Community urged to summon moral outrage and oppose turbine project

Posted 25 August 2016 at 6:55 pm

Editor:

Is there anyone in either Orleans or Niagara County that possesses the attribute of moral courage?

It is disheartening to watch young folks and even some seniors ignore the intrusion of the Apex giant whose goal is to consume these two counties with our own precious tax dollars.

Have our civic leaders failed? My guess is yes they have. Have our schools failed to teach civil discourse when the very community in which our children will eventually reside practice apathy? My guess is yes.

And what about each and every community organization that sits by and watches this horrific assault on our beautiful fruit-bearing water accessed property be compromised by carpetbaggers bearing gifts? My guess again is yes.

We are in trouble folks. Stupid cliche signs dictate a position of either support and or resistance to these monster wind turbines. Signs do not vote. Signs do not speak. It is the very few who practice pounding these advertisements into the ground hoping to change an opinion.

The project managers from Apex, the Virginia firm, specifically Sandy Reisky have a resume that exceeds $4 billion in projects. Mark Goodwin, Jim Tronsdale and Steve Vavrick likewise have a combined resume of $3 billion in projects.

Note these dollar amounts are yours and my tax dollars. Needless to say we have very little to object to how these dollars are used, distributed and mostly become the partial salaries of these CEOs.

The Lighthouse Wind Project in rural Orleans and Niagara counties will, as per their own notes, produce energy to power 53,000 homes.  None of of which are in this part of the state.

There is also a claim that these turbines will produce jobs. No number of gainful employment is indicated anywhere, and no local work is earmarked for these communities. The project is a IDA payment pilot.

Actually, a few folks will benefit from lease agreements. However there is no mention of infrastructure implications, road support for heavy equipment, land, lane access etc. All of this information is irrefutably vague for a reason.

Stand up folks and stop this insane assault on our community. Contact Gov. Coumo and request a revision to Article 10. He needs to hear that 70 percent of the residents oppose this project.

Likewise call our former Senator, George Maziarz who authored this bill and challenge his convoluted thinking about the necessity of home rule.

This community is being shortsighted. This company needs to be challenged as it has been in other parts of the country. CEOs are getting very wealthy at our expense. They are using our tax dollars to do so. It is time for this to stop.

Frank Herstek Ed.D

Lyndonville

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