The Partial Observer by Nicole Dillingham

Don’t Roll Over on Rolling Hills Industrial Wind

The threat of an industrial scale wind turbine project negatively impacting the Glimmerglass Historic District and the Holy Trinity Monastery is looming once again here. The developer is Terra-Gen and the project is euphemistically called “Rolling Hills.” We should not “roll over” on this.
Terra-Gen has assured residents that the 300-megawatt project will be as big as possible, with 75-80 turbines projected at a height of 600 feet each, lit at night with red flashing lights. Plus roads, collection facilities and transmission lines.

This project will negatively impact the religious rites of the Holy Trinity Monastery, and Museum, listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and dramatically negatively impact the Glimmerglass Historic District with flashing red lights illuminating the turbines, visible from Lake Otsego.

Terra-Gen is now approaching landowners in the vicinity to sign up leases. At the same time, they are conducting bird studies, including a “large bird” survey of eagle nesting grounds, sound tests, archeological tests and wetlands delineation. They plan to complete their application by early next year, with construction commencing in 2028 and completion expected by 2030.

Significantly, electricity generated by the project will be fed directly into the Marcy South power line due to extra capacity in that line. There is no plan to make the electricity available to the affected towns or residents, and no hope that it will reduce electric rates in the affected communities. While a “pilot agreement” in lieu of property taxes could be negotiated to aid host communities, there is no expectation that this would aid landowners in the region whose property values will fall drastically if this project is built.
Terra-Gen claims that extensive studies of visual impacts have already been done, including a study of visual impacts on the monastery and Otsego Lake, but this study has not been released for public comment.

Terra-Gen claims that, in the past, “NIMBYS” objected to a prior project due to negative impacts on the monastery, the Otsego Lake viewshed and the Glimmerglass Historic District. They are referring to an industrial wind project proposed by Iberdrola, which Otsego 2000 fought and stopped in 2007. The Iberdrola project was, in fact, half the size of the project now proposed by Terra-Gen. We firmly reject these derogatory attacks by Terra-Gen on residents and institutions fighting to protect their communities from abuse by foreign developers.

While Otsego 2000 strongly supports the development of renewable energy, we believe these projects must be sited with attention to the impacts on local historic sites, religious intuitions, historic viewsheds and protection of endangered species. We cannot support destruction of nature in the name of protecting it. I hope you will follow these developments, attend local town board meetings to express your opposition to improperly sited industrial developments, and support Otsego 2000 in this effort.

Nicole Dillingham is a board member and former board president of Otsego 2000.