Wind Power News: New York
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Prattsburgh wind turbines; Hearing on permit law to be held by mid-July
PRATTSBURGH — A public hearing on a proposed permit law regulating wind energy in the town will be held by mid- July, the Prattsburgh Town Board said Monday night.
Board members took more than an hour during a special board session Monday night to scrutinize the proposed law, designed to set permit fees for wind turbines erected in the town.
The town is the site of proposed wind farms by two energy companies, Ecogen and First Wind.
A representative of Ecogen who attended . . .
New York inches closer to offshore wind farm
NEW YORK — Government agencies and power companies said on Wednesday they are gauging interest from developers and manufacturers about building a wind farm about 13 miles (21 km) off the New York city coast that could end up being the largest such project in the United States.
The Long Island Power Authority, the New York Power Authority, other agencies and Consolidated Edison Inc (ED.N) hope to build the 350 megawatt wind farm off the Rockaway Peninsula in the Atlantic.
Potentially, the . . .
NYSERDA is sidestepping concerns regarding wind power
New York state taxpayers and ratepayers are funding what is likely a $2 billion fraud.
I was one of a number of citizens representing 33-plus New York state grass-roots groups that attended the June 16 NYSERDA [New York State Energy Research and Development Authority] environmental stakeholder’s meeting on wind power in Albany.
The reasons for this unique meeting were to answer citizen’s questions on industrial wind power that we have been asking NYSERDA for years now and to see if they could . . .
NYS’ two billion dollar energy swindle
NYS taxpayers and ratepayers are funding what is likely a $2 Billion fraud.
I was one of a number of citizens representing 33+ NYS grassroots groups who attended the June 16, 2009, NYSERDA Environmental Stakeholder’s Meeting on Wind Power in Albany. (See Meeting Summary: tinyurl.com/mxa5zf for a more detailed report.)
The reasons for this unique meeting were: 1.) to answer citizens’ questions on industrial wind power that we have been asking NYSERDA for years now (See: Citizens’ Questions: tinyurl.com/kkkuqz for these, and . . .
Officials streamline wind turbine policy; Demand for privately owned towers prompted law
COXSACKIE — The Town of Coxsackie took steps to promote alternative energy Monday night at a public hearing, approving the Small Wind Energy Facility Law after a lightly attended public comment session with no dissent. Town Board members with community input had been working on the ordinance since last October, finally hammering out the finished draft on June 8.
According to Councilman Aaron Flach, the impetus for the bill first came from numerous requests by different citizens to install wind turbines . . .
Morristown wind group eyes landowner protection
Members propose dividing parcels with turbines as safeguard in case power companies default on taxes
The Morristown Wind Energy Committee is looking at ways to protect landowners from wind power companies that default on taxes.
The committee met Wednesday to discuss including a section in its proposed wind law that separates a half-acre parcel for each wind turbine to protect landowners from losing their entire properties if a wind company fails to pay its taxes.
The committee suggested surveying the individual parcels . . .
NWS acknowledges negative effect of turbines on weather radar
SHELDON — Short of an extreme weather emergency, radar interference from Wyoming County’s wind farms isn’t expected to be much of an issue, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Monday.
Officials from the NWS released a statement last week describing the effects of wind turbines on its Buffalo-based radar.
The issue is probably most visible as “storms” usually located above the towns of Sheldon, Wethersfield and Eagle during weather reports on Buffalo and Rochester television newscasts.
“From a day-to-day perspective it’s more of . . .
Wind farms interfering with Doppler radar
Maple Ridge Wind Farm is one of several farms in the state causing problems for the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Buffalo.
Maple Ridge in Martinsburg, Harrisburg and Lowville has created interference for the service’s Doppler radar in Montague.
“It does pose a problem for the immediate Tug Hill area,” said David A. Zaff, meteorologist for the service. “The biggest problem is during a severe weather event.”
The service has a Web page about Doppler radar interference. It shows how wind projects . . .
A blight on landscape
Lately I have been reading the Letters From the People and decided to take a scenic drive along the river in Cape Vincent. It was a nonwindy day and the sight of nonworking windmills was like looking at a bombed-out deserted town. It was a blighted landscape. The beautiful island that once was, was no more.
We travel the ferry every summer to spend time on Wolfe Island. It was a special place where my children and grandchildren would bike on . . .
Victor to tackle wind turbine codes
There are no plans for wind turbines in Victor, but the town wants to be ready for the day somebody applies.
At Monday night’s Town Board meeting, Planning Board member Joe Logan outlined a possible building code to govern construction of the structures — if and when residents decide to erect windmills.
“Rather than being caught without a code for them, we felt it was time to develop a code,” said Logan, who is also a member of the town’s wind energy . . .
