EMPORIUM – Potter County is not the only area that may be
targeted for commercial wind energy production.
A National Fuel Gas Corp., subsidiary is studying sites in
Cameron County for possible location of wind turbines.
Seneca Resources Corp., is working with a Connecticut consulting
firm, Tamarack Group, to measure wind conditions in Cameron County.
Initial assessments are taking place in the county’s northwest
corner, off Route 46 in Shippen Township, between Emporium and
Smethport.
Equipment extended high into the air measures wind speed and
frequency at the site. Seneca Resources will assess the findings to
decide whether it’s financially feasible to locate wind turbines in
that area.
State and federal tax incentives and subsidies have prompted
several large companies to investigate wind energy. One of the most
active is AES Corp., which proposes a massive wind plant involving
upwards of 80 towering turbines in Potter County’s agricultural
region.
Last week, representatives of Save God’s Country, the citizens’
group that has formed to combat the project, reported that other
areas of Potter County – including a section of Hebron Township
north of Coudersport and the Dutch Hill area between Coudersport
and Austin – may also be targeted by wind energy companies.
Meanwhile, a citizens’ organization in Tioga County has been
formed to rally the populace against an AES Corp., wind plant
proposal for that region. The Tioga group is seeking an alliance
with Save God’s Country.
“There is growing concern that our entire region could be
invaded by wind developers,” said Herb Miller, spokesman for Save
God’s Country. “Many people don’t understand the potential negative
impact on our lives and landscape.”
That organization is calling for a county ordinance that would
prohibit or strictly limit the erection of tall structures such as
wind turbines. Save God’s Country also wants a delay in the state
permitting process while the wind plant’s impact can be more
thoroughly studied.
The group cites the following as the basis for its objections:
damaging health effects, noise pollution, negative impact on
wildlife, declining property values, construction of new roads and
underground transmission lines, shadow flicker, negative impact on
tourism, visual intrusion on the landscape, and absence of any
direct energy benefits for Potter County.
Several of the landowners in Ulysses and Hector townships who
stand to benefit economically from the wind plant are pushing for
approval of the AES plan, which is still in its formative stages.
They cite private property rights and potential economic benefits,
from real estate taxes to jobs.
