Ensuring ethical standards in turbine siting ~Letter

Ensuring ethical standards in turbine siting

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009

I would like to thank Supervisor Tom Rienbeck who at the monthly Cape Vincent town board meeting acknowledged me and three other members of the Wind Power Ethics fundraising committee as the authors of a letter soliciting contributions for the important work we do in protecting the safety and rights of the citizens of Cape Vincent as well as the environment and beautiful area where we live, work and relax.

More importantly we appreciate the many hundreds of people who have donated so generously of their talents, time and money to ensure that the process and the placement of wind turbines along the coastal areas of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario be done ethically and in a transparent manner.

As we look out across the river towards our Canadian friends on Wolfe Island, we see gigantic wind towers multiplying every day. These goliaths are over 40 stories high and have blades which swing over an area larger than a football field every three to four seconds.

These towers take up vast amounts of real estate, and they cannot be concealed. Moreover they are noisy, create television interference, cast shadows and cause flicker as well as possible medical disorders. However, their impact upon the people, land and the environment can and must be mitigated though thoughtful planning and placement.

The name Wind Power Ethics Group implies that we are focused on the ethical and transparent manner in which the introduction and siting of industrial wind turbine projects occur. We were appalled by the unethical way in which from the beginning wind developers and town officials have mishandled the process. It even included a clandestine meeting of a developer representative with the majority of the town board in a public office to discuss strategy in the siting process.

Members of the community may hold different views as to whether wind turbines are appropriate for this area or where they should be sited, but surely they agree on high ethical standards being applied on all of the issues by all town officials. Why then doesn't our town supervisor hold his board to these high standards rather than objecting to the dissemination of facts to the public on a matter of such great public importance?

Urban Hirschey

Cape Vincent