Wind farm laws should consider neighboring towns

A controversial proposed site for the placement of a wind farm in the Town of Orangeville, is the focus of regional concerns and debate. The primary questions is: Should an industrial wind farm be situated where it can cause significant harm to neighboring townships? In this case the Village of Attica.

The location in question is at the northern border of Orangeville. The location and topography of this proposed site indicate that the Village of Attica reservoir would be a primary recipient of construction storm-water runoff pollution. As water flows over a construction site, it picks up soil, chemicals and debris and washes them into fresh-water resources. According to the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority's publication "Wind Project Lifecycle Overview," the construction phase of a wind farm can take 5-18 months. This allows considerable time for construction runoff pollution to occur. This would include whatever soil, debris and chemicals (oil, diesel fuel, etc.) that might accidentally be spilled during construction. In the Town of Sheldon there was a great deal of concern regarding material shipped in from Lackawanna and used as fill for access roads. The same company had proposed a wind farm in Orangeville.

Does the Town of Orangeville have the right to permit an industrial site that could harm a neighboring municipality? Who will defend the rights of Attica residents to clean water and an unpolluted reservoir?

We all can appreciate the need for clean energy. However, we do not have the right to expose our neighboring municipalities to the drainage, runoff pollution and threat to water tables that will accompany Orangeville's industrial wind farm. The Orangeville Town Board should require setbacks sufficient to protect neighboring municipalities from the construction pollution and other problems that an industrial wind farm will bring. By responsible siting of wind turbines, this pollution can be kept, as much as possible, within the borders of Orangeville.

On April 6, the Wyoming County planning Board recommended that the Town of Orangeville include a full completed Environmental Assessment Form for its proposed zoning law. It is unclear whether the Town Board will comply with this recommendation.

A neighbor in Orangeville

Steven Moultrup