Lighthouse Wind opponents fear project will harvest quality of life locally

Editor:

The fight against the Industrial Wind Turbine Emplacement Project known as “Lighthouse Wind” has proven enlightening to the residents of Niagara and Orleans counties, especially as we have educated ourselves about the risks and dangers of siting 60 to 70, 600-foot tall industrial wind turbines in and around the citizens of Somerset and Yates.

“Enlightening” is the appropriate descriptor for the current “Pro-Wind” quips: “Fear Not the Wind” and “Harvest the Wind”.

Fear of the wind is not what is concerning the vast majority of those who may be dealing with the resulting Health, Environment, Wildlife and Property Value issues arising from the siting of these massive structures. In fact, the wind is not a concern in the least. Our concern centers around what is actually harvested with the siting of a Industrial Wind Turbine Emplacement Project in Niagara and Orleans counties.

To restate a comment made to the Niagara County Legislature during the August 2015 session, which saw the Legislature unanimously oppose the Apex Lighthouse Wind Industrial Wind Turbine Emplacement Project:

“While leaseholders have a right to farm their property, the concept of harvesting wind as synonymous with farming is a weak argument justifying the destruction of this unique part of Western New York … Leaseholders fail to realize that they do not live on an island, regardless of how many generations they have lived here.”

It is clear that the leaseholders are not the only citizens who have skin in this game. In fact, those with the most to lose are not the leaseholders who want to “harvest the wind.” They will be garnering profits from their leases.

Those with the most skin in the game are the non-leaseholders who are in danger of industrial wind turbines harvesting their very quality of life … Industrial Wind Turbines sited with the approval of our neighbors, the leaseholders.

We don’t “fear the wind.” We fear the “harvesting” of the health and quality of life of Niagara and Orleans counties.

Thank you,

John B. Riggi
Candidate for Yates Town Council
President, Save Ontario Shores, Inc.