Government opposition to Apex’s Lighthouse Wind shows clear mandate against project

Posted 21 January 2016 at 12:00 am

Editor:

At 7:30pm, Thursday evening, Jan. 14, 2016, the Yates Town Board passed Resolution 29-1/16:

RESOLUTION OF THE YATES TOWN BOARD TO FORMALLY OPPOSE THE APEX CLEAN ENERGY LIGHTHOUSE WIND LLC PROJECT WITHIN THE TOWN OF YATES.

I would like to thank my colleagues on the Yates Town Board for a job well done. In addition, I would like to extend my gratitude to the people of the Town of Yates for their passion and herculean efforts to ensure that the Town Board possessed all of the information required in order to properly represent them in making the critical decision to oppose the Apex project.

While long-awaited, our Town’s formal opposition is only one action.

As a result of concerns pertaining to Industrial Wind Turbine encroachment on the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS) and potential loss of over 3,000 jobs at NFARS as a result of the next Base Closure and Realignment Review, the Erie County Legislature has now formally opposed the APEX Project (as excerpted from Erie County Legislature Resolution adopted – December, 2015):

“RESOLVED, that this honorable body expresses its support for the Niagara Falls Airforce Reserve Station, the Niagara County Legislature, and the men and women of the armed forces that call NFARS home and hereby opposes the construction of the wind turbines in the military base’s flight path”

These actions by the Yates Town Board and the Erie County Legislature have now solidified a clear, monolithic and regional opposition to the APEX Industrial Wind Turbine Emplacement Project known as Lighthouse Wind.

By way of review, official opposition to the APEX project has been communicated by the following august, representatives and representative bodies standing for approximately 1.3 million Western New Yorkers:

The Honorable Chris Collins – US House of Representatives
The Honorable Robert Ortt – New York State Senate
Niagara County Legislature
Orleans County Legislature
Erie County Legislature
Somerset Town Board
Yates Town Board

These actions represent a clear mandate in opposition to the Industrial Wind Turbine Project and interestingly, a corollary statement on the loss of Home Rule in New York State.

We remain eager to represent the people of the Town of Yates regarding this Industrial Wind Turbine issue and in leading Yates into a future of meaningful economic development and improved quality of life for all who value and enjoy the beautiful and irreplaceable Western Lake Ontario Region of New York State.

John B. Riggi
Councilman, Town of Yates