What you will read below is the final paragraph of an analysis given to me and others by one of our current town officials of the wind law committee discussions of early 2010. One of the same ones that think the Art X rules are fair and impartial! Urban Hirschey had been elected as town supervisor and Brooks Bragdon had been elected as a councilman and a new wind law effort was under way in early 2010.
Don’t confuse this with the current 2012 zoning just adopted last Aug.
Pro wind killed this 2010 wind law effort and thank God they did!!!
Read this over and consider it carefully, because it really is a startling thought process.
Underlining emphasis is mine.
“These setbacks will be viewed by many supporters of wind development as too restrictive; I expect developers will contact their local lobbyists and tell them to “just say no.” I think people should keep in mind that in spite of all the new information that has become available about the negative impacts associated with wind development, those landowners with contracts remain happy and supportive. This, I contend, is key to our town moving ahead. Instead of thinking the draft law is too restrictive, developers and their supporters have to look at it differently. What it means is that they have to sit down with all the non-participants that border their project and negotiate a deal so that they become part of the project. If they do, I am more certain the money will lead to fewer complaints than any restrictions we could possibly adopt. Furthermore, I don't think any of our town leaders need to apologize to wind developers for having them give more money to our town's residents”.
Now in fairness there were restrictive setbacks in this analysis but even so it still would have provided for wind development by Acciona and BP in the town of Cape Vincent.
So honestly…this was really the thinking back then? Get more town residents to play...
...Let’s Make a Deal!...
...and this is a legitimate way to deal with the invasive impacts of wind development that shouldn’t be here or in the region in the first place??? This is how we get our town to “move ahead”???
It is frightening that this was seriously considered as a way to resolve the impacts of invasive wind development by getting more non- participating neighbors essentially bribed into the project as a credible solution to reduce complaints. SERIOUSLY????
It’s a rather odd thought process don’t you think. The way to reduce the impacts of invasive industrial wind development is not to address the actual impacts, but just reduce complaints by spreading around some more money and playing ...Let’s Make a Deal!!!
And it would be interesting to ask this person…how exactly do you adopt uniform wind zoning regulations when a couple of neighbors playing Let’s Make a Deal can simply override them by spreading around a little cash. And what if the land owner two properties over says…” Hey, I can hear those wind turbines too and I get the shadow flicker and my property values have dropped, so Let’s Make a Deal!” Seems like you open a real zoning can of worms!
But wait…isn’t that the exact thing the wind developers do??? They just buy people off for peanuts as “good neighbors” so they won’t bitch about the impacts like noise, shadow flicker, and negative impacts on property values etc. When did we get so off the rails as to start thinking like the wind developers?
And what about those people on Carleton Is. and over in Canada who would still see those wind turbines and their flashing lights in their viewscape?
And Oh yes…what about that pesky little Comp Plan of 2003?? This scheme would have been a rather blatant violation of that 2003 Comp Plan’s intent. I really don’t remember any clause in it saying that it would be OK to f&!* up the Cape Vincent interior if we could just spread around some more money!
This is about as goofy as the scheme of property value assurance plans. Let in the invasive impacts of industrial wind development, then compensate the people who move out because of those impacts!!!!
What really astonishes me about this line of thinking is that we seem to go through any necessary twisted contortion of ideas to avoid the painfully obvious and responsible action. Just prohibit what is an obviously invasive industrial development that does not belong in our community or in our region.
And people wonder why I question the approach of our town officials and what they might come up with to appease Art X and the State!!!
Keep in mind the person who drafted the above analysis is one of the town officers who is instrumental and influential in guiding the town's approach to appease Art. X and Cuomo!!!
Go help us all!!!
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