Amazing GREED by Cathi Orr

It’s really Amazing GREED Power…amazing in the sense that average people overlook the obvious- Multi billion dollar corporations coming into our towns, influencing our elected officials to plaster these massive Industrial Turbines filled with gallons of fossil fuel, connected by high wattage electric lines traversing our once beautiful countryside, destroying wildlife and wildlife habitats, clear cutting our forests and then insulting true green environmentalists and calling the wind that is chained to all this greed and environmental hazards Clean Green power...

Look what all this love of GREENBACKS has done to our politicians, our neighbors, our over-extended government subsidized farmers…and so it is in Orangeville…

TOWN OF ORANGEVILLE PANNING BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 11, 2007
Purpose of meeting- Finish updating zoning laws, Wind energy Laws

David Flint opens meeting with comment about Bob Orr: It would seem that somehow he got a hold of confidential medical information about an event that he proceeded to relate at a wind energy meeting that could only be known as hearsay and could have only been obtained by violating Bob ORR’S CONFIDENTIALITY RIGHTS AS A PATIENT AT WARSAW HOSPITAL. Can you tell us Mr. Flint what county agency employee did you receive this hearsay information from? And what does this have to do with Wind Turbine Laws? Can you say violation of NYS HIPPA laws? Mr. Flint alluded to having the town investigate Mr. Orr even though the information he related in public at the planning board meeting was hearsay at that. By the way Bob Orr the husband of Cathi Orr has been active if vocally protesting the turbines and demanding accountability for preserving the water table as the turbine weight could have significant impact on our wells and has been adamant about adverse effects of these Industrial Giants in an agriculture area and on our property values.

Curiously enough all these threats, intimidating remarks abuse of power of a town official whether appointed or elected were also unleashed later that same night in front of the same witnesses that were there to witness the verbal attacks on Bob and Cathi Orr. The seemingly common thread being disagreement with Mr. Flint over WIND TURBINE SETBACKS…Ahhh in there-in lies the rub… After months of vocally opposing the environmental hazards of Industrial Wind turbines designed for offshore and remote desert areas, and presenting the town of Orangeville and planning board with approximately 400+ pages of documented reports relating the dangers of turbines set too close to residences, public roads, recreational areas, i.e. reports that took citizens of Stafford, town of E. Bethany, town of Castile, 1 year to research, energy expert reports with 30 years experience each of Warsaw’s David Basset and former Western New York resident Glenn Schleede to try to help the town of Orangeville realize the inadvisability of careless placement of these 400ft + Industrial Turbines too close to Orangeville residents homes, farms, public roads, recreational areas because of the dangers of very real accidents and fatalities from documented accidents, blade throws of 1700+ ft, health hazards, noise disturbance, ice throws, flicker, electromagnetic interference with cell phones TVs, computers etc. and minor problems such as running out of water because of disturbance of the aquifer and possible problems with the earth crust such as earth quakes because of the weight of these TURBINES( SOME MODELS WEIGHING APPROX 300 TONS.)

You could understand how this weight might possibly affect the balance of nature even though Mr. Flint and Invenergy’s "wind mill boy" (thanks for coining a phrase Geraldine Luce) refuse to acknowledge these dangers. You see Mr. David Flint told the planning board that 1,000 ft setbacks was not a workable law and that Eric Miller from Invenergy had told him that. The planning board had already decided on this when Mr. Flint demanded a revote. The town lawyer was said to have got up and said " I don’t want any part of this" and then hastily departed, at which an argument occurred and Heather Geoghegan was threatened by David Flint with shouted comments such as "YOU will get yours…Darryl Dickinson also tried to reason with Flint but to no avail- another vote was called and David Flint, Rick Luce( Hans Boxler’s son-in law) and Roe Haufman then voted for 650 ft setbacks from non- participating land-owners such as myself. This means Mr. Flint can get a whole lot more of these 400+ft Turbines on his property as can Orangeville Town Board Member Tom Schablonski and Town Board Member Hans Boxler Jr. on Boxler land in Sheldon. See how nicely this all works together for those that love GREENBACK POWER, and guess what?

David Flint’s son and Tom Schablonski’s sons are running for 2007 Town Council Members! Back where I come from this would be known as Conflict of Interest. And guess what else…Roe Haufman the recorder of the Planning Board Meeting in the excitement forgot to include this whole discussion about Bob and Cathi Orr and the threats to Heather Geoghegan in the minutes of the meeting! And oh by the way Heather is a Geologist specializing in water aquifer and soil contamination testing, a community volunteer with the youth program, a member of the YMCA Warsaw Branch Board of Directors, and also a Parent Rep. for the Attica Central School Committee for Special Education and has no personal agenda for financial gain and will be running for Town Council as a write in candidate in case your tired of Orangeville politics as usual. Be sure to ask your Board of Election Polling Assistants when you vote how to properly do a write in.

A monumental decision is now at hand in the town of Orangeville! Will the Industrial Wind Corporation be given a seat on the planning board and allowed to influence the town’s position on setbacks of these 400+ ft Industrial Wind Turbines? Will Invenergy or any other Wind Turbine Corporation be able to prevail over the safety, health and Welfare of the taxpaying life- long residents of Orangeville?

No not if you say no! The Industrial Wind Corporation can only get a hold of your property and possible imminent domain that could happen if these corporations get so big and powerful that they become a utility and then anything’s possible when it comes to national so- called security. Only you can prevent them by getting the power to go over ‘under or through your land by not signing a Turbine lease agreement or "good neighbor" variance agreement! . If you are not sure where you stand do not let the wind corporation muscle you into signing an agreement by looking at a map that they show you with dots on all your neighbors land telling you will be the only one not making money on this-STOP THEM RIGHT THERE, TELL THEM YOU WILL HAVE YOUR LAWYER LOOK AT THIS AGREEMENT – FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING AWAY FOR THE NEXT 20, 30, 40, or so years. And when they tell you it won’t affect your property values ask them to show you an analytical survey of people looking for rural property among a minimum of 67 turbines in an area surrounded by 800 turbines and demand to see property values in this type of an area that increased in value or stayed the same! I believe you will find the property will be WORTHLESS IN A FEW YEARS TO COME!!!

And to Karen Duboy and people who think I should move from my beautiful 104 acre farm in the beautiful hills of Wyoming County, I did buy the view- Why do realtors describe property with the description "MILLION DOLLAR VIEW." In regard to a person’s right to do as they wish on their own property, please call into mind the second hand smoking laws. Do as you please but don’t destroy me or my life in the process. Respect your neighbor. Why is it ok for you to put up a 400ft+ wind Industrial Turbine that makes noise, causes shadow flicker, ruins the scenic view shed for up to 17 miles, causes electromagnetic interference and has been shown to contribute to autism ,seizures disorders and cancer etc. If you don’t value the beauty of this countryside then why don’t you move to New York City where they need the clean Greenback Energy anyway?

FIRST DO NO HARM! The Town of Orangeville board has the obligation (opportunity) to the people who elected them to look into themselves for deciding the higher consequences we will all have to live with if this matter is carelessly handled. There is a vibration of change, a loud wind a-blowing so to speak in this country of dissatisfied righteous citizens who have worked hard and made a large investment not only monetary but of themselves in their homes, land and they are demanding that the government be accountable to them not some multi-billion dollar corporation.

At this point in time, it will be November 2007 by the time the Orangeville Town Board members will consider this turbine matter. Clear Skies OVER Orangeville Citizens Preservation Group would like to point out that the Eagle-Bliss project will be up and running in a couple months time. Why not request an extension for gathering more information and having the opportunity to observe first hand the noise and disruption and overall effect these turbines will have on the Eagle-Bliss area and the effect on neighboring towns. Let’s face it. The Industrial Wind Plant has its own agenda; Financial Profit. The Town Of Orangeville’s agenda must be first, the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Orangeville and those who choose to visit our beautiful area such as, motorists who travel through this township and people involved in recreation, hunting and tourism.

Remember that to ignore documented accidents, tragedies that have occurred due to careless placement of these babies too close to people’s homes, farms, and play areas will not save the town and participating landowners from potential lawsuits. Even the deep pockets of the wind turbine corporations won’t be deep enough to save them.