I understand that UPC et.al. have been able to push their wares in many areas of NY due to the lack of land-use protections. In Lyman, our zoning is very simple -- no structures over 35-feet in height and no industrial uses. Twice UPC tried to get a variance on the height but the entire town came out in opposition to granting it. UPC couldn't prove the hardship. Both times UPC withdrew its applications when it became apparent the zoning board would vote NO.
The key to our success was, in part, meeting each and every effort by UPC with a counter effort, and (most important) getting to the public and the press before UPC could -- particularly the local farmers. It was a scary time, but the law was on our side and the zoning board understood that they would lose in court if we appealed.
But I understand NY is a very different place. There are over 4000MW of wind proposed for your State and your governors Pataki and now Spitzer are using the RPS as a hammer wielded on every agency and IDA. The DEC, assuming it's manned by honorable people, is overwhelmed and hesitant to come out against the governor. Folks are hiding behind the SEQR process and claim it's a comprehensive review of the impacts of these projects, but the town boards and IDAs (if the lead agencies) lack the sophistication to question what they're reading. The ridiculous claims that wind will bring economic development to poor communities are being accepted at face value. Nearly 2 years ago I spoke to James Sharron of the SCIDA. He's the last person I would want looking out for my interests -- to him it's all about the dollar signs. For NY, the wind push is a rural version of the 1960s Urban Renewal. I cringe to think what the state will look like 5-years out but for all of your efforts in opposing the turbines.
There is one issue that I would strongly encourage for NY. NYSERDA is due to reevaluate the RPS rules in 2008/09. If you were to contact the other renewable generators in the state, particularly the biomass sector, it would behoove all of you to get the rules changed so that rec pricing is not a one-size fits all (~$27 a kwh), but is adjusted to reward those renewables capable of producing generation during peak periods. We know, and NYSERDA knows, wind energy is only capable of producing energy on the grid with very limited capacity. Not the case for biomass, methane gas, hydro. If the change were implemented, NYSERDA would be forced to come up with a viable market value for recs on energy produced on peak/on-season and another for off-peak/off-season. So biomass might be paid $45 per kwh and wind gets $15 per kwh. There is NO justification for rewarding generation that does not decrease our use of fossil fuel, does not negate the need to build other power plants, and cannot reliably be expect to deliver when we need it (how summer afternoons) but that's exactly what the NY RPS does.
--Lisa Linowes
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