Apex removes the last of 3 met towers in Somerset
Town Supervisor urges company to formally withdraw wind turbine project in Somerset, Yates
Press Release, Jeffrey M. Dewart, Town Supervisor of Somerset
SOMERSET — Apex Clean Energy informed the Town of Somerset last Thursday that the last remaining meteorological tower located on Lower Lake Road was being decommissioned immediately. Sometime shortly thereafter, the meteorological tower was taken down and is no longer standing.
Somerset Town Supervisor Jeff Dewart said, “We recently notified Apex that its last met tower in the Town was violating the special use permit, and we are happy to hear Apex finally decided to remove it.”
At one time, Apex Clean Energy, a Virginia-based company, had three meteorological towers erected in Somerset related to the Lighthouse Wind project. All three towers have now been removed by Apex. Lighthouse Wind’s local office, previously located in Barker, has also been vacated and closed for more than a year. As a result, Apex no longer has any physical presence in the Town of Somerset.
Supervisor Dewart said, “Although Apex has packed up and left town, I’d like to see Apex formally abandon this project so the Town can have some closure. The Lighthouse Wind project has divided our town for too long. Enough is enough.”
Apex formally commenced the Article 10 process in 2014. During the past six years, Apex has not secured a single agreement or approval from any New York State agency or local government regarding any aspect of the unpopular Lighthouse Wind project. Apex has not engaged in any required Article 10 stipulation negotiations since the summer of 2018; and, in April 2019, Apex informed the Town of Somerset it would not submit an Article 10 application in 2019 and closed down their required office in town. It has been and now is abundantly clear that Apex has no plans to further pursue the Lighthouse Wind Project at any time in the future.
Supervisor Dewart said. “The right thing for Apex to do at this point is to remove this project from the NYISO queue, terminate the Article 10 process, and release the local land owners from any remaining lease obligations. I hope they do the right thing.”
