River Residents Against Turbines - River RATs

05/08/2021

Today we celebrate with this stunning local photo of a Broad-winged Hawk, one of many migratory species to frequent Northern Jefferson County and the . Protecting migratory birds is just one of many reasons why Horse Creek is the wrong place for industrial wind.

It’s May, so that means it’s Broad-winged Hawk migration time. This one (as well as many other migrating Broad-wings) was spotted today. Enjoy!

04/22/2021

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐚 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 -𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭

Long ago, the Great Spirit looked down upon the Earth and saw that the different peoples were always making war and destroying each other. Seeing this, the Great Spirit decided to create a garden paradise where all people could live together in peace and harmony. Thus, the Garden of the Great Spirit was formed, with the instruction that the land, the sky and the waters were to be kept sacred. The people were told to live together in peace.

However, after a while the people began to neglect their care for the land, sky and waters. Fighting resumed. Seeing this, the Great Spirit swept up the Garden in a blanket, intending to carry it back to his home in the sky. As he flew higher and higher on his Thunderbird, the blanket split and the garden came crashing down on the , shattering into a 1000 pieces that we know today as the 1000 Islands.

On , we rededicate ourselves to protecting the paradise that is the beauty, environment, history and culture of the from industrial wind development and the destructive Horse Creek Wind Project.

02/08/2021

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐝’𝐬 (𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤’𝐬) 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠/𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝟏𝟎. Since then, River RATs has worked to clarify whether or not Horse Creek was abandoned permanently or if it was being staged for resubmission under the new 94-c siting process. We are yet to receive a reply.

Over the past 60 days, we contacted their ‘local office’ in Lowville more than 20 times, with no response. We spoke to the project’s legal counsel in Albany, who claimed to not know the developer’s intentions. We spoke to Avangrid’s Director of Communications and Communications Manager in the US, both of whom said they knew nothing about project status. They promised to return our calls and emails, but never did.

We insist that the has a right to know Avangrid’s plans for our community.

As a result, we are directly contacting representatives of Avangrid’s Spanish/Basque parent company, Iberdrola, headquartered in Madrid and Bilbao. We are writing them in their own languages so that there is no confusion about what we are asking.

We will not stop this effort until Avangrid/Iberdrola demonstrates a minimal level of corporate social responsibility by telling the 1000 Islands community their plans for Horse Creek.

*English translation of our letter in photo captions

02/01/2021

During last year’s legislative session, the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth & Community Benefit Act was passed, resulting in Section 94-c, which replaced Article 10 and reshaped renewable energy siting in New York by further 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 .

Key to last year’s final bill passage was the issue of PILOTs and tax agreements. Responding to statewide municipal objections, the legislature struck provisions that would have removed the taxation and PILOT authority of counties and IDAs. As a result, taxation structure and authority for renewable projects currently remains at the local level. This greatly upset wind and solar developers, who don’t like ‘uncertainty’ – that is, a county making its own decision regardless of what renewable in Albany want.

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

ACE NY, the Albany-based renewable industry lobby, has published their legislative agenda for 2021 and specifically states “𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”

In other words, the renewable industry wants Albany-based policymakers to supplant local county government and IDA authority and dictate the structure, contents, and valuation of PILOTs and other tax substitution agreements.

This year, 𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐈𝐈 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝗹 so that there is less opposition to and coverage about this radical assault on local authority and Home Rule.

Last year, the legislature understood the importance of respecting local county and community rights to establish taxation programs without Albany interference. Will the legislature roll over to the interests of developers this time?

River RATs will be bringing this concerning development to the attention of the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency and other local representatives in the .

01/21/2021

𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, depending if you’re Upstate or Downstate.

On January 13 in the State of the State, 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐨𝐦𝐨 announced a massive $26 billion public-private sector partnership to build upwards of 100 renewable projects. Along with solar, this includes onshore and offshore industrial wind:

“We are also proposing the largest wind programs in the nation. Today we begin development of two massive offshore wind farms, each more than 90 turbines off the shore of Long Island. They'll be located more than 𝟐𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 and located more than 𝟔𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐤 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 respectively. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 - 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞.”

What’s that? “𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 - 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞.”

So, if you are downstate, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐤, 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 to policymakers. But Upstate local community concerns about viewshed are summarily dismissed for the Greater Good.

Viewshed is one of many valid objections against the poorly-sited Horse Creek wind project. 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬.

It’s about more than aesthetics, preserving scenic beauty, our tourism-based economy, or property values.

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.

If visual concerns are important to wind projects 20 miles off the coast of Long Island, then 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬.

Horse Creek and the 1000 Islands is the wrong place for industrial wind.

12/13/2020

𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝟏𝟎 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬.

However, celebrations are on hold. The project can be submitted to the new, streamlined, developer-friendly Section 94-c and the new Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES).

Last Tuesday, Avangrid’s (Horse Creek’s) law firm, Young/Sommer, filed a letter with the PSC to withdraw the project from Article 10.
That same day, River RATs contacted Young/Sommer to clarify if the project was dead for good, or if it was being staged for resubmission under 94-c.

Young/Sommer only would provide non-committal answers, said they did not know what the developer’s intentions were, and recommended that we contact Avangrid directly.

Last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, River RATs contacted the Avangrid ‘local’ office, located more than an hour away from the project in Lewis County, by calling their listed numbers, 315-874-4231 and 315-399-0486. We received no answers or responses to multiple phone calls and voice messages.

On Friday, we called Avangrid’s Director of Communications, Paul Copleman. He was unaware of the filing and also did not know about the future status of the project. We look forward to following up to learn more.

What does this mean for Horse Creek?

Horse Creek now has a ‘clean slate’ to apply under 94-c. As the Young/Sommer attorney noted, they could have transferred Horse Creek into 94-c, but chose not to.

Until there is confirmation that Horse Creek is gone forever, the non-committal answers from all the developer representatives could be telling.

Avangrid can and should dismiss community fears by contacting the Town of and letting them know that removing Horse Creek from Article 10 means they have no further interest in the project. Otherwise, we can only assume that they are planning to proceed behind the scenes and wait until just 60 days before filing a new application, to contact the town.

Now more than ever, we will continue to express and document that the 1000 Islands is the wrong place for industrial wind, and that Avangrid has never and will never earn a from the community.

12/06/2020

The comment period on the new Section 94-c siting rules ends on Monday, December 7th.

We encourage everyone to submit comments. Now is the time for local voices to be heard. Last week, we posted River RATs’ comments from the Clayton virtual public hearing on these changes:

𝟏) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞. ORES and Administrative Law Judges should not have the authority to determine which “issues” raised by residents and municipalities merit hearings.

𝟐) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟐 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.

𝟑) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫. Developers across New York have a poor record of transparency and working to address community concerns.

𝟒) 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐌𝐌 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝟏𝟎. Dismissing transparency for local residents and communities attempting to understand and track projects.

Again, the comment period on these new rules ends next Monday, December 7.

It is important to let the policy makers in Albany know your concerns about the proposed rules and siting process.
The is the wrong place for industrial wind development.

Send a comment here:

11/27/2020

River RATs commented last Thursday at a virtual public hearing regarding the Office of Renewable Energy Siting's (ORES) new draft administrative rules for renewable siting in New York. Central to our concerns is Albany’s desire to stifle local voices, disregard local comprehensive planning and zoning, and steal from local communities. Here is what we said:

"Before discussing the draft regulations and uniform standards and conditions for subparts 900-1 through 15, a quick introduction.

River RATs is an inclusive, diverse grassroots voice that has united the community against the poorly-sited Horse Creek Wind Project. Horse Creek has been a dark cloud hanging over our community for more than a decade; it is unwanted and opposition is almost unanimous.

We support renewables, but opposes Horse Creek as it jeopardizes unique natural resources; our tourism-based economy; and important weather and military radars at Montague and Fort Drum.

𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚’𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬. For these reasons, Horse Creek is the only wind project in New York listed on the respected environmental justice conflict mapper, the .
Regarding the draft regulations and uniform standards, four brief comments:

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞. This is inappropriate and gives ORES and Administrative Law Judges the authority to determine which “issues” raised by residents merit hearings.

𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟐 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. These draft regulations have been intentionally structured to reduce community input by eliminating the Public Involvement Program and the Preliminary Scoping Statement, instead requiring just 60 days public notice prior to filing a formal application. These changes violate the spirit of established international sustainability frameworks, including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and deny the mostly poor, rural communities who host large energy projects their right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝, 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲-𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐚 , 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫. Developers across New York have a poor record of transparency. Eliminating these opportunities and shortening timelines reduces their incentive to earn a Social License. This Albany-centric process, including proposed rules such as ORES’ inaction equating to a completeness determination and final approval, will lead to increased resentment across the state.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐌𝐌 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝟏𝟎. Blocking local residents and communities from tracking progress would violate UN Sustainable Development Goals 16 and 17.

This lack of transparency is concerning. Perhaps a precursor of what is to come, today’s hearing was supposed to be held in person in the Town of Clayton. Remarkably, ORES did not contact Town officials about the event. Instead, ORES coordinated directly with an unelected building manager who also happens to be a wind leaseholder for Horse Creek. Furthermore, it was the Town of Clayton that cancelled the in-person hearing on the advice of the county health department to prevent the possibility of COVID-19 transmission. We thank our Town officials for keeping us safe.

If this is the level of community outreach and transparency we can expect from ORES, then unfortunately, as 94-c proceeds, further opposition to projects will occur. And not just for unworkable project like Horse Creek, but even for properly-sited projects that are needed to build a greener and more sustainable future."

11/18/2020

*𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒*

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥

River RATs learned late yesterday that due to increasing COVID-19 concerns, the Town of Clayton has cancelled the in-person public hearing that was scheduled for Thursday, November 19 at the Clayton Opera House (Town building). This local action is per consultation with Jefferson County Public Health. River RATs appreciates Clayton and Jefferson County's efforts to keep our community safe.

The hearing, scheduled by the state’s new Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), to address a series of proposed administrative rules that will replace Article 10, greatly accelerate renewable energy siting and diminish Home Rule in New York, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲.

ORES is providing an online registration for virtual attendance.

𝐓𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰’𝐬 (𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡) 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝟏𝟐:𝟎𝟎 𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰.

See “Register Electronically” on the ORES website below.

River RATs is amazed to learn that New York State never contacted the municipality of Clayton about this hearing.

The new ORES rules supposedly value community engagement. However, actions speak louder than words. This failure to even contact the host municipality makes it clear that these new rules value Albany insiders and wind lobbyists over local communities and .

The Horse Creek Wind Project has never and will never earn a to operate from the community.

*Please check this page periodically for updates in the event that a public statement hearing needs to be canceled, rescheduled or postponed.Due to concerns about public health and safety associated with the ongoing pandemic, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting has decided, with the Town of Clayto...

11/15/2020

𝟗𝟒-𝐜: 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞

This past Thursday, in anticipation of next week’s public hearings on New York’s proposed 94-c Rules for renewable energy siting, New Yorkers for Clean Power held a “teach in” panel discussion. To address any concerns that local municipalities may have with the new siting approval process they invited Lewis County Manager Ryan Piche.

Lewis County has long history of supporting industrial wind and solar projects. However, listening to Mr. Piche’s very professional presentation, local municipalities’ core concern with 94-c is not about project siting - they already act in the interests of their community - it is about retaining local decision making in the process. That is the State taking away Home Rule.

His comments included:

“𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑡𝑤𝑜-𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑦. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦’𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒’𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒.”

“𝑊𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑑𝑜𝑧𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑘𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠.”

“𝑊𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ. 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 2030, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑠 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙.”

Let’s recap.

• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
• 𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐝𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬…𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫
𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
• 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡
• 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 … 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞
𝐫𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬
• 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬

River RATs commend Mr. Piche for being candid and right on point; renewable energy siting is all about local planning and decision making, and Section 94-c strips away Home Rule.

You can voice your concerns about the proposed Section 94-c Rules at one of next week’s four virtual public hearings or at the scheduled in-person hearing at the Clayton Opera House on November 19 (still subject to Covid restrictions). See https://ores.ny.gov/events for information and to register.
Horse Creek is the absolutely wrong place for industrial wind. Our 1000 Islands communities know 94-c takes away our local voices and Home Rule.

Upcoming public hearings hosted by the Office of Renewable Energy Siting.

11/08/2020

River RATs celebrates 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡!

This month-long celebration of Native American history and culture has deep New York roots tracing back to archaeologist Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca born on the Cattaraugus Reservation. Dr. Parker was the first full-time archaeologist at the New York State Museum, co-founder of the Society of American Indians, and later became the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester. His efforts led to American Indian Day being established by the Governor of New York in 1916, the first state to recognize the day.

As the NY DEC says “𝑁𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐴𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ. 𝐷𝐸𝐶 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑌𝑜𝑟𝑘 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒.”

Here in Jefferson County and the Horse Creek Wind project area, there are many important Native American cultural resources, including the Perch Lake Mounds, numerous villages, ceremonial landscapes, and ancestral burial grounds. There is also increasing academic recognition of our region being essential to Pan-Iroquoian transport and travel networks, as documented by the recent unveiling of the ‘Native Pathways’ Sign in Depauville, an occasion marked by special guests from the Oneida Indian Nation.

However, this month’s celebration in New York appears shaken by the proposed Horseshoe Solar project in the Southern Tier. To address Article 10 criteria, the project developer, Invenergy, hired the same consulting firm that minimized critical cultural resource concerns and the potential for Native burials for the Galloo Island Wind Project, here in Jefferson County.

For a first-hand account of the ongoing events with the Seneca Nation and Horseshoe Solar, watch 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬, produced by the Seneca Nation.

As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month and remember Dr. Parker, we look for New York State decision-makers to respect their “𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒.”

River RATs knows for numerous reasons – 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 - that Horse Creek is the absolutely wrong place for industrial wind.

The Seneca Nation is greatly concerned about the impacts upon ancestral burial grounds from Invenergy’s proposed Horseshoe Solar Project. The Canawaugus Terr...

08/17/2020

“𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑐 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡. 𝐼𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑁𝑌𝑆 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐’𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒.”

This is but one comment contained in the revealing resignation letter from a local ad hoc appointee in the High Bridge Wind case that describes his outrage for the lack of “public interest” displayed by the Article 10 Siting Board. The full letter is worth reading.

We can only imagine how concerns of public interest and participation will be treated under the new Albany-centric Section 94-c siting process.

River RATs has long championed the need for Social License and respecting public participation and input. As our local communities continue to demonstrate, the 1000 Islands and Jefferson County is the absolutely wrong place for the poorly-sited Horse Creek Wind Project.

https://docs.wind-watch.org/Art-Christensen-Resignation-Letter.pdf