Apex says Lighthouse Wind has no negative impact on Niagara Falls base
Company responds to Congressman Collins’ proposed legislation to ban federal tax incentives for projects near military installations
(Editor’s Note: Apex Clean Energy sent this response to Congress Chris Collins continued statements that the proposed Lighthouse Wind project could jeopardize the Niagara Falls Air Force Reserve Station. Collins issued a press release today that he has introduced legislation that would eliminate federal tax credits for wind turbines if they are located within 40 miles of a military installation.)
Here is the statement from Cat Strumlauf, Public Affairs Associate for Apex Clean Energy:
“Apex Clean Energy takes the safety and readiness of our military very seriously, and we work closely with the Department of Defense and its services to ensure our wind energy facilities do not adversely impact military missions. Related to Lighthouse Wind, we have been consulting with the Department of Defense and Niagara Falls Air Force Reserve Station regularly to ensure that any concerns regarding the base’s operations are resolved before the project is built.
“Lighthouse Wind has received a letter directly from the DoD Siting Clearinghouse stating the project is ‘unlikely to impact military testing or training operations in the area.’ More recently, a top official at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS), confirmed that the base’s new KC-135 mission makes the wind turbines a nonissue for the base. According to the military’s own experts, Niagara County residents can be confident that Lighthouse Wind will pose no current or projected mission impact on Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, which is more than 25 miles from the Lighthouse Wind project area.
“While Apex is expert in the development of wind energy projects, we believe it is appropriate to trust the expertise of the DoD Siting Clearinghouse, as well as that of local military experts and advisors, to assess the potential risk of wind energy projects to their own bases. We believe our professional national security experts are doing their duty and acting in the best interest of our nation, the communities in which they operate, and our armed forces.
“Any structure over 200 feet proposed throughout the country is required to undertake a rigorous system of review by the DoD and FAA required prior to construction. Lighthouse Wind is in the pre-application phase, and as such has not proposed specific turbine models or heights as of yet. When this final proposal is made, the DoD and FAA will have the chance to weigh in again with their approvals through these review systems.”
