New York secures hydro contract Project supports North Country economic development

Bill Opalka | Aug 28, 2012
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and a municipality have entered into a power supply contract for low-cost hydropower that is seen as an economic boost for a rural area in the northern corner of the state.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s office on Aug. 28 announced the authorization of a power supply contract between NYPA and the Massena Electric Department, making available up to 20 MW of low-cost hydropower to help support economic development and job growth in St. Lawrence County. The power contract extends to September 2025.
Continue reading via this link

Potsdam receives $6.8 million in hydro project damages

By BRIAN HAYDEN
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012

POTSDAM — Canadian Turbines Inc. must pay Potsdam $6,837,000 in damages related to the village’s stymied hydroelectric project, State Supreme Court Justice David R. Demarest ruled.
But the amount the village actually will receive from the company may be less, officials acknowledged Thursday.
Continue reading via this link

Hydro project nears completion

By JACOB TIERNEY
TIMES STAFF WRITER
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

POTSDAM — An agreement with National Grid has brought Potsdam’s West Dam hydro project within months of finally generating power, and revenue, for the village.
The agreement focused on how National Grid could quickly and safely disconnect the village’s power plant from the main grid in case of a disturbance.

Continue reading via this link

Cape Vincent’s zoning officer stepping down

By JAEGUN LEE
TIMES STAFF WRITER
MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

CAPE VINCENT — The town’s zoning enforcement officer is looking to step down because enforcing Cape Vincent’s new zoning law would be a “full-time job.”

Cape Vincent Zoning officer Edward P. Bender, who has held the part-time position for seven months, has asked the Town Council to start looking for his replacement. “I’m not interested in spending the time to enforce the new zoning law,” he said. “I don’t want to devote that amount of time.”
  continue...

Despite state agency involvement, Henderson wind turbine debate remains stagnant

By GORDON BLOCK
TIMES STAFF WRITER

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2012

HENDERSON — Despite the involvement of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the debate between the town and the developer on the placement of a wind turbine in the town’s Agricultural District 3 has left little room for compromise.

The 10-kilowatt wind turbine generator, proposed to be placed on property at 11375 Whitney Road, would be on farmland owned by Harvey K. and Susan L. Grimshaw.

More from the Watertown Times

Defamation suit: Cape Vincent bloggers hire Syracuse law firm

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2012

CAPE VINCENT — Two local bloggers, Richard C. Wiley Sr. and Kathryn A. Hludzenski, have retained the Syracuse law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King to represent them in a defamation lawsuit.
They were sued in July by several longtime “pro-wind” Cape Vincent residents — Marty T. and Donald J. Mason, Gary J. King, Harvey J. White, Paul C. Mason, Darrell and Marlene Burton and Frank J. Giaquinto — who claimed damage to their reputations in the state Supreme Court
lawsuit.

Continue reading via this link to the Watertown Times

Lyme council passes law restricting wind farms

JAEGUN LEE
TIMES STAFF WRITER
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2012

THREE MILE BAY — After a heated public debate over setbacks and noise limits, Lyme’s Town Council adopted a set of zoning rules Saturday that are so strict industrial wind farms will not be feasible in the town.

The council voted 4-1 with Deputy Supervisor Donald R. Bourquin casting the sole “no” vote because he thought the turbine noise caps should be consistent with the neighboring town of Cape Vincent’s less restrictive standards to make it more “defendable” when considered by a state siting board under New York’s Article X process.


Continue...

Champion approves transmission line zoning law

By ELAINE M. AVALLONE
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 201

WEST CARTHAGE — After months of having a moratorium on the construction of electrical and gas transmission lines in place, the town of Champion has now passed a local law to regulate those facilities.

With the moratorium, the Town Council gave its Planning Board time to develop regulations. Continue reading via this link

Cape Vincent’s Planning Board mulls termination of BP wind application

 

By JAEGUN LEE
TIMES STAFF WRITER

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012

 

CAPE VINCENT — The town’s Planning Board decided to give more thought to whether terminating BP’s wind farm application at the Town Council’s request is a good idea.
At a regular meeting Wednesday night, board Chairman Richard H. Macsherry said the Planning Board will wait until Cape Vincent’s wind moratorium expires Sept. 7 and vote on the issue at its next monthly meeting. Continue reading via this link

Gov. Cuomo to visit ReEnergy facility on post Monday

Monday,August 6 ,2006

FORT DRUM — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will visit the north country today as a part of his “Open for Business” statewide tour.

He is scheduled to visit the ReEnergy Black River facility at Fort Drum at 11 a.m., according to a statement Sunday from the governor’s office.Continue reading 

Cape Vincent passes wind law, asks Planning Board to terminate BP’s application

CAPE VINCENT — The Town Council unanimously voted Wednesday morning to adopt a new zoning law that includes strict restrictions on wind turbines and asked the Planning Board to consider terminating BP Wind Energy’s application for a wind farm.

Cape Vincent officials said at Wednesday’s special meeting that BP’s application should be discarded because there has been no activity for a year prior to the town’s seven-month wind moratorium — enacted in February — and because the company has already indicated it would ask a state siting board to consider the project. [Watertown Times]