Get informed about wind power 

Somerset Town Supervisor Dan Engert and elected officials of the Town of Somerset received a message from the standing room only crowd of their constituents recently: Say “no” to the industrial wind project being discussed for the Lake Ontario shore. Many who would be affected are seasonal landowners who may still not know.

Apex Wind Energy’s highly divisive proposal – to place 70, 570-foot tall industrial wind turbines along the shoreline in Somerset and Yates – appears to be shifting west and southward as many landowners say no, they won’t sign a contract to host these massive bird- and bat-killing, intolerable noise-producing, environmentally destructive, property-loss causing machines.

Landowners from Newfane report they’re being approached by Apex.

Any properties close to transmission lines would be considered easy pickings for a wind company, which wouldn’t have to put in as many high voltage lines.

Where will it stop, on a neighbor’s property near you?

As of March 15, 2015, the Vermillion County Clerk verified another $1.3 million in liens were applied to properties that had been leased to Apex Wind for the Vermillion, Illinois, wind project. Portland, Oregon-based Christiansen Electric – which brought in its own people to do the work – filed mechanic liens as a result of unpaid bills.

Wind turbine projects have been targeted by many U.S. towns, such as Shirley, Wisconsin, as a public health hazard. Loud noise that comes from the industrial turbines – as the 11-ton blades pass the tower, spinning as fast as 200+ mph at their tips – along with infrasound that is trapped inside of dwellings, has been reported as causing health issues. Constant droning vibrations are more severe at night, causing lack of sleep, headaches, annoyance and stress among people whose towns have been turned into industrial wind complexes. Wind corporations were allowed to place too-big turbines too close to pre-existing homes, cottages and farms.

Apex is holding an informational meeting on the proposed Somerset-Yates wind project from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Barker Fire Hall. They have said they will answer questions. The Public Service Commission is slated to give a presentation on Article 10 and the siting of wind turbines. Hopefully the PSC will live up to its mission statement, which is to protect the health, safety and welfare of all New York state residents.

I wonder if Apex will be willing to sign a Property Protection Guarantee, drawn up by an independent environmental lawyer of the citizen’s choice whose property will be adversely affected by proximity of these encumbrances. The McCann property appraisal report, which suggests the importance of property protection guarantees, can be found on the Save Ontario Shores website (lakeontarioturbines.com) and the Great Lakes Wind Truth website (greatlakeswindtruth.com).

Great Lakes Wind Truth will host an informational meeting detailing the inconvenient truths about wind power on April 29 at Barker Fire Hall. All concerned citizens are invited. Call 795-3571 for more information or visit one of the above-listed websites.

Cathi Orr

Save Ontario Shores

Somerset