June 17, 2008
New York
New York
Area residents expressed a mix of opinions Tuesday at a public hearing on a proposed wind farm.
Upstate NY Power Corp. wants to erect up to 90 wind turbines on Galloo Island on Lake Ontario in the town of Hounsfield. The power would be wheeled on a new transmission line running through Jefferson and Oswego counties.
The Department of Environmental Conservation scheduled two public hearings in Sackets Harbor on the environmental aspects of the project.
The 3 p.m. session attracted about 75 people and went a little more than an hour.
Seven people spoke, some in favor of the “green” aspects of the project.
To one speaker however, the main issue isn’t environmental, but economic. Burt Bowers is a member of the planning board in the nearby town of Lyme, where wind power has been a hot topic.
“You can’t build wind turbines and make money from selling electricity. Because the electricity itself is actually more expensive than the electricity produced from coal plants or nuclear or gas turbine powered plants,” Bowers said.
He said what makes wind farm development attractive are the tax breaks and government subsidies attached to them.
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17 June 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/17/galloo-island-wind-farm-some-for-some-against/