Zoning Note - Visual Impact - Turbine Paint Scheme - Doesn't Work!

One day I am siting down by the water at my cottage 6 miles from the nearest Wolfe Is. wind turbine. My eye was attracted to a flash.  It was the flash from the sun on a spinning 150 ft long wind  turbine blade.

You can see this in the picture below. It certainly caught the eye's attention.

Here is what our Cape Vincent zoning says about reducing the visual impact of wind turbines on this issue.

"All applicants shall use measures to reduce the visual impact of WECS to the extent possible. All structures in a project shall be finished in a single, non-reflective matte finished color or a camouflage scheme."

Of course I love that cop out of "to the extent possible"  Yeah because it damn well ain't possible!!!

Now this idea of a non reflective surface coating is a common theme in wind zoning laws.  Why?  Because it is a cookie cutter  zoning scheme that comes from the wind industry, and  many towns in NYS use in their zoning.  It isn't unique to CV's zoning law.  In the wind zoning business it is called "non speculative finish"...those are the buzz words! Sounds very technical and official like we are really doing something effective.  I'm sure it was the same on Wolfe Island.

Guess this "non speculative coating" didn't work all that well now did it? Another absurd wind industry zoning scam the towns have bought right  into!

Yup...since 2009 when the Wolfe Island wind plant went up the matte,  non speculative, non reflective coating has done wonders.  I mean, you can't even hardly see those massive wind turbines. Hell, I hardly notice them at all.  It's not like you can see them from Watertown or Henderson or anything!   That paint has done wonders!!!

So here we are again in the same absurd place.  Allow massive industrial structures with eye attracting spinning blades and flashing lights (and now flashing blades)  that dominate and radically change the character and beauty of the region, and we  are worried  about a couple coats of paint on the tower?  Seriously???

We honestly  think a zoning law that requires a couple of coats of special matte paint is going to make a difference?  When in fact anyone in their right mind can see that the paint has virtually no impact on the extremely visually invasive structures no matter how you paint them!.  Yet this absurdity crops up in nearly every wind zoning regulation anyhow to defy logic!

It's more lipstick on the pig, or in Wolfe Island's case 86 pigs!  Maybe if we coat the pig so he is not reflective it will help!!!  But I guess they forgot to put that non reflective paint on the flashing red lights????  But I am sure if we just coat everyone of BP's 124 - 500 ft. turbines they will just...disappear!!!

And I love this "camouflage" scheme. Are we going to hire Ft. Drum to come out and apply a camouflage coating to BP's towers???? Maybe we could cover them with millions of yards of camo netting!

More insanity Art.X, the State, and the wind industry has us blindly following!

Zoning note to town boards:  Face facts...put as many coats of lipstick on the pig as you want...you can't hide these massive structures with these nutty zoning schemes!!!  Your illusion of zoning control is just that...a complete illusion.