How You Can Help
If you're against this project, tell them (in writing). At the very least, they shouldn't be pressured or rushed into such a long term committment by wind developers. The developer has been giving them self-serving information for over a year now, it's not unreasonable to ask that they give us time to show them all the documentation we have on the problems involved. Landowners who sign an easement agreement will NOT be able to get out of it for a very long time and we will ALL have to live with it. New York is considering some laws regarding setbacks and the Government Accountability Office has recommended that more study be done on the effects on wildlife and that more help be given to local representatives in handling wind farm regulation. This would be in the best interests of everyone but the developers. They'll pressure the board to try to get their application in place as quick as possible and there will be very little recourse against a LLC company once a project is built.
Encourage neighbors who you know are concerned to contact us. It's vital that the board know how many people here are actually concerned. Every person who keeps their concerns to themselves contributes to the likelihood that we'll be living with massive turbines 1000 feet from our doorsteps. It isn't necessary for everyone to speak publicly, but they do need to be counted and preferably by us.
3) ATTEND TOWN BOARD MEETINGS It's only about an hour once a month. The time and location is on our Wethersfield board meetings page. At the meetings, we can ask the developer questions face to face. If our questions continue to be evaded, it will become apparent to the board in time that the developer is not answering our concerns. The questions and answers will also be on the record. Always be polite.
4) DOCUMENT YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE AS YOU'RE EXPERIENCING IT NOW Video-tape your views, and the natural sounds and noise levels that are normal for your area. Do this at various times of the day and season. Show how the sunlight affects the rooms in your house at dusk and dawn. Document your TV, cordless phone, and cell reception. Have the health department record the quality and quantity of your well water, and verify the condition of any local streams and creeks. Document the birds and wildlife that frequent the area, film well used deer trails on your property, document the number of deer feeding on your property at various times, film any geese, ducks and migratory birds that fly over on their regular routes or nest on your property. Document the amount of traffic that you currently experience on your road. If possible, get an appraisal of your property. This documentation will be valuable for proof after the fact.
5) MAKE POSSIBLE LEASING LANDOWNERS AWARE OF THE PITFALLS THEY COULD FACE not only with their neighbors but with the wind developers as well. They may be signing away all rights to their land for decades, preventing future construction on their own property (and neighbor's) and many don't realize it, nor do they realize the health consequences that are just now being studied or the damage that can be done to the soil, wells and livestock on their property. What's worse, once they sign that agreement, they're forbidden to speak about any problems they have due to the turbines. This alone should make them suspicious. If this was "benign" as the developer claims, they wouldn't need to silence people. If the turbines didn't make noise, there would be no "noise easements". They would actually BE "transparent" instead of just claiming to be in the press. There's a reason this whole process is veiled in secrecy. Encourage landowners to get information from somewhere other than the wind industry!
6) DON'T ALLOW THE DEVELOPER TO TRIVIALIZE YOUR CONCERNS by accusing you of being ‘selfish’ over your lost view. Lost views are an issue, but they're not the main issue here, our families' health and safety is and the cumulative effects on the environment and wildlife which haven't yet been studied. The Government Accountability Office is concerned about this too, as are many biologists, scientists and wildlife experts. It’s very typical for a developer to focus on the lost view issue and ignore everything else in order to avoid the many real issues that must be dealt with. Wind won't reduce global warming or our dependence on foreign oil, it won't take the place of nuclear or fossil fuels, it endangers our family's health and harms wildlife and we will produce the documents that demonstrate this.
Save Western NY
PO BOX 293
Gainesville, NY 14066
email: info@savewesternny.org
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