Apex proposal has proven toxic to relationships in Yates, Somerset
Editor:
A number of people have asked about the recent assessment of Department of Public Service comments regarding the Lighthouse Wind Project. Most of the questions received related to the percentage of comments opposed/in-support of the project when each submitter of comments was counted only once. This type of assessment would give a picture of a 1:1 comment count instead of the simple arithmetic sum by which quarterly comments are assessed and communicated.
By way of review, the simple arithmetic sum method gave the following results at the end of Q1 2017:
| DPS Comments | ||||
| Date | For | Against | % For | % Against |
| Q1-2015 | 0 | 43 | 0% | 100% |
| Q2-2015 | 0 | 76 | 0% | 100% |
| Q3-2015 | 35 | 157 | 18% | 82% |
| Q4-2015 | 58 | 137 | 30% | 70% |
| Q1-2016 | 31 | 165 | 16% | 84% |
| Q2-2016 | 5 | 29 | 15% | 85% |
| Q3-2016 | 21 | 67 | 24% | 76% |
| Q4-2016 | 5 | 59 | 8% | 92% |
| Q1-2017 | 0 | 25 | 0% | 100% |
| Total | 156 | 759 | 17% | 83% |
The following assessment counts each submitter only once and covers the time period from Q1-2015 to present (May 9, 2017):
| Position on the Lighthouse Wind Project | Number of Commentors – New Assessment (1:1) | Percent Opposed/In-Support with New Assessment | All Comments Counted | Percent
All Comments Counted |
| Opposed | 388 | 75% | 806 | 83.7% |
| Support | 126 | 25% | 156 | 16.2% |
| Total | 514 | 100% | 962 | 100.0% |
Clearly, there have been multiple comment submitters, on both sides of this issue. As such, the percentages did shift, as expected. However, even when submitters are counted only once, the conclusion is clear:
Massive and overwhelming opposition to the Lighthouse Wind Project continues.
Additionally, an assessment of multiple submitters was performed with the results as follows:
| Position on the Lighthouse Wind Project | Number of Multiple Submitters | Percent of Multiple Submitters |
| Opposed | 96 | 81% |
| Support | 23 | 19% |
| Total | 119 | 100% |
Conclusion: Multiple submitters source from both sides of this issue.
A deeper dive into this data shows multiple submitters usually commented on more than one topic. Timing of multiple submissions was sporadic, seeming to indicate additional submissions as more information came to light. Multiple submissions from the opposed camp covered a myriad of issues to include: Environment, Health, Wildlife, Property Value, Article 10/Home Rule, while submissions from the in-support camp covered: Economics and retention of residents.
One thing is for certain, the Lighthouse Wind Project as proposed by APEX Clean Energy has succeeded in generating strong opinions. It is also destroying human relationships developed over a lifetime and unraveled in a matter of months as a result of APEX’s proposed project.
My personal opinion is that the Lighthouse Wind Project has proven toxic to the Towns of Yates and Somerset. We may never recover. Governor Cuomo needs to stop this project now so that we have at least a small chance to recapture the relationships lost to the proposed APEX Project and to try and return our towns to a pre-APEX time.
Governor Cuomo, ARE YOU LISTENING?
John Riggi
Councilman, Town of Yates
