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ape Vincent and Lyme are known for their rich cultural history and abundant natural resources that make the area a wonderful place to live and to visit. One of the most plentiful, and promising, natural resources is the wind. Wind coming across Lake Ontario onto Cape Vincent is an outstanding energy resource in New York State. Wind power is the fastest growing electricity source in the world. Freighters on the St. Lawrence Seaway regularly transport turbine blades and tower components from Europe to ports in the Great Lakes that distribute the parts nationwide. Around the country and the globe, thousands of wind turbines are producing power safely, affordably, and without polluting emissions.
Like many upstate communities, Cape Vincent and Lyme face twenty-rst century challenges as they try to develop their economies, and become more sustainable. The proposed Cape Vincent wind farm being developed by BP Alternative Energy would bring signicant local benets, including an economic boost amounting to an investment in the community that could exceed $50 Million over 20 years. Development of this prolic resource will also curb the pollution from power plants that produces greenhouse gas emissions, the major contributor to global warming.
Community landowners who choose to host wind facilities on their property receive annual royalty payments, which are expected to total over $1 million per year for the entire wind farm. Over the lifetime of the project, landowners have a stable source of income, while still being able to utilize 95 percent of their land for its original use animals and crops can be safely located right up to the base of the towers.
Job creation & materials contracts local jobs and local resources:
As the wind project is developed, temporary and permanent jobs are created. Construction of a 210 MW wind farm would generate hundreds of construction jobs and $4 million in wages for workers. BP Alternative Energy will also spend roughly $15 million on purchasing materials (concrete, gravel, etc) from area companies. Once in operation, the wind farm will require approximately 5-10 fulltime workers to operate and maintain it.
Landowner royalty revenue Wind power provides supplemental income to residents who lease a portion of their land for wind turbines. As sprawling development consumes 26,000 acres of New York farmland each year, wind power can provide the money that families and communities need to preserve their open space and their way of life.
Contact Information
James H. Madden, Business Developer BP Alternative Energy NA, Inc. 310 Fourth St., NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902 Ph: 434-220-9428
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Environmental Benefits
ind power generation is clean and sustainable. Unlike generators that burn fossil fuels that degrade our environment and threaten our health, wind turbines produce power without polluting emissions. New York power plants that burn oil, gas and coal produce the majority of our power. As the largest source of industrial air pollution, these plants emit large quantities of the air pollutants that contribute to global warming, acid rain, and mercury contamination. A New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) study found that if wind energy supplied 10% (3,300 megawatts) of the state's peak electricity demand, the fuels it displaced would be reduced proportionally as follows: 65% from natural gas; 15% from coal; 10% from oil; and 10% from electricity imports. Every megawatt of wind power we produce in New York reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and helps to displace: five tons of sulfur dioxide six tons of nitrogen oxide; and more than 1,300 tons of carbon dioxide each year.
and would eliminate some of the coastal wetland areas around Cape Vincent that provide essential breeding habitat. These losses not only create dangerous ecological imbalances, they also place billions of dollars from tourism and recreational activities, like hunting and fishing, at risk. Acid Rain Toxic emissions containing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide have contributed to the acid rain that has damaged our forests and left 500 New York lakes unable to support life. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the streams and lakes of the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains are particularly sensitive to acidification, and without a decline in acid rain production, the number of water bodies affected could increase dramatically. Mercury Contamination According to the National Wildlife Federation, each year more than 100 tons of mercury are emitted into the air from coal fired power plants, waste incinerators and other sources. This toxic heavy metal eventually deposits on our land and water, endangering wildlife and human health. In the Great Lakes region, rainwater contains as much as 65 times the EPA's safe level of mercury. As a potent neurotoxin, Mercury contamination has rendering much of the fish in New York's smaller water bodies unsafe to eat. Last year, the Department of Health issued advisories for fish in 130 water bodies across the state including Lake Ontario, Red Lake and the St. Lawrence River. In the report "Mercury Connections" by the Biodiversity Research Institute, researchers have labeled the Adirondack Mountains region of New York state a "biological hotspof'due to elevated mercury levels in fish and wildlife. It was once thought that Mercury contamination posed the greatest risk to wildlife that depend on our waterways, like the Common Loon, however recent studies in New York have shown high levels of mercury contamination in songbirds that inhabit our forests, indicating that the effect is more widespread.
Environmental Benefits
Wind power generation is clean and sustainable. Unlike fossil environme threaten our health,wind turbines produce power without polluting emissions
Environmental Health
In addition to threatening our environment, pollution from power plants has a significant affect on human health. According to the American Lung Association, more than 14 million people in New York live in areas that have been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as having unhealthy air. Harvard University studies on the health impacts of coal plants in Massachusetts and Illinois found that people who lived within 30 miles of a coal fired power plant had a higher incidence of premature death. In New York, the small particles that are emitted by power plants result in 28,000 asthma attacks, almost 2,500 non-fatal heart attacks and over 1,200 premature deaths each year. Of the three million children that live near New York's 12 major coal-fired power plants, almost 180,000 or between 5-6 percent, have asthma.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear power plants do not produce air pollution, however, nuclear expansion in this country has been controversial due to concerns about nuclear accidents, hazardous waste, and low level radiation exposure. In the local area, Constellation Energy's Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station is under consideration for a new reactor. Wind power is a clean, safe alternative to nuclear energy.
Wildlife, Environmental, Scientific and Public Interest Groups Support Wind Power
Sierra Club
"Wind power is a reliable, clean, renewable resource that can help reduce our reliance on polluting fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and nuclear power for electricity." Sierra Club Conservation Policies, www.sierraclub.org
Audubon Society
"If we don't find ways to reduce these emissions, far more birds - and people - will be threatened by global warming than by wind turbines." President John Flicker, Audubon View, Audubon Magazine, NovDec 2006, www.audubon.org/campaign/windPowerQA
Contact Information
James H. Madden, Business Developer BP Alternative Energy NA, Inc. 310 Fourth St., NE, Charlottesville.VA 22902 Ph: 434-220-9428
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ompared to other human related activities, wind development has a relatively low impact on birds. Research has shown that the mortality rate for birds in the East from wind turbines is about three birds per megawatt of wind power per year, whereas 97 million birds die each year from collisions with plate glass windows. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), out of every 10,000 birds killed by human activities, less than one of those is caused by a wind turbine. Of particular concern had been the high number of bird deaths at one of the earliest sited wind facilities at Altamont Pass in California, and a large number of bat deaths at a wind facility in West Virginia. Studies have shown that these incidences appear to be site specific and are not representative of the general risk to wildlife posed by wind facilities. Avian studies and wildlife surveys are now routinely conducted prior to wind site development. Environmental groups, federal regulators, the wind industry and other interested parties also continue to work together to develop ways to further limit any impacts on birds and bats. The U.S. Department of Energy contends that conventional fuels, which contribute to air and water pollution, have a far greater impact on birds and their habitat, as well as to the environment and human health. Our proposed 210 MW project will offset more than 375,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of taking more than 74,000 cars off the road each year. National groups like the Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy support wind power and recognize the role that it has to play in reducing the toxic emissions that pose a significant threat to avian species.
Birds
Early turbine plants in the 1970's and 80's were located without attention to the use of the area by birds, and aspects of the turbines design, like lattice towers and fast spinning rotors, proved to have a negative impact on the bird population. Since then, potential or known risk factors have been addressed in turbine siting and design, drastically reducing bird mortality. The research conducted to date on the migratory patterns of bird species has also shown that birds avoid wind turbines. A radar study conducted over two years by Denmark's National Environmental Research Institute showed that, almost exclusively, migrating geese and ducks either flew down the corridors between wind turbines or avoided the wind farm altogether. For more than ten years the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has been working with the Audubon Society and other stakeholder groups through the National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC), an organization that establishes guidelines for the monitoring and reporting of bird mortality related to wind power and serves as a resource for research in the area.
For every 10,000 birds killed by human activities, less than one death is caused by a wind turbine.
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"When you look at a wind turbine, you can find the bird carcasses and count them. With a coal-fired power plant, you can't count the carcasses, but it's going to kill a lot more birds. "
John Flicker, National Audubon Society, President
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Data source: Erickson et al., 2002, Summary of Anthropogenic Causes of Bird Mortality.
This radar study, conducted by Denmark's National Environmental Research Institute over a two-year period, shows that migrating birds fly around wind farms. The radar image shows the westerly oriented flight trajectories during the initial operation of the wind turbines. Black lines indicate migrating water bird flocks, red dots the wind turbines.
Resources:
National Wind Coordinating Collaborative www.nationalwind.org Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative http://www.batcon.org American Wind Energy Association www.awea.org
Contact Information
James H. Madden, Business Developer BP Alternative Energy NA, Inc. 310 Fourth St., NE, Charlottesville.VA 22902 Ph: 434-220-9428
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ST. LAWRENCE WIND FARM
Description St. Lawrence Wind Farm (SLWF) is a proposed wind energy project with the potential to produce 76.5 MW of clean, cost-competitive renewable energy. Acciona Energy (www.acciona-na.com), a global leader in renewable energy development and a member of the Acciona Group, is the project sponsor through its St. Lawrence Windpower, LLC (SLW) (www.stlawrencewind.com) subsidiary. The project site is located in the towns of Cape Vincent and Lyme in Jefferson County, New York. Fifty-one Acciona 1.5 MW wind turbine generators will be situated in a rural agricultural district in Cape Vincent where the prevailing land use is dairy farming. A 9 mile transmission line along an existing utility corridor and former railroad bed will interconnect the project with the electric grid in Lyme. Economic Benefits SLWF represents a private capital investment in excess of $150 million that is expected to create more than 150 temporary construction jobs and 6-10 permanent skilled jobs. During its 20+ year operating life, it is estimated that SLWF will make over $20 million in lease payments to participating landowners and over $20 million in Payment-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes (PILOT) and property tax payments to local tax jurisdictions (Town of Cape Vincent, Town of Lyme, Thousand Islands Central School District, Lyme Central School District and Jefferson County). These additional jobs and payments will diversify the local economy and help foster a thriving sustainable community. SLWF will provide a steady, long-term and local source of tax revenue that is not subject to cuts by the state or federal government. These locally generated and locally controlled tax dollars can be used to increase services, reduce taxes or prevent a reduction in services for example, the closing of a school. Martinsburg School District in neighboring Lewis County has utilized PILOT funding from the Maple Ridge Wind Farm to maintain, and even lower, the annual tax levy. That, along with rising property values in the district, has caused the full-value tax rate to steadily drop.i In Cohocton, New York, a fifty turbine wind project commenced operation in 2008 and has allowed for a 32% reduction in the towns tax levy - from $4.18 to $2.85 per thousand of assessed value. In a November 5, 2010 story in the Evening Tribune, Town Supervisor Jack Zigenfus said If we didnt have the wind project, wed probably be in very tough shape. Other than raising taxes, I dont know where the next money would have come from. The town is in very, very good financial shape for next year and the next few years. Money will flow into the local economy through purchases of goods and services needed to support the projects construction and operation. Local businesses that benefit will include hotels, restaurants and building materials suppliers. These purchases, as well as the projects direct payments to landowners and tax jurisdictions, will result in secondary purchases and create an economic ripple effect that enhances the local economy. During construction, improvements will be made to local roads and the regional electric grid utilized by the project. Historic preservation projects at the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse and other local landmarks will be funded by SLWF. 83% of respondents to a 2010 Jefferson Community College survey believe wind farm development is important to the local Jefferson County economy. 2009 survey results for neighboring Lewis County, home to New Yorks largest wind farm, show 69% believe that the impact wind farms have had in Lewis County has been positive and only 11% believe it has been negative.
Environmental Impacts SLWF will provide for the annual electricity needs of approximately 32,000 households with clean renewable power.ii By displacing the need for electricity generation from traditional sources, SLWFs operation will reduce annual emissions by approximately 81 tons of nitrogen oxides, 292 tons of sulfur dioxide and substantial quantities of other pollutants. In addition, the project will offset approximately 70,311 tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gases annually the amount produced by 12,247 cars. By offsetting air pollutants and greenhouse gases, the project will provide significant benefits to environmental resources and human health. From the State Environmental Quality Review Findings Statement issued by the Town of Cape Vincent Planning Board: consistent with social, economic and other essential considerations from among the reasonable alternatives available, the action [SLWF project] is one that avoids or minimizes adverse environmental impacts to the maximum extent practicable Wind energy development is supported by many independent environmental advocates, including the Union of Concerned Scientists, National Audubon Society, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Property Values A comprehensive December 2009 study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory collected residential property sales data from 10 study areas surrounding 24 operating wind farms in 9 states, including 2 in New York.iii The study concluded no evidence is found that home prices surrounding wind facilities are consistently, measurably, and significantly affected by either the view of wind facilities or the distance of the home to those facilities. A diversified local economy benefits property values by limiting the adverse effects that a decline in any one market sector (real estate, tourism, agriculture, government, etc) can have on residential property values and a communitys tax base. Tourism Studies investigating the impact of wind farms on tourism demonstrate that the effect is negligible at worst, with many respondents taking a positive view of wind farms. Results have found that the presence of wind turbines would not affect the decision of most visitors to return.iv In some areas, wind turbines draw tourists. Responding to the publics desire to learn more, local governments frequently work with developers to install information stands and signs near wind farms, as well as pull-off areas, similar to scenic overlooks, from nearby roads. Project Status SLWFs Final Environmental Impact Statement was accepted as complete by the Town of Cape Vincent Planning Board in August 2010. Final environmental/land-use permitting and land rights acquisition activities are in progress. SLW will seek approval of the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency and host tax jurisdictions of a PILOT that is competitive with other NY wind energy project PILOTs.
Updated November 15, 2010
Watertown Daily Times Lowville School Tax Rate Decreases Again August 31, 2010, Page B5 Based on estimated project annual output and US Energy Information Administration January 30, 2006 New York State annual average electricity consumption of 5,974 kWh per household. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory The Impact of Wind Power Projects on Residential Property Values in the United States: A Multi-Site Hedonic Analysis December 2009 http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA/EMP/re-pubs.html MORI Scotland Tourist Attitudes Towards Wind Farms September 2002 http://w.bwea.com/pdf/mori.pdf
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