By Sean Messier
The sight of windmills towering overhead may not be unfamiliar to community members
of northeastern New York ever since the development of the Noble Clinton Windpark in the
town of Ellenburg. But the 67-turbine-strong wind farm could be dwarfed by another project
proposed by Invenergy, LLC – the Bull Run Wind Energy Center – within the next few years.
Invenergy’s vision for Bull Run consists of an estimated 90-140 turbines, also placed in
the Ellenburg area, and lead project developer Eric Miller has high hopes for the project thanks
to the area’s windy weather and agreeable community.
“The wind blows pretty regularly in the northwestern part of Clinton County and that’s
the first reason we are there,” Miller said. “But in addition to the wind, we like the fact that there
is a lot of open land, there are large electric transmission lines nearby, the communities are
experienced with and interested in hosting wind turbines, and landowners are interested in
leasing their land.”
Miller’s amicable relationship with the community is not a universal experience when it
comes to the development of wind farms, though. It is not uncommon for such propositions to be
met with controversy among community members, as is happening just across Lake Champlain
in Swanton, Vermont.
The proposal for Swanton Wind is much smaller than the propositions facing Clinton
County – consisting of only seven roughly 500-foot-tall turbines – but already is facing heated
objections from an array of Vermont residents.
One of the most outspoken of these residents is Christine Lang.
Lang’s home is about 2000 feet from the proposed site of Swanton Wind. After some
research into the planned turbines, Lang and other residents in the area decided that they weren’t
fond of the idea of a wind farm less than a half mile from their homes, and for a variety of
reasons.
“Most people thought wind was a great thing until they started doing research and realize
that it isn't great, and especially in Vermont. It destroys the ridgeline, it can be detrimental to the
health of those living nearby,” Lang said, citing the noise produced by the turbines.
Additionally, Lang said, the area in which Swanton Wind is intended to be developed is
made up of wetlands that play host to a great amount of wildlife. Roads for the windmills would
have to be created in order for their development and upkeep, which, with the current plan,
would go directly through these wetlands.
As of now, Swanton Wind is still in the works, though Lang and company continue to
bring their objections to the public eye.
While Swanton Wind shows that the Lake Champlain area is not always welcoming of
wind energy developments, Mooers Forks resident Joshua Frenya suggests that when it comes to
Clinton County’s windmills, the road was considerably less rough.
“There were people who wanted it to happen because it's an alternative resource, but
there were also people who complained that it would be an eyesore for the area,” Frenya said.
But those with complaints eventually came to terms with the establishment of the Noble
Clinton Windpark.
“It's been more than a few years since I have heard anybody really talk about them,”
Frenya said. “The windmills are not really in the way of anything and you can only really see
them on the back roads, so I think people just ignore them for the most part.”
Even with residents used to the wind farms, however, evidence does exist that the wind
turbines developed in Clinton County have caused actual drops in property value, according to
Dr. Martin Heintzelman, an associate professor of economics and financial studies at Clarkson
University.
“As a major man-made object in the landscape they can represent a significant change for
a local community,” Heintzelman said. “This change can be felt negatively by local residents,
and especially by homeowners that are close to, and within sight of, the turbines.”
In 2012, Heintzelman, alongside Carrie M. Tuttle, published a study discussing the
effects of wind turbines on property value entitled “Values in the Wind: A Hedonic Analysis of
Wind Power Facilities.” The study found that in Clinton County, the value of property within
sight of the windmills decreased even though other North Country establishments, like Maple
Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County, had little to no effect on local properties.
Heintzelman notes that while developers seem to adequately reimburse those whose
property hosts the windmills, the study shows that others who live within sight of the windmills
may not be acceptably accounted for, a conclusion reflected by Swanton residents’ disquiet.
Regardless, Miller remains confident that the Clinton County community members will
accept Invenergy’s project because of the benefits such projects bring with them – both energy-
related and financial.
“In the long run, we all benefit from having our electricity generated domestically and
with no fuel risk or air pollution,” said Miller. “In the immediate host communities of Ellenburg,
Clinton, Altona, and Mooers, the average residents will benefit from millions of dollars per year
that the project will pay to the county, towns, and school district; dollars that almost always end
up resulting in lower taxes for residents.”
Invenergy hopes to begin construction of Bull Run Wind Energy Center by 2018.
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