Members of the Oswego County Legislature’s Economic Development and Tourism Committee will consider a resolution in opposition of the New York Power Authority’s plan to provide incentives for erecting wind towers in Lake Ontario’s eastern basin.
NYPA has issued a request for proposals for the construction, siting and operation of wind turbine facilities in Lake Erie and/or Lake Ontario’s eastern basin that would include inland transmission lines. The project is said to be the first freshwater, offshore wind project in the nation.
According to legislators, the maps of the potential placement include the county’s most scenic, economical and environmentally sensitive areas of the lake shoreline.
The legislators are considering the opposition due to what they refer to as a negative economic impact on tourism, real estate values, farming, recreation and quality of life.
The proposed resolution notes that the project would have no economic benefit to any municipality in the county due to the real property tax exemptions that the utility would be entitled.
“Oswego County does not wish to be the location of experimental off-shore wind tower technology,” the draft resolution states.
A similar resolution is expected to be presented in Jefferson County, as both counties once again join together to oppose wind tower projects.
Last November, the legislature joined with Jefferson County officials to oppose the 230-kilovolt line that has been proposed to run from Galloo Island through the towns of Henderson, Ellisburg, Sandy Creek and Richland as well as the Village of Pulaski to a proposed substation and interconnection with existing transmission lines in Mexico.
Upstate Power has proposed to construct a wind farm on Galloo Island, off the shore in Hounsfield, along with a new power line capable of transporting 1,000 megawatts south to help meet needs of downstate consumers.
The route of the power lines has been tentatively changed to run though existing lines in the City of Watertown instead of the Village of Pulaski. The new route will need the approval of the New York State Public Service Commission.
The Village of Pulaski and the surrounding area is a main source of tourism dollars, and both the village and the county rely on revenue from fishing, boating and recreation. The village has spent millions of dollars to bury its power lines and officials have said they are concerned that above-ground lines would ruin the aesthetics of their community and negatively impact the tourism industry.
As legislators take a “wait and see” approach to the Galloo Island project, they are expected to move ahead with the resolution in opposition of NYPA’s proposed project.
The resolution will be presented at the Feb. 23 meeting of the Economic Development and Planning Committee and, if passed, will be moved to the full floor in March.
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