The industrial wind grifters are back.

This time their targets are the towns of Ellery, Stockton, North Harmony, Sherman, Westfield, and Ripley. The snake-oil salesmen are busy signing up landowners — promising them lots of taxpayer-provided money to lease their land to Bedrock Renewables (Golden, Colo.) which is looking to erect 600-foot industrial wind turbines across the western portion of Chautauqua County.

The Wind Target Zone stretches across the fourth most important migrating bird flyway in North America on the Lake Erie escarpment where flocks of birds seek the updrafts to propel them across Lake Erie. Proposed turbines may also be located in the Chautauqua Gorge watershed – one of the most unique geological features of the county and a protected “high quality spawning habitat for several native Great Lakes fish, including white sucker, smallmouth bass and naturalized steelhead.” (US Fish and Wildlife)

Wind reps admit that 70 % of their bottom line profit comes from “the state” and “what we get from electricity produced is peanuts — we make our profit from the Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s)” which are sold on Wall Street to companies such as Microsoft and Amazon. Both those companies and 40 other large corporations are replacing REC investment with investment in private nuclear facilities because they recognize that to have power they will have to produce it themselves because wind and solar do not produce sufficient energy to run industry.

NYSERDA says the maximum realized from onshore wind is 24% but “is actually 10% due to being out of phase with grid demand” (Power Trends).

Dunkirk’s NRG power plant sits on 98 acres. Cassadaga Wind (125 MW claimed) impacts 40,000 acres with hundreds of acres of forest clearcut, wetlands and agricultural land destroyed, and 37 miles of roads built into the hillsides. NRG was set to produce 460 MW of electricity using dual cycle gas generators with plans to double that until the state shut it down costing Dunkirk a 40% revenue loss. One 450 foot wind turbine tower uses 900 tons of steel, 2300 tons of concrete and 1300 tons of non recyclable plastic.

Three industrial wind projects already exist in the county: Arkwright, Cassadaga and Ball Hill Wind. Arkwright Wind has been sued by an ever increasing number of victims whose suit states: “damages related to loss of property values, compensatory damages for destruction of homes and lifestyle, loss of use and enjoyment of their properties, damages for relocation costs and time spent relocating, mental anguish, destruction of scenic countryside, physical pain and suffering, difficulty sleeping, nuisance, trespass, interference with electronics in their homes such as satellites, telephones and televisions, loss of business profits, special damages for stress, anxiety, worry and inconvenience, and the effects lights and noise from the turbines have on their properties. ”

Plaintiffs are asked not to make any public statements about their suffering until the suit is settled — now in its sixth year with plaintiffs offered $2.000 for damage to their health and quality of life.

The Chautauqua County Health Board after hearing from numerous suffering residents issued a recommendation: “regarding potential human health effects related to IWTs [Industrial Wind Turbines] ….the home rule authority of our local boards of health to take steps to safeguard the health and wellness of our residents and protect the environment within our counties has been put at risk”…”this Board urges local municipalities to pass a proper wind law that restricts IWTs to a minimum of 1.5 miles from any property line and 35 or fewer decibels in sound frequency.” The World Health Organization proposes 2 mile setbacks.

Video of Arkwright Wind Victims. https://youtu.be/DfTCosgNF80?si=9iTLvC4_KUqP3BHK

The impacts of wind turbine syndrome caused by infrasound (low frequency inaudible vibrations) on the health of all living creatures is being documented around the world. Blade kills of birds are well known. Bats flying in proximity to turbines experience pulmonary barotrauma causing bats’ lungs to explode due to rapid air pressure changes caused by spinning blades. Agricultural experts are warning loss of pollinating insects caused by turbine blades is negatively affecting farm production.

A forum on the human health impacts of industrial wind held by State Sen. Robert Ortt in September 2019 provided numerous wind experts’ testimonies. Some of the forum recommendations were summarized by former county legislator and chairman of the Chautauqua County Board of Health Tom Erlandson, “Developers have the burden to prove IWTs are safe – the public should not have the burden of proving IWTs are not safe. Towns can limit tower height, e.g., to 400 ft. Towns can adopt 1.5 mile setbacks and 35 decibel limits… Get your town to pass a proper wind law!”

https://www.wind-watch.org/video-lincoln-ny.php

“China dominates the global wind turbine component supply chain, providing a significant portion of key components including generators, gearboxes, power converters, magnets. China is estimated to supply 70 – 80 % of core components, and refines almost 100% of critical minerals required for turbine production.” (Wall Street Journal).

So what is a rural township with a diminishing budget to do when they are offered money from wind grifters? First, they can do what Attica NY did. Send out a survey to all residents. “Do you want 600 foot wind turbines in your community?” Attica residents said “NO.” The Attica Town Board did not accept any wind project applications.

That decision has been standing for eight years. https://youtu.be/DyM8NGvy9t8?si=WSx5v9BY7jdzEGge

Several towns in the Wind Target Zone have wisely enacted a one year moratorium on Industrial Wind applications and MET (meteorological wind assessment towers) to give trustees time to see what has happened elsewhere. Renewables investment is down 78% and the federal government may cancel subsidies.

The No PILOT for Industrial Wind Resolution – Chautauqua County (res. 95 of 2018) states. “It has been demonstrated that the environmental, economic, and community impacts of large wind energy projects of 5 Megawatts (MW) or more can be significant and might well have a net negative effect on the County “.

Wind proposal moratoriums, protective turbine setbacks of 1.5 miles from property lines, no PILOT agreements, and a Drinking Water Resource Protection Law (Town of Chautauqua & Village of Mayville) — all can send the message: No more destruction of birds, bats, and essential insects, no more destruction of our rural, pristine forests, scenic vistas, agricultural land, watersheds and quality of life!

Karen Engstrom is a Mayville resident.