Old Fort Niagara joins battle against NYPA wind turbine project

YOUNGSTOWN — The Old Fort Niagara Association board of directors has formally adopted a resolution opposing the Power Authority’s proposed offshore wind project.

Fort Niagara joins the Town of Porter as the only two Niagara County entities to publicly oppose the project, which could see more than 150 wind turbines erected along the shorelines of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario or both.

According to Power Authority documents, a section of Lake Ontario stretching from Youngstown — just in front of Fort Niagara — to Wilson has been earmarked as a favorable sight for a wind farm and could potentially feature hundreds of turbines, which are more than 400 feet in height.

Old Fort Niagara Director Robert Emerson said a wind farm would jeopardize the historical integrity and character of the fort and potentially having a significant economic impact on the tourism industry which supports Fort Niagara’s existence.

“One of Old Fort Niagara's unique attributes is its combination of original 18th century buildings set against a stunning view of Lake Ontario. Most readers will be surprised to learn that the French Castle is eight years older than Philadelphia's Independence Hall. The placement of massive, modern industrial wind turbines in the Lake would destroy the visual aesthetic of Old Fort Niagara's historic setting,” Emerson said.

The turbines which would be situated about two miles offshore would still impede the view of the Lake Ontario waterfront, Emerson said. The Power Authority has received requests for proposals from five companies, but will not discuss where the private developers plan to put the turbines. However, a map on the Power Authority Web site does note favorable locations.

Emerson stressed wind farms should be located out-of-sight of the Fort or not at all.

“I do not believe that wind energy is so imminent that the public should have little say in the matter, especially when it concerns compromising an internationally significant historical treasure. The Niagara Region is already generating a great deal of clean, sustainable energy with proven technologies,” he said. “The construction of wind turbines in Lake Ontario behind Old Fort Niagara would make the site much less attractive to heritage tourists, which is the vast majority of visitors to the Fort. Most visitors who know about this project are appalled that it is even being considered.”

The Town of Porter adopted a similar resolution last month stating the Town is opposed to the placement of windmills offshore in Lake Ontario. Niagara County, is the only county in New York state to adopt a formal resolution approving of the construction of offshore windmills by the New York Power Authority — something County Legislator Clyde Burmaster said he plans to change.

A resolution being proposed to county lawmakers Tuesday states that a wind turbine project would be in an environmentally and economically sensitive area, affecting scenic vistas, tourism, fishing and pleasure boating as well as impacting housing values to those living along the lake.

Burmaster said Thursday he is confident the resolution will pass.

The $1 billion project could meet the energy demands of up to 615,000 New Yorkers and quell the state’s dependency on coal and oil producing power plants.

Governments in Chatauqua, Wayne, Oswego and Jefferson counties have voted to oppose the project. It is expected the Village of Youngstown and Town of Wilson will also adopt resolutions in opposition to the project.