Steve Orr, Staff writer, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle<br /><br /></span>As we’ve been reporting, a wind-power development company called Ecogen Wind has filed suit against the town of Prattsburgh, Steuben County seeking a judicial order allowing it to proceed with construction of a wind farm there without town board approval. This comes in the heels of a similar court action by Ecogen in early November against the neighboring town of Italy, Yates County, asking a judge to set aside a town board vote killing the project.<br /><br />Ecogen, based in suburban Buffalo and backed by a firm with offices in San Francisco and Houston, wants to build a 33-turbine wind farm in the hills of the two towns, which lie not far from the southern end of Canandaigua Lake.<br /><br />At least part of the motivation behind these bare-knuckles lawsuits is the fact that voters in Italy and Prattsburgh elected anti-wind farm slates in voting earlier this month. Ecogen clearly fears the new boards will try to deep-six their project, on which they say they have spent $13 million so far.<br /><br />The question I have is whether the voting in the two neighboring towns is part of a groundswell of opposition to industrial-scale wind farms in New York’s rural towns. There are several dozen wind farm proposals resting with town boards across the state, including some in the Rochester region - and most of the host towns had local elections on November 3. Someone I spoke with recently suggested a number of those elections did tilt against windmills.<br /><br />This is where I’d like to enlist you visitors to help. If you know who won and who lost in town elections where wind farms were a major issue, post a comment here or shoot me an e-mail. Between your information and what I’m able to gather, I’ll post a running tally as we move along.<br /><br />By the way, here are the legal petitions filed by Ecogen against the towns of <a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/assets/pdf/A21469141118.PDF" target="_blank">Italy</a> and <a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/assets/pdf/A21469241118.pdf" target="_blank">Prattsburgh</a>. They’re slow going if you don’t like legalese, but they might be worth reading – for the rural town-versus-wind farm conflict could prove significant in New York’s renewable energy future.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Response:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In Italy the town voted to replace 3 of the town board members including the supervisor. Italy has been more reasonable than Prattsburgh as far as the current town board and their work on turbines. Prattsburgh who suffered through ridiculous 3-2 votes in favor of wind for the past several years has turned the tide and has now 4-1 in favor of Town Board Members that are not going to be greenwashed by Ecogen/Pattern Energy. The basis to both of these lawsuits is that the towns of Italy and Prattsburgh have used our democratic process and shown that they are "Mad as hell. and not going to take it anymore." Now the greedy corporation will turn to a bevy of lawyers to twist the facts into some sort of feeble attempt to go against the will of the people.... Maybe it is time for another Tea Party!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-3921144912711085582?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-72452695408063574382009-11-15T12:43:00.002-05:002009-11-20T12:47:23.254-05:00Italy Responds to Threat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mpnnow.com/news/x255185607/Town-to-fight-wind-company-lawsuit" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/turbine-2-782608.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Town to fight wind company lawsuit</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Julie Sherwood, Staff Writer, Daily Messenger</span><br /><br />A fight over whether a proposed wind turbine project bordering Naples will go forward heated up last week when the developer filed a lawsuit against the town, where 17 turbines were to go up.<br /><br />The Article 78 action, filed in state Supreme Court in Monroe County by developer Ecogen Wind LLC, seeks to overturn the Town Board’s decision to stop the project by denying approvals and placing a moratorium on its development.<br /><br />Last month, the board unanimously rejected the proposed wind turbine project, determining the gigantic, power-generating machines would have a negative effect on the environment. The board also imposed a six-month moratorium on wind turbines following a public hearing.<br /><br />The decision followed a meeting the previous month attended by 116 residents. Most of those who spoke opposed the project over concerns about noise, light flicker, positioning on steep slopes and other concerns.<br /><br />Supervisor-elect Brad Jones said he and other elected officials are ready to challenge the lawsuit that claims the town acted improperly and illegally in rejecting the project’s application.<br /><br />“You don’t try to build a big industrial project when 70 to 80 percent said ‘we don’t want<br />industrialization in the town,’” said Jones. His family, like most others in Italy, choose to live there because of family history and the town’s rural character, he said.<br /><br />“We need to represent the will of the people,” added Jones. “We will continue to fight.”<br /><br />Messages left with Nixon Peabody LLP, Ecogen’s legal representative on the case, were not returned. Beth O’Brien, a spokeswoman with Ecogen’s partner on the project, Pattern Energy Group, said she could not comment because of the pending litigation.<br /><br />Ed Premo, with Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, which represents the town, said the Town Board did due diligence.<br /><br />“It went through the process of carefully reviewing the application, went through two public hearings and carefully considered all documents and evidence,” he said, before the board determined the benefits Ecogen offered did not outweigh “the substantial adverse impacts of the project.”<br /><br />Jones said Ecogen had bought several properties in the town, with plans to build turbines there, claiming in the lawsuit it had spent between $10 million and $12 million on those land deals, while pegging its entire cost for the project at more than $150 million.<br /><br />Town resident Vince Johnson said he plans to ask the town to set up a legal-defense fund to pay for the ongoing costs in fighting Ecogen in court.<br /><br />“Sadly, Ecogen is coming back to town again with a legal gun and trying to bleed the town dry,” he said.<br /><br />Italy and Ecogen have been involved in several legal battles involving the turbine project, which is tied to one in neighboring Prattsburgh. Ecogen and Pattern Energy Group want to put up 33 wind turbines across the two towns, with the companies saying the Prattsburgh project depends on getting the permit from Italy.<br /><br />Naples also has a lot at stake. This summer the Naples Town Board asked the state’s Public Service Commission to stop development of turbines that would be built close to the town line. The town has focused on five turbines that Ecogen’s original plans sited on Knapp Hill in Prattsburgh. One would be within 250 feet of the Naples town line and less than 500 feet from a Naples landowner's property line.<br /><br />Wind turbines are already towering over the landscape to the south of Naples. Fifty turbines — with most clustered on Pine and Lent hills in Cohocton — installed by another wind energy company, First Wind, became operational early this year. The company’s plans to erect more than 40 additional turbines for a project in Prattsburgh are currently on hold due to financing issues.<br />Lynn Barbuto, who owns Ceasar’s Pet Palace in Geneva, said she was dismayed when she drove to Naples recently with a friend who had been interested in buying a home there. When they saw the industrial wind turbines covering the hillsides south of town, they were “mortified,” she said.<br /><br />Her friend, who grew up in Rochester and had been living in Florida, wanted to return to the Finger Lakes region — particularly the Naples area — and settle down, said Barbuto. “But she rejected that area due to those wind turbines.”<br /><br />“We couldn’t believe these monstrous things were in this most beautiful site in New York,” said Barbuto. “What next?”<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-7245269540806357438?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-14569049931037406002009-11-06T18:34:00.000-05:002009-11-08T14:40:52.227-05:00Ecogen Sues Town of Italy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/dandclogo-713302.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 85px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/dandclogo-713291.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Wind-energy firm takes town to court</span><br /><br />Angered by a Town Board vote in Italy, Yates County, to kill a turbine proposal, a wind-energy company is asking a judge to override the elected board members and allow the project to go forward.<br /><br />Ecogen Wind LLC, which had been seeking permission to erect 17 wind turbines, each standing 415 feet, said in court papers filed Wednesday that town leaders had dodged and delayed a decision on the proposal since 2002.<br /><br />When board members finally did vote 5-to-0 in early October to deny Ecogen the approvals it needed, the action was illegal and based on reasons that Ecogen lawyers said were "demonstrably false and/or pretextural."<br /><br />Ecogen's lawyers, from the Rochester firm Nixon Peabody, said the board had no lawful reason to withhold the permit, had violated the state Open Meetings law by acting in private and had been "arbitrary and capricious" in handling the environmental review process.<br /><br />The legal action will ask a state Supreme Court justice to reverse the Town Board action and grant Ecogen the permit it needs to proceed, or to order the Town Board to issue the permit.<br /><br />Ecogen, based in suburban Buffalo, and partner Pattern Energy of San Francisco have planned to build an additional 16 turbines in adjoining Prattsburgh, Steuben County. The two-county wind farm could generate up to about 76 megawatts of electricity.<br /><br />Because the Italy Town Board also declared a moratorium on any wind-related construction, the unbuilt Prattsburgh turbines are effectively blocked because they would connect to the transmission grid through an electrical substation to be built in Italy.<br /><br />Ecogen said in the court papers that it has spent $13 million on studies, testing, land acquisition and other work related to the stalled project. It said $120 million in financing is jeopardized.<br /><br />The action marks at least the fifth court skirmish over the Italy-Prattsburgh wind farm.<br /><br />A spokeswoman for Pattern Energy did not return a call for comment Thursday. Neither did Italy Town Supervisor Margaret Dunn.<br /><br />Dunn and two Town Board members who voted to deny the permit to Ecogen were ousted from office in voting Tuesday in favor of stridently anti-turbine candidates.<br /><br />Supervisor-elect Brad Jones said he could not comment on the lawsuit because he hadn't seen the court papers. But, he added, the board will "continue to represent the expressed desires in the town, which is to resist industrialization."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="mailto:SORR@DemocratandChronicle.com">Steve Orr</a>, Staff writer, <a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009911060325&template=printart">Rochester Democrat and Chronicle</a></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-1456904993103740600?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-48269645755618071542009-11-04T09:50:00.001-05:002009-11-08T15:11:08.735-05:00Clean Sweep in Italy Elections!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/yates-747030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 61px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/yates-747025.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >November 3, 2009 Italy Town Election Results</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Supervisor</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bradley E. Jones 204</span><br />Margaret M. Dunn 170 (incumbent)<br />Write-in 1<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Town Council (2 seats)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Frederick T. Johnstone 201</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Donna L. Baran 200</span><br />Charles E Kreuzer 138 (incumbent)<br />Write-in 81<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">An articulate slate of candidates critical of industrial wind development in Italy, led by Brad Jones, have won the Town elections in a clean sweep! Our congratulations and prayers are with the new team as they begin the work of rebuilding trust and hope in the Town's future.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-4826964575561807154?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-18241723875063082992009-10-15T20:44:00.001-04:002009-11-08T14:49:16.129-05:00Wind Opponents Run in Italy<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Italy Town Board candidates say they'll reflect residents' wishes </span><br /><br />Three candidates are running for Italy Town Board on the Republican and Independent party lines. Donna Baran and Fred Johnstone are running for the two Town Board openings, and Brad Jones is running for town supervisor.<br /><br />"We have chosen to run for office because the current Town Board has steadfastly refused to listen to the people of the town and accept the fact that the overwhelming majority do not want the proposed Ecogen industrial wind project," said Jones.<br /><br />"At every single public hearing over the last five years and in two separate surveys, the people of Italy have said no to the Ecogen project," Jones said. "Yet the Town Board continues to do everything possible to accommodate every whim and desire of the developer and to push the project through before the end of this year. So, our reason for running is pretty simple: we want the future Town Board to reflect and defend the wishes of the townspeople, not the wishes of the hired guns from Riverstone Holdings LLC, the latest owner of the Ecogen project. We believe that the Town Board has a serious responsibility to protect the health and general welfare of its people, and that is exactly what we intend to do."<br /><br />The incumbents are Supervisor Margaret Dunn and Town Board members Amanda Gorton and Charley Kreuzer. Gorton is not seeking re-election.<br /><br />Jones and his wife, Linda, reside on the family property on Donley Road. Following a career that included management positions at Eastman Kodak, Alstom S.A and Al Sigl Center, Jones now leads his own consulting business that specializes in human resources and business development. He has extensive experience serving on both corporate and not-for-profit boards.<br /><br />Johnstone and his wife, Kathy, have lived on Emerson Road for 12 years. He has many years of not-for-profit board experience and currently serves as a captain in the Rochester Fire Department.<br /><br />Baran and her husband, Leonard, recently moved to their new home on Italy Valley Road from the Virgin Islands where they managed their own business. She has 15 years of experience in community and human services as well as several years of experience on not-for-profit boards.<br /><br />"We believe that the current board has been so preoccupied with the Ecogen proposal for so many years that other important priorities have been ignored," Johnstone said. "This is not intended to be a criticism of any member of the current board. To the contrary, we appreciate and thank them for the hundreds of hours they have spent dealing with this developer and their army of lawyers."<br /><br />Jones said that a new board in January would begin its term with a renewed focus on the following issues:<br /><ul><li>A three-year plan for town road improvements with clear and objective criteria for all spending.</li><li>Controlling real estate taxes and exhibiting fiscal restraint.</li><li>Improved communications to all interested citizens through newsletters, web site, surveys and e-mail.</li><li>Sustainable economic development working with nearby towns and the Finger Lakes Economic Development Center to develop and implement specific initiatives for long-term economic growth that are sustainable and consistent with residents' wishes and values.</li></ul><p>"Following the expressed will of the people, we will move quickly to restore the original Comprehensive Plan prohibiting large scale industrialization in the town," Jones said.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Naples Record, Wednesday October 7, 2009</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-1824172387506308299?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-44637401732278592952009-09-17T21:57:00.000-04:002009-09-19T10:12:37.833-04:00Letter to Italy Town ClerkDear Ms. Trischler:<br /><br />Please share this with the members of the Town Board, and please confirm receipt of this email.<br /><br />My husband and I are in escrow for the purchase of 5100 Sunnyside Road in Italy. We also have owned, for 15 years, 110 acres of wild land on Lent Hill in Cohocton. We dearly love the Finger Lakes region, and hope some day to retire there. At present, due to jobs, we must live elsewhere, and so cannot attend the September 19 meeting in person to express our concerns about the wind projects proposed for Italy township.<br /><br />My husband works for an environmental consulting company that is world-renowned (see www.esri.com). We are both very eager to support sustainable, renewable resource management and energy production. We were initially supportive of the wind project planned for Cohocton, but as we researched it and got more informed about it, we became very concerned that it would turn out to be a disaster--both for the town and also for us personally.<br /><br />It is turning out to be exactly that. The turbines are badly engineered and break down constantly. The crews ruined the roads putting them in, and the town has had a terrible job and has generated a lot of pollution rebuilding them. The town inhabitants have divided along pro and con lines and many don't speak to each other any more. The people who live within earshot of the turbines hate them with a passion, and that includes many people who were very supportive at first. The wind isn't consistent, and the turbines are usually not producing at "capacity" although they are still very noisy. I could go on and on.<br /><br />We have a small cabin and we spend many weeks there each year, contributing to wildlife management and also to the local economy with our groceries and other purchases. We also pay taxes! So even though we don't live there year-round, we are not just absentee vacationers who don't care about the community.<br /><br />The turbines often keep us awake at night. The blades make the sound of a jet engine, and the gears and machinery (that turns the turbine into the wind) are very loud, making loud crashing booms and creaking and grinding noises. You can't just learn to tune the noise out, because it changes all the time. The red night lights and the flicker caused by the sun through the blades are annoying, but the noise is just torture.<br /><br />Ecogen does not care about the citizens or the quality of life in Italy. They are just using you, counting on your naïveté and ignorance. PLEASE don't make the same mistake that Cohocton made!<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Carolyn Morehouse<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-4463740173227859295?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-56229130982950850172009-05-17T20:19:00.001-04:002009-05-17T20:21:25.628-04:00Prattsburgh Update<ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Important Message from John Servo</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The Ecogen meeting is at the Prattsburgh School Cafetorium at 6:30 pm Thursday May 21. Come early if possible</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">, as it will be well attended. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Ecogen has a PILOT agreement with Prattsburgh for $9M less that their deal with Italy for a comparable number of wind turbines – <i>75% less than </i>Italy's deal. We anticipate that Ecogen will present the Town about $1,000,000 in "sweeteners" – several trucks, maybe a new pole barn, some sidewalks, and Scholarship Fund. And <u>where is the other $8,000,000?</u> <b>How stupid does Ecogen and the Town Board majority think we are?</b> What was done to "grease the wheels of progress" to have this rip-off rammed down our throats?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Those people who will be potentially damaged by <b>noise, and health and safety problems</b> are supposed to just "shut up and take it". <i>This is not acceptable</i>, and citizens need to make ourselves heard.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">This past week, <u>Ecogen tried to get Prattsburgh Town board member Steve Kula to accept <b>an artfully worded bribe</b></u> – Steve's father would not get a (potentially several million dollar) gravel contract with Ecogen unless Steve Jr. recused himself from voting on any wind farm issues. And <b>town attorney John Leyden – who also represents SCIDA, the lead agent for the Ecogen project – suggested that Steve accept and recuse himself</b>! This, after Leyden has previously told Harold McConnell (who received money from a wind farm developer) – and before him David Hall and Andy Moesch, whose families leased to the developers – that they did <b>not </b>need to recuse themselves for conflict-of-interest! Evidently, attorney Leyden believes that only town board members concerned about noise, health and safety issues, and corruption should recuse themselves. <b>If you want to protect the citizens and the Town, you better shut up!</b> What do you think? <u>Come to the Ecogen meeting and tell us what you think</u>!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Last month, a 25 acre property in Naples located 537 feet an Ecogen turbine site in Prattsburgh had its <b>tax assessment lowered by 60%</b>. What does this mean? If the Ecogen project is built as planned, the assessments on <i>dozens</i> of damaged properties in Prattsburgh will also be lowered – and if the Town budget doesn't go down, <b>everyone else's taxes will go up</b>. Welcome to the "financial benefits" of a badly planned wind project in Prattsburgh! Tell Ecogen – and their fans on the Prattsburgh Town Board – that you want <b>Ecogen to guarantee protection from these higher taxes</b>!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Advocates for Prattsburgh will have a highly respected noise expert speak at the Ecogen meeting. <b>He will address the health and safety impact on adjacent landowners</b> which will result from these damagingly short setbacks. Please listen to what he says, and then <i>tell Ecogen what you think, and <b>what you want!</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">If you have concerns about what is happening and Ecogen's plans for Prattsburgh, <b><i>please sign up to speak at the meeting.</i></b></span></li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-5622913098295085017?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-10435481717493815662009-05-16T15:28:00.002-04:002009-05-16T15:33:01.585-04:00Prattsburgh Project Meetings<span style="font-weight: bold;">Two Important Meetings</span> will be held this coming week, the town board meeting in Ingleside on Tuesday and an Ecogen Presentation on Thursday. There has been great attendance at the last several meetings and we hope that next week many of you will be able to come to one or both meetings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00 pm</span> is the Monthly Town Board Meeting. Please note that it will be held in INGLESIDE. Call the Town Hall at 607-522-3761 if you need directions. It is very important that the Board Majority knows that their decisions are being watched and that people voice their concerns during the Public Comment period. If you want to speak during the first part of the meeting call the Clerk and ask to be put on the Agenda.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday, May 21st at 6:30 pm</span> will be a public meeting at which Ecogen will make a presentation and answer questions about their project. It will either be at the Fire Hall or the School. Call the Town Hall at 607-522-3761 for info. We cannot stress enough how important it is to show up at this meeting. Every one of us has an obligation to the town and to ourselves to hold the Board and the wind developers accountable for their projects.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-1043548171749381566?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-1956990395710571642009-02-24T18:36:00.007-05:002009-02-25T09:15:20.424-05:00Loud Turbines in Cohocton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eveningtribune.com/news/business/x1056822292/Residents-Turbines-too-loud?popular=true" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 101px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/evetriblogo-777698.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Residents: Turbines too loud</span><br /><br />Atlanta, NY - Several Cohocton town residents want to know why they have to call wind developer First Wind to complain about noise from wind turbines instead of town officials.<br /><br />Residents packed the town board meeting Monday night, hoping to hear how the complaints will be handled.<br /><br />According to Joe Bob, one of the town’s code enforcement officers, the town’s wind law specifies exactly how much noise can be made at a certain range.<br /><br />Bob said the town law states the noise cannot reach higher than 50 decibels at the closest non-participating property line. According to town law, no turbines are allowed within 1,500 feet of a property line without a variance.<br /><br />The law also sets lower limits for some sounds. Any “pure tone” noise, as defined by the law, is limited to 45 decibels. “It’s in-depth, very methodical, very thorough,” Bob said.<br /><br />With several residents offering complaints to the town, First Wind and the media, Bob set out how the complaint system works.<br /><br />First, the town needs to determine the sound levels put out by the turbines. Right now, the town’s wind noise monitoring firm, Massachusetts-based firm Tech Environmental, is trying to monitor 10 turbines around Cohocton for noise at peak operating time.<br /><br />Bob said the town’s noise monitoring firm tests for noise several ways, including shutting off turbines to check background noise, sheltering the meters from the wind and repeating tests over a period of time. “The problem is, they’re not done yet,” Bob said, adding until a baseline of how much noise is being created, it will be hard to determine what is above the legal noise limit and what is not.<br /><br />Once that baseline is set, he said, residents can call a toll-free telephone number to lodge a complaint, which rings into the First Wind office in Cohocton. The town code enforcement office, a First Wind representative and monitoring firms hired by both the town and First Wind — but both paid for by First Wind — will set up at the complainant’s residence and monitor the noise. If the noise is over the limit, the turbine will be shut down at peak noise production.<br /><br />Residents spoke out against the process, saying the noise now is too great to wait for a long study to be undertaken.<br /><br />“They’re making so much noise, I can’t sleep at night,” Graham said. “The thing is reading 82-110 decibels at some times.”<br /><br />Graham said he thinks he was lied to when First Wind, then called UPC Wind, offered to place turbines on his property. “They told us we wouldn’t hear anything at 900 feet,” he said. “The noise is so great that my windows are vibrating.”<br /><br />Graham added he has hired an attorney to pursue the complaint process if needed. “If you’re the code officer, you should be able to monitor these things and enforce this,” Graham said.<br /><br />Zigenfus said there is little the town can do but follow the procedure it agreed to. “We’re bound by what the law is,” he said. “If we violate their rights under a contract, we could end up in even more trouble.<br /><br />Steve Trude, one of the heads of Cohocton Wind Watch and co-plaintiff in three lawsuits against the town over the development, said he feels the system should not go through First Wind. “We don’t feel well calling Jane (Towner, a Cohocton-based First Wind official),” Trude said. “The protections need to be tweaked.”<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Bob Clark, The Hornell Evening Tribune</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-195699039571057164?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-18358771854624067112009-02-24T17:45:00.000-05:002009-03-01T20:51:59.714-05:00Cohocton project online?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eveningtribune.com/archive/x1959822764/Project-online-despite-report-from-grid-operator" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 101px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/evetriblogo-777698.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Project online despite report from grid operator</span><br /><br />Cohocton, NY - Despite reports from the operator of the state’s power grid, the 50-turbine project in Cohocton is online.<br /><br />The New York Independent System Operator, the not-for-profit organization that runs the state’s power grid, stated Friday the 125 megawatt project in Cohocton was not operational, a claim refuted by town officials and later by NYISO itself.<br /><br />Kenneth M. Klapp, the senior communications and media relations specialist with NYISO, Monday said the information provided by his own agency Friday was incorrect.<br /><br />“Unfortunately, you were given information on the status of another wind project in Steuben County, which has been proposed for interconnection to the grid,” he said. “In answer to your original question, both phases of the 125 MW wind project in Steuben County (known as Cohocton Wind and operated by First Wind) are currently in service.”<br /><br />That comes in contrast to what officials at the organization had said previously.<br /><br />Richard Barlette, manager of government affairs for NYISO, said Friday no power generated at the site has been sold for consumption. “They’re currently under the connection process,” he said at the time. “As far as ‘flipping the switch,’ a ball park figure is December 2010.”<br /><br />Others contacting NYISO had received similar information, including U.S. Rep. Eric Massa, D-29, who responded to the mistake during a press conference call this morning. “What you’re saying is it’s hard to get a straight answer out of anybody,” Massa said. “There is a lot of misinformation out there.” Massa added much work is left to do on the project, including sound studies that were the topic of discussion at a Cohocton town board meeting Monday night.<br /><br />Jack Zigenfus, town supervisor in Cohocton, provided The Evening Tribune with a spreadsheet from NYISO showing the project was in service as of the most-recent update of the document, recorded as Feb. 5.<br /><br />Cohocton officials applauded First Wind for “throwing the switch” on the 50-turbine wind energy development in December, while according to John Lamontagne, director of corporate communications for First Wind, the project was believed to be up and running in 2008. “The time frame was to be by the end of the year,” he said in a Dec. 16, 2008 phone interview.<br /><br />According to company officials in 2007 — when the company was known as UPC Wind — the project was expected to be up and running about a year after construction began.<br /><br />Dirt first started moving on the project Sept. 18, 2007, with tower construction commencing in November. Work on the first two towers, complete with turbine blades, was finished Jan. 3. Of the 50 towers, 47 are spread across Lent, Pine and Dutch hills, dominating much of the view around Cohocton, North Cohocton and Atlanta. The three remaining turbines are on Brown Hill to the south of the village, where the project connects to the regional energy grid.<br /><br />First Wind officials did not immediately return a call requesting a comment.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Bob Clark, The Hornell Evening Tribune</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-1835877185462406711?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-60755347003976012352009-02-22T21:57:00.001-05:002009-02-24T10:08:17.435-05:00Cohocton Noise Warning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steubencourier.com/news/2009/0222/front_page/005.html" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 120px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/courierlogo-760287.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Prattsburgh residents get warning on wind turbines</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Mary Perham, Gatehouse News Service</span><br /><br />Wind turbines will disturb your peace and quiet, neighboring town residents warned the Prattsburgh town board last week.<br /><br />"It's like a jet engine landing right behind you," Hal Graham, of Cohocton, said. "It's constant noise."<br /><br />Graham leased land to First Wind for its 50-turbine wind farm in the town of Cohocton. Tuesday, he spoke during the Prattsburgh board's public hearing on a wind energy facilities permit there. The permit will stipulate certain terms and charge a building permit fee for any wind facilities in the town.<br /><br />The only wind project currently being considered in Prattsburgh is EcoGen, an East Aurora-based developer. In December, First Wind announced a year's hiatus in its plan to put up a 36-turbine wind farm in Prattsburgh and recently closed its office.<br />However, FirstWind did complete its larger project in Cohocton, beginning operations there earlier this year.<br /><br />Graham said he was a strong supporter of wind energy and studied any potential noise problems extensively by observing other wind farms in the state and asking questions.<br /><br />Both he and a neighbor each have a turbine on their properties, he said.<br /><br />"When I signed the contract, I was assured there was no noise," he said. "Well, people can't sleep at night, in the winter, with the windows closed. As the wind speed increases, the noise level rises. It rattles our windows ... It's like a jet engine going full blast."<br /><br />The noise can be heard in neighboring hamlets of Ingleside, Atlanta and North Cohocton, according to Graham and other Cohocton residents at the meeting. Other residents complained about a lack of sleep and disturbed animals.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/items/Courier2-22-09.pdf" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read the full </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Steuben Courier</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> report.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-6075534700397601235?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-27724791071376286362009-02-22T20:45:00.001-05:002009-02-25T07:48:28.956-05:00No Power from Cohocton?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eveningtribune.com/news/business/x1434780225/Power-grid-operator-no-power-so-far-to-state-grid-from-Cohocton" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 101px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/evetriblogo-712498.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Power grid operator: no power so far to state grid from Cohocton</span><br /><br />Cohocton, NY - After years of development, construction, anxiety and lawsuits, the hills surrounding Cohocton have sprouted 50 commercial wind turbines.<br /><br />Now that First Wind has wrapped up its construction in Cohocton and the turbines are now spinning in the breeze, is that energy being sold?<br /><br />According to the grid operator, no. And that’s not expected to change anytime soon.<br /><br />Richard Barlette, manager of government affairs for the New York Independent System Operator — the not-for-profit company that moderates the state’s power grid and gives all power projects the green light — said no power generated at the site has been sold for consumption.<br /><br />“They’re currently under the connection process,” he said. “As far as ‘flipping the switch,’ a ball park figure is December 2010.”<br /><br />That connection process contains several steps, Barlette said, which are long and complicated.<br /><br />“It’s not just sticking a turbine in the ground one day and producing electricity,” he said. “Every plant you build goes through the process.”<br /><br />The biggest test, he said, is seeing if the grid can handle the extra power — 125 megawatts, in Cohocton’s case.<br /><br />“We need to know the impact and reliability on the grid. We need to make sure it doesn’t negatively affect the grid.”<br /><br />NYISO’s word comes in contrast to what town officials have heard from First Wind in the past.<br /><br />Jack Zigenfus, Cohocton town supervisor, was last told by First Wind that the project was ready to transmit power and he thought it was.<br /><br />“I received a letter that it had met all the criteria from all the regulatory agencies,” Zigenfus said. “They have to be operating to be obligated to pay the town.”<br /><br />Zigenfus said the town has received at least $1.81 million from the project so far. The first payment — of $725,000 — came to the town in 2007 from the project as part of the community host agreement, with an additional $937,500 entering the town’s coffers by the end of 2008. First Wind also transfered to the town $150,000 for historical remediation, which the town and village boards hope to put towards renovating the Larrowe House, which currently houses the town and village clerk offices.<br /><br />He also said he heard from officials at the Wayland-Cohocton Central School District it received the first Payment in Lieu of Taxes check from First Wind.<br /><br />Cohocton officials applauded First Wind for “throwing the switch” on the 50-turbine wind energy development in December, while according to John Lamontagne, director of corporate communications for First Wind, the project was believed to be up and running in 2008.<br /><br />"The time frame was to be by the end of the year,” he said in a Dec. 16, 2008 phone interview.<br /><br />According to company officials in 2007 — when the company was known as UPC Wind — the project was expected to be up and running about a year after construction began.<br /><br />Dirt first started moving on the project Sept. 18, 2007, with tower construction commencing in November. Work on the first two towers, complete with turbine blades, was finished Jan. 3. Of the 50 towers, 47 are spread across Lent, Pine and Dutch hills, dominating much of the view around Cohocton, North Cohocton and Atlanta. The three remaining turbines are on Brown Hill to the south of the village, where the project connects to the regional energy grid.<br /><br />First Wind officials did not immediately return messages for comment.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Bob Clark, The Hornell Evening Tribune</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-2772479107137628636?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-63125358816662401192009-02-19T13:23:00.003-05:002009-02-19T13:29:22.543-05:00Night Noise in Cohocton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.canisteovalleynews.com/index.php/Local/local-news/8792-WIND-FARMER-REGRETS-GOT-INVOLVED.html" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 50px;" src="http://www.cohoctonfree.com/updates/uploaded_images/cvnlogo-734830.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WIND FARMER REGRETS HE GOT INVOLVED</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Says he has trouble sleeping due to the noise.</span><br /><br />A Town of Cohocton man tells us that he has a turbine on his property and that there is a wind turbine next door, and because of the turbines, he has trouble sleeping at night. He says he has asked the wind companies to turn the wind turbine off, and he says they won't.<br /><br />That wind farmer now describes having a wind turbine as the biggest mistake of his life. His complaint about noise is not uncommon. All over the state where the giant turbines are installed, people complain of the noise as well as the fact that shadows often cause problems. The turbines also tend to ruin any beauty on the countryside.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">For clues about who this mystery man might be, read the article below. [Ed.]</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-6312535881666240119?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587623.post-26250936634584051202009-02-19T13:10:00.002-05:002009-02-19T13:17:50.441-05:00Update from PrattsburghDear Folks,<br /><br />It seems that some of us missed an interesting meeting in Prattsburgh last night. I have spoken to several people who attended and am passing along comments from Arnold Palmer, a landowner in Prattsburgh, who sent me this email.<br /><br />Just to give you some basics - Prior to the regularly scheduled town board meeting there was a public hearing on the "wind law." Once there is a wind law the town is legally allowed to receive money for building permits from wind companies. They did not vote on the wind law last night - rather they agreed to have a workshop in a couple of weeks to discuss setbacks.<br /><br />The following is from Arnold:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The meeting was standing room only.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A fellow from Cohocton - Lent Hill Road, [Judge Hal Graham] spoke eloquently about the noise resulting from a 2.3 turbine on his property, how strongly he supported the wind farm concept before they became operational, how completely frustrated he was with the noise level which is so different from what he was promised when he signed a lease, his complete lack of results in trying, now after the fact, to do something about it, how badly he felt about what he'd wrought on his neighbors, and urging the Board to act prudently.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He made the excellent point that, rather than relying on Ecogen or whomever to provide theoretical DB prognostications, the Prattsburgh Board had the option to simply come to Cohocton and listen. He urged them to visit his home and to do so on windy days without giving the wind company a heads up in that, whenever visitors were anticipated, the turbine speeds are slowed down so that visitors are treated to noise levels at 25% or less of what the residents are subjected to on a daily basis. Good discussion about what sorts of setbacks were necessary and what point from which the setbacks should be measured.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The overall tenor of the Hearing and Board Meeting was substantially different that any I've attended in recent memory.</span><br /><br />However some things don't change:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Town Attorney was his usual self, yelling at Al to keep quiet and bristling whenever his posture was questioned by attendees or the Board. Stacy got in a few "you people" epithets in a lengthy self-serving statement describing what a privilege it had been to direct the Comprehensive Plan initiative and remind everyone she was pleased with the Plan and couldn't care less whether anyone else liked the plan, or the people who worked on it or the process under which it was prepared.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When Judge Graham was speaking, the room was silent and he was given the courtesy of speaking when his allotted three minutes were up.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">The star of the evening was Steve Kula. He was extremely even-handed on wind related issues, got Harold and the Town Attorney squirming on whether bills (attorney fees and engineering company bills, among others) were being paid properly and transparently or whether they were being sent directly to Harold rather than to the Town who had approved the bills and had them paid. He brought up a number of other equally lightning rod issues about propriety, including asking for an executive session at the end to present a 'legal solution' to end the issues of condemnation and Harold's vote.<br /><br /></span>So folks, the good news is that the wind law in its present form was not voted upon, and the Board appears to be taking the issue of setbacks seriously. Thanks to everyone who attended last night - the support from this group continues to stay solid, and it is appreciated.<br /><br />Regards,<br />Ruth<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33587623-2625093663458405120?l=www.cohoctonfree.com%2Fupdates%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05103614719164451938noreply@blogger.com0