Turbine opponents keep up resolve in fighting project by lakeshore
Editor:
As reported in numerous letters, Save Ontario Shores (SOS) sponsored a rally a few weeks ago against the Lighthouse Wind Project proposed by Apex. Hundreds of people stood in the pelting rain to loudly and publicly declare their opposition to this project and the loss of home rule that Article 10 has wrought upon us.
It is incredibly frustrating to have to continue this fight! The reasons we so strongly oppose this project have been well documented. The overwhelming and negative effects on our environment, wildlife, health, property values and quality of life far outweigh the minuscule and inconsistent power these monstrous industrial wind turbines would bring.
The opposition is tremendous and the fact is that anywhere else in the United States this project proposal would be long gone. But in New York State we have lost the basic democratic right to determine the future of our community.
As ordinary citizens, we have to continue to spend our time and money fighting this poorly conceived nightmare. Make no mistake, Apex has counted on us running out of will power and money. It is also unconscionable that our towns have to continue to spend time and taxpayer money fighting an out of state company that should have left as soon as it was clear the project was not wanted.
Unbelievably, Apex representative Dan Fitzgerald told a group of us at an informational meeting early in 2015 that Apex would not stay where they not wanted. Clearly, that was a lie.
It’s time for Apex to acknowledge their mistake; they chose an area that is too populated; an area rich in wildlife, natural scenic beauty, and tourism. A place too close to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and a place in the middle of one of the largest migratory bird flyways in North America.
It is time they listened to five different surveys, two town elections, and the resolutions passed by three counties, and two town boards.
It is time to heed the concerns expressed by the American Bird Conservancy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, the Hawk Migration Association of North America, the Niagara County Board of Health, the Genesee-Orleans Board of Health, the Rochester Birding Association, the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, the Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists, Save the River, the Nature Conservancy, Mercy Flight, The Niagara Chamber of Commerce, and the WNY delegation of the NYS Senate and House.
It is time to leave.
Donn Riggi
Lyndonville
