Here we go again...

We thought we had a little bit of time to regroup but, with issues still outstanding over the Chautauqua Wind Power fiasco, our town and county leaders have seen fit to invite Tom Golisano and Keith Pitman of Empire State Wind Energy to town to pitch wind power again. The kicker...

Our town hasn't settled the outstanding issues that Chautauqua WindPower left behind!

Because of these developments, I'll be reworking the content on this web site. Please check back from time to time to see what has changed. Any changes will be announced on thes page. In the mean time, the old site is still available.

Content that reflects our new situation...

Letter to the Editor of the Cheektowaga Times by Tom Golisano, principle of Empire State Wind Energy LLC
(Opens in a new window)

Welcome. This web site is being created to inform you of some of the issues and opinions surrounding industrial wind power and in the town of Westfield, New York. This web site is currently under development but it is being released to the public incomplete so that you can get an idea of what is going on.

The ridge (escarpment actually) stretches from east of Cleveland Ohio along the south shore of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario all the way to the east end of Lake Ontario. Since starting to research the issues surrounding industrial wind power, I have learned that almost the entire escarpment is being prospected by wind power developers. Given their way, wind power developers would turn this beautiful ridge into one giant industrial power plant.

Thank you for taking the time to read the information that is provided and we invite you to return from time to time as new information will be added.

Recent Updates to this site:

Up until the last few weeks, there hasn't been much action on the Chatauqua Windpower LLC project. It appears that the company is out of money and is having problems finding more. Not surprising given the bankruptcy history of this company as well as the problems with the location here in Ripley and Westfield. Also, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service has released their response to the Avian Risk Assessment that was published by Chautauqua Windpower LLC last year.

November 11, 2005

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has released their response to the Avian Risk Assessment that was published in 2005 by Chautauqua Wind Power. In their response, which consisted of two documents, the service characterizes the Chautauqua Windpower report as bad science, containing many internal contradictions. They also say that the conclusions of the report are unfounded and based on bad data. For more information, as well as a summary and copies of the original USFWS documents, please follow this link.

October 31, 2005

Chautauqua Windpower LLC has lost the 3.2 million dollar ($3,200,000) grant that they were to receive on completion of their project in Westfield and Ripley. According to a representative from NYSERDA, the reason for the cancellation of the grant contract is "the Chautauqua project does not appear to have any legitimate prospect of accomplishing the contracted for objective of commencing commercial operation before July 1. (2006)" Chautauqua County Citizens for Responsible Windpower has issued a press release that provides more details. To read more, please follow this link.

October 2, 2005

It has come to our attention recently that Chautauqua Windpower LLC has outstanding debts with the towns of Westfield and Ripley that exceed $100,000. In the corporate world, that may not be a lot of money but in small towns like ours, that is a measurable percentage of the total tax levy. Although they have been receiving bills from the towns, no payment has been made since December 2004. Chautauqua Windpower LLC representatives have stated that they are looking for investors but the question stands: Who would invest in such a problem riddled project and why?

June 10, 2005

Ripley Hawk Watch has released their report for this years spring raptor migration. It was an excellent year for observing raptors in this area and there was even a first time sighting of whooping cranes in this area that was confirmed by US Fish and Wildlive Service radio telemetry from one of the birds. To read more, please follow this link

January 10, 2005

Added a contact page to the site. The contact form is accessible from links in the side and bottom menus of each page.

January 6, 2005

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has issued a scathing response to the Chautauqua Windpower Avian Risk Assessment. For more information regarding the response that NYSDEC has forwarded to Chautauqua Windpower LLC as well as the full text of that response, please follow this link.

August 15, 2004

William R. Evans has written a Critical review of Chautauqua Windpower, LLC Avian Risk Assessment This paper is a response to the Avian Risk Assessment that was published and presented by Chautauqua Windpower LLC with regards to the Westfield/Ripley project. Click on the link to read this paper.

The Area

The towns of Ripley and Westfield are situated in the very north west corner of New York State, along the south shore of Lake Erie. These rural towns contain a beautiful ridge with a mix of farm land and wooded areas. (Pictures to come) Our towns are home to some rare birds, notably the Bald Eagle and are located under a major migratory flyway. The image below shows what the ridge in Westfield and Ripley currently looks like.

The Industrial Wind Project

A company called Jasper Energy has decided that the towns of Westfield and Ripley would be an ideal location for a wind power facility so formed a subsidiary called Chautauqua Wind Power LLC to this end. Specifically, Chautauqua Wind Power LLC wants to place 34 giant wind turbines along the edge of the ridge, in an area that corresponds to the migratory flyway. The turbines that they want to place are approximately 400 feet tall, 100 feet taller than the statue of liberty! These turbines would be placed in a line about 5 miles long at the edge of the ridge with the line running from a point in Ripley, north east to a point in Westfield. It is worth noting that the US Fish & Wildlife Service has recommended that wind turbines not be placed on natural ridge lines.

Developers of these projects like to call them Wind Farms, as though 400 foot metal structures, with machinery bigger than a school bus attached to them, grow from the ground with a sprinkling of seed. Actually, they are not farms, they are industrial facilities. The experience in other places is that the placement of giant wind turbines gives an area, that may have been rural, green and lush, a distinctive industrial appearance.

We must protect our surroundings for future generations. Why shouldn't our
children and grandchildren be able to enjoy nature's beauty?

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